Magazine Advertising Sales Training: I'll call you when I'm ready to advertise

A client said, "I just got this blow off email from a prospect:" When we decide, we will contact you to see how you fit in. "What can I do?" he asked me.

Here you go...
That’s a typical response… especially to a question about whether they’re ready to buy.

Think about this… if they had made a decision in your favor, they would have contacted you! So, and virtually everyone does this, asking if they’re ready to buy when it’s obvious they’re not is necessarily going to yield, We don’t know yet... Don't call us, we'll call you.

Instead, ask a better question like, “How can we help you ______________ (fill in the blank with their biggest obstacle or main goal)?” Or call back and leave a message with an offer to give them information that will help them (if you have, can create or order a special report they’d be interested in.) Or better yet… don’t leave a message and call instead!

You really do want to talk with them.  So keep calling ‘til you get them on the phone. A lot of business owners work outside of regular business hours, so call when gatekeepers are less likely to be there and when they're less likely to be involved with their clients.

Nothing’s guaranteed, but here are three ideas as to how to stop getting this input.

Welcome to Stress-Free Selling®,
Jenae

P.S. If I can help you overcome sales challenges and reach your goals, call or email me. 954-290-9896 Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com

P.P.S. For a list of sales resources, click here.

P.P.P.S. Publishers & Ad Directors, call for a free consultation (954-290-9896).

Magazine Advertising Sales Training: Turn Troubles Into Ads

Tyler, a coaching client, came up with great verbiage to re-enter the Discovery stage with prospects who were giving him no attention and with advertisers who had left him.  The first time he used it, he turned a cancellation into a 3x sale.  Here’s what he said:


I approached him with, “I don’t think I’ve been meeting your needs.” His customer replied: “What do you mean?” Tyler responded by saying he'd never really asked what was important to him, and he followed that statement by going right into his fact finding questions.

When Tyler realized how important this stage of the sale is, he incorporated this all the time, and blew the socks off his sales records.

I hope this helps you.


Welcome to Stress-Free Selling®,
Jenae

P.S. If I can help you overcome sales challenges and reach your goals, call or email me. 954-290-9896 Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com

P.P.S. For a list of sales resources, click here.

P.P.P.S. Publishers & Ad Directors, call for a free consultation (954-290-9896).

Magazine Advertising Sales Training: Easier Renewals

Jenae,

What is good wording for a “button up email” for renewals?


John,

You need to talk with them first!  Then you can zap an email with a summary… no proposal, no grandiose verbiage.  NO, don’t send an agreement until they agree!  Otherwise if they don't renew, you probably won't get them on the phone when you need to speak with them… well, ok, not never, but you know how hard it can be when they don’t want to talk with you. So you WANT to speak with them before you send a renewal.


Just one or two days ago, you talked about how important it is to connect with clients (saying if you don't your competitors will... and you're right.)  If you let this once-a-year opportunity pass, and you don’t have a regular "touch" marketing campaign, when are they ever going to feel connected to you and that you truly care about anything other than their money?

You’re right! This is VERY important. Let me know if this helped.

Welcome to Stress-Free Selling®,
Jenae

P.S. If I can help you overcome sales challenges and reach your goals, call or email me. 954-290-9896 Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com

P.P.S. For a list of sales resources, click here.

P.P.P.S. Publishers & Ad Directors, call for a free consultation (954-290-9896).

Magazine Advertising Sales Training: Cold Calls

What's the best way to approach cold calls?

First, try for Referrals. They’re you’re best cold calls.  You probably sell two or three times (or more) easily referrals than any other prospect... so go for them first.

When making cold calls, try to find the name of the correct person before you try to get them on the phone.  Frequently you can get this by calling their sales department… they’ll talk to anyone! And you can probably get inside information in the process. PLUS, you’ll be transferred to the correct person from an internal number rather than an unknown outside number, so it’ll help you get by and through voice mail and gatekeepers. Oh, you can also ask what their direct extension is, so you can circumvent gatekeepers in the future.

This is what I say… “I’m calling to see if I can help increase your sales, like we do for (name one or two of their competitors). Did I catch you at a bad time?” Then go into the questions starting with a modified opening something like, “To help, I need to understand a bit about your situation, what would you say are your biggest ales challenges right now?

You just got them talking instead of you, and the ball is rolling right down the center of the lane for a strike!

Welcome to Stress-Free Selling®,

Jenae

P.S. If I can help you overcome sales challenges and reach your goals, call or email me. 954-290-9896 Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com

P.P.S. For a list of sales resources, click here.

P.P.P.S. Publishers,  Ad Directors - call for a free consultation (954-290-9896).

Magazine Advertising Sales Training: Turn Cancellations Into Renewals

Cancellations and non-renewals are a downer... but a fact of life. Here's the problem... if you haven't asked great questions at the beginning of your sales process, now you have to hope you can... which is the main reason to get all this information in the first place.  But, ok, let's get back to trying to save what might be lost.

Instead of calling and telling them why they should stay with you, you need to find out what's important to them.  In order to know WHAT to tell them, you have to know what their hot buttons are. So this will help you get there. 

Here are the questions to ask...

• What are your top business priorities right now?
• What has changed in your marketing strategy, priorities, challenges since (mention last issue they ran with you)?
• How is what you’re doing working for you?
• What do you like most about the other (name magazines) you are using?
• What would you change, if anything, about them?

I promise that if you get answers to these questions before you try to sell them on keeping their ads running, you will have a much easier time of it.

Welcome to Stress-Free Selling®,
Jenae

P.S. If I can help you overcome sales challenges and reach your goals, call or email me. 954-290-9896 Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com

P.P.S. For a list of sales resources, click here.

P.P.P.S.  Participate in our Jan 11-12, 2010 Stress-Free Selling® Seminar, and turn your sales around.  Click here for details.

Magazine Advertising Sales Training: Email or Letter?

Client Question...
Instead of an sending a proposal as an attachment, should I just put the letter in the email?

My Response...
Emails are best when readable on one screen. The letter is two pages, so it's too long for an email.

Another Option...
It would be best if you call them instead. Voice to voice always trumps writing.  Salespeople would be unnecessary if letters could do the selling. You need to know what his hot buttons are before you can "convince" him to buy anything... so call first!

Welcome to Stress-Free Selling®,
Jenae

P.S. If I can help you overcome sales challenges and reach your goals, call or email me. 954-290-9896 Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com

P.P.S. For a list of sales resources, click here.

P.P.P.S. Publishers & Ad Directors, call for a free consultation (954-290-9896).