5 secrets of the masters of media selling

5Secrets of the Masters of Media Selling

How to Sell Advertising Like the Best

By Daniel M. Ambrose

© ambro.com, corp. 2014

■ Get More Advertising Sales Calls with Senior Managers

■ Deliver Value in Sales Calls, not Just Propaganda ■ Persuade with Logic that Is DifficulttoDeny

■ Seek and Welcome Objections – and Know How to Handle Objections

■ Know What to Ask For: Close on the Possible

Contents

Introduction ..................3

Influence Flows Down From the Top .................4

Bring Value ....................5

Yes, Logic Matters ........7

Hidden Objections ........8

What to Ask For ............9

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5 Secrets of the Masters


Introduction

Top media sales people are more successful than others becausetheygetmoreoftherightappointments,arebetterat selling at the top, are more persuasive, handle objections betterandclosemorefrequently.Thesekillersalespeopleshare 5 secrets of how to sell advertising that enable them to outsell the average ad sales person. You can learn them, too. The 5 secrets are more than a few advertising sales tips. Asyoureadthisadvertisingsalestrainingwhitepaperyou’llbetter understand advertising sales techniques and strategies thatyoucanapplyeverydaywithyourowningenuityandpersonality. Advertising sales is different than selling other kinds of business-services because agencies are involved, and becausethefinaldecisionispublic;theadsrunandallyourcompetitorsseeyouwonthebusiness.Itisalsodifferentbecauseitismorethanaone-timesale;successfulsalesarerepeatedandtherelationshipgrownyearafteryear.Andfinally,it’sdifferentfromsellingotherbusinessservicesbe-causeeveryonethinkstheyareanexpert,meaningtheCEOofacompanyandthemediabuyer'smotherwillboththinktheyknowwherethecompanyshouldadvertise. These5secretsapplytoallmajoraccountadvertisingsales,whetheryouareinterestedinhowtosellprintadvertis-ing or how to sell Internet ads, or even how to sell magazine advertising or how to sell newspaper advertising. Whyarethere5secrets?Becausetherearefivecon-ditionsoftheadvertisingsalesmarketthataren’twellad-dressed in most advertising sales training.

Ambro.com has been teaching advertising sales training courses with proven sophisticated tech-niquesfor20years.Ourtechniques are designed tomakeyouastar,nottoselltheeasyaccounts,butto sell bigger commitments to bigger clients than ever before.You’llwintheeasystuffwithoutus.Hireambro.comtohoneyourmajor account advertising sales skills for local or national, consumer or b2b, digital or print or out-of-home.



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Secret Number 1

Influence Flows Down From the TopTraditionalsalestrainingtellsyouhowtogetappointments,but not with whom to make them.

Clientsandagencycontactstellyoutocallthe“buyer”orthe“planner.”Andbuyersandplannerswilltellyoutheyarethedecisionmakers.Buttheydon’tactuallydecide.Theydecidewhattorecommend.Andtheytendtodecidetorecommendwhattheythinktheirboss or client wants.

Influenceflowsfromthetop,andtop media sales people know how to get appointments at the top and how to engagetopexecutivessuccessfullyandtoinfluencetheentirebuyingteam.

Most advertising sales people make theirfirstcalltoaprospectiveclientatthe“buyer”level.Thatispartlybecausethatiswhattheythinktheyaresupposedtodo,andpartlybecausetheyaremorecomfortablewitha“peer-to-peer”levelcontact.Butineverymajoraccount-sellingsituationthereisanimport-antinfluenceratahigherlevelwhoseopinionmattersmost.Winningthemisthekeytowinningthebusiness.Soifyou,thesalesperson,callalower-levelbuyerandfailtowinthebusinessyou’llbethentryingtofigureouthowtogoovertheir head.

