Twas the week before Christmas……..and next a New Year,
We’ll toast and roast and have lots of good cheer.
Here’s some top tips if it’s ad sales you seek,
We’ll start with new content in January, first week!
Don’t Grinch Out! Sales super-trainer Ryan Dohrn shares 7 tips to keep right on selling through the holidays.
1. Have a holiday sales plan. Sending Christmas cards is nice, but it really isn’t all that effective, because you will get lost in the crowd. What about focusing on retention instead? It is easier to keep a client than lose one. This is the perfect time of year to email, phone and retain clients. Personal, non-pitchy touches are critical to your success as an ad sales pro.
2. Review competitor web sites and refresh 10X. As a part of your holiday research, create a list of all the advertisers that are running on your competitors’ web sites. Target this list in 2019.
3. Make a commitment to your personal growth plan. You need to read at least one business book per year. At least one. Or, attend a personal improvement seminar. The best of the best are well-trained and highly-tuned! What are the latest new ideas you are going to present to your clients in 2019?
4. Renew your 10 critical questions. Review the critical questions you ask your media clients. Why? Because media changes every day. What worked in 2018 may not work in 2019. My favorite question: “If we could create the perfect ad for you, what would happen from that ad?”
5. Test your email subject lines. Look back through your email for subject lines that worked in the emails that you sent. Or, look for subject lines that grabbed your attention. Keep a file. Use them and test them. My personal favorite: “I have a new idea for you.”
6. Evaluate your client list for “whales” versus “minnows.” You want to be sure that your client list is balanced. Not too many small accounts.
7. Don’t give up, because most of the other sales people will. Use this to your advantage! Your advertisers normally get 10 calls and emails per day from ad sales people wanting to pitch their media products. And the sales calls often fall to zero this time of year. So reach out and let your singular voice be heard.
Pick one or three of the above and get going! The worst thing you can do this holiday season is sit back and let the sales pass you by.
(Editor’s note: This list has been updated since 2016.)
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About Ryan: Ryan Dohrn is an award-winning ad sales training coach, a nationally recognized internet sales consultant and in international motivational speaker. He is the author of the best-selling ad sales book, Selling Backwards. Ryan is the President and founder of Brain Swell Media and 360 Ad Sales Training, a boutique ad sales training and sales coaching firm with a detailed focus on ad sales training, internet consulting and media revenue generation. Ryan is also the Publisher of Sales Training World.
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