Q1 is in the books and regardless of how it went for your individual reps or your team, there’s absolutely nothing that can be done about it now. It is, what it is!
If you met or surpassed your goals, look back and see what was done to make it a great first quarter, take advantage of the synergies, celebrate the victory, and then … get back to work!
If it was less than expected, it’s time to analyze and figure out where and why they came up short. Was it that they didn’t prospect enough, make enough presentations, or maybe they didn’t approach renewals in the right manner and lost some.
I suggest having your reps write down what was “out of their control” and what was “in their control”. By doing this, if they are honest, they will see their own shortcomings and know exactly what they need to do to get better. They will also see that in some cases there is absolutely nothing they could have done differently, but in the future, they need to prepare for this. Prospecting!
If they are not honest and blame it all on something or someone else, you have a whole different fish to fry.
Together, plan how they can improve in the areas they are lacking …and then get back to work!
The end of each quarter is a checkpoint. Take advantage of this opportunity to evaluate each individual rep and the team as a whole …and Good Luck in Q2!
Here’s a scenario. You’re in a meeting with a potential client, and like magic, you come up with a “BIG IDEA” that you know is the answer to helping the client make a ton of money, no less yourself. In your enthusiasm to show the client how smart you are as a marketing and advertising professional, you blurt out your “BIG IDEA”!
You’re a genius, right? Wrong!
If you do have a good idea, as in this situation, and you throw it out spontaneously, the chances of it being excepted are greatly diminished. There’s a much better time to reveal you’re a real genius. It’s when you make your presentation!
Ask yourself this question. Do you think your client would put more value on a great idea that someone came up with on the fly, or one that took a week or two to come up with after much consideration and brainstorming? The client will think, “Wow, they really put some time and thought into this idea!”
Instead of blurting out your “BIG IDEA” during the first meeting, say something like, “I think I may have some good ideas, but I want to do some additional research and give some extra thought to these ideas before deciding and making our recommendations”.
While most good ideas take time to develop, we also know that occasionally we get lucky and come up with that GREAT idea on the spot.
It’ll take discipline, bite your lip, but whatever you do, WAIT, and don’t give away that “BIG IDEA” so quickly!
While reading a story on customer satisfaction of products, it dawned on me that the reasons people stay loyal to certain products or brands are the same reasons that business owners stay loyal to their media reps and stations.
A story published in the March 13th edition of eMarketer.com quoted several surveys, all related to “Why we Buy: Consumer Behavior and Loyalty in the Age of Infinite Options”. One survey by Criteo stated the obvious, and that was quality products or services at a good price are still the biggest drivers of brand loyalty.
More importantly, the article went on to quote a survey conducted by Epsilon that said, “Eighty-percent of consumers are more likely to make a purchase when brands offer personalized experiences”. In our line of work as Marketing Reps, this is where we start to separate the GREAT reps from the good reps. What type of personalized experience(s) do you offer to your clients and prospects that make you stand out from the crowd?
Yet in another survey by Morning Consult, it said 88% of respondents agreed that well-priced products with matching quality are important. More significantly, 92% said reliability and durability were key in creating brand loyalty. Are you reliable and durable for your clients? Are you there when they need you and are you continually bringing them ideas to help them grow their business?
Finally, and here is where we really separate the GREAT from good, and good from average…The same survey from Morning Consult stated that the primary reason for abandoning a brand was that the quality had gone down. Never take your clients for granted. Always be doing things (personalized experiences) that make them appreciate you more and more every month and year.
Be Loyal to your clients and give them everything you have and they, in turn, will be Loyal to You!
Here’s a scenario. You’re in a meeting with a potential client, and like magic, you come up with a “BIG IDEA” that you know is the answer to helping the client make a ton of money, no less yourself. In your enthusiasm to show the client how smart you are as a marketing and advertising professional, you blurt out your “BIG IDEA”!
You’re a genius, right? Wrong!
If you do have a good idea, as in this situation, and you throw it out spontaneously, the chances of it being excepted are greatly diminished. There’s a much better time to reveal you’re a real genius. It’s when you make your presentation!
Ask yourself this question. Do you think your client would put more value on a great idea that someone came up with on the fly, or one that took a week or two to come up with after much consideration and brainstorming? The client will think, “Wow, they really put some time and thought into this idea!”
Instead of blurting out your “BIG IDEA” during the first meeting, say something like, “I think I may have some good ideas, but I want to do some additional research and give some extra thought to these ideas before deciding and making our recommendations”.
While most good ideas take time to develop, we also know that occasionally we get lucky and come up with that GREAT idea on the spot.
It’ll take discipline, bite your lip, but whatever you do, WAIT, and don’t give away that “BIG IDEA” so quickly!
Our local TOMA Surveys prove what you already know….Radio Works!
Are your sales executives finding it more difficult to capture new business appointments?
Do you need a strategic system to capture new high-quality leads?
Are your prospects claiming great results from digital?
Are local advertisers in your market questioning radio’s continuing relevance?
Do you need more new business in 2019 and beyond?
Do your salespeople need a tried and proven system of developing more 52-week business?
Finish 2019 off with a BANG and get a GREAT head start on 2020!
While the digital media world seems to receive all the limelight today, ENS Media’s TOMA Surveys are helping broadcasters across North America to capture increased local advertising revenues.
The front half of our 2019 seminars is filled but we still have room for 4 or 5 more local market TOMA Surveys and Seminars in the last half of 2019 (mid-August through early November). As a special offer to the first five ENS on Sales subscribers who take advantage, we will start your entire sales team immediately on our SoundADvice program FREE for the first three months. We can then launch your TOMA Survey this summer and conduct your Advertiser Seminar this fall so your team can finish out 2019 strong and have a huge head start on 2020. No payments required until after July 1st.
Contact [email protected] or call 605-310-2062 to arrange an online overview of TOMA for your market.
Here are 4 of the Top 12 Things Your TOMA Survey Can Tell You…
1. Your surveys will always prove that the best way to ensure consumers click on a business when they search online is to create a pre-need awareness and preference for the business with intrusive broadcast advertising.
2. It’s much more powerful to make an appointment to talk about your prospects’ ratings, and their competitors’ ratings, than trying to get an appointment to talk about your ratings.
3. The most important findings will be uncovering “open” categories. Categories with no strong Share-of-Mind leader are very easy, and very inexpensive, for new radio advertisers to capture the dominant Share-of-Mind and Share-of-Market.
4. Your survey will also prove that the only SURE way to be found online is when prospects search for a business by name because many businesses have fierce online SEO competition for first-page positioning if consumers search the category generically.
If you’d like to read all 12 Things Your TOMA Surveys Can Tell You, click here.
ENS Media’s TOMA selling system will help you sell more in 2019 and beyond. To arrange an online overview of what TOMA Research and Training can do for you, contact [email protected] or call 605-310-2062.
