Not long ago, I counseled a young salesperson who was preparing for one of his first sales calls. With evident confidence, he rattled off to me all the salient points of his media’s editorial strengths, pricing and competitive benefits. Then I threw him. I asked what he thought of his prospect’s new product line. His blank look showed that he hadn’t done his homework. And he’s not the only one. Given the complexities of multimedia sales today, many salespeople become so caught up in learning the nuances of their own media products, they neglect to learn even the basics about their clients.
That’s a big mistake. Doing client homework is what separates the novice from the veteran salesperson. It’s what enables salespeople to enter a conversation with the client from a learned and sophisticated point of view. It’s what engages the client in critical, probing dialogue, and it’s what keeps salespeople from stumbling when they’re pursuing someone unfamiliar or new.
Like the school variety, sales homework entails research; that is, finding out as much as you can about your clients through Web sites, sales literature, newsletters, blogs and other sources. You want to know what they sell, to whom, who sells against them, what major benefits and features they offer, and how they position themselves in the marketplace.
More than that, though, homework involves analysis. It means looking at every piece of information through the prism of creating a sales opportunity. After all, if you know your client’s business, then you also know exactly what his business can gain from advertising in your media.
Now, here’s the secret about doing client homework: It doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, client research can be very much like reporting, with a bit of detective work thrown in. By sifting through your client’s Web site, you can find almost everything you need for first-rate pre-call planning. But while you’re researching, keep these eight tips in mind:
1. You’re selling, not buying. Don’t approach your client’s Web site as a consumer would, looking for lists of products and services. Yes, that information is important, but careful perusal of different Web site areas yields information that’s equally important. Use the site map to navigate to “FAQs” (which might reveal problems or challenges consumers have with a product), “Contact Us” (which tells you which executives are possible decision-makers for advertising) and “Press Room” (which tells you what’s happened recently within the company).
2. Look for common ground. Find your client’s mission statement on its home page or “About Us” page. Since you and your client ostensibly serve the same market, you want to see how your client’s statement connects to your media’s mission statement. If your client is a software company, for instance, its mission statement might stress a commitment to the education market, which dovetails with your media’s audience of classroom suppliers. This common ground is a great place to start building your advertising relationship.
3. Find the purpose. Your client has a Web site for a reason, and it’s critical to figure out what that reason is. Is it a site with daily news, gossip, contests or discount sales? That’s a clear setup for lead generation. Or, perhaps it’s a site that features Web-only additions to published articles, or white papers on topics of interest to targeted readers. That indicates a desire to establish the company as a “thought leader” as well as a need for qualified leads. You might also find a straight transaction site, with nothing marketing- or service-oriented. Or, maybe you’ll discover a site that’s barely there, existing only to merit an e-mail address in an industry directory. That indicates a distrust of Web marketing technology. Whatever you find on the Web site will tell you plenty about your client’s marketing budget, technological savvy, customer base and attitude. That will give you plenty to chew on for a sales discussion.
4. Fill the holes. Look not just at what your client offers on his Web site, but also at what he doesn’t. You could, for instance, offer to feature their “sponsored white paper” on your Web site if your client has white papers available—or offer to create them for a fee, if he doesn’t. The same can be true of webinars: Clients who use them might benefit from bringing them to your audience. Streaming video, too, can be tied into your media: You could put the client’s video on your site, or add a link from your site to the client’s. You might have to prove value for tech-shy clients, but you will find almost everyone wants to learn what’s new and who’s using it.
5. See who’s coming to the party. This takes a little ingenuity, but it’s worth your time to see how your client uses browsers to get users to his site. First, check the advertising copy for the presence of keywords, such as “educational software.” Now, type them into the big search engines and see where your client comes up. Clearly, a client who buys sponsored links on search engines, or who comes up high in an “organic” search, is a client who’s invested in Web marketing. That opens the door to even more Web sales opportunities. Clients who don’t come up “above the fold,” or near the top of the search results, however, are also prime prospects: It can be your job to show them the value of when potential customers can’t find them quickly on Google, but do find them, more economically, on your Web site, which, hopefully, is above the fold.
6. See which other parties they’re attending. It’s a very good idea to find out where else your client is spending its marketing dollars. Companies exist that can provide you with that data. At that point, you can figure out why your client might be running 12 pages in Magazine X and only three pages in yours.
7. Don’t leave out other research sources. If your client is a public company, the annual report will detail everything from mission statement to marketing budget. Directories will indicate how many competitors are in your client’s field, and how they compare in size and marketing scope. Events calendars show the kinds of trade shows attended by your client, and indicate events that your publication could support and sponsor. And, of course, you should research your own media products, along with your reader surveys, advertising research and circulation statements, all of which should ideally match up with your client’s customer base and interests.
In the end, your homework should reveal many of your client’s marketing tools, as well as the synergistic way in which they’re used. Once you’ve spent some time on your research, you should have a good sense of your client’s marketing wants and needs, where the marketing holes exist, and how your media offerings can fill them in. Now you’re ready for the next step:
8. Pick up the phone!
A forerunner in advertising sales training and consulting, Helen Berman has spent 20+ years helping hundreds of media companies find their path to sales success—from small-business magazines to People Weekly, from online sales divisions to international exhibition marketers to integrated media giants. Berman has spoken at dozens of media events worldwide and written sales columns for industry magazines. She also wrote the book, “Ad Sales: Winning Secrets of the Magazine Pros” (available at www.HelenBerman.com) and is working on a new book, “Integrated Media Sales: Beyond the Page, Beyond the Banner.” Contact: hberman@helenberman.com or (310) 230-3899 (PST).
