Radio Sales Café

Hello, all.

Personal things, health included, have practically ruined the sales portion of my broadcast career.  I will admit, it go so bad at one point that I became physically ill at the thought of seeing a client.  What confidence I had was shot.  I'm sure that showed, because my sales have been, shall we say, less than ideal.

Life is getting better, and I want to do better for my station and for my boss, who is a pretty good guy.  I still have problems with an almost paralyzing lack of confidence.  I'm going out on a limb here sharing this with y'all, but I figured if anyone can help out, it's people who know the job...so, are there any techniques, pointers or whatever that can help me keep my confidence and not be fearful?

Hi Don, 

 

The best advice I can give you from a professional standpoint is to craft ideas for your potential client that you, yourself, can be excited about.  Selling then becomes fun and the excitement is contagious.

 

Take a client that I was having difficulty getting into see recently.  I work for 104.7 the Fish in Atlanta so I had to think of a creative way to get some face time with this client.  I went and bought a super humongous stuffed fish from our local Bass Pro Outlet store.  Then, I blew up a "While You Were Out" note into a 8 1/2 x 11" colored piece of paper.  I physically went to the client location and dropped it off to the difficult-to-reach decision maker with a note that said I had an idea that could make a big splash for them.  Then I briefly outlined the idea and gave her my contact info.  I did this yesterday and this morning had an email from the decision maker wanting to hear my ideas next Wednesday.

 

This was a fun way to get an appointment that was very low key for both parties.

 

If you'd ever like to brainstorm some client ideas, shoot me an e mail at [email protected] or we can schedule a time on Skype.  You can add me there with this user name:  thecopee.

 

Keep it fun and the excitement you have will easily transfer to your potential clients.

 

Blessings,

 

Mike Copeland, CRMC, CDMC

Senior Marketing Consultant

104.7 the Fish

WFSH, Atlanta

Don,

Thanks for writing! All of us at RSC will be rooting for you.

The best techniques I've found to help me overcome my nervousness in sales (and I still get very jittery sometimes before making cold calls!) are:

1) Remembering that the client is fellow human being with foibles and quirks just like me, so there's no need to be intimidated.  Rather than talking "sales-ese" or presenting a canned pitch, I simply talk to the client straightforwardly, just like I'd talk to any other new acquaintance.  I have read articles that suggest the salesperson adapt his style to the client's:  that is, if the client is brusque and businesslike, the salesperson keep his remarks short and to the point; whereas, if the client is jovial and inclined to engage in small talk for a bit before getting down to business, the salesperson follows his lead.  Trying to "mirror" my clients' styles has worked well for me.

2) Looking at the sales process in terms of building a relationship rather than making a sale.  That is, I simply make the call with the attitude that, "I believe my product/service can help you.  Will you talk with me for a few minutes to find out if this is the case?"  Once I explain to my client how our services can help him, and give him an example or two of what might work for his particular needs, I leave it up to him to decide whether or not he wants to take action.  If he's not interested, I do not take the rejection personally.  I simply recognize that the client does not think my offering is a good fit at the present time, and I either make a note to revisit him later with a different idea, or, if it's clear that he is completely uninterested, I move on to the next call.

Thanks again for posting this question.  I'm looking forward to the advice that other RSC members have to offer, since I'm sure I can benefit from it, too.  Please keep us posted how things go for you!

~ Rebecca

Great story, Mike!  Wish I could have seen the look on the staff's faces when you brought the fish in, LOL.  And I like the point you made about being excited about what you're offering your clients -- it does make all the difference in the world.

Rebecca: love your advice.  So straight forward and practical.  It's stuff you can take to the bank.   I think you must be a very good listener.  Maybe that's another point for Don...go on a call with some good questions you've researched for this client...and just focus on getthing the client talking....all Don has to do is listen ...then he can go back with a good proposal because he "heard" what they said.  It's like you said Rebecca.....it's relationships.  It's hard when sales are down...you just need to sell.....but really that is backwards.....you just need to call on people and exchange ideas....present the product that you believe in...It's very hard to tell people how to get out of their own way...cause they care so much they keep gettin' in there!

Love it Mike!  Goes with the "note" story I haved used.  I had a VERY hard to see client so I sent him a note on a brown lunch bag saying  "My boss says there is no free lunch, but I'd like to talk to you about some ideas I have to promote your business... as good as a free lunch.  (alternate ending:  I'll call to see you Tuesday.... and hey, I'll bring lunch)

We want more stories Mike.  Come on.....spill your candy in the lobby!!

 

Kathy

I heard about a book the other day that may help get the creative juices going.  Another sales great - Jeffrey Gitomer, recommended it.  It's called Thinkertoys, by Michael Michalko.  The 2nd edition was rewritten in 2006.

