Happy Friday, everyone!
This week's poll question is borrowed from Phil Bernstein's most recent sales article, "Why a Little Dabbling Will Doom Ya," which he graciously gave us permission to reprint here. Phil discusses how an advertiser's decision to "dabble" in one advertising medium or another instead of making a genuine investment results in that advertiser deciding that that medium doesn't work.
Phil concludes,
As media sellers, we get mad at these clients for not giving our medium a fair shake, but some of the blame belongs with us. Because we let them do it.
Every time we accept a small order from a big advertiser…
Every time we let them “test” our station for a month…
Every time we let them dabble when we know that they need to make a real commitment…
…we create another client who tells everyone that “I tried [name of medium here] and it didn’t work.”
Don’t let ’em dabble.
So here's the question that Phil posed, that we're borrowing for this week's poll question:
How do you convince new clients to make a real commitment?
Looking forward to reading your replies!
That's not something I can deal with in a few sentences. But I believe it begins with NOT OFFERING small short-term schedule options to new local clients. Paul Weyland has some excellent training materials on the benefits of selling for the long term...benefits not only for us, but for our clients. www.paulweyland.com
I use the standard FEEL, FELT, FOUND response:
I can understand why you FEEL that way! A number of my clients FELT the same way, but they FOUND that the consistency of long term marketing with our stations have brought them results that they never experienced before.
There's a lot to this, and there is a continuum of marketing knowledge and experience among business owners. Some understand to some degree. Some do not understand at all. If we educate them (as best we can) during the sales process (and after) and if we manage their expectations, we stand a chance of influencing them in the right direction.
Not letting them run schedules that we know won't work definitely helps communicate the right ideas. In fact, sometimes taking it away helps them trust me more, and I stand a chance of getting their business when the light finally comes on for them that candy machine advertising will give them business cavities.
When we have a new client considering using our Station for Marketing, but they are somewhat hesitant because they are not sure we can benefit them, I offer them References. Give them names and numbers of clients in the area that have benefited from our services. Many times this gives them the confidence to go ahead with a flight right then. Sometimes they want to check with the references and that is fine with us. The Bottom Line Is We Want Satisfied Clients!! If that means waiting a few more days for them to decide to use us, we are OK with that. If I can get the Client To Agree To a 30 day order to see if "IT WORKS" For them, I am happy. Once we get the ads produced or use their pre-produced ads and get them on the air, we give them 3-5 days of exposure then visit the client again to see if they have heard their ads on our Station and to see if they have received any feed back. If everything is positive, then we proceed with the current ads and the flight as planned. However, If they have not had some feedback, then we change the "MESSAGE". Sometimes when clients don't get the feed back they want or results they expect, it just simply means that we do not have the right message in the ad. Also, the Client knows we are "WORKING FOR THEM" Not just for US. If we cannot get Traffic into their business, the Truth is They don't need us. Once we get the message adjusted and another ad on the air, we follow up again in 3-5 days. We have a vested interest in "Making Sure" we get the response for the client and get potential customers into their business.. Also, it is very important during the First Sales Call to help manage expectations, to ask the client what they expect or how they are going to gauge the response. We always share with them, we can get the clients in their door but we cannot Make the Sales for them. They have to do that and that is determined by their Products, Price, Expertise and many other factors. Once that is established then we follow through with the ads. We just want The Opportunity To Earn Their Business. When we go through this process, in most cases, we have a regular client. I always tell my Account Executives, "We Cannot Be Successful Until Our Clients Are".
I know this process may not work for Everyone but It has Kept Our Small Stand Alone AM Operation Growing and on the Air for more than 32 years. We are in a small rural area with a county population of just over 26,000 not a large metro area.
My success in dealing with clients like this is to remain in control of MY
product.. I respect what our stations provide our paying clients who continue
to sustain and grow the business. Old school response: "I'm sorry you
can't afford this opportunity because we deliver success everyday for
(our clients..) (your competition) or whatever is comfortable in your own language". We don't
have enough avails for free "trips"and even if we did .. we wouldn't do it.
"Taking something away" , especially from someone who can afford what
you're proposing, is the BIG-reverse psychology. If it doesn't work .. what
did you loose? More importantly.. what did you gain? Mary Wakefield
Radio is an important part of any media mix. By utilizing Radio and TV together it can extend the campaign's reach, substantially increase audience reach, out of the home, closer to their buying decisions and extend life/impact of the tv campaign during TV's "off peak" hours. Personally, I only sell radio. I do, however, when budgets allow encourage my clients to use other forms of advertising so that they can maximize their advertising dollars. Understanding each client's best scheduling strategies whether it be campaign driven or longer term will assist us in helping them be successful. Sure, I can increase their radio schedule but is that really doing them a service? Maybe that's why I'm still poor but I do believe using the right media mix it can leave clients with the right impression and successful campaigns.
