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Last week we suggested that there are nine steps in the advertising sales process and we provided our Media Rep Rating System.
Whether you are a manager or an individual media rep, we hope that you took the time to rate yourself or your sellers. If you did so in a very honest way, you discovered some areas that you or your reps are deficient in. You also learned that scoring enough points to be considered an excellent or elite media rep is difficult.
The goal of the process was not to show you that the reps you thought were “Excellent or Elite” are only “Above Average”. Instead, it was to get you to focus on the media sales process and areas where you can improve on.
We hope you did just that!
This week, we would like to look at the nine steps once again, only this time we would like you to rank them by order of importance. Understanding which steps are most important and giving additional attention and training to these areas will increase the rankings and ultimately help everyone become more successful.
Below are the 9 steps in the advertising sales process. Click here to take a quick survey to tell us how you would rank them by order of importance (1 being most important and 9 least important).
Advertising Sales Process
Step One: Prospecting
Step Two: Cold Calling / Asking for the Appointment
Step Three: 1st Meeting / CNA
Step Four: Strategy Session / Creating Ideas / Creative
Step Five: Creating the Proposal
Step Six: Making the Presentation to the Client
Step Seven: Closing
Step Eight: Service after the Sale
Step Nine: Upselling / Renewals
There is no right answer or right order, and the point of this topic was not to start a debate. However, some steps in the process have a greater impact on determining whether a media rep is successful or not.
Thank you for participating in our survey. We will share the results with you in upcoming issues.
Correction: In last week’s ENS on Sales titled, “If You Don’t Offer Digital or Social, Find Someone that Does”, we errored by leaving out two important words
We stated, “The 2019 Borrell and Associates Local Advertising Survey revealed some interesting results. The survey showed that 44% of businesses use radio advertising”. It should have read, “44% of businesses THAT ADVERTISE use radio”. We apologize for misquoting the 2019 Borrell and Associates Local Advertising Survey.
Opportunity: So, based on the Borrell and Associates Survey, where is the opportunity for radio?
If you’re an optimist and a true professional advertising rep, there are lots of opportunities!
The survey of advertisers in this study said they use, on average, 6.2 different types of advertising, and 44% said they were trying something new. Whether you offer radio-only, digital-only, or a combination of both, you can be that “something new”.
When it comes to how much money is allocated per medium, Radio ranked #3 only behind Broadcast TV and Cable TV.
With all the advertising options available today, business owners are as confused as ever. Ignoring, or worse yet bashing, digital and social media is not going to earn you the respect you want as a media rep. Be the media rep that brings solid ideas to your clients and prospects, and walks the digital talk or introduces them to someone who can. Doing what’s right even when it means placing budgets elsewhere will prove that you’re the right person to work with. Ultimately, you will garner the majority of the budget!
If you’re a pessimist and continue to do what you’re doing, 2020 could be a long and hard year!
Be an optimist, and do what’s right! What Roy H. Williams,The Wizard of Ads, says about advertising is also true when it comes to media rep and client relationships, “Win the heart, and the mind will follow”.
ENS Media works with small and medium-sized markets to help them and their media reps build stronger and more profitable relationships with their clients. If you are interested in creating a more professional sales team to handle the New Media World, contact us and let’s talk.