The 90’s are calling. They want their sales team back.
In the decade of grunge music and Titanic, accessing the internet meant waiting for someone to get off the landline so you could dial up AOL through your 2400 baud rate modem. Your sales team was on the phone, making cold calls, and driving around to attract clients in person. Print media, like newspapers, direct mail and trade magazines, were the advertising options available to reach audiences.
Today, consumers wouldn’t have the patience for the screeching sounds and slow speed of dial up. Advertisers want to be where their audiences are. Print isn’t dead but your sales team needs to offer more opportunities to keep their clients coming back for more.
Bring your sales team up to speed with a modern approach to sales, building trust and earning love for your brand.
Demonstrate Thought Leadership To earn the trust of your clients, they rely on you to think outside the box while solving their biggest challenges. If your sales team can demonstrate a clear understanding of how to reach an audience through existing and updated avenues, your client’s interest will be peaked. If your sales team can offer success stories and can replicate those successes for your clients, your clients will want to work with you. Thought leadership improves your brand affinity through sharing ideas, educating, and engaging with clients who want to trust their media partners.
Attract through Inbound Approach An inbound approach to sales differs from the old approach of cold calls or elevator pitches. Inbound attracts clients who are already interested in what your publishing team is selling. Clients learn about your business through channels such as internet searches or social media. Once they find your business online, they learn more about your brand, how you solve their challenges, and the benefits of working with you. They move from being interested to wanting to learn more to ready to talk to someone. An inbound approach certainly isn’t going to replace the value of cold calls but it will definitely amplify your sales opportunities.
Keep Them Interested Demonstrating thought leadership through your online presence and social media channels will get clients interested in what you have to offer. Once they’ve signed up to learn more, the next step is to keep them interested. If your website has a blog or if you’re using social media, update it regularly with articles, case studies or information - especially if you’re hoping to attract clients from a certain vertical. Another resource to consider is a newsletter that goes out to your clients on a regular basis such as monthly. Clients reading your newsletter will begin to trust in your knowledge as you educate them on industry challenges or opportunities.
Partner through Consulting Advertisers want to trust where they’re spending their dollars. No longer can your sales team just “sell” and expect their clients to stick around. Publishers need to be able to work with advertisers as a credible partner and resource, guiding them through growth and new opportunities to reach a wider audience. Your sales team’s approach to selling must meet this new demand and your company must have the resources and tools to make it easier.
LaunchPad Media Management’s portal offers a user-friendly and always-available system for your modern sales team to stay connected with their publishing clients. With order creation, easy changes and helpful templates, LaunchPad was developed exclusively for the publishing industry sales professional. Contact management and reporting are build right into the system so your sales team has instant access to records, invoices, sales history and more.
To learn more about the modern sales abilities of LaunchPad Media Management, request a demo.