Brenda,
Based on your reply, you might consider offering them a free RingWord. It is the simplest thing an advertiser can do to " extend life/impact of the tv campaign during TV's "off peak" hours" and is especially true of radio. People say radio impacts because it is the theater of the mind. I don't disagree, but in order to have theater you need characters. They can imagine the product, they can remember the jingle, but there is nothing to relate an 800 number with on stage. Vanity numbers help, if you have them, but if not, a RingWord is unforgettable. Yes I'm biased, but TV or Radio, would you remember a number shouted out 3 times, or the name of the product you want?
P.S. If you are poor because you are ethical, you are very rich as a person.
1. Time and again, the following creates larger, long-term budgets where no larger budget and long term plan exists...
2. Determine the advertiser's most intensely held hot buttons... What's their biggest marketing strength? What's their biggest marketing challenge? What's on the advertiser's wish list in the next <time period here>? What do they want to do? What do they want to see happen?
3. What's needed to address/solve all that? What time frame does the advertiser expect to realize those outcomes? What's it worth to the advertiser to achieve all that?
4. After you determine margins, lifetime customer worth, etc., if the advertiser was given money to invest, what's a reasonable return on investment that they'd expect? Over what time?
5. Agree on the parameters for a plan that will address the above (incl. leading the consumer buying curve, consumer sales cycle, determining number of commercials using the Roy H. Williams formula).
6. Prepare a plan the same way a lawyer approaches a case: build a case of irrefutable evidence that addresses the advertiser's most intensely held hot buttons - not about how great you and your station and your medium are, but evidence-based solutions that focus on the advertiser's situation. This includes stories about how different advertisers have accomplished similar things - the more specific and quantifiable your evidence, the more likely they are to agree (no, I'm not talking about audience size as the selling point), but quantifiable evidence focused on desired outcomes.
7. With open-ended questions, the presentation/close should affirm the advertiser's belief that their choice of one of two creative strategies presented, and the # commercials over # days and other strategic considerations (e.g. sponsorship details, digital, etc.) should generate at least # new customers (# required to generate the advertiser's ROI as per item #4), or # new customers to break even. As the advertiser has to affirm that which came from their own mouth, it's then a matter of asking what works better for you to get this working for them - a start date of X or a start date of Y?
a great topic and great responses...bookmarking this topic page for future reference!
It starts with helping the client see that you are there to help them, not just to sell something. Get a real CNA, then present a thought out proposal, a real proposal where you can say why you suggest this or that. Act like a real advocate and work like a real advocate, and propose a program that is custom built for your client. The sale of the week died years ago and still gets buyers turned off. Bring a real proposal if you want real business.
DJ
Above all, the commitment must be mutual.
We're asking the prospect to commit some of his money and his time to this endeavor; both are required for a successful outcome.
In turn, we pledge to commit our time, effort, energy, talent, and professional resources so that he gets a good return on his investment.
If we're truly interested in a successful long-term relationship, we have to demonstrate a genuine interest in it by asking the right questions, listening carefully, and recommending only what we believe is in his best interest.
How long does he plan on being in business? That's how long we want to be working with and for him - with periodic reviews to make sure we're on track. Annual (or longer) contracts are consistent with this kind of thinking; monthly packages, three-month "campaigns," etc. are not.
A while back, I wrote about an idea that I developed for a local optometrist back in 1995. Twenty years (and more than $250,000) later, he's still committed to that idea and our stations. He didn't sign a 20-year contract, but he's renewed every year since the first.
I have another client whose business has followed for the most part the trajectory of his industry, but at a higher level. His sales are affected by the ups and downs of the market and his industry, and naturally he hates having a "soft" month, but he remains committed to campaign we first put together 15 years or so ago, believing that it's still the right thing to do. It's the same philosophy followed by agents of Edward Jones Investments - invest wisely and stay in for the long haul.
So, how do we convince new clients to make a real commitment? By demonstrating our own commitment, consistently.
Heart to heart is something I do with such a client. I explain we both know that a little order or a 'gimme' order is not giving me or them a fair shake. I point out their dollars are harder to earn than to toss away on an insignificant and unsuccessful campaign. I suggest it is my fault by not finding that 'something' they also believe in. I ask if we can try again and for tips on how I can get the chance to earn that opportunity to really work for them. I'd rather suggest they save those dollars and we use them on a meaningful, results-getting campaign at some point in the future.
I think lots of sales is simply being honest. In other words we need to drop the act and get real with one another. I think that shocks some business owners but they deserve that. If they can't drop the barriers and get real, you really can't go forward. You both have to be comfortable being frank and realistic to work together.
