I'm one of those lucky people who receive regular (by which I mean several calls a day) from a variety of advertising sales reps.
This is, in essence, a good thing for my business. I buy a lot of media so it makes sense that I know about opportunities and the various different media that are out there.
It is interesting to me, however, that many people who work in advertising "sales" have a lot to learn about how to sell. And there are a few lessons they could probably take on board from some of the leading online dating sites.
The first one is to know what your target is. Boys or girls? Agency or client? If you have no idea who you're selling to, how on earth are you going to appeal to them? This may actually involve looking at their "profile" or, in my case, the company website.
The second is knowing what you have to offer to the other party. Good sense of humour? Loving and caring? If you want someone to care about you (or your product) you need to know how it's going to benefit THEM, not you.
The third is knowing that you ain't going to do it on a first date. To be honest we've barely even got to know each other at this stage. If you want me to spend £500 over the phone, without having even seen (or in some cases heard of) your publication, it would be fair to say you're not all that trustworthy and you're likely to run out on me at first light, taking my money and never calling me again. Heck, in some cases I'll be lucky if you even remember my name.
The best advertising sales people build relationships. It's a bit old fashioned, but I'm an old fashioned girl and I like to be romanced.
You just can't do that over the phone.
When it comes to media, I am ultimately looking for the perfect match.com.
I agree 100% tricia. Look after your clients and they look after you. Golden rule, always treat your prospective /clients how you want to be treated.
ReplyDeleteWe all like to be looked after, honesty, trust and respect. It doesn't happen over night.