That sounds kind of counter intuitive doesn’t it?
But seriously hear me out as to why you shouldn’t sell them what they want!
If a client tells you they want ‘awareness’, is that what they mean? I doubt it.
For example I have had a client say this and after three months of advertising, all of his friends and family mention that they have heard his ad, but guess what, his sales are non-existent! AND he wasn’t happy.
That’s why it is oh so important to dig deep and LISTEN to what they want in your first meeting with them.
First of all, take it as a given that every business wants awareness.
That’s why they are advertising in the first place.
What you need to do is ask, what do they really want?
And why do they want it?
For example, a local car dealership might say “…we just want more foot traffic in-store.”
That’s all well and good, but what is it they really want?
Is it pre-qualified buyers because they need to sell 20 cars a month to hit their financial year target?
If it is then that means an entirely different message.
As a copywriter working in sales you should know immediately that this means a call to action campaign, not a branding one. Which means a totally different tactic and message.
And if you dive a bit further you might also discover that the reason for it is if they don’t make that target, they’ll be closing their doors.
Suddenly, that extra information you got from listening to them sounds a whole lot different to “…we just want footfall”, doesn’t it?
And, more importantly it gives you the ability to tackle their real need with a specific radio campaign to help sell those cars.
Luckily you came prepared – didn’t you? You pull out of your binder or case, everything you need to answer their question… and? What? You didn’t bring it with you? NOOOOOOOOO!!!
Seriously? I hope you did?
So what 8 things should you take with you (at the very least) to help to achieve this, or any other sales goal on a sales call?
- A map of your broadcast area – seriously, if you want to target people south of the city, then it’s no point advertising on a station who has a strong signal north of the city only. Know this map like the back of your hand, and the areas it covers.
- Your rate card. You should be able to rattle off sleep what the rates are for breakfast only, drive only, BMAD (breakfast, mornings, afternoons, and drive), etc. AND understand what they mean – more of this on another post.
- Your sponsorship list – they might not be able to afford a wide spread across the board campaign, but they might be interested in buying a segment or show that they think their customers listen to. Have it at hand just in case.
- A profile or demographic breakdown of listeners. If you don’t have one, ask your sales manager or program manager for a detailed breakdown of who they are programming for.
- Any ‘Props’ of any promotional activity that is coming up. You never know when a client is having a big event that they might be interested in celebrating with a promotional tie-in.
- A note-pad, and working pens.
- Your business card.
- At the very least a station sticker or a promo pack that you can give to, or leave with, the prospective client.
Now let’s get back to the sale… YES – NOW is the time to ask about the sale.
- If we could do the deal today, what would be your time line? Write down start and stop dates.
- What kind of budget were you thinking of given everything that you have gone through with them?
- What is their decision making process like?
- Is there anyone else we should involve with the decision?
Next time we will look at some of the roadblocks that may be put up in front of you by a client or a partner.
Until next time – keep on selling!
