Very often, the only difference between a very successful salesperson and an unsuccessful salesperson is their ability to handle rejection.

The way you handle rejection is largely about selling yourself on the value you deliver. Here are some “mind game” strategies you might consider;

1.)   Develop the attitude that when a customer says “no”, they’re the loser, not you. Assuming you have put together a proposal in your prospect’s best interest, and purchasing your proposal will increase their sales, they’re the loser, not you. Pity the advertiser, not yourself, especially if their competitor ends up buying your idea.

2.)   Remember, you had nothing when you made the presentation, so you don’t lose anything when your prospect says “no”. You lived without that sale before and can live without that sale when your proposal is turned down. (That attitude also takes the pressure off you and helps you make a more relaxed and engaging presentation.)

3.)   To a degree, selling is simply a matter of math; more presentations equal more sales. Calculate your closing ratio, then get excited about each “no” as it’s one step closer to a yes, based on your closing ratio. For example, if your record indicates you’ve closed one in ten, you can get pretty excited on your ninth rejection in the knowledge that in all probability your next presentation will be a hit.

4.)   Take responsibility for “no”. No busy decision maker has agreed to sit still for a full presentation if they have no interest in what you are offering. Therefore, retrace your steps to determine where you did not meet or beat their expectations and use what you discover to arrange another presentation. The best salespeople learn from their mistakes.

5.)    Structure your presentations so your prospect is not saying “no” to you or your stations. Structure it so the “no” is only for that particular presentation or idea, thereby leaving the door open for another opportunity. 

6.)   Change your mission and definition of success. You have no absolute control over whether your prospect says yes or no. You do have complete control over the thought, strategy, and quality that goes into your presentation. Knowing you’ve made each presentation the best that it can be makes you feel like every presentation is a success, regardless of the outcome.

In sales, rejection happens. While we always want to remain positive, preparing ourselves for possible rejection will go a long way toward softening the blow. Using one or more of the six strategies will do just that.

Always remember, a “NO” puts you one step closer to a “YES”!

Why is it that media reps aren’t granted the same instant credibility as agencies? Primarily, it has to do with our reputation. I’m not referring to your personal reputation, but rather to our industry’s reputation. Much of it is well deserved! The old method of training our sales teams was to have them watch a few Chris Lytle and Jason Jennings videos, hand them a phone book along with the latest “Packages” of the week, month, and quarter, and send them out to the streets. 

Business owners are on the receiving end of the inadequate process from the untrained, rabid, sales reps that are unleashed onto the city streets, each proclaiming they have the greatest radio stations and perfect listeners. Oh, and it’s cheap! All you have to do is sign here and, in a few days, people will start knocking down your doors!

Agencies are a little more subdued in their approach. They claim (even though it may not be true) they are not biased toward any specific advertising medium. Some suggest they have buying power and can purchase the same products for less, and they claim they are the experts. To put a cherry on top, they’ll flash a few nice plaques and trophies to prove their points!

So, how do you combat this? Start with not proclaiming that RADIO is the best advertising medium ever invented. This won’t get you very far. Discuss the positives AND negatives of all the different advertising mediums and make recommendations for others when appropriate. Discuss why and how advertising works, talk strategy, and help create ideas. Talk more about them, their wishes, their hopes and dreams, and less, much less, about your stations. Put your own cherry on top and discuss your group’s success stories. Talk like a Marketing Professional – You’ll earn more respect! 

If you’re going to Walk the Walk, make sure you can Talk the Talk!

If you are looking for help with training your team to become more professional, more knowledgeable media reps, we would honor the opportunity to visit. Simply click here and let’s talk about how ENS Media can help train your media reps! 

It’s been well noted that business owners wear many hats. But, what about media reps?

Yes, we sell advertising, but the process of selling advertising and maintaining clients has several steps. Each of these steps requires its own attention and not every person is GREAT at every step. While a rep may be strong at creating ideas, making the presentation, and closing, they may struggle with prospecting, cold calling, and upselling. A perfect media rep would be strong at each step of the media sales process, but… is there such a thing as a “perfect rep”?

There are approximately nine steps in the advertising sales process. Identifying these steps and rating your reps or yourself in each area will help you identify the weakest areas and ultimately show where we can improve in order to go from Average to Above Average, or from Very Good to Excellent.

Step One: Prospecting

Step Two: Cold Calling / Asking for the Appointment

Step Three: 1st Meeting / CNA

Step Four: Strategy Session / Creating Ideas / Creative

Step Five: Creating the Proposal

Step Six:  Making the Presentation to the Client

Step Seven: Closing

Step Eight:  Service after the Sale

Step Nine:  Upselling / Renewals

Note: Some steps may be combined or separated.

While being completely honest, on a scale of 1-9 with 9 being extremely good and 1 being extremely poor, rate yourself or your individual media reps on each area of the selling process. There is no 10 for a reason. In my 35+ years, I have never met someone that is perfect in any area.

