As a sales manager, the list of activities, tasks, and paperwork you face everyday is daunting.
But there is only one job, your toughest job, that will dictate your success.
That job is selling your sellers.
They’re beat up on the street every day. They’re being told everything from your rates are too high, to nobody listens to radio anymore, and from the economy is tough to radio doesn’t work. And you know repetition sells.
Over time, your account executives can begin to believe all of the advertiser excuses for not investing with them and lose confidence in radio.
It’s your job to counter balance all of those negatives and never quit selling your sellers.
You had to sell them on a career in radio sales, and the merits of your company when you recruited them, and you have to keep selling them every day.
A few things you can do to sell your sellers:
- Create internal systems and venues, online, in sales meetings and more, to share sales success stories.
- Celebrate EVERY order… without exception.
- Capture and use advertiser testimonials on air, online, in sales meetings and in presentations.
- Actively search for and distribute good news on the economy, business, your market and radio.
- Recognize the contributions to your success from every department… not just sales.
- Negatives should be shared one on one, behind closed doors, positives need to be shouted throughout the building.
- Last, but not least, when launching new systems, packages, programs or initiatives, focus on the benefits from your customers’ point of view, not just from the station’s vantage point.
My favorite Henry Ford quote is, “Whether you think you can, or think you can’t, you are right!”
The best sales managers have cultivated the art of helping their sales people ‘think they can’ every day.
All of the training, systems and tactics in the world will not produce more than the enthusiasm and confidence you can build.
