Remember the days when getting a first appointment with your new prospects was relatively easy, and more calls meant more appointments? You simply picked up the phone and said things like:

• I have a great idea I would like to share with you.

• I’d like to ask a few questions to learn more about your business.

• I have a new station package or special offer I’d like to drop off.

Today, your prospects and clients are bombarded with many new media and traditional media sales amateurs claiming they want to learn more about their business. Business owners today don’t have time to teach you about their business. They want to work with salespeople who have put in the extra effort to learn about their business BEFORE they call.

The skeptical business owner is saying to themselves; “I don’t know you, I don’t know what you stand for, I don’t know your company, and what do you know about my business or any business for that matter?”

Effort breeds psychological reciprocity; that deep-rooted subconscious need to do something for someone who has done something for you. Provide your prospects with usable knowledge about their business over a period of time, and you might just peak their interest – IN YOU!

You can begin building your brand and demonstrating your knowledge and effort by sending a few helpful marketing tips like those in our SoundADvice e-marketing system BEFORE you ask for the appointment.

Once you have presold who you are, what company you’re with, and what you stand for, securing an appointment will become much easier. Better yet, they”ll just call you for that appointment!

The bottom line? The most important thing you have to sell is trust. And trust is built over time, not with just one phone call or one cold call.

Busy decision makers today don’t have time for typical salespeople or old school sales tactics. But they will make time to talk to professionals who have branded themselves as marketing experts who know something about their particular business category, and who appear willing and able to help them grow their business.

Want to learn more about how the SoundADvice e-marketing system can pre-sell your media reps’ qualifications? Click here to set up a time to talk with Rick.