The topic of our sales meeting this week is trying new ways to get your job done. When is the last time you tried something new when it comes to your job in media sales? I mean with prospecting, getting meetings, selling or closing deals? When is the last time you tried doing it in a different manor than you always have?
Better yet, when was the last time you tried something bold, a way to stand out amongst your peers? We all know there is more media competition than ever before. So, how do you stand out?
I was at a conference once where the person speaking gave a great example of a salesperson who tried something new. This particular salesperson was stuck in neutral and needed a new way to get out there and meet with some new businesses. He felt like he had asked all of his current clients for referrals and that well had dried up.
The seller began to think about what a referral really is and came up with a great idea of how to use those referrals even if it wasn’t someone their client knew. Yes, ideally the referrals would come with a warm lead you can reach out to and say, ‘I have helped Mr. or Mrs. X with their business, and they said you would be someone who might be able to benefit from my services, so I wanted to reach out and schedule a time with you where I can learn more about what you do and how I might be able to help.”
With the warm lead out of the picture, this seller did something unique. He called a bunch of his clients and said he was going to come by one day that week, and he wanted them to think about why they like working with him and what it has done for them and their business.
As the week went on, he popped into each of their businesses and pulled out his cell phone. He started the recording and simply asked each person to say what they came up with.
What the salesperson ended up with was a handful of short videos he could now use for testimonials. As he walked into new businesses, he would use the videos to try and get meetings. His idea was, if you are a business owner, and another business owner tells you they are doing something that is working, wouldn’t you at least want to listen?
What this seller did was bold, and it was different. Rather than having his clients write the testimonial, he decided he wanted to stand out and do something he hadn’t seen anybody doing before. Now, not only did he have these whenever he needed them, he was also making a very unique introduction of himself to new prospects making him more memorable.
A seller who worked for me once asked if she could buy live endorsement commercials from one of our talent to promote her as a top sales rep. I turned her down for fear all of the salespeople would want to do it and it wouldn’t make any impact. The salesperson, however, would not take no as an answer. She asked her favorite host to record the ad anyway and even though it never aired on the station, she would send it to prospects with a ‘Message from (the host).’ Pretty smart thinking, I thought.
I knew someone once who used fortune cookies as a way to endear himself to prospects. He found a company that made fortune cookies where you could choose the messaging that went inside. He, of course, made the messages things about their marketing and what a meeting with him could do to change their ‘fortunes.’
Another person I worked with once tried to get through gatekeepers on the telephone by being honest about why he was calling, but offering something in return for why they should listen. He would start the call off with something like, ‘Hi there, I’m a salesperson calling and who doesn’t want to get bothered by a salesperson on a (day of the week)? But I am not just any salesperson, I am one who comes with a joke…’ and then he would proceed to tell them a joke. Annoying if you are sitting near him, but I tell you what, his calls were memorable and when he did get meetings, his conversations with the person who answered the phones were always about how they said he was different than anyone else who had ever called.
What’s your schtick? How do you stand out? What are you doing that is different than anyone else to get people’s attention or to keep people’s attention?
Know your audience and be careful not to come off as super annoying and desperate but rather fun and imaginative. We are in sales and as we all know we are generally just selling ourselves. So, put some thought into what makes you unique and different and what you bring to the table and find a creative way to spread that message. Remember, your skills and talents are most of the added value.
Dave Greene is the Chief Media Officer for Barrett Media. His background includes over 25 years in media and content creation. A former sports talk host and play-by-play broadcaster, Dave transitioned to station and sales management, co-founded and created a monthly sports publication and led an ownership group as the operating partner. He has managed stations and sales teams for Townsquare Media, Cumulus Media and Audacy. Upon leaving broadcast media he co-founded Podcast Heat, a sports and entertainment podcasting network specializing in pro wrestling nostalgia. To interact, find him on Twitter @mr_podcasting. You can also reach him by email at Dave@BarrettMedia.com.
