Monday, July 04, 2011

Take ALL the steps


Ever climb a flight of stair and miss a step? It throws you off balance and sometimes you can get hurt!

The same can happen in the sales process. This was in an email to radio sales executives:

Daily Sales Tip: Process vs. Results

The harder we push to create results...in other words, close the sale...the less time we have to develop and execute the sales process. Hard times cause what I call the "Skipping and Tripping" syndrome. Skip a step of the process, like conducting a good Client Needs Analysis before making a recommendation of an idea, and you'll trip yourself and lose the sale.

Remember to execute all of RAB's Seven Steps To Selling Success:

1. Prospecting, including finding and qualifying the account as a good match between your typical listener and the prospect's typical customer.

2. Getting the appointment by using the phone and asking for an appointment to determine if you can be of benefit to the prospect -- not to present a pitch.

3. Researching the prospect's industry and the prospect's marketing situation to prepare specific questions for use during the next step.

4. Conducting a Client Needs Analysis meeting to ask your questions and learn about the prospect's objectives, competitive situation, products and services, and current advertising.

5. Writing the proposal, with custom information focusing on the needs of the advertiser and your solution to those needs.

6. Presenting the proposal, emphasizing client benefits rather than station features.

7. Closing, including addressing objections by restating how your recommendation helps the prospect achieve desired advertising objectives.

Source: John Potter, Radio Advertising Bureau VP/Training

Sphere: Related Content

2 comments:

jingles said...

well, these all suggestion are pretty amazing... but in my opinion radio ads and jingles also play a dramatic role in increasing your business. nothing can improve your business so drastically as radio ads and jingles.

ScLoHo (Scott Howard) said...

Dear Jingles.

I decided to allow your comment for two reasons.

1. I believe that a jingle can help enhance a radio advertising campaign if the rest of the campaign is on track.

Having been successful in the radio business for many years, I understand that to break thru the clutter being different often works.

2. I also want to point out that your comment is what I call spammy.

The article was written by John Potter, whom I know, of the Radio Advertising Bureau. It was written specifically for Radio Advertising Salespersons, which I used to be until last month. You turned it into a link to your website which is not about helping salespeople, but selling jingles.

Now I have an offer for you:

I left the radio business to join a company that does net-centered marketing, Cirrus ABS and would be glad to offer you a proposal for a decent website that will be found online by folks who are wanting to buy jingles. Contact me: SHoward@CirrusABS.com