Cream of the Crop

Elite Salespeople are constantly in demand. The cream of the crop are unique. They are elite Salespeople because they love the burden of doing what they do. In reality great salespeople can be broken into two distinct groups: those who love what they do; and those who are motivated by the desire to be the best at whatever they do. Both types protectively watch over their sales proficiencies and amazingly, most even invest in their own sales training.

They say nothing happens until something is sold. Sure it is cliché, but it does have deep impact, particularly in the development and maintenance of any commercial media. Winning sales, the cliché says, puts the bricks in the bottom-line. In short, any investment we make in marketing strategies, market research, audience or reader studies, programming, formats or talent. Computers, prospecting lists, contact management software, inventory management software, ergonomic furniture, and aesthetic environments will return very little if the Salesperson presenting our stuff isn’t adept at what to say, how to say it, and when to say it.

Each year thousands of books are published focused on the profession of selling. How many have you read in the past year? If you say two or three, you’d better head for the bookstore. How many industry magazines and documents focused on selling do you read each month? If less than one, head for the Internet to find those that apply to you. Do it today. How many newsletters do you receive? If less than three, time to subscribe to more.

Today, most media companies believe that the quickest way to increase revenue is by taking advertising clients away from the other guys – to fight over the same ever-decreasing piece of meat. Often however the predicament is that during good times, so many salespeople became “order takers” and their skills suffered as a result. Today, put into competitive selling circumstances, the best most salespeople can do is try to get their companies to lower prices. Media companies that neglect to keep their sales teams selling skills current are now paying dearly for this error.

There is no easier softer way.

Sales skill-sets have changed in recent times. If the sales training program you have available does not help you avert, take action towards or circumvent the specific objections you get on a daily basis that enter your customers’ minds, then you need to get a more up to date training program. There are over two hundred discernible skilled competencies in over thirty distinct areas of selling – like prospecting, presenting, closing, and negotiation. Where do you need to focus specifically?

Salespeople having completed an intensive selling skills training program and then engaging in further continual coaching, show increases in productivity ranging from 35% to 1665%, according to the American Society for Training and Development. Yet, an estimated 70% of media companies provide no selling skills development at all.

Sales training is relatively easy on the pocket, and yet the return so great (particularly when you consider the alternatives), so much so that it becomes perplexing to conceive of why some salespeople and media companies actually go out of their way to avoid it.

Like any business in any industry that desires to be successful, truly successful, don’t we need to stop talking the talk, and start walking the walk?

Sell without regret.

Michael Tate: Sales Director International – NRS Media 

Michael has a vast knowledge of effective media use, advertising and advertising sales management built over the last 25 years working with some of the world’s largest TV and radio groups.

He is a highly sought after key-note speaker and advertising sales trainer at major industry bodies like the Radio Advertising Bureau, the Texas Broadcasters Association, and the Oregon Association of Broadcasters. Tate has successfully worked with advertising sales managers, their staff and clients in 12 countries including the USA, UK, Canada, Ireland, Norway, Malaysia, Taiwan, Hong Kong, Philippines and Australia.