If,ontheotherhandyou,thesalesperson,makeyourfirstcallintotheseniorlevel“king”ofthesituation,youmaynotgettheappointmentatfirst,it’strue.Theyarelikelytoreferyoudowntoalowermanager.Butyou’llbemakingyourfirstcalltothatlowermanagerasa“warmcall”usingthe

Ambro.com Strategic Sales Tactics Training teaches the principles of how to sell advertising bystartingatthetop,covering the whole deci-sion-making group, and keeping the top executives informedwhiletheyinsistthattheydelegatetheaddecisions. Good exec-utivesdodelegate.Butgoodemployeestrytodowhat the boss wants. Top sales managers know how to both get to the top and how to ask for group meet-ings where a presentation to all concerned creates and teaches the planners andbuyersthattheyhavepermission to make a big recommendationofyourmedia.



“king's”nameasareference.Andyou’llhaveestablishedatenuousrelationshipyoucannurturetokeeptheking informedofyourprogress,supplythemwithindustryinfor-mation,andeventuallygetthemintotheroomwhenyoumake a presentation.

Influenceflowsdownineveryorganization.Goodbossesdelegate,butgoodemployeesstilltrytodowhattheythinkthe boss (or client) wants. This makes selling at the top, however“thetop”isdefinedinyouraccounts,acriticalele-ment of the success of top sales people.

Secret Number 2

Bring ValueSeniorexecutivesdon’twanttoseeorhearapresentationclaimingwhyyourmediaisbetterthanthecompetition.Thatiswhytheyhavesubordinatesfillingoutcomparativespreadsheets.Soifyouwantto engage and persuade senior executivesofanystripeyou’llneed to bring to them something of value.

The importance of bringing valuetoyoursalesinterac-tionsisillustratedbyLewis&ClarkwhentheyembarkedontheirepicjourneythroughtheunknowntoreachthePacific.Meriwether and William knew they’dneedthecooperationoftheNativeAmericanstoac-complishtheirmission.First,they’dneedpermission,astheirsmallbandcouldhaveeasilybeenslaughteredifthenativesfeltbelligerent.Andsecond,they’dneedguidance,especial-lytofindtheirwayovertheRockyMountains–whichthey

Ambro.com Strategic Sales Tactics Training teaches ad sales managers wheretofindthedatathatwill engage the top execu-tives and that will earn the respect and the time of the mostimportantinfluencersinyouradvertisingpur-chase decision process.



didn’tknowexisted–beforewinterclosedin.Thatsituationisverysimilartoamediaseller's.You’ll

need cooperation of the natives – the executives at all levels --andyou’llneedguidancetounderstandthetimingandpro-cess and the needs of the customer and decision parameters ofthebuyingdecisions.Also,you’llneedtounderstandwhoisinvolvedinthepurchaseanalysisandapproval.Yousim-plycan’tgetwhereyouwanttogowithoutthecooperationofthe natives.

LewisandClarkbrought“tradegoods”toofferthenativesandyoumustdothesame.Theybroughtbigger,brighterand more valuable items for the chiefs and lots of mirrors and beads for the media planners – I mean the rankandfilenatives.

Top media sales peopleknowtheymustbringtrulyvalu-able information and perspective when calling on senior man-agement of their customers and prospects. Star advertising salespeopleunderstandtheprospects’industry,theneedsandcompetitiveworriesofthepotentialclients,andtheycanmake a presentation or open a discussion that leads to the topexecutivesleavingthemeetingfeelinggladtheytookthetime to meet.

The most effective advertising sales managers can discussthe“purchaseprocess”orthe“pathtopurchase”oftheirclient’scustomers.Theycanshowwheretheirmediumfitsintoinfluencingthatpurchaseprocesstoincreasesales.Advertisersareveryinterestedinthisnon-selfishinformation,presentedbytopsalespeople,asitcontributestotheirmar-ket knowledge.

