It has been a few short weeks since I walked away from being a member of the media. Now as the director of marketing for a group of businesses, I’ve discovered a few things about media reps that I feel compelled to tell you about.
I still love ya, media! I really do. So much so that I feel the need to enlighten you on what is happening while your sales reps are out of the office on sales calls.
You see, I want / need you to be successful. The community I work in and the businesses I work for all benefit from a strong local media. And while there are systemic issues that media companies of all varieties face, there are some obstacles in the way of future revenue that you can control.
Your sales staff.
In a short amount of time, I’ve discovered a list of things media reps that don’t due well. Pay attention, and train to repair. This list isn’t likely to surprise you that these things happen some. But I will tell you that it is happening at a much higher rate than expected.
In a nutshell, here are the things your reps don’t do:
Reps DON’T explain why – why should I buy their product and how it will benefit me
Reps DON’T ask why – find out why did I buy x, why are we doing y? Reps need to better understand the thought process behind what I am doing, and why I am doing it so they can see how their products and services fit in
Reps DON’T ask for the sale
Reps DON’T discover my needs. The amount of product dumps that I’ve witnessed in a short time is amazing.
Reps DON’T respect my time. In one case, I’ve had three customer needs analysis done by a rep (so far). And they are still trying to work towards a real presentation, which hopefully will happen on meeting number four. We’re already four hours into this process, and I can’t imagine how many hours back at the office for them.
Reps DON’T always have 100% integrity. As the new buyer, I’m being told of all the things the previous person promised reps in terms of buys. In one case for sure, that is a total fabrication. In others, there is definitely some exaggeration.
I’m not picking on any single media outlet. I’ve had conversations with radio, billboards, niche magazines and newspapers, plus a variety of digital platforms. There are some stars out there in local media calling on me too, but the harsh reality is there is plenty of room for improvement with most individuals.
Of all the “don’ts” on the list, the one that bothers me most is the lack of integrity. I’ve experienced some tall tales, where individuals made statements that were either false or a stretch of the truth in an effort to make me feel obligated to buy. Oddly enough in each case, it was not a local entity that made these claims. Rather, it was either secondary markets or national platforms.
The basics still hold true as to the best approach, at least with me. A sale comes down to two things: solutions to problems and good feelings. Solving my problems can only happen if you know my problems. Product dumping might solve your problem of achieving a goal on the number of pitches made, but unless you do a needs analysis you don’t even know what my problems are and can’t solve those problems.
The best needs analysis I had done was from a billboard rep. He was very detailed in his note taking, and really took the time to ask a question, here my answers and probe further with additional questions. I started asking about specific products, and he apologized. He told me that he was not planning to pitch any products today, but promised to come back with my questions answered along with additional information based on our conversation. Text book!
Contrast that with the radio rep that has worked on three needs assessments (so far) but still hasn’t come back with a full market presentation like we’ve asked. Such a waste of my time, not to mention the time of the sales rep. If you haven’t role played a customer needs analysis in the past month with your sales team, you are overdue. It is the foundational step in the sales process still today, and few reps are doing it. Even fewer reps are doing it well. It is hard to generate any good feelings, knowing that my time is being wasted by bad sales techniques.
Another alarming trend I’ve noticed has been a lack of asking for the sale on sales calls. There have been only a few attempts, with the best of those coming from the newspaper rep. She’s also the most experienced, I believe. Thinking about media companies, inexperienced reps are very often who make up the sales team. That being the case, there is a good chance what I’m seeing from young reps is being done by your young staff at your company. Reps have a fear of rejection, so they just don’t ask for the sale. Sales managers have to instill that it is OK to be told no. After all, you can’t overcome objections until they say no. And after all, they might just say yes!
Basic training on the different techniques of closing and overcoming objections needs to be regularly featured in your training. You are training, right?
Revenue opportunities are tough. As more and more dollars go to self serve digital options, you have to make the most of the opportunities you have. I honestly don’t believe media companies are controlling all that they can control in the sales process. The result is costing them money. If you have a young staff, you have to work on customer needs analysis, closing and overcoming objections on a regular basis. And by the way, the same applies for seasoned reps too.
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