Jenae,
What is good wording for a “button up email” for renewals?
John,
You need to talk with them first! Then you can zap an email with a summary… no proposal, no grandiose verbiage. NO, don’t send an agreement until they agree! Otherwise if they don't renew, you probably won't get them on the phone when you need to speak with them… well, ok, not never, but you know how hard it can be when they don’t want to talk with you. So you WANT to speak with them before you send a renewal.
Just one or two days ago, you talked about how important it is to connect with clients (saying if you don't your competitors will... and you're right.) If you let this once-a-year opportunity pass, and you don’t have a regular "touch" marketing campaign, when are they ever going to feel connected to you and that you truly care about anything other than their money?
You’re right! This is VERY important. Let me know if this helped.
Welcome to Stress-Free Selling®,
Jenae
P.S. If I can help you overcome sales challenges and reach your goals, call or email me. 954-290-9896 Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com
P.P.S. For a list of sales resources, click here.
P.P.P.S. Publishers & Ad Directors, call for a free consultation (954-290-9896).
November 7, 2009
October 29, 2009
Advertising Sales Seminar: Cold Calls
What's the best way to approach cold calls?
First, try for Referrals. They’re you’re best cold calls. You probably sell two or three times (or more) easily referrals than any other prospect... so go for them first.
When making cold calls, try to find the name of the correct person before you try to get them on the phone. Frequently you can get this by calling their sales department… they’ll talk to anyone! And you can probably get inside information in the process. PLUS, you’ll be transferred to the correct person from an internal number rather than an unknown outside number, so it’ll help you get by and through voice mail and gatekeepers. Oh, you can also ask what their direct extension is, so you can circumvent gatekeepers in the future.
This is what I say… “I’m calling to see if I can help increase your sales, like we do for (name one or two of their competitors). Did I catch you at a bad time?” Then go into the questions starting with a modified opening something like, “To help, I need to understand a bit about your situation, what would you say are your biggest ales challenges right now?
You just got them talking instead of you, and the ball is rolling right down the center of the lane for a strike!
Welcome to Stress-Free Selling®,
Jenae
P.S. If I can help you overcome sales challenges and reach your goals, call or email me. 954-290-9896 Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com
P.P.S. For a list of sales resources, click here.
P.P.P.S. Publishers, Ad Directors - call for a free consultation (954-290-9896).
First, try for Referrals. They’re you’re best cold calls. You probably sell two or three times (or more) easily referrals than any other prospect... so go for them first.
When making cold calls, try to find the name of the correct person before you try to get them on the phone. Frequently you can get this by calling their sales department… they’ll talk to anyone! And you can probably get inside information in the process. PLUS, you’ll be transferred to the correct person from an internal number rather than an unknown outside number, so it’ll help you get by and through voice mail and gatekeepers. Oh, you can also ask what their direct extension is, so you can circumvent gatekeepers in the future.
This is what I say… “I’m calling to see if I can help increase your sales, like we do for (name one or two of their competitors). Did I catch you at a bad time?” Then go into the questions starting with a modified opening something like, “To help, I need to understand a bit about your situation, what would you say are your biggest ales challenges right now?
You just got them talking instead of you, and the ball is rolling right down the center of the lane for a strike!
Welcome to Stress-Free Selling®,
Jenae
P.S. If I can help you overcome sales challenges and reach your goals, call or email me. 954-290-9896 Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com
P.P.S. For a list of sales resources, click here.
P.P.P.S. Publishers, Ad Directors - call for a free consultation (954-290-9896).
October 28, 2009
Magazine Advertising Sales Training: Turn Cancellations Into Renewals
Cancellations and non-renewals are a downer... but a fact of life. Here's the problem... if you haven't asked great questions at the beginning of your sales process, now you have to hope you can... which is the main reason to get all this information in the first place. But, ok, let's get back to trying to save what might be lost.
Instead of calling and telling them why they should stay with you, you need to find out what's important to them. In order to know WHAT to tell them, you have to know what their hot buttons are. So this will help you get there.
Here are the questions to ask...
Welcome to Stress-Free Selling®,
Jenae
P.S. If I can help you overcome sales challenges and reach your goals, call or email me. 954-290-9896 Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com
P.P.S. For a list of sales resources, click here.
P.P.P.S. Participate in our Jan 11-12, 2010 Stress-Free Selling® Seminar, and turn your sales around. Click here for details.
Instead of calling and telling them why they should stay with you, you need to find out what's important to them. In order to know WHAT to tell them, you have to know what their hot buttons are. So this will help you get there.
Here are the questions to ask...
- What are your top business priorities right now?
- What has changed in your marketing strategy, priorities, challenges since (mention last issue they ran with you)?
- How is what you’re doing working for you?
- What do you like most about the other (name magazines) you are using?
- What would you change, if anything, about them?
Welcome to Stress-Free Selling®,
Jenae
P.S. If I can help you overcome sales challenges and reach your goals, call or email me. 954-290-9896 Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com
P.P.S. For a list of sales resources, click here.
P.P.P.S. Participate in our Jan 11-12, 2010 Stress-Free Selling® Seminar, and turn your sales around. Click here for details.