Ambro.com Consumer ClientsAbout.comAmerican Horse PublicationsAssociation of Alternative NewsweekliesBeliefnet.comBostonMagazineBowtiePublishing,Inc./ i5 PublishingCity&RegionalMagazine Association(citymag.org)Compass MarketingDRGFindTheBest.comFlorida Magazine AssociationF&WPublicationsEatingWellMagazineHearstCorp.;HomeArts.comIntermedia OutdoorsiVillageJamesG.ElliottCompanyKaboose, Inc.Lamaze InterntaionalMPA - Magazine Publishers of AmericaMaMaMediaMediaPost.comMetrocorpMGMHomeEntertainment,Inc.Minnesota Magazine Publishers AssociationMother Jones OnlineNational Publishers Services (NPS1.com)New York Magazine and NYMag.comPalm Springs Life (Desert Publ.)Parade MagazineParenting Media AssociationPrimedia Corp.PearsonEducation.comPhiladelphia MagazineRainbowMediaHoldingsLLCSafari Club InternationalSmithsonian Magazine OnlineSportingNews.comTodayMedia,Inc.TV Guide MagazineVault, Inc.Women.com (now a part of iVillage)Worth Magazine Online



Secret Number 3

Yes, Logic MattersIt is embarrassing to call it a secret, but since 95 percent of advertisingsalespeopledon’tknowit,perhapsitisjustifiedtosaythatsellingwithalogical persuasion is a secret. Logic, orasRobertCialdini,theforemostauthoritywhohaswrittenaboutpersuasion,callsit“commitmentandconsistency,”isnotgenerallyfollowedbymediasalesandmarketingstaffs.

I’veseenhundredsofsalespresentationsinmy20+yearsofconsultingandsalestraining.HoweverIhavenotseenmorethanafewthatstartwitheasy-to-agree-withfactsabouttheclient’smarketorcustomersatthebeginning(thesituation) that clients can agree with. Starting with a review oftheclient'ssituationorneedsprovidesanimmediateengagement point in which to ask the customer what he has toadd.Oncetheprospecthasagreedtoyour“situationandneeds”youhaveachievedthe“commitment”thatcomesbefore“consistency.”Salespeoplemightsay“we'rebigger,”or“we’relowerCPM,”butiftheclienthasn’tagreedthatsizematters,orthatlowerCPMsarebetter,thenthere'snocom-mitment,there'snoconsistencyandtheresnopersuasion.

In his authoritative book Influence:ScienceandPractice, Cialdini lists 6 forms of persua-sion. Sales people and adver-tising-marketing staffs should be using them all. Some are commonlyused,othersnotsomuch:Adsalespeopledotrytobe“liked,”andtheyuse“recip-rocation”whentheybringgiftsor entertain. Ad sales managers mayquotean“authority”andarelikelytouse“socialproof”when

Ambro.com Strategic Sales Tactics Training teaches advertising sales people how to achieve agreement at the begin-ning of the sales per-suasion.Thatearlyandeasyagreement,firsttothe agenda, then to the situation and needs of the prospect, establishes the commitment that sales logic is based upon. The verybestadvertisingsalesmanagers know how to discuss the needs of a prospective advertiser to help the prospect see their needsinthewaythatputsthe best light on the media being sold.



theyshowotheradvertisersthatbuyfromthem.Themostsuccessfuladvertisingsalespeoplefindwaystocreateex-clusiveopportunitiestousethe“scarcity”principle.However,it’sthelogicof“commitmentandconsistency”thatismostpowerfulwhentryingtoinfluencethespendingofthousandsor hundreds of thousands of dollars or even millions of dollars on advertising.

“Liking,’and“reciprocation”whichsalespeopletrysohardtoaccomplish,workonlytemporarily.Further,theyaren’tportable.Amediaplannercan’ttellhisclientorboss“IrecommendthismediabecauseIliketherep,”norcanhepointoutthat“Iowethemafavor”becausetheygavemetheYankeetickets.Buttheycancommunicatethelogicofyourargument if it starts from an agreed upon set of assumptions.

Secret Number 4

Hidden ObjectionsAnother market situa-tion that requires secret skills is hidden objec-tions.Intoday’smediasales market, most prospectsdon’ttellyouwhattheyreallythink.

