11-11-2013
Solitaire: Put down those cards! It is a blasphemy! They tell nothing to those who cannot see.
Bond: But they do. That's a... a bit of luck. Good luck, for both of us. The cards say we will be lovers.
Solitaire: You are mistaken. It's impossible. Forbidden for me. Now you must go.
Bond: But you do believe... I mean really "believe" in the cards?
Solitaire: They have never lied to me.
Bond: Then they won't now. Pick one.
Solitaire: The card says: The 1st step...Break the ice....build rapport and trust.
Bond: You knew the answer before it was given. Strangely enough, somehow... so did I.
For those of you who will not be in Boston this week for the Massachusetts Broadcasters Association, here is a sneak preview of ?Live And Let Die 7 Steps,? which will be featured as part of the sales seminar ?The Shift.? This is the prequel to the Double Oh! 7 Steps Closing Call that was featured in Orlando at the NAB/RAB show.
We will be bringing back to the stage Ian Fleming?s 2nd James Bond book "Live And Let Die." Margaret Wood will be making her second appearance as the Bond girl who plays the stunning and enigmatic role of Solitaire. The guys attending should be happy. There?s something for everybody in this one. However, it seems like Bond might have somewhat of a struggle with Solitaire extrapolating the needed information to build a successful closing presentation.
There are seven steps on an opening call that your reps must know before they go out on a CMP call. It?s not so much the memorization of the seven steps, it's actually being able to execute them on a sales call.
Those seven steps on an opening call are:
1) Break the ice. Build rapport and trust. (This is the most important step)
2) Transition into your objective of the call.
3) Using your CMP -- now drill down on your information-based questions.
4) Transition into your 1-10 questions, and then drill down on your problem-related questions.
5) Quantify the objectives and expectations of the client.
6) Qualify the money.
7) Set up the next appointment within 72 hours.
One thing that I notice with media reps out in the field is that they still have a tough time ?qualifying the money.? We seem to struggle asking for the money. Remember, closing happens on the CMP call as much as it happens on the actual closing call. I don?t like the word ?budget? or asking ?What kind of a budget do you have?? If they had a budget for you, they would have called you. In this case, they haven?t called you, you are prospecting them.
If you have quantified the expectations and objectives in Step 5 -- such as-they want to increase their foot massage activity from 12 massages per day to 20 and each one is worth $22 and 50 percent of those people come back on average 10 times over the course of the next six months -- then you quantify the expectations. The above example could increase their business by close to $25,000 over a six-month period, factoring in their 50 percent profit margin.
Now you qualify that in Step 6: What?s it worth to the business owner to bring in that new business that they would have never seen if it wasn?t for your media company promoting it? Something like that could be worth up to $7,000 to start to build that business up with the media you represent. Remember, what they are doing today has only got them to where they are at today. If nothing changes, namely the business not adding you to the media mix, then what?s going to change in their marketing?
On Step 6, we tend to asd, "What?s your budget?? Answer from business owner: ?I don?t have one.? What do you do now (and let?s say you have tried to qualify the money and they won?t give you a number)? Simply ask: "Most new companies that run with us invest anywhere from (your lowest average dollar amount a month that a typical client runs with you) $2,000 a month to $5,000 a month -- where do you think you are in that spread?? They will answer and this is part of qualifying. The most important part is you leave with a number that came out of their mouth, not yours. They own it now. You now avoid the most common objection in media sales which is, ?That?s too much money.?
Using the ROI on your first call is also a great way to qualify the money. Just do an ROI and use that as a base point and then work with the client together to arrive at their expectations. The money will be qualified by the ROI worksheet.
Entertainment is education! It should be fun and exciting in Boston this Thursday! Let?s see if Bond can somehow get out of this jam.
Solitaire: Do we have time for an 8th step?
Bond: Absolutely we do. Upstairs!
Solitaire: No, not yet commander. You have 72 hours to put your proposal together! You might want to get a little creative too!
When you were young and your heart was an open book
You used to say live and let live
(You know you did, you know you did, you know you did)
But if this ever-changing world in which we live in
Makes you give in and cry
Say live and let die
-- Paul McCartney and Wings
Sean Luce is the Head National Instructor for the Luce Performance Group International and can be reached at sean@luceperformancegroup.com or www.luceperformancegroup.com.
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