Magazine Advertising Sales Training: "I don't believe in _____ (fill in the blank)."

"I don't believe in ____________ (fill in the blank)."

So, what can you do when your prospect tells you s/he doesn't believe in what you sell? I don't believe in advertising. I don't believe in your type of publication.

Well... if you've done a good job fact finding, you'll know what their hot buttons are, and instead of talking about what you do, you'll talk about how you can help them overcome their challenges as it relates to their hot buttons.

Here's another track: Quantify your results.

If you can show how many new customers you can bring to them, calculate their return on investment. Will they reap two, three, ten, twenty times their initial investment with you?

Show prospects how using your publication or website translates into dollars for them, and choosing you becomes the obvious choice.

Welcome to Stress-Free Selling^TM,
Jenaé Rubin

Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com
www.MagazineAdvertisingSales.com

Magazine Advertising Sales Training: Create Great Relationships

So many salespeople approach the sale from the standpoint of believing "I have to create a good relationship." The irony is good relationships are the result of everything done right! Your prospects see through your schmoozing. Most salespeople do it. They go into an office, see a trophy or picture and talk about that. This obviously obsequious tactic is fake. Your prospects see right through this manipulative attempt to create a relationship, and in many times it backfires. It puts their guard up even more.

Instead of shooting the breeze when you meet a new prospect in the hopes you will create a connection, ask questions that show you really care about their business. When you talk to prospects about the things they themselves are concerned about, you create a solid connection. Yes, people do business with people they like. Here's the critical question: Who are they apt to like more: someone trying to be their friend or someone trying to help them achieve their goals in a friendly manner?

So make sure to focus on the key questions that will help you help them. This will help you create great relationships... effectively... and quickly.

Welcome to Stress-Free Selling^TM,
Jenaé Rubin

Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com
www.MagazineAdvertisingSales.com

Magazine Advertising Sales Training: Overcome "What Are You Selling?" as Opening Objection

You hear "What are you selling" up front when your prospect thinks you sound like a sales person. They put their guard up so fast, your head is spinning! What follows this fake objection is the tried and true, “I’m not interested” to which you probably have no response. If you do answer this question by telling them what you sell, you lose anyway. So don’t do it!

The simple answer starts off sounding corny, but it works... if you mean it! Simply respond, “I am not selling anything at this point. I'm calling to investigate if there is a possibility I can help you overcome your biggest challenges (name it). If not, I have nothing to sell you. I’m not looking to take your money. In fact, I won’t accept your money if I don’t think I can help you meet your goals. Is now a good time to talk about this more?”

If they grant you an opportunity to talk, take it or schedule an appointment to ask your Fact Finding questions.

If not, be comfortable walking away from a sale… even if you can’t really afford it. You will make more sales and more easily than ever before when clients sense you care about them first and not your wallet.. When you insist in pursuing a bad sale, you end up begging, not selling!

Here's to stress-free selling ^TM,
Jenae Rubin

Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com
www.MagazineAdvertisingSales.com

Magazine Advertising Sales Training: What Happens When You Negotiate Price?

If price is the fifth or sixth reason why people choose to buy a product, then why is it the #1 obstacle many salespeople have? This is simple: when there is nothing else to compare you to, price is the only criteria. When sales is approached from the product perspective (here's why you should buy my product/service), you are addressing your needs, not theirs; so price becomes the key basis on which to make a decision since you're missing the mark.

But what happens when you negotiate on price?

1. People who buy on price leave on price - This means you keep customers for short periods of time and there is no sell-through or returns.

2. When price is the overriding issue, you are always fighting for the sale - Sales made by "fighting" for them, are unstable, short-term gains. In fact, if you make sales this way, you probably feel you're losing customers as fast as you're making them... and it's because price is the major determining factor.

3. You always have to negotiate price... and sometimes lower them the second time - Considering this philosophical approach does not pan out, it's strange that a common belief is "I'll give a deal to 'test' my product (service), and then sell at full price when they see how wonderful it is. People who hold this view find themselves not only always negotiating price with the same customers but sometimes having to reduce price even more. Think about this... how do your prospects know they got the best price from you in the first place? They don't! So they keep asking for discounts and you keep lowering your prices to keep the business. Sometimes a sales is not better than no sale.

So what do you do to eliminate this dilemma?

Fortunately, the answer is simple: focus on them. Ask tons of questions and show how you help achieve their goals and overcome their obstacles. When this is your path, sales will become easier, be larger and last longer.

Welcome to stress-free selling^TM,

Jenae Rubin
Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com
www.MagazineAdvertisingSales.com

Magazine Advertising Sales Training: Get In

If prospects are indifferent to you, you have to be different to get their attention. Melissa was having trouble Getting In to a roofing company, so she bought an inexpensive shingle at a local home store. On the back of it she wrote, “I’ve been trying to contact you to show you how we can blow the roof off your sales like we’ve done for other roofers. Call me to see if we can do the same for you.”

Is it corny? Yes! (And I’m not usually in favor of corny.) What’s important is that she got his attention. When she called next, her prospect had a smile on his face and took her call. She Got In! And that’s the point. There are lots more cool ideas in Step 6… and even more on my 70-minute Non-Traditional Stress-Free Selling (formerly Pearl Marketing) CD on my website, www.MagazineAdvertisingSales.com.

Welcome to stress-free sales,
Jenae Rubin

Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com
www.MagazineAdvertisingSales.com

This is an excerpt from Jenae's upcoming book, Stress-Free Selling^TM: Make Objections Disappear

Magazine Advertising Sales Training: How to Talk About the Competition

We know we shouldn't say derogatory things about anyone, including our competition. The temptation is so great when we know we’re so much better! Our stomachs churn when we hear customers say things we know are the opposite. So… how do we handle this dilemma? What's a tactful, appropriate and successful way to handle this?

