After a brief hiatus for Super Bowl week, we are back, and our sales meeting today is about the final step in the six-step sales process – servicing the account. Pretty much, this can be defined as everything you need to do in order to over-deliver for the client after the sale has been made.
You have all heard the saying – ‘the work begins after the sale’ and hopefully you have taken that to heart. If there is any one thing I would criticize our industry sellers on it would be this step. I cannot tell you how many times I have seen a renewal be lost within days of the sale being made. Mostly, this happens because the salesperson figured the hard part was over.
Remember, you pitched yourself as part of this deal. You are included in the added value that came with the investment from the customer. Now, you have to prove it and back it all up.
From here on out, you should be in contact with your clients on the regular. The last thing you want to be known as is the guy or gal who is only seen when more money is needed. If your clients only see you when it is time to buy, they won’t be clients for long.
Ad copy is one of the most crucial parts of all this and is another place people come up woefully short. I lost track a long time ago of how many sellers I have heard complain about not being able to put together good copy because “the client didn’t send me anything.” Pal, you just signed on to be their new in-house marketing person. Get it done. Scour the website, review your notes, go into the store and ask employees, find a way.
And find a way to make it great, make it standout and have it be something that gets people talking. There are too many tools out there now, from RAB.com to AI, to not have good copy for your clients. And then, keep doing that. Keep it fresh. Don’t wait until the client tells you to change the copy. You are the marketing expert, not them.
Speaking of being the marketing expert, part of that assignment means keeping your client(s) updated on the latest information, trends and insights as it relates to marketing overall and specifically in their category or field. I have known some sellers who made their own mini-newsletters and would send them out to clients on a monthly or quarterly basis. Again, something different than what most would do – it stands out.
Another very important thing is to never be surprised by a cancellation. The way you do that is to stay in contact with your clients and get their feedback along the way. Too many times, sellers will wait until renewal before asking for the first time about how the client thought the campaign was going. The more you know ahead of time, the more you can cut off the cancellation.
Now, we all know most people really buy because they like you and trust you. Your job is to make them like you and trust you more. One of the ways human beings tend to get to know each other better is by having conversation. And, since your business is sports, it does make sense for you to try and get that client out to a sporting event. Your hope is that you can bond over sports like your listeners do with your hosts. Chances are that the person wouldn’t have invested with you if they weren’t at least somewhat personally interested in the format you are in.
This used to be a gimme. This used to be a big part of the job. In some places it still is, however, in a lot of places the companies do not allow you any budget to entertain. And that sucks. But you still need to find a way to do it. You have to build a relationship with your clients and if that means taking them out to lunch or to a game on your dime, make it up when you get that renewal year in and year out.
This is a relationship business. Taking the time to get to know your clients and to engage with them will not only lead to more opportunities to do business with that company, but potentially others as well. Generally, business owners know other business owners and we all know the best way into a new client is by referral.
Remember that a renewal is a heck of a lot easier than a new sale to a new client. Think about that the minute you close a deal.
Six steps in what we do – the prospecting, getting the meeting with a decision maker, having a client needs analysis, making the pitch, closing the deal and servicing the account. If you can be good, not even great, in each of the categories, you win. Master the key steps and you win big.
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Dave Greene is a former Editor and Columnist 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.
