Question: I received your newsletter. Thanks again. I wanted to ask you a question. I work for a parent magazine that is distributed for free to parents throughout the local area. I sell advertising space in the magazine. Our magazine has been around the longest. It started in (our area) and has branched out to include (surrounding areas). However, there are 2 other parent magazines that are distributed in the same area. One of the magazines has been in our county since 2000. The other magazine (has been around in maybe the same time frame) 1. How do I convince the advertisers that our magazine is a good place to advertise? I receive a lot of objections that include things like: We already advertise in ABC magazine and it is distributed in the same way as yours. 2. I go to all of the advertisers that advertise in the other magazines to try and get them to advertise in ours. I also go to companies that dont advertise in the magazines and sometimes even have better results because I dont get that objection. However, with the companies that dont advertise in the parent magazines I have to convince them that advertising in a parent magazine is good because it is a very targeted audience and everyone who reads this is a parent. Gavin says: Thanks for your ongoing readership of my newsletter remind your friends that they can subscribe free at www.gaviningham.net but dont tell your enemies! The situation that you are facing is very common and not distinct to your marketplace Id like to tell you a little story Once upon a time, in a far off land there lived a happy salesperson that had products and services that were new and fresh. He had no competition and he could easily stay ahead of the marketplace. The clients loved his visits because he could educate and entertain them and they were always enthralled by his amazing new solutions to their problems and challenges Did this mythical, unicorn of a salesperson ever exist? I doubt it! I agree that the marketplace is maybe quicker and faster than it ever was but sales is all about competition. If you have a good idea, someone will nick it! If you had some time in that mythical, fantasy land of being the only magazine in the marketplace then great but it was never going to last The aim of the game now is to help your clients to understand that you are bigger, better and more relevant for their needs than your competitors. Here are some tips 1. Stop trying to convince them and start knowing that youre the best. Sit down and think about all of the services that you have and offer that are better than those of your competitors. Clients dont like desperate salespeople. You need to act as if you are the only company worth dealing with in the marketplace. Remember perception is projection. 2. Remember that your clients probably dont really think that you are all the same. But they know by telling you this they put you on the back foot. Most clients think that they have the upper hand and that we are all desperate to do business with them at any cost. Dont be so eager, take your time and plan your responses to start to redress this balance. 3. Plan and learn objection handles for common objections. Preparation is key to sales. The only way you will get better is by thinking through situations and asking yourself the question, How can I deal with that better next time? With your specific objection We already advertise in ABC magazine and it is distributed in the same way as yours. What about something like Thats fine Im not asking you to change now, merely have a look at our services to see how they might complement your existing services. Or Thats fine, business is built on relationships. At this stage, all I want to do is find out a little more about you and your business and see how we might be able to benefit you in the future. Or even Thats great. Im pleased you realise the importance to your business of advertising in this medium however our distribution is not the same as theirs. Im not asking you to change now, merely have a look at our services and see how they might complement your business objectives in the future. Tell me, how often do you advertise with? Remember the objective is to get them talking, find out why they are using the service, discover their objectives, understand how successfully they are meeting those objectives and then offer something better and more relevant to them. For more on objection handling have a look at my book Objections! Objections! Objections! available on www.amazon.co.uk ISBN 1-905225-05-9. 4. Perception is everything. Even if your services are exactly the same as your clients (or indeed are not as good!) it is whether the client thinks they are or arent that matters. This means that you can ALWAYS create the perception that your services are more relevant to them. On your second point, you are right in your strategy. There is no-one more destined for failure than a one-trick-salesman. You need to be approaching both new customers to the service and customers of your clients. As you have rightly pointed out, these two groups of customers will often require different sales strategies. For the potential clients who dont advertise at present make sure that you keep the pressure off to start with. They will more than likely have been sold to before so when they object that they have looked before and its not for them objection handle with a gentle reframe Thats fine. Im not asking you to buy now merely have a look at how our services might complement your existing advertising strategies. Tell me, how do you currently? Then get interested in their current situation, how they advertise, what their objectives are and how you might be able to help them now or in the future. Lets face it until you ask and listen youre not going to know whether you can help them or not. Best of luck and remember to sell with passion. |
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