As sales professionals, talking is a big part of what we do. We all have a pitch, a sales sheet and demos. But also consider that 86% of buyers report that they’d rather go to the dentist than talk to a sales professional (like us).
Making the sale is really all about having an effective conversation with an advertiser—now more than ever. Let’s look at a couple nuances that can make a big difference in a conversation with a client.
Silence can be golden.
When you’re talking with a potential advertiser, it’s important to really understand what the power of silence can bring to a conversation. It’s what some people call a “pregnant pause,” or “pause for effect.” Most salespeople today don’t really understand what silence can do for them.
When I’m having a conversation with someone, I want them to understand what I’m talking about. And it’s the pauses that give people a chance to understand. The silence allows absorption of the information. So I always stress this in my ad sales training: Use silence and pauses to aid in absorption, in retention, and in understanding.
Slow the heck down!
This type of conversation-control isn’t always easy. If you’re like me, I operate at 198 mph all the time, non-stop. But, am I getting good absorption from the person I’m trying to sell to? If I’m operating way too fast, the answer is no. That’s why I have a post-it note stuck to my computer that says “Slow the heck down.”
So instead of one steady beat, your conversation with advertisers needs to follow a cadence that’s a lot like a symphony. I’ll speed up as I’m talking about certain things, and then I’ll slow it down when I want that deep understanding. It’s not like a one-note, one-tone military march–because that doesn’t work in sales.
If you want to get better in sales, you’re going to have to learn to lead the conversation.
It’s about cultivating repeatable patterns of success. We want our conversations to ultimately result in sales, right?
And remember, if ad sales was easy, everyone would be doing it!
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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. He 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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