Magazine Advertising Sales Training: Email or Letter?
Client Question...
Instead of an sending a proposal as an attachment, should I just put the letter in the email?
My Response...
Emails are best when readable on one screen. The letter is two pages, so it's too long for an email.
Another Option...
It would be best if you call them instead. Voice to voice always trumps writing. Salespeople would be unnecessary if letters could do the selling. You need to know what his hot buttons are before you can "convince" him to buy anything... so call first!
Welcome to Stress-Free Selling®,
Jenae
P.S. If I can help you overcome sales challenges and reach your goals, call or email me. 954-290-9896 Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com
P.P.S. For a list of sales resources, click here.
P.P.P.S. Publishers & Ad Directors, call for a free consultation (954-290-9896).
Instead of an sending a proposal as an attachment, should I just put the letter in the email?
My Response...
Emails are best when readable on one screen. The letter is two pages, so it's too long for an email.
Another Option...
It would be best if you call them instead. Voice to voice always trumps writing. Salespeople would be unnecessary if letters could do the selling. You need to know what his hot buttons are before you can "convince" him to buy anything... so call first!
Welcome to Stress-Free Selling®,
Jenae
P.S. If I can help you overcome sales challenges and reach your goals, call or email me. 954-290-9896 Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com
P.P.S. For a list of sales resources, click here.
P.P.P.S. Publishers & Ad Directors, call for a free consultation (954-290-9896).
December 24, 2008
Magazine Advertising Sales Training: Getting In Made Easy
Let's say you want to contact someone who doesn't know you. You may be hesitant, because in the past, they didn't return your calls or blew you off pretty quickly. With that background, of course you're not overly thrilled about picking up the phone and calling someone new!
Imagine this scenario instead... Instead of calling to talk about how wonderful your magazine isre and why they should hire you, you call to talk about them and to offer something that will help their business. The dynamics of the conversation is completely different if your opening line is something like: "Hi, I'm Jenae. I'm calling to see if we can help increase your sales like we have for other companies like yours. I'd also like to share with you a report on how you can XYZ. Is now a good time to chat?"
The XYZ report can be an article you've run in your publication that they may not have seen (like a Top 100, Trends report or Buying Habits report), other Top 10 Tips you can put together (like Top 10 Tips to Successful Advertising... nothing to do with your publication) or even a copy of someone else's article you've read, like one my my past newsletter clips!
If the report you're offering is of keen interest to the person you're calling, they will be more willing to speak with you. Certainly, your chances are higher than if you say, "I'm calling to talk to you about advertising right now."
Make your calls all about them, and you'll find Getting In gets easier and easier.
Welcome to Stress-Free Selling®,
Jenae
P.S. If I can help you overcome sales challenges and reach your goals, call or email me. 954-290-9896 Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com
P.P.S. For a list of sales resources, click here.
P.P.P.S. Publishers & Ad Directors, call for a free consultation (954-290-9896).
Imagine this scenario instead... Instead of calling to talk about how wonderful your magazine isre and why they should hire you, you call to talk about them and to offer something that will help their business. The dynamics of the conversation is completely different if your opening line is something like: "Hi, I'm Jenae. I'm calling to see if we can help increase your sales like we have for other companies like yours. I'd also like to share with you a report on how you can XYZ. Is now a good time to chat?"
The XYZ report can be an article you've run in your publication that they may not have seen (like a Top 100, Trends report or Buying Habits report), other Top 10 Tips you can put together (like Top 10 Tips to Successful Advertising... nothing to do with your publication) or even a copy of someone else's article you've read, like one my my past newsletter clips!
If the report you're offering is of keen interest to the person you're calling, they will be more willing to speak with you. Certainly, your chances are higher than if you say, "I'm calling to talk to you about advertising right now."
Make your calls all about them, and you'll find Getting In gets easier and easier.
Welcome to Stress-Free Selling®,
Jenae
P.S. If I can help you overcome sales challenges and reach your goals, call or email me. 954-290-9896 Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com
P.P.S. For a list of sales resources, click here.
P.P.P.S. Publishers & Ad Directors, call for a free consultation (954-290-9896).
November 25, 2008
Magazine Advertising Sales Training: Never Cold Call Again
I received this question from one of my clients last week: Your great techniques seem to more based on responding to incoming calls. How do you not fall into not talking about yourself with cold calls when they don't know who I am!
It has been said EF Hutton can't cold call. Everyone knows them! Does everyone who should know you know you?
My response? "Nothing changes! Start with Fact Finding - even with new "cold" calls. Always start with fact finding. The trick is to call people who know who you are so you don't need to tell them anything up front." So how do you do this? It's easy: send a copy of your magazine each month to every prospect. This way, everyone who needs to know you, knows you.
Next, communicate regularly through an ezine. Remember this... ezines are about them NOT about you! Each month, write a short article about something that will help their business... then later in the ezine, you can write a short blurb about you. They have no reason to want to know about you if they don't see how you can help them. So show them that first.
Every day people sign up for my ezine, and less than a handful opt out each year... because the ezines are about them first.