Before I answer this, let’s look at the alternative
If you approach this by talking about what your competitors are not or what they don’t have, you are spending time talking about your competitors! Now you've got your customers and prospects thinking about them and not you. Ouch. You want air time focused on you and them not them.

The easy solution
The good news is, it's easy. Simply say, "What companies like about me is. . ." This six word preface is 100% positive, focused exclusively on you and your good points, and directs the conversation where you want it to go. Now you can say anything you want, and you’re taking them where you want them to go. Now, you are in charge of the conversation, and you have them focused on you and your good points.

This gem will help you avoid pitfalls and speed the sales process.

Here's to stress-free sales,

Jenae Rubin
Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com
www.MagazineAdvertisingSales.com

Magazine Advertising Sales Training: Hearts Trump Wallet

"While money is the oxygen of a business, it's not it's purpose.*" People will not do business with you to give you money. They will give you money because of what you can do for them. Many forget this simple fact.

Not only does doing things we know is wrong cause us stress and illness, it causes us sales!

• If we don't believe in every cell of our being that what we are selling is completely right for our customers and prospects, they will pick up on this... and not buy from us.
  
• If we take money from a customer and do not deliver, we reduce (or kill) the chances of their doing business with us again.

It's hard enough to get business in the first place, why lose it because we're scared.

Trust yourself and your product well enough that you prefer to walk away from sales that are wrong for your business before forcing or begging for business.

The easiest way to get there is to develop your sales skills and product. When both are strong, you will sell success and be successful.

Here's to stress-free sales,

Jenae Rubin

Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com
www.MagazineAdvertisingSales.com

Magazine Advertising Sales Training: Why is Sales Stressful?

Sales is stressful when we approach prospects with the intention of making a sale and the fear of not making a sale. Prospects accept appointments reluctantly (that’s why we have so much difficulty getting them on the phone in the first place) and are armed with a litany of excuses (you call them objections) to get rid of you.

It is this dichotomy of goals (you want to make a sale and they want to protect themselves) that creates stress. Imagine if you both wanted to meet. Imagine if neither felt the other was going to try to force anything on him. Imagine you both feel the only acceptable outcome is the satisfaction of client’s goals. You just began the journey to stress-free sales.


This is an excerpt from Jenae's upcoming book, Stress-Free Selling^TM: Make Objections Disappear


Here's to stress-free sales,
Jenae
Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com
www.MagazineAdvertisingSales.com

Magazine Advertising Sales Training: Use Research to Your Advantage

Do you have an MRI study? Do you use industry research from MPA, CRMA, or another source? A common mistake publishers make is not knowing which information to share and which to keep to themselves. Just because you have data does not mean you have to share it. Just because the data is presented to you in a certain form does not mean you want to share it that way. Here's what I mean...

Example 1 - Too much data

Let's say you have results for the market value of your home in these ten categories:

Under $50,000; $50,000 - $74,999; $75,000 - $99,999; $100,000 - $149,999;
$150,000 - $199,999; $200,000 - $249,999; $250,000 - $299,999; $300,000 - $349,999; $350,000 - $399,999; $400,000 - $449,999; $450,000 - $499,999; $500,000 or more

Many publishers would be tempted to list the amounts in all the categories. You'd be better off grouping them in ways that make sense to you. So, if your audience represents the average US population, you can reduce the number of categories to something like this:

Less than $150,000; $150,000 - $249,999; More than $250,000.

Change the categories to represent your needs. You will make it easier for your reps to explain how your magazine fulfills your prospects' needs.

Example 2 - Data doesn't present you well

You have two choices here.

1) Don't show the information that doesn't help you... not even to your reps! Reps get excited when they know they real data is coming, and then their balloon is deflated and they get discouraged if the information doesn't help them. Don't help deflate their enthusiasm. That's just not smart.

2) Similarly to Example 1, present the information to your advantage. So if your primary prospect is seeking 30-44 year olds, and there are too more people reading your publication who are older or younger than you want, don't show those numbers. Only show the percentage of people in the category you wish to present.

These are two simple examples. What you need to know is that because information is presented to you in a certain way, that does not mean you have to present the information in the same way to your customers.

Take the best of what you have to make your story. If I can help you figure out how to position yourself and use the information you have, please contact me.

Here's to stress-free ad sales,
Jenae Rubin

Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com
www.MagazineAdvertisingSales.com

Magazine Advertising Sales Training: Prepare for Increasing Rates

Are your salespeople prepared for 2008's spiraling paper costs?

Are they complaining about your price being too high now? If so, how are you going to overcome this objection when paper prices start climbing and you have to increase prices substantially?

Your safest bet is to make sure your clients are secure in their selection of your publication. If you are a last choice now, you probably will be no choice next year. If you get one or two "pity buys" now when your competitors get full year schedules, you will be behind the eight ball in a few months when you are selling next year's issues.

Make sure your salespeople are going about sales so your competitors lose when you everyone is raising rates next year... not you. If you are not comfortable that your salespeople can outsell your competitors when the going gets tough, make this a priority now. Otherwise you will be in crisis mode next year, wondering what you can do to catch up... and it may be too late.

What changes can you make to your product to make sure it is the most saleable? Make them now! What training can you give your salespeople to make sure they are the most armed? Give it to them now. You know what objections you're having the most trouble with. Find solutions for them now. If you wait, you may find it's too late to make up for lost time. If you'd like some help, visit www.MagazineAdvertisingSales.com or call me at 954-476-0067.

Here's to stress-free ad sales,
Jenae Rubin

Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com
www.MagazineAdvertisingSales.com