Once completed, add up the total points. You have now identified the weak areas and know where to focus your training so that we can help them improve.

Media Rep Rating System by ENS Media:

69 – 81 Points:  Excellent or Elite

64 – 68 Points: Very Good

58 – 63 Points:  Above Average

48 – 57 Points:  Average

47 & Lower:   Below Average

So, are you excellent, very good, or average? Even the slightest improvement in two or three of these steps can take someone from a “below average” rep to an “average or above average” rep, and a “very good” rep to an “excellent” rep. Then, the billing will follow.

Here’s the scenario. You have an appointment that you set up a week ago and it’s a healthy distance away from your office. Do you call them to confirm the appointment prior to leaving or do you not call and take a chance?

Knowing how busy business owners and managers can be, there is no question that if you choose to call to confirm there is a decent chance that they will reschedule. That’s the chance you take.

An aggressive sales trainer would tell you to take the chance, show up and work your way in. Their logic is that it’s much harder to tell someone “no” in person than it is over the phone and you may not get another chance.

The professional media rep that not only respects the time of others, but their own, would call to confirm. In this situation where travel time is an issue, we suggest that when you first set the appointment, inform them that you will contact them the morning of or the day before to confirm.

There are five primary reasons why confirming appointments makes sense:

1. Time management – Don’t waste your time.
2. It helps establish you as a professional.
3. It shows that you respect their time.
4. It helps prepare the client and puts them in the right frame of mind, ready for your appointment.
5. If in fact they do cancel, they will be more obligated to reschedule.

Professional media sales are built on long-term relationships and being respectful of your client’s time is a good way to ensure they will say “yes” to future appointments. 

This little point may seem obvious, but I can assure you that it happens on a regular basis. Before it happens to you or one of your reps, do the right thing and make the call to confirm the appointment.

The game itself was great. The commercials were, in my opinion, less than great. The halftime show, honestly, I don’t know as I spent those thirty minutes in my hot tub. I must admit, I wouldn’t know a Rihanna song if it bit me!

But there was an incredible moment in Super Bowl LVII. In fact, it was a spectacular moment that unfortunately many missed because it didn’t happen during the game. Instead, it took place after the final second ticked off the clock after the confetti had fallen to the turf, and after the trophy was raised. It happened in one of the most somber places in the entire arena… the losing team’s press conference room.

It was the nine-minute post-game interview with the losing quarterback, Jalen Hurts.

Jalen obviously sets very, very high standards for himself on and off the field and his dignity and grace didn’t fade in one of his lowest moments. In the moment of disappointment and pain after just losing football’s biggest game, watched by the third largest TV audience ever, Jalen was a class act.

If the food and beverage you consumed before and during the game wore you out and you didn’t last to see the post-game interview, you missed out. Jalen provided some great lessons in this nine-minute press conference that everyone who is striving to get better could learn from.

While the entire interview was a life lesson, there were three profound moments. The first was said with just six impactful words, “You either win or you learn”. He cast no blame. He simply displayed how to handle defeat with class and what lessons we can learn from it.

How do you handle it when you fail to close a sale or lose an account? Do you cast blame? Or do you handle and deal with it with grace?

The second lesson came in his answer after he was asked what he had learned from this loss, which was, “reflection”. He said, “As always, you win, lose, or draw. I try to reflect on it and learn from the things that I could have done better”.

After every meeting, after every presentation, win, lose, or no decision, do you reflect on your performance, and do you focus on the things that you could have done better?

Finally, after 7 minutes and 40 seconds of a very somber press conference, Jalen shared the most important lesson after he accepted one last question from an Eagles fan and a podcaster, Giovanni Algarin. Algarin is not your typical reporter. He is a 15-year-old young man that has suffered from a rare genetic disease his entire life.

When Jalen recognizes Algarin, Hurts gives us his first smile of the interview and cheers up instantly, and says, “I have never met you in person”. Then, Giovanni asked possibly the best question of the day, “What is the one lesson you’ll take away from this season?” Jalen’s response was, “You want to cherish these moments with the people you came so far with, your family, your loved ones, your teammates, and everyone that you do it with and do it for”. 

He finished with, “Everyone experiences different pains. Everyone experiences different agonies in life, but you decide if you want to learn from them. You decide if you want to use it as a teachable moment. I know what I’ll do!”

His words of wisdom made me reflect on two of our family’s mottos: “You need to appreciate your defeats; they are what makes winning so much fun”, and the last and most important lesson, “Be nice to everyone”.

This nine-minute video is definitely worth the time to watch. You decide if you want to learn from it. You decide if it’s a teachable moment.

I think Jalen is a winner! So does Giovanni Algarin!

Here’s to wishing you success and learning, in victory, and in defeat!