Your database is your prospect list! Spend time putting together the names and email addresses of the people you want to reach... then reach them! "
They didn't opt in, so that's SPAM," you say. "Nope, it's not.... if it doesn't meet four critical rules."
Cold calling is when people don’t know who you are… that’s what's cold. When prospects know you, it’s a warm call. Referrals are even warmer. When prospects receive your ezines and magazines month after month, year after year… you can never make cold calls.
This does not mean I wouldn’t call someone who doesn’t know me at all, but it’s not my preferred method. Make sure everyone in your industry who needs to know who you are, knows who you are.
I AM a BIG fan of calling NEW businesses. The method is the same. Start with Fact Finding. Ask a good opening question to stimulate interest in the conversation. Then go right into fact finding. ALWAYS talk about them… what you have in terms of what it will do for them. Follow this procedure, and you'll never sell ink on paper.
Welcome to Stress-Free Selling®,
Jenae
P.S. If I can help you overcome sales challenges and reach your goals, call or email me. 954-290-9896 Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com
P.P.S. For a list of sales resources, click here.
P.P.P.S. Publishers & Ad Directors, call for a free consultation (954-290-9896).
It has been said EF Hutton can't cold call. Everyone knows them! Does everyone who should know you know you?
My response? "Nothing changes! Start with Fact Finding - even with new "cold" calls. Always start with fact finding. The trick is to call people who know who you are so you don't need to tell them anything up front." So how do you do this? It's easy: send a copy of your magazine each month to every prospect. This way, everyone who needs to know you, knows you.
Next, communicate regularly through an ezine. Remember this... ezines are about them NOT about you! Each month, write a short article about something that will help their business... then later in the ezine, you can write a short blurb about you. They have no reason to want to know about you if they don't see how you can help them. So show them that first.
Every day people sign up for my ezine, and less than a handful opt out each year... because the ezines are about them first.
Your database is your prospect list! Spend time putting together the names and email addresses of the people you want to reach... then reach them! "
They didn't opt in, so that's SPAM," you say. "Nope, it's not.... if it doesn't meet four critical rules."
- Are your From, To and Contact information accurate?
- Does your subject line live up to its content? (Don't deceive)
- Can they opt out easily and obviously.
- Is your physical address included?
Cold calling is when people don’t know who you are… that’s what's cold. When prospects know you, it’s a warm call. Referrals are even warmer. When prospects receive your ezines and magazines month after month, year after year… you can never make cold calls.
This does not mean I wouldn’t call someone who doesn’t know me at all, but it’s not my preferred method. Make sure everyone in your industry who needs to know who you are, knows who you are.
I AM a BIG fan of calling NEW businesses. The method is the same. Start with Fact Finding. Ask a good opening question to stimulate interest in the conversation. Then go right into fact finding. ALWAYS talk about them… what you have in terms of what it will do for them. Follow this procedure, and you'll never sell ink on paper.
Welcome to Stress-Free Selling®,
Jenae
P.S. If I can help you overcome sales challenges and reach your goals, call or email me. 954-290-9896 Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com
P.P.S. For a list of sales resources, click here.
P.P.P.S. Publishers & Ad Directors, call for a free consultation (954-290-9896).
November 3, 2008
Magazine Advertising Sales Training: Stop Wondering. Start Selling
A client just emailed me with this question: "What approach do you suggest for a prospect like this? They come from outside the industry. I don't want to introduce them to our competition if they are not already aware of them, on the other hand if they have since found them I don't want to under-pitch."
My Response:
"Pursue more questions. In addition to missing critical questions, ask, "What other publications are you looking at right now, or are you only interested in the flagship magazines?" In this prospect's instance, they already stated they're using only "flagship magazines" to reach another industry. You can play off her idea of what's important... which you should continue to do... and in her words, "flagship publications."
The problem is, very few were asked in the fact finding stage. Guessing how to respond means you don't have enough information, so go back and arm yourself. Otherwise, you'll spend all your time wondering and not selling.
Welcome to Stress-Free Selling®,
Jenae
P.S. If I can help you overcome sales challenges and reach your goals, call or email me.
954-290-9896
Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com
P.P.S. For a list of sales resources, click here.
P.P.P.S. Publishers & Ad Directors, call for a free consultation (954-290-9896).
My Response:
"Pursue more questions. In addition to missing critical questions, ask, "What other publications are you looking at right now, or are you only interested in the flagship magazines?" In this prospect's instance, they already stated they're using only "flagship magazines" to reach another industry. You can play off her idea of what's important... which you should continue to do... and in her words, "flagship publications."
The problem is, very few were asked in the fact finding stage. Guessing how to respond means you don't have enough information, so go back and arm yourself. Otherwise, you'll spend all your time wondering and not selling.
Welcome to Stress-Free Selling®,
Jenae
P.S. If I can help you overcome sales challenges and reach your goals, call or email me.
954-290-9896
Jenae@MagazineAdvertisingSales.com
P.P.S. For a list of sales resources, click here.
P.P.P.S. Publishers & Ad Directors, call for a free consultation (954-290-9896).
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