8 Tips for Improving Your Advertising Sales

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Advertising sales are an important part of the modern business, but they can also be one of the trickiest to master. If you’re looking to motivate your employees, increase your company revenue or just improve your personal sales technique, here are eight tips for bolstering your advertising sales.

1. Know Your Demographic

Different customers respond to different pitches, so you shouldn’t talk to 18 year old males the same way as women over 60. You should also consider things like gender, income, career and shopping habits when you’re putting together business pitches or working on a new ad.

2. Use Real Facts in Your Upsells

Facts and figures often speak for themselves when you’re trying to upgrade a customer’s service. For example, if you want to promote half-page ads over quarter-page ads, you might say something like, “Half-page ads only cost 10 percent more, but they increase customer feedback by 55 percent.”

3. Be Personable

No customer wants to feel like a number instead of a person, but it’s especially critical to have that personal touch when you’re in the business of advertising sales. Make it a habit of using the customer’s name during your call, and keep their purchase history pulled up on your computer for reference.

4. Talk to the Right People

Before every call, email or business proposal, make sure you’re speaking to someone who can actually make things happen. Ask things like, “Are you in charge of your company’s X department?” or “Do you have the authority to make a purchase with us today?” This is called qualifying your lead, and it can keep you from wasting your time.

5. Have Goals

Never start a day’s work without first figuring out your goals. You might want to make a certain number of calls before lunchtime; you might want to bring a certain amount of new customers on board. The actual figures matter less than the fact that you’re defining success before you begin working.

6. Streamline Your Sales Pitch

In today’s fast-paced economy, every second counts. Potential clients don’t have time to listen to extended proposals. Cut down on all extraneous words, questions, offers and explanations so your sales pitch will be speedy and efficient. People will appreciate your brevity, and as a bonus, you’ll also give yourself time for more calls later.

7. Don’t Take No for an Answer

If every salesman gave up when they heard the phrase “I can’t afford that,” nothing would get sold at all. Have a script ready for when clients or companies reject your offer. Know exactly what they’re objecting to and how you can best circumvent that. In the scenario above, for example, you might counter with something like, “What if I could give you a discount?”

8. Ask the Experts

If your sales aren’t what they could be, you might want to consult a professional advertising company or invest in software specifically designed for improving advertising sales. Things like ADvendio can help you in every aspect of your business, including proposals, revenue schedules and insertion orders.

These are just a few things to keep in mind if you’re looking to improve your ad sales. There are many more, of course, but these should be enough to get you started with bigger, better and more profitable campaigns.

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