How to Make an Ad Space Sales Call
Selling adspace is a hurt-and-rescue operation -- You 'hurt' each of your clients in order to rescue them. You have to hurt them first, make them focus on their problems.
You hurt them with words and scripts. And the pain you inflict is the mental pain and fear of going bust.
What if they lose all their customers, or don't find ENOUGH new ones each day? What will happen to them? How HORRIBLE will that be?
Buyers try not to focus on their latent pain. Your initial task is to pull their pain from the back of their minds and put it in the forefront.
Once they truly FEEL their pain .... you rescue them. You show them how placing an advert in your publication (or other adspace) will solve their problem and cure their pain.
For the last few months, we have been examining the DIPADA model of an adsales conversation. The first D is where you DEFINE the client's problem -- and magnify it. The rest of the conversation is where you 'rescue' them from their problem and cure their hurt ..... with an advert.
Because the D is only one of six letters, it seems as though 'Defining the problem' is only a sixth of the sale. It isn't. It is the MOST IMPORTANT step of the sale, and can take up to half the sales conversation.
Today, let's expand a little on defining your client's problem -- and magnifying it.
Once your client agrees that they DO want some more customers, and that they could be in trouble if they don't find any .... Now you EXPAND that idea:
"Mr. _______, you said you had a concern about ______. What did you mean by that?" "Tell me more about..." "Give me an example of..." "What should I know about..."
Having got your client thinking in this way (having DIRECTED your client's brain into this unhappy area with your questions) you now make their hurt WORSE.
You take these small "implied" problems and convert them into large "real" problems so that your client begins to experience the FEAR of the CONSEQUENCES if they fail to solve this problem.
Ask questions like this:
"What effect does this have on the viability of your business?"
"Doesn't this cause problems in your... (cashflow/production/forecasting/bottom line/etc.)"
"I sense you're upset by ______...am I right?"
"Do you also worry about..."
"What bothers you about..."
"How tough a position does that put you in?"
That's HURTING your client. Now you switch to 'rescue' mode.
You ask ANOTHER set of questions -- but these questions begin to reveal your IDEA for a solution. You are moving to the second step of the DIPADA sequence -- IDENTIFYING your solution.
You are moving your client's brain from an 'unhappy' place to a 'happy' place -- where their pain is cured.
And the greater their pain ... the more fear they feel about their situation ... the bigger the 'problem' is in their mind -- the more EAGER they are to embrace your solution.
The more they hurt, the easier they are to sell to.
So you TRANSITION to your solution with questions like these:
"What would it mean to you if advertising with me improved your enquiries by 20%?"
"If we can solve this problem, what will that do in terms of increasing turnover for your firm?"
"Wouldn't that also give you more free time to spend doing the things you do best?"
"How much more money would you make if we can improve the overall sales of that operation by 30% in the next ninety days?"
"What other benefits are obvious to you if we can help you accomplish your objectives with this project?"
Now, with the stage set, you ask 'The Question'.
If they answer 'yes' to this question, you carry on through the rest of the DIPADA sequence. If they answer 'No', then you quit. Ask for a referral and leave. There is no point in going on with the meeting.
The question?
"Mr. _______, if I can prove to you that advertising with me CAN help you solve this problem, would you be willing to book an advert with me?"
When he answers yes, it's time to move to the PROOF step of the DIPADA sequence. You give your presentation.
Your sale is now set up. Your client has agreed that they are in trouble, they know that this is a problem which is going to hurt more and more .... And you have the cure to their hurt -- which they have agreed to buy, if you can just 'prove' that your cure will work.
(Your 'proof' consists of testimonials, stories, and taking your client's brain to another NEW place -- the place where they can see themselves enjoying the RESULTS of a successful advert. But that's for next time .....)
About the Author
Roy Preece has sold ad space, trained and managed ad space sales executives for over 20 years. The adsalespeople web site has been helping with advice, encouragement and sales tools for over eight years. It's at: http://www.adsalespeople.com
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