Not long ago I met with an insurance company executive in the Southeast who had to get something off his chest.
I told your competitor a month ago that I wanted a weather sponsorship without commercials. Just 5 seconds that says, "This weather report is brought to you by [name of the agency]." I didn't want any commercials -- just the mentions. He came back with a big package with a bunch of commercials. It's like he didn't even hear me. So I sent him away.
Two days later I heard a similar gripe from a home improvement company owner:
We're a franchise, and we're required to use our home office for everything we do online. I'd love to run on your station, but all I need is TV ads. If you try to add your "digital package" [at this point she made air quotes with her fingers] I'm just going to make you take it out, so don't waste my time or yours.
I told her it sounded like she'd been through this before.
"Oh, yeah," she nodded, and her eyes. "I tell everyone who comes in the same thing: we've got online covered. It doesn't matter what I tell 'em. All the TV people... and the radio people... and the newspaper people keep trying to push their 'digital solutions' on me. They don't listen. Drives me crazy."
Top salespeople realize they may need to negotiate with two separate parties to close a sale: the client, and station management.
On his TV advertising and sales blog, Jim Doyle wrote about a very successful attorney he interviewed.
...this attorney talked about his impressions of sales reps over the 20 years he’d been advertising. He said, “The best were the ones who really paid attention to what I said and didn’t try to sell me stuff that didn’t fit with my target or challenges. The worst never seemed to ever pay attention to what I had told them was important in my business.”
You won't win every time. Sometimes your management won't budge, and you simply won't be able to deliver exactly what the client asked for. Now what?
Some salespeople are scared to deliver bad news. They just show up with their standard package and hope that the customer doesn't remember what they asked for in the last meeting. Some don't go back at all.
Both are losing strategies.
Your best approach is to deliver the news in person as quickly as you can, and openly acknowledge the issue.
Look the client right in the eye and say, "I know exactly what you asked for last time. I heard you. I took it up the ladder, and we can't deliver it just that way -- and believe me, I tried. Here's how close we can get, and this is how you'll benefit if you do it this way. We want to earn your business, so I hope this is close enough. If it's not, I'll understand."
Who knows? Maybe the customer will surprise you and agree.
Even if you can't get this deal done, you'll preserve the relationship, and the client's respect... as one of those rare salespeople who listens.
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After a stellar 15-year career as a radio salesperson (just ask him) "Doctor" Phil Bernstein now trains advertising salespeople all over the United States. He works with television stations as a consultant with Jim Doyle & Associates, and also works with salespeople one-on-one. In the next couple of months he'll be launching an online and phone sales training business for salespeople in all media.
