Getting Out Of The Ad Sales Rut

I am often asked by senior level ad sales people advice on getting out of an ad sales rut.  What does this mean?  It can vary person to person, but in most cases, a senior level ad sales rep is either worn out from selling the same thing to the same people or the rep is tired of calling on their list of 100 and getting no replies.   Sure ad sales training is a great place to start, but if you want long standing results, media sales training is just the beginning.  Lets look at 10 things you can do right now to take a fresh look at an old media sales training issue…

1. What are two things about your product or media offering that are new, fresh or different than the competition?  Write it down.
2. Are those 2 things meaningful to a potential client?  Will those things make them money or increase their exposure?  If not, re-think #1
3. Now, how can you enhance the “things” from #1  to prove to the client that these things matter?  Add a success story or a statistic.
4. Who are you calling on and why?  Are they qualified or are they just on the list?  How current is the list?
5. Does your client “truly” have a need?  Or, do YOU think they need you?
6. Where has your client advertised in the last 90 days?  How much did they spend?  No evidence of spending?  Move on.  New company, new products… hit it.
7. What attack pattern are you using on clients?  Email, voice mail, email again then a hand written note?  What?  You need a fast pattern.  Nothing random.
8. How often are you calling on prospects?  Twice a week is a great place to start.  Never leave the same voice mail or send the same email twice.
9. Are your voice mails and emails forgettable?  What are you doing via those voice mails and emails to drive need, intrigue and curiosity?  60 seconds for voice mail and 3 sentences for emails.
10. What is the last inspirational or sales book you have read?  Try Awaken the Giant Within, by Tony Robbins or Snap Selling by Jill Konrath.

Bonus tip:  Is your daily schedule decided by your email inbox?  Be honest.   Set a time aside to prospect and turn off your email.  No-one will die.

All in all, re-think.  Re-charge.  Take a new look at how you are doing things.  If 1 in 10 clients reply by changing your tactics, celebrate.  Record what you are doing in your CRM tool so that when theta one client calls back you can rinse and repeat.

About this blogger:  Ryan Dohrn is President and founder of Brain Swell Media, a boutique internet revenue consulting firm with a detailed focus on ad sales training and media revenue generation.  Ryan travels the globe teaching media sales training classes and offers detailed coaching help business owners and media companies looking to make money online.  http://www.BrainSwellMedia.com

Ryan R. Dohrn
President/Founder
Brain Swell Media LLC
http://www.BrainSwellMedia.com
803-867-3769
Follow him on Twitter.com/ryandohrn for daily tips and advice.
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Brain Swell Media, LLC is an interactive media consulting firm. We focus on five key business areas; online strategy consulting, website development, media sales training, HD video production and strategic planning. We provide business owners and publishing companies with the tools and resources they need to optimize their presence on the Web and boost revenue.