Please, Thank You, & You’re Welcome

I am not sure why, as I am done raising kids, (they say you are never done) but I was allured to the title of a recent online article from Inc. magazine. The title was “Want to Raise Successful Kids? Science Says Use These 3 Key Phrases Constantly”.
 
After reading the short article, it was clear that these three phrases, used appropriately, can have a major impact on the success or failure of sales as well.
 
I’m not suggesting that some salespeople are rude while others are polite. The difference is that some are more polite than others. Even more importantly, some are more polite at opportune times than others.
 
The Inc. article was referencing a study published in the journal MIS Quarterly. It referred to something they called the “politeness bias”. It found that the more polite an answer was, the more likely it was rated highly and chosen as the “best answer”.
 
Seems obvious right?
 
The study did note that it’s not ironclad. If the person offering the information or opinion is perceived as an expert, that can overcome an impolite response. But all things being equal, impolite answers were less likely to be regarded as correct. This seems to confirm what we all know but not all practice, and that is, training and education are key to success.
 
“Please!” It works for children, “Dad, if you’ll please let me do this….”, and it can work for salespeople as well.
 
Like “please”, “thank you” and “you’re welcome” are words of gratitude and confidence.
 
A “thank you” confirms that you are expressing gratitude and you appreciate what they have done, or offered you. Studies have shown that learning to be thankful and expressing gratitude leads to happiness and success in life.
 
“You’re welcome” acknowledges that you have done something worthy for someone else. It’s a little thing, but rather than saying, “no problem”, “it’s nothing”, or even “yep”, saying “you’re welcome” over time will build confidence and affirm that you are helping. After all, you should accept credit where credit is due.
 
While there are several different translations of what the phrase or expression “Mind your p’s and q’s” means, for this lesson, we will use a more traditional one of “Mind your please and thank yous”, (with the word you, pronounced like the letter Q).
 
So, as you head out into the sales field, remember to take appropriate advantage of your “Pleases”, “Thank Yous”, and “You’re Welcomes”.
 
Thank You for being a reader of “ENS on Sales”. We appreciate it. If you find these helpful, You’re Welcome!

The “R” Word – Recession!

To Discuss or Not to Discuss? That is the Question!

If you’ve been in the advertising business, or sales in general, for more than 2 years, you have already experienced one recession (2020 recession). If you have been around for 13 or more years, you’ve been through two recessions (2008-2009 Great Recession), and for us old-timers, pending your tenure, you may have experienced three, four, or even five or six. 


The saying, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you tougher”, is very true when it comes to surviving a recession.

Over the past several months, but especially the last few weeks, I have had several conversations with managers, owners, and sellers about the pending “R” word – Recession.


The discussion has mostly centered around two things: One – What are you hearing, and will it happen? Two – Should we engage in a conversation about the “R” word with our clients or sidestep the topic?


Although a few AEs said they thought it was a negative topic and were better off not discussing it, for the time being, the large majority has said, Yes! It is a conversation we should have with our clients and prospects.


My opinion is an unadulterated YES! Yes, have the conversation with them. It’s far better to have it now rather than when they call you and say they are cutting their advertising! As with nearly everything, you want to be part of the discussion.


However, there is a key factor to having a conversation with your clients and prospects, and that is to be prepared! You must be able to speak logically about why advertising is important, even more so during a recession, and you need to be able to offer some proof and reasoning.


Study after study has proven that businesses that maintain or grow their marketing/advertising throughout the recession will not only outperform their competition during the recession but will grow much faster after the recession has subsided.


Most of us know this, and most sellers have been told this, but are they prepared to go out and have logical conversations with their clients?


There are hundreds of articles and tons of research that can help arm them. Here are a few recommended readings:

  • Ritson’s Recession Playbook (Mark Ritson – MarketingWeek)
  • Marketing in a Recession (Mel Day – Marketing Moves)
  • When a Recession Comes, Don’t Stop Advertising (Brian Adgate – Forbes)
  • How to Market in a Downturn (John Quelch-Katherine J. Jocz – Harvard Review) Old but good!

No two recessions are alike, as are no two businesses or business categories. Each business needs to approach the recession in its own manner. Understanding this, then gaining and having knowledge of different circumstances will help you have the “R” word conversation with your clients.


In this week’s SoundADvice that goes out weekly to over 8000 business owners, we wrote on this topic and offered 15 tips on how to prepare and navigate through a recession. Rule #1 is… Be Prepared: companies that have an advance plan far outperform those that wait and go into survival mode once it hits. If you have a plan and train your reps on how to start and have the “R” word conversation with clients and prospects, your success rate will be much higher than those that don’t prepare.


If you would like to see how SoundADvice can position your AEs and your station as advertising professionals in your market, rather than just advertising sellers, click here for more information. We will send you a FREE copy of this week’s SoundADvice piece.

The “R” Word – Recession!