Advertisingsalespeoplegooncalls;clientsandpros-pectsmaylistenpolitely,nodandsmileandsay“thankyouverymuch.”Salespeopleareloathto“bringupanegative,”sotheydon’tprobeforobjectionsandhandlethem.Salespeoplecomebackfromcallstellingtheirmanagement“itwentwell.”Thennothinghappens.Salespeoplecan’tgetthe prospect back on the phone, or even an answer to an emailquery.Theprospectsmerelysatthroughthepresen-tationthinking“IalreadyknowwhatIthinkaboutthis…so

Hidden objections are the bane of advertising sales people. Ambro.com Strategic Sales Tactics Training teach-es ad sales people how tofind,love,andhandleobjections.Sinceyou,thesales person, represent an important media outlet, yourprospectdoesn’twanttooffendyou.Andpros-pectsthinktheyknowyouranswer to their objections anyway,sotheydon’tvoice them. Prospects thinkyou’llonlysaytheyare wrong. So advertising sales masters know how to uncover the hidden objec-tions and handle them.



I’llgetthesefolksoutoftheofficeasquicklyandpolitelyaspossible.IfItellthemwhatIthinkthey’lljustarguewithmeandI’llbedelayedgettingbacktomywork.”

Thecourageandabilitytoinviteandhandleobjectionsisthe fourth secret. Top advertising sales people view objec-tionsasanopportunity,notasaproblem.Topsalespeopleknowthatiftheprospectisn’tvoicingquestionsandconcernsaboutpriceorfunctionalityorresultsthattheirprospectisn’tengagedinseriouslyevaluatingtheopportunityforpurchase.The best advertising sales people teach their prospects that whentheyvoiceaquestionorobjectionitwillbetakenseri-ouslyandwillbehandledinawaythatmakestheprospectfeelcomfortable,not“wrong”oroff-baseordumb.

Secret Number 5

What To Ask ForManysalestrainingapproachesincludesomeversionofABCor“alwaysbeclosing.”Salesmanagerswillsaytheywant“closers.”Butintherealworldofmajoraccountmediaselling, advertising purchase decisions are made in com-mittees, at some point after the sales calls have occurred, maybeafterRFPshavebeenissuedandanswered.Closing

Strategic Sales Tactics Training prepares ad-vertising sales people to probewithconfidenceforthe objections that need to be surfaced and handled. Ambro.com training helps sales people feel better about asking questions, with less fear of an ob-jectiontheycan’thandle.And ambro.com objection handling techniques help advertising sales people withaformulathatbuysthem time to think, and that qualifiestheimportanceofthe objection, and points to the solution.



Whydosomanysalespeople tell their managers the“callwentwell”or“itwasagoodcall”whennothing good happens afterward?Theprospectwas cordial and listened intently.Butafterthecall,no communication ensues. Thesalespersoncan’tget an email or phone call returned. Perhaps the prospect agrees to sendanRFP,butthesales person has no idea what a proposal would be required to include to win the business. This is the “epidemicofbadcalls”ambro.com hears about all the time from clients. Masters of advertising sales know how to over-come this problem. Ambro.com Strategic Sales Tactics Training gives sales people the strategies and tactics to win more business.



thesalerequiresadifferentsetofskills.Theverybestmediasalespeopleknowthattheycan’taskforthebusiness.ButtheyknowwhattheyCANaskfor.

Knowingwhattoaskfortoadvancethesaleisthefinalsecretofthebestsalespeople.Theycan’taskforthebusi-ness,buttheycanaskforaction.

The authors of the famous seriesofSPINSELLINGsalesbooks are known for break-through understanding of what is required for selling success in a multi-step sales process. Like selling adver-tising,sellinglargescaletechnologysolutions or business services in-volvessellingfirsttoapointperson,perhaps even a gatekeeper, then to others in the organization, and possiblytoacommittee.TheSPINSELLINGteamfounditwasnecessarytodistinguishbe-tween“goodcalls”wheretheprospectagreestokeeptalking,to“stayintouch,”orinvitesthesalespersonto“checkback,”whichmerelyputthesellerinthesameboatasalltheothercompetitors,andagenuinelyeffectivecallthatresultsinanactual advancement toward the sale.

