Shweiki Media Printing Company is excited to announce that they’ve once again teamed up with Ryan Dohrn—founder of Brain Swell Media, Publisher of Sales Training World, and creator of the 360 Ad Sales Training system taught to over 4,000 sales people around the globe —to present a webinar on how to create multi-media sales presentations that will win businesses.
Sales conversations are about presentations and proposals. The main goal of any salesperson should be to make sure that he or she is the best. There are 10 tips that will help any sales-oriented organization increase their profit.
These 10 tips are based off of four principles known as S.T.O.P.
The 4 Principles: S.T.O.P.
Stranger danger is real and must be addressed. When a salesperson is meeting with potential clients for the first time, they do not know them. Because of this, the prospect will always be more reluctant to buy what a salesperson is selling even if he or she comes from a reputable company. The fact is, the person buying the product or service does not know the seller which means he or she is essentially a stranger. Hence, the idea of stranger danger. People are much more willing to buy from someone they know or understand than from a stranger.
Them-based conversations get results. Everything discussed today is going to be focused on them-based conversations. Many times, sales people will come into an office and talk about their products and services without mentioning the potential buyer. However, the focus always needs to be on the person who will be potentially be doing the buying.
Opportunities must match success stories. When presenting a multi-media proposal, opportunities should be presented along with it, written or verbal, and they must match the company’s success stories. It is really hard to get people on board with a company’s new media project, service offering, event, etc. if someone has not done it before. Most people do not like to be a pioneer. That is why companies need to have success stories. The hardest success stories to find are the first ones.
Practice for the very best results. The reason most people hate people hate practicing is because it is done wrong. When one practices a sales pitch, he or she should make it fun and exciting, but it should not be a game. It also should be a real-world scenario.
Tip #1: Change the Structure of the Sales Call
A typical sales call consists of:
- Meet and greet.
- Identifying client goals.
- Pitching products that fit–maybe a new idea or two.
- Handling objections such as “I have no money” etc.
- Closing: “I have to talk to my partner.”
Often when a salesperson goes out on a sales call, he or she will follow this format above. However, what if this generalized sales call was restructured and a sales proposal was incorporated right on the spot?
Now, why is it that almost every person will ask for a proposal? Even if they do not want one, people will ask for it because, typically, that is the easiest way to get the sales guy out of their face. The job of any salesperson is to convince people to buy. Now imagine a restructured call
Revised Sales Call:
- The meet and greet. (Building trust fast with reconnaissance information from LinkedIn, Facebook, personal acquaintances, etc.)
- Sharing success stories to prime the conversation. One should talk to potential buyers about all the people who have worked with them and are happy.
- Asking the question, “Would you like to have success like this too?”
- Waiting and always asking questions before pitching.
- Pitching products that fit and pitching from a proposal template.
- Handling objections.
- Closing.
One should try hard to avoid customized proposals, especially in a local selling situation, because most of the business can be done right there on the spot.
Components of a great advertiser success story:
- An advertiser that took a chance with a salesperson and the ad worked, and they kept running with the same one.
- Staff growth: an advertiser that had five employees before advertising with a salesperson and now has 25 new employees.
- An advertiser that has expanded locations.
- Getting success stories in person. One should find an advertiser that will tell a salesperson of their growth since advertising with them.
- Advertisers that have changed the size of their ad with a salesperson to be successful.
Tip #2: Visuals are Critical
In order to win with a multi-media proposal, one must use visuals. A salesperson has to use visuals because 86% of people are visual learners. Because of this, everything salespeople need to do, they have to show. Therefore, they should make sure it is not a lot of text on paper and be as visual as possible. Visual sheets have three separate purposes.
1. Reader Data Sheet: This sheet is very heavy on visuals.
2. Multi-Media Offerings Sheet: This should showcase every product and service on a wheel. Wheel spokes are an easy visual and an easy selling point.
3. Power Pricing Grid Sheet: It is about creating and selling different packages.
It is important to use bright, vibrant colors. For instance, if a salesperson really wanted people to choose a specific package, they would pick a color that stood out from the other colors on the sheet.
Tip #3: Keep it Simple!
If one does not want to go the visual route in a multi-media proposal, then the trick is to keep it simple. Many times, proposals can be compared to long novels because salespeople feel that if they have done a good job then they need to present a book with a lot of substance to it. NO!
One should keep it to a simple, one-page document with a total of three options.
Three things a salesperson should take note of:
- How are you going to save a buyer time?
- How are you going to save a buyer money?
- How are you going to make a buyer money?
One should always include an executive overview with the text approach. An executive overview is a simple synopsis of the advertising proposal.
Example: Executive Overview: “The goal of this marketing campaign is to place the Main Street brand and spring an offer in front of 35,000 perfect buyers in the next six months with a focus on affordable and proven media.”
It is also very important to add at the bottom that this is a limited-time offer. This creates a sense of urgency.
Example: IMPORTANT: These highly discounted prices are offered for one week ending 1/2/14. Please call me ASAP to get locked in! (222)-555-1212. Ryan Dohrn
Tip #4: Showing Total Value.
It is very important that sellers show the total value a person will receive if he or she pays one fixed rate. What will they get? This is why the visual approach is so effective: It allows people to see what they will be getting for their money. Show, don’t tell.
Tip #5: Names are Important.
One thing that people tend to overlook is naming their packages and proposals. For example, one company has packages named, “The Smiling Pete, The Colonel, and Big Blue.” Who actually likes the names, “Gold, Silver and Bronze?” These are overdone, and now’s the chance to get creative.
The way a plan is named can influence the buyer’s decision-making, so one should name them wisely. These three names are typically good names for plans to pitch:
- Starter Plan
- Smart Business
- Maximum Exposure
Tip #6: Save the Fine Print for the Back.
Very often, salespeople will take up a lot of the proposal with legal talk. However, a good rule of thumb to follow is keeping the legal speak on the back of the proposal. This way the client will not get confused. One should just make sure they know it is there and have them initial and sign it.
Tip #7: Use a Pricing Template to Stay on Track.
One should use a pricing template to stay on track. One good trick to implement when building proposals is to have an Excel spreadsheet and make all of the adjustments within this one sales file.
One thing one does NOT want to do is let the salespeople control the pricing. Many publishers and companies will let salespeople control the price but this isn’t the best strategy. One should give them some wiggle room to work with–about 10-12%–but after that, one needs to maintain control
A sales person needs to understand that they have leeway but if they adjust the price too low, it will affect the total sale, which in turn affects their total commission.
Tip #8: Offer a Signing Bonus or Other Incentives.
Offering signing bonuses or incentives is a great way to keep people engaged. Most people want some type of deal in some capacity. They want to feel like they are saving money or getting something out of it.
Types of Incentives:
- Buy one, get one free
- Sign up for this package and receive a $1,000 Visa gift card
- Sign up for one month and the next month is half-off
Tip #9: Packages Work Best on New Advertisers.
When it comes to advertising and new business ventures, typically packages work better the first time they are offered. The second and third time these packages are presented, people tend to understand what one is trying to do.
Tip #10: Practice Makes Perfect.
It is very important for one to understand that practice really does make perfect. Imagine what a football team would be like if they never practiced. They would be terrible. Salespeople never treat themselves like professional athletes, and they should. It’s important to prepare and train as an athlete does and to practice, get plenty of sleep, and manage time well. That’s everything a salesperson should strive to do.
Review:
- Hosting better meetings
- Understanding stranger danger
- Building rapport with people
- Having strong visuals-Show and Tell
- Teaching new clients
Remember, if sales were so easy, then everybody would be doing it.
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