DON’T JUST SELL ADS
One of the biggest mistakes of ad sales people is that they spend their time just dialing for dollars trying to sell the next issue. The regular customers are usually happy for the reminder but it is the companies that are not regular customers that are the hardest to close; and they are the ones who learn your technique and soon find ways to avoid your calls all together. Just think how much easier your job would be if the companies that you call are anxious to hear from you and will drop everything just to talk to you. How is this possible you ask? What is the secret?...
AD SALES MEANS KNOWING THE BAD GUY
In my work as a consultant it surprises me how many ad sales reps know little or nothing about their competitors. One of the most important aspects of selling advertising is knowing your competitors as well as you know your own magazine. This is especially important when you are trying to sell an advertiser who is running in the competition and not in your own publication...
DON'T JUST SELL PRINT ADS
The Publishing world is changing and advertisers are looking at several different ways to reach their potential buyers and the outstanding ad sales rep will have a lot of things to offer them. Although print advertising in magazines and newspapers will still be the basis for most marketing campaigns, adding other components to an integrated marketing program will allow you to bundle and give a better value to your advertiser. Some important things to remember in integrated ad programs...
MY NEW FAVORITE ANSWER TO OBJECTIONS
For those of you who don’t know this, an objection on a sales call is just an excuse so the prospect can say no to you. They just don’t want to say yes. If they say yes it means they have to make a lot of changes (eg. Get you artwork, resize their ad, get credit approval at your company and worst of all tell the rep from the other magazine that they are leaving.) Nobody really likes changes because status quo is so much easier. That is why you need to make doing business with your publication as easy as possible...