Superstaradsalesmanagersknowto“closeon”acom-mitment from their contact that is achievable and that rep-resentsanadvancementtowardasale.Theyknowtheymust achieve a promise from their contact to commit to something that is within their power, not to ask for a commit-menttheprospectcan’tgive.Toassureanadvancementtowards a sale a prospect-contact must either provide some valuable information, not shared with other competitors, or set upanothermeetingthatwillofferthesalesstaranopportunityto keep selling at a higher level or to the entire decision-com-mittee,orgetthecontacttotellhimexactlywhatneedstobeintheRFPresponsetoassurewinningthebusiness.

Summary

Millionsofadvertisingsalespeopledoastheyaretoldandcallonthemediabuyer:Theymakepre-sentationsabouttheirmedia,theyformulateadsalesproposalsandtheytrytoclosethebusiness.Buttheverybestmakemorecallsontheinfluenc-ersintheaccount,notsimplythebuyers.Theyaremorepersuasive,handleobjectionsmoreeffectivelyand close more business.

The very best advertising sales people know how to:

■ Sell at the top

■ Engagewithinformationanddelivervalue

■ Persuadewithlogicbystartingwitheasy agreement

■ Love the objections, teaching their prospect tobehonestaboutwhattheythink

■ Close on the possible, NOT on the impossible

Ambro.com b2b Clients

1105 Media, Inc.Advertising Specialties InstituteAccess IntelligenceFolio MagazineMediaIndustryNewsletterAllianceofAreaBusiness Publications (bizpubs.org)American Horse PublicationsAscend Media Heathcare Division (see Intellisphere)California Apparel NewsBowtiePublishing,Inc.BZMediaLLCEducationCenter,TheFlorida Magazine AssociationF&WPublicationsGulf Publishing Co.IntellisphereJamesG.ElliottCompanyLebhar-FriedmanMediabistroMedicalEconomicsCompanyNorthstar Travel MediaOneUpWebPearsonEducation.comVault, Inc.



Training and SeminarsAmbro.comprovidestwowaystogettrainingforyourteam.Customsessionsaredesignedinconsultationwithyoutoaddressthesalesissuesyouhave,withexamplesspecifi-callyselectedfromyourindustry.Ambro.commethodscanbe applied to all sorts of advertising-media sales, from local to national, and from in-person to telemarketing. Ambro.com salestechniquesareespeciallyvaluableformajoraccountadvertising sales to grow sales to big accounts and to break throughonmajoropportunityaccounts.

Strategic Sales TacticsMakemoreandbiggersalesbygettingmoreappointments,bycallingonhigher-levelbuyingexecutives, being more persuasive, handling objections bet-ter and closing more deals.

Integrated 'Hybrid' Media SalesAdvertisersknowtheyneedmorethanonemediatobesuccessful.Wetrainyourteam to sell a complete solution: Internet, print, events, spon-sorships,televisionorvideo,outdoor,whateveryoumediayouselltocreateadvertisersuccess.

Online 'Digital' Media Advertising Sales Advertising sales trainingprogramstotrainyourteamtosellallthelatestformsofdigitallydeliveredadvertisingforwebsitesandmobile;including social media, native advertising and all else.

Marketing and Promotion Training for Media Marketing Staffs The most successful advertising sales plans and processes require proper marketing support. This training showshow,exactly,tomaximizesalesproductivitywitheffec-tive marketing.

Webinars for Advertising Sales Training Ambro.com con-ducts public, free and paid, and private webinars to teach the most sophisticated advertising sales skills available.

Contact 541-431-4500 or [email protected] for more training information.

About the AuthorDaniel M. Ambrose launched ambro.com, corp. in 1994 to provide sophisticatedstrategyconsulting and advertising sales training to advertis-ing-driven media clients in the U.S. and abroad. Ambrose has worked with hundreds of clients to cre-ate successful plans and help accelerate advertising revenue growth. Ambroseisespeciallyknown among clients for being able earn the respect of even the most hard-bitten experienced sales staffs, helping them to learn new approaches to increase success.

Five Secrets of the Masters


5 secrets of the masters of media selling

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advertising sales tips

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