Shhh...
Back in July in this space I recommended Susan's Cain's "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking." Hearing clips of the author's TED Talk on NPR this weekend has me now doubling…
Back in July in this space I recommended Susan's Cain's "Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking." Hearing clips of the author's TED Talk on NPR this weekend has me now doubling…
Last week in this space I commented on the look of publisher's sales force going forward ("Media Seller 3.0"). I hadn't intended to bookend that with a discussion of the future media agency, but Brian…
Digiday recently interviewed several sales leaders and media executives on a pretty interesting topic: the shape of The Future Publisher's Sales Force. Among the many observations are that nobody will…
There's something really significant about the close of the Labor Day Weekend. It all gets serious and focused now. The beach stuff gets put away, school's back in session. And as a seller, you're staring right down the barrel at your fourth quarter...and at how Q1 will begin to take shape. Indeed these are a really critical couple of weeks ahead and - feeling somewhat overwhelmed - many of us will come out of the gates fast, generating a flurry of activity: phone lists, batches of email, tearing into anything that feels like an RFP. My advice is to push back on that urge.
Over the years I've used this space to offer reviews and amplification of books that I think are important to the digital advertising and marketing community. Some are directly about sales theory ("The…
What's the point of being "included" in a process where "inclusion" has no price or meaning? Unfortunately, most reps equate "inclusion" in the RFP process as a step-victory. Digital RFPs carry no "cost of inclusion" for the buyer: to add another publisher or network to an RFP means nothing more than "Control V" - pasting another e-mail into the distribution field. As one buyer told me recently, "Sometimes you just put someone on an RFP to get them off your back." This behavior, along with the need to show the client how broadly the agency has searched for the best deal, has wrought a ten-to-one ratio of losers to winners in many RFPs. All that effort, all that time, all those resources and all those "special one of kind ideas" for what? A 90% fail rate
This one sounds overly simple, but when was the last time you "personalized the close?" When you asked the customer, "I know there's a lot more to be done, but is this something you want to happen? Do you think this is a good idea and can you help us make it real?" It makes no sense getting to higher level decision makers and then leaving satisfied that you had "a positive call." The great sellers are the ones who will think deeper about the business, challenge, and remain fearless about pushing the customer a little out of his comfort zone. And that's really all urgency is about.
We're on vacation this next couple of weeks, so I'm re-posting a Drift from last November. Hope it elevates your thinking amid a summer of refreshment and renewal. We often hear the online advertising…
It's halfway through your two weeks at the beach house and maybe the thrillers you're reading are not so thrilling anymore. Or perhaps you're just not completely letting go of that second half number that…
"No More Sales Calls" means no more rote sales behavior. It's an invitation to challenge your team and yourself to invest in the human relationships that underlie all great sales relationships. The result will be not only more high quality client meetings, but also more long-term business and a more satisfying sales life.
Along with so many in our industry, I've been riveted by Digiday's ongoing series of "Confessions" articles. For the uninitiated, someone in a particular role in the business goes incognito and spills…
Many homeowners share the experience - or the fear - of the guy under the house. He may be that exterminator who emerges from that dark crawly place under your fixer-upper and says "I've got bad news...worst…