Yearly Archives: 2019

A Second Chance

You’ve heard the expression that you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression. While that may be true when it comes to meeting people, it’s not necessarily the case when it comes to B2B (business to business) sales. In fact, in the B2B sales world, if you play your cards right, not only may you get a second chance, but you could get a third, fourth, fifth, and even beyond.

There is a reason that those selling vehicles, appliances, furniture, and other B2C (business to consumer) products come off a bit pushy, and by doing so, often lose the opportunity for a second chance. It’s because once the customer has made the purchase, they are out of the market for an extended period of time. It’s Risk versus Reward. They push because they know that it may be years before those customers are in the market to purchase again.

In media sales, if you make a presentation to a prospect or client today and they say no, you can always reload and present again tomorrow or in the very near future, IF…

The “IF” is… If, you play your cards right and take the “no” professionally. No pouting, no arguing, no trying to make them feel guilty or stupid because they didn’t accept your ideas or didn’t want to do business with you.

Accept the “no” politely and professionally and be ready to reply with a few well-prepared statements and questions, such as, “Mr./Mrs. Prospect, I really appreciate your time and consideration of our proposal or plan. Can I ask you a question or two? Is there a specific reason that you have decided not to move forward with this plan? If I were to re-tool this plan or go back to the drawing board, what changes, things added or subtracted, would you like to see?”

Find out what the possible reasons may be and re-think your proposal. A warning though; business owners do lie and how they respond to these questions may not necessarily be the truth. Be prepared to dig a little deeper to uncover the real reasons.

By being professional, you will always leave the door open to present again. Anything less is unacceptable. In media sales, there is always a second, third, fourth chance to make that first time sale.

A Correction and…Opportunity!

Correction: In last week’s ENS on Sales titled, “If You Don’t Offer Digital or Social, Find Someone that Does”, we errored by leaving out two important words

We stated, “The 2019 Borrell and Associates Local Advertising Survey revealed some interesting results. The survey showed that 44% of businesses use radio advertising”.  It should have read, “44% of businesses THAT ADVERTISE use radio”. We apologize for misquoting the 2019 Borrell and Associates Local Advertising Survey.

Opportunity: So, based on the Borrell and Associates Survey, where is the opportunity for radio?

If you’re an optimist and a true professional advertising rep, there are lots of opportunities!

The survey of advertisers in this study said they use, on average, 6.2 different types of advertising, and 44% said they were trying something new. Whether you offer radio-only, digital-only, or a combination of both, you can be that “something new”.

When it comes to how much money is allocated per medium, Radio ranked #3 only behind Broadcast TV and Cable TV.

With all the advertising options available today, business owners are as confused as ever. Ignoring, or worse yet bashing, digital and social media is not going to earn you the respect you want as a media rep. Be the media rep that brings solid ideas to your clients and prospects, and walks the digital talk or introduces them to someone who can. Doing what’s right even when it means placing budgets elsewhere will prove that you’re the right person to work with. Ultimately, you will garner the majority of the budget!

If you’re a pessimist and continue to do what you’re doing, 2020 could be a long and hard year!

Be an optimist, and do what’s right! What Roy H. Williams,The Wizard of Ads, says about advertising is also true when it comes to media rep and client relationships, “Win the heart, and the mind will follow”.

ENS Media works with small and medium-sized markets to help them and their media reps build stronger and more profitable relationships with their clients. If you are interested in creating a more professional sales team to handle the New Media World, contact us and let’s talk.

If you Don’t Offer Digital and Social, Find Someone Who Does

We used to say, “Control the creative and you’ll control the budget”. Times have changed and while we still place huge importance on controlling the message, today, controlling or at minimum having a say in the digital is extremely important.

But we are radio reps and not digital/social reps, right?

You don’t have to be an expert in digital and social media to be involved in the process. In fact, trying to be a jack-of-all-trades isn’t necessarily the answer, especially in the fast-paced, ever-changing, world of digital, where even the digital experts have to hustle to keep on top of the game.

The 2019 Borrell and Associates Local Advertising Survey revealed some interesting results. The survey showed that 44% of businesses that advertise use radio advertising. It also found that 61.9% purchased paid social media advertising, and 45.4% executed search engine marketing. More importantly, when they asked business owners where they planned to increase their budgets, 8 of the top 10 advertising platforms were in the digital and social arena.

It also found that 81% of businesses are buying both digital and non-digital advertising campaigns. Here’s the real kicker; of those surveyed that use radio, only 38% said their local rep offered an online component and they purchased it, and 21% said online was offered but they didn’t buy! If my math serves me correctly, this means 41% of radio reps are not presenting digital or social.