That’s a big mistake. Doing client homework is what separates the novice from the veteran salesperson. It’s what enables salespeople to enter a conversation with the client from a learned and sophisticated point of view. It’s what engages the client in critical, probing dialogue, and it’s what keeps salespeople from stumbling when they’re pursuing someone unfamiliar or new.
Like the school variety, sales homework entails research; that is, finding out as much as you can about your clients through Web sites, sales literature, newsletters, blogs and other sources. You want to know what they sell, to whom, who sells against them, what major benefits and features they offer, and how they position themselves in the marketplace.
More than that, though, homework involves analysis. It means looking at every piece of information through the prism of creating a sales opportunity. After all, if you know your client’s business, then you also know exactly what his business can gain from advertising in your media.
Now, here’s the secret about doing client homework: It doesn’t have to be boring. In fact, client research can be very much like reporting, with a bit of detective work thrown in. By sifting through your client’s Web site, you can find almost everything you need for first-rate pre-call planning. But while you’re researching, keep these eight tips in mind:
1. You’re selling, not buying. Don’t approach your client’s Web site as a consumer would, looking for lists of products and services. Yes, that information is important, but careful perusal of different Web site areas yields information that’s equally important. Use the site map to navigate to “FAQs” (which might reveal problems or challenges consumers have with a product), “Contact Us” (which tells you which executives are possible decision-makers for advertising) and “Press Room” (which tells you what’s happened recently within the company).
2. Look for common ground. Find your client’s mission statement on its home page or “About Us” page. Since you and your client ostensibly serve the same market, you want to see how your client’s statement connects to your media’s mission statement. If your client is a software company, for instance, its mission statement might stress a commitment to the education market, which dovetails with your media’s audience of classroom suppliers. This common ground is a great place to start building your advertising relationship.
3. Find the purpose. Your client has a Web site for a reason, and it’s critical to figure out what that reason is. Is it a site with daily news, gossip, contests or discount sales? That’s a clear setup for lead generation. Or, perhaps it’s a site that features Web-only additions to published articles, or white papers on topics of interest to targeted readers. That indicates a desire to establish the company as a “thought leader” as well as a need for qualified leads. You might also find a straight transaction site, with nothing marketing- or service-oriented. Or, maybe you’ll discover a site that’s barely there, existing only to merit an e-mail address in an industry directory. That indicates a distrust of Web marketing technology. Whatever you find on the Web site will tell you plenty about your client’s marketing budget, technological savvy, customer base and attitude. That will give you plenty to chew on for a sales discussion.
4. Fill the holes. Look not just at what your client offers on his Web site, but also at what he doesn’t. You could, for instance, offer to feature their “sponsored white paper” on your Web site if your client has white papers available—or offer to create them for a fee, if he doesn’t. The same can be true of webinars: Clients who use them might benefit from bringing them to your audience. Streaming video, too, can be tied into your media: You could put the client’s video on your site, or add a link from your site to the client’s. You might have to prove value for tech-shy clients, but you will find almost everyone wants to learn what’s new and who’s using it.
5. See who’s coming to the party. This takes a little ingenuity, but it’s worth your time to see how your client uses browsers to get users to his site. First, check the advertising copy for the presence of keywords, such as “educational software.” Now, type them into the big search engines and see where your client comes up. Clearly, a client who buys sponsored links on search engines, or who comes up high in an “organic” search, is a client who’s invested in Web marketing. That opens the door to even more Web sales opportunities. Clients who don’t come up “above the fold,” or near the top of the search results, however, are also prime prospects: It can be your job to show them the value of when potential customers can’t find them quickly on Google, but do find them, more economically, on your Web site, which, hopefully, is above the fold.
6. See which other parties they’re attending. It’s a very good idea to find out where else your client is spending its marketing dollars. Companies exist that can provide you with that data. At that point, you can figure out why your client might be running 12 pages in Magazine X and only three pages in yours.
7. Don’t leave out other research sources. If your client is a public company, the annual report will detail everything from mission statement to marketing budget. Directories will indicate how many competitors are in your client’s field, and how they compare in size and marketing scope. Events calendars show the kinds of trade shows attended by your client, and indicate events that your publication could support and sponsor. And, of course, you should research your own media products, along with your reader surveys, advertising research and circulation statements, all of which should ideally match up with your client’s customer base and interests.
In the end, your homework should reveal many of your client’s marketing tools, as well as the synergistic way in which they’re used. Once you’ve spent some time on your research, you should have a good sense of your client’s marketing wants and needs, where the marketing holes exist, and how your media offerings can fill them in. Now you’re ready for the next step:
8. Pick up the phone!
A forerunner in advertising sales training and consulting, Helen Berman has spent 20+ years helping hundreds of media companies find their path to sales success—from small-business magazines to People Weekly, from online sales divisions to international exhibition marketers to integrated media giants. Berman has spoken at dozens of media events worldwide and written sales columns for industry magazines. She also wrote the book, “Ad Sales: Winning Secrets of the Magazine Pros” (available at www.HelenBerman.com) and is working on a new book, “Integrated Media Sales: Beyond the Page, Beyond the Banner.” Contact: hberman@helenberman.com or (310) 230-3899 (PST).
Selling in the New Media World
Traditional print media salespeople must shift their sales approach to succeed in the new media world. Find out how to train them to make the transition successfully, sell integrated media packages and increase revenues at a session presented by Helen Berman at the 2008 Publishing Business Conference & Expo, March 10-12 in New York City. Visit www.PublishingBusiness.com for more information.
Traditional print media salespeople must shift their sales approach to succeed in the new media world. Find out how to train them to make the transition successfully, sell integrated media packages and increase revenues at a session presented by Helen Berman at the 2008 Publishing Business Conference & Expo, March 10-12 in New York City. Visit www.PublishingBusiness.com for more information.
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The Secrets of Direct Marketing Arithmetic