Also, as Rebecca mentioned, don't take a negative reply personally.  I know I have a tendency to internalize things but sometimes an automatic response of "no" is just the easiest reply for many businesses.  Bring the ideas!  Be creative.  Loved Mike's fish story (pun intended).  Once you get the appointment, educate your prospects.  As Paul Weyland says, educated people buy more.

And remember, no matter how great your offer, your technique, your personality... you will never sell to every single person.  But Don't Give Up!  and maybe down the road - some of these people who told you "no" today, will tell you "yes".

Now, when I'm feeling down (and it happens to all of us) be sure to send some encouragement back.  ;-D

All the best!

Yes!  I agree.

Don,

One good point to remember is that your client doesn't expect you to be an expert about HIS business... yust yours! I always begin by asking my client to "Please, give me a brief tour of your store, (or tell me exactly what this service is... this way I can narrow in on the things (Mr Customer) YOUR business needs to know about our station"

This always allows me to get a feel for who it is I am presenting to. I always relate select things about our station back to him/her based on what I learned in the walk about. This is where the jitters go away and the customers human element comes out. As you listen in the walk about, key focus points will shape how you present a more customized introduction to the station. Get your customer to go first in the "show and tell". Listen to your customer, they ALWAYS tell you how and what to present to create the need for a second more defined meeting. Customers LOVE to talk about their business. LET THEM. They are handing you information no brochure, website, or facebook post can!     

-boni blackstone 

92.5 The Bear

Everyone,

You have given me a lot to think about and try in the future.  I'm not what I'd consider a natural for sales; outside of my on-air work, I'm an introvert.  But the advice and ideas you have all given me is such a help and encouragement!  I appreciate it. 

By the way, if anyone else still wishes to chime in, don't let me stop you!  These tips may help more than just me.

Thanks, Kathy!Love your "free lunch" idea, too!

Don,

 

Thanks for posting a very good question here.  Obviously, you're not alone. 

 

My two cents:  the more you learn about advertising—specifically, how to make radio advertising work for the client so that most of your "at bats" result in home runs—the less you'll find yourself down in the dumps. 

 

Learn to enjoy the process. Here's a surprising illustration from one of my favorite places on the other side of the state, where the salespeople pitch fish.  Literally!  Check out this 5-minute video, guaranteed to make you smile!

 

Thanks again for reaching out!

Don:

 

Two items I passed on to my son apply here:

1) Never let the success or failure of any one venture determine your self worth.

2) You'll fail far more times than you'll succeed, that's why God created persistence.

Received this today in response to the Pike Place "Fish Market" video.  Even though the writer isn't in our business, I found his experience instructive and thought others might enjoy his remarks as well:

 

Rod --

In one way or another, it seems that we are all in sales to some degree.  When I decided to become a librarian, it wasn't with the idea that I'd be getting up in front of large groups of strangers to demonstrate and showcase library resources.  I'm an A-1 introvert and if the thought had occurred to me that that was what lay in store for me, I may have chosen a different line of work.  Like maybe a mortician.

 

As I was trying to become more comfortable with being in "library sales," one piece of advice that I routinely came across in terms of putting together effective presentations was "Just be yourself."  This struck me as odd since if I were truly being myself I would have been holed up in a comfy chair with a crisp, refreshing beverage and a book.  Alone.  Since that wasn't an option I figured maybe I should just do the opposite and not be myself.  In other words, become an actor playing the role of someone who enjoys speaking to large groups of strangers and finds it to be fun.  Oddly enough, after routinely trying on that alter ego I've found that I've evolved into that character.  I enjoy taking my library dog-and-pony show on the road.  It's fun.  It's engaging.  And the beauty is that I still get to indulge that part of me that enjoys a quite room, a book and a beer.

 

So my advice: If you don't enjoy the sales process, try on the persona of someone who does.  At some point your two different selves may meet up and actually like each other.

 

 

 

Keep moving forward. After 10 visits we finally closed on a client that said "we have no money". Each time I visited we got to know each other well. After the first month, he picked up a client from the ad! BTW: We convinced him to go thru co-op. There are days we come back with zero/zip/nada, and there are good days too. This week we have two maybe's. We are ready with killer spec spots, and ROI information.

Damon,

Sales trainer Jim Williams used to teach what he called "The 15 System."  Having tracked many radio sales presentations by his students and others, he observed that a salesperson who persisted in calling on a prospect for an exceptional proposal (e.g., $5000 in one week) despite getting many Nos, would 94% of the time get a Yes by the 15th "ask."  The average Yes was obtained on the 7th presentation; the average salesperson quit asking after the 5th presentation!

If you'd like to hear an excerpt from Jim's extended teaching on the subject of Persistence and the 15 System, check out the first of the audio files on my profile page. It's 11 minutes of exceptional insights.  You won't be sorry!

Thanks Rod, I will listen. "Persistance" is the key.