Tag Archives: business

Two Ears and One Mouth

Whether these infamous words were spoken to you by your parents, a teacher, or a sales trainer, at some point we were all taught a lesson through this expression, “God gave you two ears and one mouth for a reason. Listen more and talk less”.

Talking “too much” and not knowing when to “shut up” is one of the most common mistakes made in sales.

As true and profound as that statement normally is, this week, I am going against the grain a bit and suggesting that instead of listening more and talking less, you are going to need to talk a little more than normal to get your clients and prospects to say “Yes“!

Bear with me before you go and say, “He must have ‘lost it’ over the last few weeks”! Hear me out. In normal times I agree, talking less and listening more is nearly always the best recipe for success, but in case you have forgotten, we are in the “new normal”, at least for the time being.

Continuing from our last ENS on Sales topic, Ideas and Plans = Courage, we know that as you return to the streets and start making presentations, you will be greeted with a different tone. That tone will be the sound of hesitance, stalling, reluctance, fear, anxiety, and trepidation, just to name a few!

Talking more does not mean rambling on about things that are not important. What it does mean is being prepared to go deeper than you potentially normally go. Be prepared to answer more questions and objections. This means you will need to be better prepared with testimonials, facts, and words of assurance. Instead of accepting the client’s first or second “no”, be willing to go the extra mile to explain that advertising is the right thing to do, all while answering their objections and calming their fears.

With all this said, there is another old expression that needs to be adhered to which is, “Don’t win the battle, but lose the war”. We are in business-to-business sales and there is always tomorrow!

The moral of this story is not to talk more, but rather, be more prepared. In the near future, it’s going to take better ideas, better proposals, better presentations, and a little more talking to get your clients and prospects to say, “Yes“!

Be Prepared!

Ideas and Plans = Courage

“You have plenty of courage, I am sure,” answered Oz. “All you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you have in plenty.”

– L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz

For most small and medium-sized business owners, advertising during normal times takes a certain level of courage. In our current situation, let’s be honest, in many cases, business owners will need to dig deep and find some “extra” courage to start advertising again.

By definition, courage is “the ability to do something that frightens one”, and/or, “strength in the face of pain or grief”.

Spending money on advertising now without fully knowing what the future holds or brings can certainly cause anyone fear and trepidation.

In the immediate future, meaning the next 4 to 6 weeks, the most common objection that you will hear from decision-makers is going to be, “Not now – I am going to ‘wait and see’ what happens”.

As media reps, how can you help provide some “extra” courage or take away some of their fear? This can be answered with two words: IDEAS and PLANS.

If we simply start calling on businesses and asking them if they are ready to start advertising again, we will hear NO, nearly every time!

However, if you provide them with an IDEA and a PLAN on how to execute the idea, you will certainly take away some of the fear, and by doing so you will instill HOPE! The better the idea, and the more well-thought-out the plan is, the more COURAGE you will provide!

“Inaction breeds doubt and fear. Action breeds confidence and courage.

If you want to conquer fear, do not sit home and think about it.

Go out and get busy.” – Dale Carnegie

Now go out and get busy! Have an idea for every client, with a plan on how to execute the idea, and you will turn a “No” into “Maybe”, and a “Maybe” into “YES”!

Stay Safe – Stay Healthy – Stay Strong!

This Moment!

Oprah Winfrey clarifies the point we are trying to make today with her quote that says,

“Doing the best at this moment puts you in the best place for the next moment.”

-Oprah Winfrey

This “moment”, in your case, is the next 30 to 60 days; the time when commerce reopens and you, as a media rep, get back to seeing your clients and prospects face to face.

This moment is a sprint. What you do in the next 30 to 60 days will determine how productive, effective, and successful your next moment will be – the remainder of 2020!

This moment is not a sprint to see how quickly you can sell, but a sprint to make sure you are in front of your clients and prospects with ideas and solutions that will help them get their business back on track!

This moment is also an opportunity. It’s your chance to be a hero to your clients; to show them that you are there to HELP them and not just sell them.