Is this a problem or an opportunity?

Instead of trying to fight to keep your share of your budget, be the media rep that invites digital and social to the table. Business owners want creative ideas, honest opinions, and suggestions. They don’t want to be pitched. Be the media rep that controls the process and has your client’s best interest at heart, and you’ll control the budget.

If you’re an expert, great, but if you’re not, find someone that is and work together as a team.

Today the slang is, “Control the digital and you’ll control the budget”. Instead, we suggest you…“Control the process and you’ll control the budget”.

At ENS Media, we help train media teams on how to use radio and digital together to create better results for your clients and more revenue for your stations.

Contact me at [email protected] to visit more about how I can help you and your team.

Capture Their Attention

In preparation for your next presentation, here are two simple tips that can dramatically help capture your prospect’s attention and put them in the right frame of mind.

The first is, just prior to starting your presentation, begin with these words, “Mr./Mrs. Prospect, in preparation for this meeting we have put a great deal of effort into coming up with the recommendations we are about to make. We …” (Explain everything you did, i.e. brainstorm(s), research, reading, writing, visited their competitors, etc.)

 In Dr. Robert Cialdini’s 6 Principles of Influence, he refers to Principle #1 as “Reciprocity”. People tend to want to repay others for what they have done for them. While explaining your efforts won’t seal the deal, it will show the prospect the amount of time, effort, and energy you put into this for him/her, and psychological reciprocity suggests they will want to return the favor.

The second tip has to do with the headline of your presentation. Most radio sales proposals or presentations begin something like this, An Advertising Proposal for (client name) prepared by (media rep’s name); plain and simple, nothing fancy, except for maybe the business’ logo and your station logos.

It’s boring! There’s nothing that states what’s in it for them!

Instead, make a statement upfront that will put your client in the right frame of mind. You already know the power of good headlines or benefit statements, and if you have done your homework, you should know exactly what the prospect wants to accomplish. You have already explained the effort you have put into preparing this plan, now tell them immediately what you are about to present and what it is intended to do for their business. For example:

An Advertising Proposal for

(Business Name / Logo)

Designed to (say exactly what the plan/program is designed to do), i.e.

Designed to Increase after-hour Emergency Room Visits

Strategically Designed to Increase Traffic and Sales in the Bedding Department

Designed to Increase Traffic to your Website and Increase Online Sales

Exclusively Designed to Increase Happy Hour Traffic on Wednesday, Thursdays & Fridays

Again, this won’t seal the deal, but you will have grabbed their attention with a statement about them.

In preparation for this article, I read five different articles, re-read part of Dr. Cialdini’s book, The Psychology of Persuasion, and dug into some of my old notes.

Good Luck with YOUR next presentation!

You’ve Been Lied To

Have you ever had a business owner tell you after you made your presentation that they don’t have the budget? Sure, you have.

If you are dealing with the true decision-maker, you have just been lied to!

It’s not a lie in the sense that it was meant to hurt you. It was more of an excuse because they would rather say that than, “I don’t like your idea”, “I don’t think your station is the right fit”, or one of several other excuses that would ultimately put the blame on you and potentially hurt your feelings!

There are several lessons to learn from this example:

  1. Make sure you are talking to the decision-maker from the very beginning.

  2. If they are absolutely the decision-maker and they use this objection, dig deeper and find out what the real objection is. You might reply with something like, “Mr./Mrs. Business Owner, with all due respect, you are the person that makes all budgeting decisions. If you really liked the idea I presented and felt it would help grow your business, you would find the budget, correct? So, can I respectfully ask why you don’t want to move forward with this plan? I can assure you I won’t be offended by doing so.”

  3. If you come up with a strong enough idea that they are convinced will give them a strong ROI, they’ll find the money. Side Note: Ask for what the idea is worth. Good ideas are worth Good money. Great ideas are worth Great money. If you have a GREAT idea, don’t be afraid to ask for a BIG budget!

Your job is to uncover the real reason why they said, “It’s not in the budget”. It’s then your job to tweak your plan accordingly, or if needed, re-load and come up with an altogether new proposal based on their feedback.

It’s not an easy question to ask, and it’s one you can and should practice prior to it ever happening. By not asking, you are simply prolonging them from ever buying from you.

Planning for 2020? To learn more about our TOMA Surveys and Seminars, SoundADvice e-Marketing Program, and our new Radio Recruitment Advertising Seminars, go to our website at www.ensmediausa.com.