Every salesperson who has ever stepped foot into a business in a “normal” business climate knows it’s not easy to go in and sell advertising. Right out of the gate, many clients see advertising as necessary evil. One that is costly with very little proof of ROI. Some don’t even fully understand what they are buying, which only intensifies the scrutiny of the advertising medium and the salesperson’s performance promises. Now, 2020 has added another wrench to an already difficult, demanding, and sometimes exhausting job.
With most companies experiencing some type of struggle due to Covid-19, it can be very difficult to navigate the sales process in this time of uncertainty in business. Businesses are dealing with employee shortages due to forced layoffs. They are also dealing with advertising budget cuts due to lost revenue from the onset of the pandemic. Auto dealers in particular are dealing with inventory issues from factory closures earlier this year.
In an unprecedented year of things that are beyond our control, people feel comfort in controlling the things that they can. I think this pertains to advertising as well. Businesses are ready to get back to normal and they are also looking for new ways to advertise in this new era of COVID. Many of your clients are already buying their advertising through tools within their internal software systems or on various online platforms. Seek out ways to help your clients have more say and more control in the advertising process. Do they want to look at stats and have to call you for that? Give them the tools they need to be able to make advertising decisions and change up creatives. You will become a partner to them in that process and build trust with the client.
I’m a firm believer that when going in to sell to a new client, you should never speak negatively about other types of media. Keep the focus on what you are selling, what you are the expert on. Let your product knowledge lead your conversation and ask lots of questions. New clients shut down when you say “we have the most traffic, we have the best ratings, we have won this award 5 years in a row….etc” because you know what? Every sales person that walks through that door says they have the best this or that, they’ve heard it a hundred times. Be empathetic to your client’s challenges and be open to making their goals work throughout their entire marketing plan however you are able. Offer your clients advertising options that no one else has. Be the salesman that is well versed in new tech within your industry and how they can apply it to their marketing efforts. Embracing technology in all forms will almost always get you as a salesperson, and they as the clients, ahead of the rest of those who resist change within advertising, and within their industry.
Authored By : Gina Gordon, CEO and Co-Founder of Lucit, the company behind the Lucit Layout app for Digital Billboard real-time inventory integrations