To Discuss or Not to Discuss? That is the Question!

If you’ve been in the advertising business, or sales in general, for more than 2 years, you have already experienced one recession (2020 recession). If you have been around for 13 or more years, you’ve been through two recessions (2008-2009 Great Recession), and for us old-timers, pending your tenure, you may have experienced three, four, or even five or six. 
 
The saying, “What doesn’t kill you, makes you tougher”, is very true when it comes to surviving a recession.
 
Over the past several months, but especially the last few weeks, I have had several conversations with managers, owners, and sellers about the pending “R” word – Recession.
 
The discussion has mostly centered around two things: One – What are you hearing, and will it happen? Two – Should we engage in a conversation about the “R” word with our clients or sidestep the topic?
 
Although a few AEs said they thought it was a negative topic and were better off not discussing it, for the time being, the large majority has said, Yes! It is a conversation we should have with our clients and prospects.
 
My opinion is an unadulterated YES! Yes, have the conversation with them. It’s far better to have it now rather than when they call you and say they are cutting their advertising! As with nearly everything, you want to be part of the discussion.
 
However, there is a key factor to having a conversation with your clients and prospects, and that is to be prepared! You must be able to speak logically about why advertising is important, even more so during a recession, and you need to be able to offer some proof and reasoning.
 
Study after study has proven that businesses that maintain or grow their marketing/advertising throughout the recession will not only outperform their competition during the recession but will grow much faster after the recession has subsided.
 
Most of us know this, and most sellers have been told this, but are they prepared to go out and have logical conversations with their clients?
 
There are hundreds of articles and tons of research that can help arm them. Here are a few recommended readings:
  • Ritson’s Recession Playbook (Mark Ritson – MarketingWeek)
  • Marketing in a Recession (Mel Day – Marketing Moves)
  • When a Recession Comes, Don’t Stop Advertising (Brian Adgate – Forbes)
  • How to Market in a Downturn (John Quelch-Katherine J. Jocz – Harvard Review) Old but good!
No two recessions are alike, as are no two businesses or business categories. Each business needs to approach the recession in its own manner. Understanding this, then gaining and having knowledge of different circumstances will help you have the “R” word conversation with your clients.
 
In this week’s SoundADvice that goes out weekly to over 8000 business owners, we wrote on this topic and offered 15 tips on how to prepare and navigate through a recession. Rule #1 is… Be Prepared: companies that have an advance plan far outperform those that wait and go into survival mode once it hits. If you have a plan and train your reps on how to start and have the “R” word conversation with clients and prospects, your success rate will be much higher than those that don’t prepare.
 
If you would like to see how SoundADvice can position your AEs and your station as advertising professionals in your market, rather than just advertising sellers, click here for more information. We will send you a FREE copy of this week’s SoundADvice piece.

It’s a Battle Worth Fighting

There are times when we know that regardless of what you do, it won’t have much impact. But we also know that some things are worth standing up and fighting for.
 
Last Thursday, Amazon announced the Prime Day(s) for 2022, July 12-13.
 
The questions are… as Radio and TV stations, do we promote Prime Day FREE of charge as many stations have done for years? Do we simply not mention it at all? Or do we stand up and fight for your local business owners? I believe it’s a battle worth fighting!
 
When I have engaged in a discussion on this topic, some have said, “It’s a battle you can’t win”. That may be true, but in my opinion, it’s a battle worth fighting.
 
If you have been reading this post for more than a year, you know that I am not a supporter of Amazon. In fact, two weeks ago I ordered two different books that were both available for less money on Amazon, but I chose eBay. Will my decision have an impact on Amazon’s June sales? Absolutely not! But it’s a battle worth fighting!
 
Let me be clear. I think Amazon is an ingenious business model. They employ thousands of people in the US (1.1 million). They serve as a source for entrepreneurs to sell their goods, and they are finally paying sales tax (maybe). But, and the big but is, how much damage do they inflict on our local business communities, especially the brick-and-mortar retail stores?
 
There is one thing they don’t do. They (Amazon) don’t support our local communities in any other way. They don’t support local organizations, clubs, ball teams, etc. They don’t buy from any of your local businesses. They only take!
 
So, on July 12th & 13th, just like everyone else, you have choices. You can either support Amazon by talking about it on your airwaves, you can say nothing, or you can stand up and support your local business community and ask your listeners to NOT participate in Prime Day!
 
If you would like a FREE “Shop Local” ad script that will show your listeners and your business owners that you support THEM and NOT Amazon, click here and we will send you a copy!
 
If you choose to support your local business community and NOT Amazon, will it make an impact on Prime Day sales? Probably not, but your prospects, clients, and business owner listeners will appreciate the effort.
 
We think it’s a battle worth fighting! We hope you do too!

What Makes Your Clients Loyal… to You?

While reading a story on customer satisfaction with 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 that 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!