This moment, the one in front of you as businesses reopen, is a sprint. Work hard, work fast, work diligently, work smart, be compassionate, be patient. Bring IDEAS!

If you approach this moment with a well thought out plan and dedicate yourself to doing everything you can to accomplish your plan, your next moment will be easier and more successful, and it will prepare you for the next moment.

While we are not suggesting that the next moment will be a walk in the park, we do offer that you’ll have more time to think. There will be more room for error and more time to make a wrong, right. You can work smarter, not harder.

Doing the very best you can for the next 30 to 60 days will put you in the best place for your next moment! GO GET ‘EM!

Stay Safe – Stay Healthy – Stay Strong!

On Your Mark, Get Set …

Are your clients’ businesses ready to open when they say, “GO”?

By nearly all indications, businesses will be reopening sooner than later. When they do, the sound of doorbells and cash registers will once again be heard ringing throughout the cities and towns across North America. It’s going to be a BEAUTIFUL sound!

The title of this week’s SoundADvice, our weekly e-marketing letter sent to thousands of business owners on behalf of our clients’ media reps, is the same as above. The only real difference is that it is directed to business owners and managers.

We asked the business owners the same question…”Are you ready to reopen when the starter says GO?” The article offered 11 tips for them to consider when reopening; things like the health and safety of their customers and employees, retraining and motivation of employees, confirming vendor relations are still intact, store signage, making sure they will comply with city and state laws, analyzing their business model, and ultimately creating and promoting a reopening promotion.

Are your clients planning on reopening quietly, or are they planning on taking advantage of the situation and creating a promotion and celebration?

Over the past seven weeks of “stay at home”, “social distancing” and “quarantining”, there has been a lot of pent-up demand for many products and services. A large number of people will be ready to shop and spend money! It will quite literally be a race for the consumer’s wallet.

As a media rep, it’s your responsibility to visit with your clients and prospects about considering a reopening promotion. It’s also your job to help them come up with ideas and assist in executing the promotion. The bigger the better! Make the promotion and offers fun, exciting, and attractive as possible.

During this re-entry of commerce, business owners are not only in competition with “like” businesses, but also with every other business category that has been stagnant since late February. There is only so much money to go around so make sure your clients are prepared to capture their fair share.

Don’t wait for the official “GO”. Start talking to your clients and prospects today!

If you would like a FREE copy of the 11 Tips to Prepare for Business – Post Coronavirus, click here. Feel free to share this with your clients. Three of these 11 tips are potential reasons to advertise with your stations.

Stay Safe – Stay Healthy – Stay Strong!

Predicting the Future

“New Normal” is the new catchphrase these days, but what will the “new normal” look and sound like?

If you have stepped up your reading game in the past five weeks, you have seen and read all the new predictions. They are a dime a dozen. Restaurants will have far fewer tables, working from home (WFH) will be the all-new rage, video meetings will overtake in-person meetings, the elbow bump will be the new handshake, virtual events will replace conferences, trade shows, and seminars, and shopping aisles will be one-way traffic from now until grocery stores don’t exist. What! No more grocery stores? Yep, that too! The world is going all BOPUS! (Buy Online Pick Up at Store) …and that is only the tip of the “new normal” iceberg!

My prediction for the near future is that business will be pretty much the same as it was before we ever heard of Coronavirus, COVID-19, or Dr. Fauci.

Being a media rep in the “new normal” advertising world is not going to change that much either. Business owners are still going to want two things from you: 1) to know that you care about their success, and 2) IDEAS to help them grow their business.

TOMA and Brand Awareness will still rule the day. Share of Voice will still = Share of Mind, and Share of Mind will continue to = Share of Market. Strategy wins, and great copy and production will generate great results.

It appears the curve is moving in the right direction, and with continued prayer and a little luck, things will get back to normal sooner than expected.

In the meantime, I only have a few predictions: 1) there will be church on Sunday 2) the stock market will continue to go up and down (Buy Low – Sell High) 3) face masks will only be a fad and 4) shaking hands will return as our go-to greeting. We will see!

“It’s tough to make predictions, especially about the future.”

– Yogi Berra