You’ve already created your ad sales goals for 2014. Why not make your New Year’s resolutions now to get a jump on reaching those goals? Each year we try to set new resolutions for personal and professional growth. Constantly challenging yourself to do better is the best way to up your advertising sales game and really pump up your magazine’s revenue!
Here are 4 ideas to get you going now for more 2014 sales:
1. Embrace Your Ratios: Your call-to-close ratio is a number you can work from to stay on track toward your budget. Determine how many calls you need to make to get a meeting. Then determine how many meetings you need to have to get that closed deal. From there you can determine your call-to-close ratio. Knowing your ratio is makes you more confident right from the start and gives you a metric you use to improve your technique.
2. Change Up Your Patterns: If you do what you’ve always done, you’ll get the same results you’ve always had. For changes to be of any true value, they’ve got to be done consistently. Ask yourself, and maybe some trusted peers, what you do that is not helping you to get your desired results. For example, if you are consistently not getting calls back from voice mails you have left… then change up the way you leave your voice mails.
3. Critical Questions Rule The World: What are the 5 questions you need to ask each client to get to a point of mutual understanding? Customize your questions for each advertising/marketing rep and each media company. Write down the 5 questions you use often and then share them with your sales team. Ask them to do the same. Get rid of any questions that are old, obvious, and don’t set you apart from the crowd – such as, “Tell me about your media plan for 2014.”
4. Personal Growth Is Critical. Your personal development must be a constant quest. What will you do to start off 2014 strong? Don’t put it off – start it now. I plan to read one new business book per quarter. What about you? What about watching one webinar per quarter? Or starting a blog to inform your clients? Set up a personal growth plan for yourself and stick to it.
Place your goals, both personal and professional, in a place you will see them often. More importantly, place reminders in your Google or Outlook calendar to remind you of these goals, too. Most New Year’s resolutions fail in 30 days. Frequent reminders are key!
If you can do your best to practice your resolutions in that first month, you will set new habits for yourself that will help you achieve your ad sales goals in 2014.
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More about Ryan Dohrn: Ryan is President of 360 Ad Sales Training, an internet & sales consulting firm focused on developing print and online revenue strategies for magazine publishers.
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