8-19-2013
There are a handful of radio sales reps that are incredibly successful at selling digital advertising. I?ve met them. Ever wonder what makes them tick?
Inspired by Stephen Covey?s ?7 Habits of Highly Effective People,? I have distilled my observations of these special sales reps into the ?7 Habits of Highly Successful Digital Sellers.?
1. Constantly Learning
They devour as much information as they can about digital advertising and marketing. It?s almost as if they were pursuing a graduate degree in digital marketing. They read books like The Long Tail, The Cluetrain Manifesto, The Innovator?s Dilemma, and Rework. Their guru?s are Seth Godin, Faith Popcorn, Gary Vaynerchuk, and Guy Kawasaki. Mashable, eMarkater, ClickZ, and NetNewCheck are their daily reads.
2. Share and Teach
They understand sharing is no longer to be feared in sales. They embrace it. They understand sharing ideas is the new currency to grab the attention of busy prospects. Teaching their colleagues and clients about new digital media tools or how to respond to the latest digital media trends is second nature to them.
3. Experiment
Failure IS an option for them because they understand the power of learning from their mistakes. The low cost of digital media tools also virtually erases the financial cost of any of their missteps.
4. Focused
They keep distractions to a minimum and only focus on what they have control over.
5. Know Their Numbers
The rest of your sales team might know how many unique visitors come to your website each month, but a successful digital seller knows the traffic spikes, the average conversion rate on your social media promotions, and the redemption rates on mobile coupons. They also take the time to research their client?s cost per lead, average sale, and customer acquisition cost.
6. Always Connecting
Instead of observing the old ABC sales mantra of ?Always Be Closing,? they practice a new one, ?Always Be Connecting.? They have made a regular habit of connecting with clients and prospects on LinkedIn. There?s never a shortage of new prospects coming into the beginning of their sales pipeline.
7. Sell Local
Most local broadcast websites and mobile apps will never have big enough numbers to interest advertising agencies or national advertisers. Successful digital sellers know their time is better spent reaching out directly to local advertisers who need help with their digital marketing.
As you think about recruiting new sales reps for your station going forward, give extra consideration to some of the above sales habits. After all, these habits are the local advertising sales skills of the future that are desperately needed in radio right now!
Stephen Warley is the founder of inboundarts.com, a research and training firm dedicated to helping radio broadcasters use digital tools to generate more qualified sales leads. He is also the founded of LocalBroadcastSales.com in 2008. Have a question for Stephen? Email him at stephen@inboundarts.com or connect with him on LinkedIn.
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