Choose Your Influences Wisely

Choose Your Influences Wisely

             A well-intentioned friend of mine sent me an email this week saying, “I thought you’d find this interesting”, with a link to a story titled ‘Poll; Many Consumers Believe Recession Not Over’.
          I didn’t open it.
          I like to think I don’t play Ostrich regarding the news that affects my business, but I do consciously seek out positive news, and avoid the negatives over which I have no control.
          Very early in my career as a sales person I learned that I felt better, produced more and made more money when I went for morning coffee with the half of our sales team that was always looking for positives and opportunities.
          Conversely, I learned the hard way that hanging with the half of the team that tended to whine and complain about how tough things were, affected my performance negatively.
          I actually looked forward to the last recession because I had developed a unique way of selling successfully during the last four recessions which I was able to share with my clients.
           I welcome the inevitable impending boom as well because I’ve made it our mission to help our clients be on the cutting edge of the opportunities which lie ahead. 
          Henry Ford once said, “Whether you think you can or think you can’t, you are right”!
          The influences you allow yourself to be exposed to can dramatically affect what you think you can do, and you can do whatever you think you can. Select those influences carefully!
 
 
Randy’s What If; What if you invested just 15 minutes every morning aggressively seeking one piece of positive news or an opportunity you could share with everyone you meet today?

Becoming a Master Questioner

Becoming a Master Questioner  ®

 
          The real sales professionals have learned their stations’ traditional Customer Needs Analysis (CNA) is the same as the CNA every media rep in town has used. And their prospects have already been there, done that and are tired of wearing the t-shirt.
          Our Master Questioner® sales training helps sales pros uncover unique new ways to differentiate themselves from the other media reps and to craft more meaningful and relevant questions.
          The first step is to become a ‘category expert’, learning as much about your prospect’s industry as you know about your own.
          To short cut that process, simply conductfour online searches;
1.)  Search “(name industry) advertising tips” or “marketing tips”
          It may take a while, but if you search deep enough, you’ll find an industry expert who will make your case for you.
Also, keep a keen eye during your search for those alleged industry experts who knock advertising or ‘traditional’ media, or preach that there is something better than radio or TV.
          You might as well know the misleading influences your prospects may have been exposed to so you can be prepared to prevent objections.
2.)  Search “(name industry) trade magazines” or “trade publications”
         Surf them quickly until you find articles from ‘industry experts’ on marketing and sales that naturally lend themselves to a discussion about broadcast’s role in the new media mix.
3.)  Search “(name industry) association” or “(name industry) society”
        Once on the industry’s association website, you’ll be able to capture invaluable information about the industry’s trends, problems and objectives.
4.)  Search “(Name Industry) news”
          Look for new products, industry trends or quotes from industry experts that you can use to frame more relevant questions and write customer-focused presentations.         
          Click here if you would like me to call you to discuss introducing our Master Questioner training to your sales team.
 
Randy’s What If’s;
What if you went on a mission to become a category expert in one new category every month? At the end of one short year you would have 12 prospective categories you could speak with intelligently. 

Old School

Room for a Little ‘Old School’?   

          Has our relentless search for ‘what’s new’ caused us to sometimes forget the basics?
          I was speaking with a sales manager recently who was remarking about some of the old sales trainers from the 80’s and 90’s; “I see some of them are still around”, she said, “I hope they’ve come up with some new material, the old stuff is really tired”.
          There is no doubt that business-to-business selling has changed. Cold calls don’t work, tricky closing techniques are viewed with suspicion, and old-fashioned glad handing or invitations to golf are not enough to build your brand or the customer relationships you desire.
          But as I reflected upon the sales manager’s comments about some of the old trainer’s material being ‘tired’ it occurred to me that most of her staff had not heard the wisdom of some of these old masters. And if they really are ‘masters’, I’m sure they have updated their material.
          Some of the old basics like understanding the four buyer styles and engaging in professional pre-call planning remain as useful today as they were 20 years ago. But the way we use these basics may have been changed by technology.
          I still find Roy Williams’ Twelve Causes of Advertising Failure as relevant today as it was ten years ago, and Chris Lytle’s “Prescription without diagnosis is malpractice.” still hits home the importance of pre-call planning.
          Where we previously were able to assess buyer style in person, often now, we have to assess it via the clues from email or phone conversations. And the wealth of information that is at our fingertips for pre-call planning is certainly enhanced by the internet.
          I still find basics like Roy Williams’ Twelve Causes of Advertising Failure as relevant today as it was ten years ago, and Chris Lytle’s “Prescription without diagnosis is malpractice.” still hits home the importance of pre-call planning.
          Let’s not forget that if you have sales people with less than ten years experience, they may not have been exposed to the basics that your more senior account executives have ‘tired’ of…..and even those tired souls may need the occasional reminder wake-up call to get back to basics. 
 
 
Randy’s What If
            What if you had ENS Media Inc. conduct a no-charge, no-obligation Training Needs Analysis to help you custom tailor a hybrid training program of the latest sales best practices coupled with the tried and proven basics to meet your objectives? 

Preparing Fish and Tarter

Fish and Tarter Sauce

           Motivational speaker Zig Ziglar once said, “An optimist is someone who goes after Moby Dick in a rowboat and takes a jar of tartar sauce”.
          While the image that quote conjures up might bring a smile to your lips, there is something to be said about tackling a project equipped as if the project was already a success.
          I recently surveyed a group of radio and TV sales people to determine why their digital sales lagged in a world where digital media advertising is growing by leaps and bounds.
          The number one answer might surprise you.
          Most of the respondents lacked confidence in their station’s abilities and resources to deliver quality digital products and results.
          They simply weren’t presenting digital advertising solutions to their clients to avoid embarrassment or letting their clients down.
          If you’re serious about increasing your digital sales, go out and get the tarter sauce! Employ the training, staff and back-end resources to give your account executives the resources they need to feel confident in presenting your digital offerings.

Too Many Directions

Are You Pulled In Too Many Directions?

            A January 2011 study by Booz & Company reveals many executives feel pulled in too many directions and their company’s capabilities don’t support their strategies or initiatives.
  • 64% of executives say that their biggest frustration factor is “having too many conflicting priorities”.
  • 56% of executives report that their biggest challenge is allocating resources in a way that really supports strategy.
  • Half of the executives (50%) consider setting a clear and differentiating strategy a significant challenge.
  • Most executives (81%) say growth initiatives lead to waste, at least some of the time.
           Does this sound familiar? Are you trying to launch new revenue initiatives while making this month’s budget? Or trying to grasp a long-term web strategy while recruiting and training new sales people to sell your core product?
           Is your copy writer expected to pump out 40 spots a day, but one of them has to be an award winner to attract a new account?
          Does your selling system clearly differentiate you from the competition, or are you using the same basic Customer Needs Analysis and media kits as every other media in town?
          Maybe it’s time to outsource some of your initiatives.
          Outsourcing your training, new product launches or new revenue initiatives has a number of advantages;
1.      Consultants do not add fixed costs to your balance sheet. When the project is completed, they’re gone.
2.      Consultants bring more objective insight to all of your projects.
3.      Consultants can free your time to do what you do best.
4.      Recognizing the need for outsourcing is a sign of strength. All top performers from Wayne Gretsky to Magic Johnson have benefited from professional coaching.
 
Randy’s What If: What if you were able to engage ENS Media Inc. to ensure the successful introduction, implementation and completion of just one of the projects on your plate?