Competition is inevitable, especially with local advertising dollars. Business owners are being called on by variety of reps–everything from billboard to print to local agencies. Competition will always be around, but there are ways you can stand apart from the other reps pitching local business.

Discovery Meeting

  • Ask Questions: Ask A LOT of questions. Find out everything you can about the business. Ideally you are able to walk away from your initial meeting with information about the goals of the business, goals for advertising campaigns, what they have done in the past, budgets for advertising, and another meeting set up.
  • Focus on Them: When you focus on the business owner, their goals, and their needs, you will automatically stand out from the pack. Most sellers focus on what they bring to the table and the products they have to offer (whether they make sense or not). When you instead focus on the advertiser you can learn what to best pitch later on to ensure you are not wasting their time with solutions that may not make sense.

Building the Plan

  • Custom Media Planning: Tailor the media plan to their specific needs and requests. It can be tempting to showcase the “new shiny object,” but if it is not the right fit for the advertiser then it does not belong in the pitch.

Pitching Your Plan

  • Tie the Solution Back to Them: Reference your initial meeting. Explain that different pieces of the plan were included to help fulfill a need, request, or solve a problem they articulated in the initial meeting.
  • It’s OK to Not Know: Saying I don’t know is OK and encouraged. People like correct information, so saying that you are going back to your team to get the right answers allows people to trust you.

During the Campaign

  • White Glove Service: The sale does not end when the campaign starts. This is where you and your team can shine by showing how you are making their dollar work hardest for them.
  • Effective Campaign Management: Ensure you are communicating campaign successes and opportunities for change throughout the campaign. The more you put into reporting and insights the easier it is to keep a client. Keep asking questions, switch up the campaign as business needs change, and educate on new and changing items in the digital space. This will allow you to stay ahead of other reps trying to steal the business.

At the end of the day you have great products, and you can provide a great partnership to any advertiser. The important thing to keep in mind is that most reps have access to the same types of solutions and products. It all comes down to the sales process. The more effort you put into ensuring your advertiser’s success the more successful you will be. https://zp-pdl.com/online-payday-loans-cash-advances.php