In This Issue

1. Subscribe
2. Time Management
3. Book Announcement

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Time Management Tip

Plan you day and stick to it.

Most of our failures to be productive, come from our inability to stick to a plan of action.  The most common flaw is the fact that most sales people do not plan their day properly.  when you are making a list of the appointments and things you have to do the next day, make sure you estimate how long each one will take.  It is easy to make a list of ten things, but if each one of them takes an hour, you will be working overtime!  Plus, there will be interruptions that will add up to your day.  At the end, one of two things will happen.  you exhaust yourself by working too many hours, or you fail to complete the most important things.  Either way you lose.  So take the time to plan you day carefully in 15 minute increments.  This may seem strict, but the more you use it, the better you get.  And be strict with those that want to interrupt you.  Say "I am in the middle of something right now, but I do have some time later today.  Can you please come back then."  Use the grid below to make the most of your time.

Click here to download a free time grid to plan and account for your work week!

The Ultimate Guide to Success in Media Sales!

This Fall, Mediasalessuccess.com will be publishing the new edition of “The Ultimate Guide to Success in Media Sales.”  Stay tuned for further announcements on the book release and the seminar tour coming to a city near you.

Do you offer discounts before they ask?

A few weeks ago, while driving to Galveston, Texas to have lunch with a client, I got pulled over for speeding.  I knew there was a chance to get caught, after all I had been going over the speed limit pretty much the whole way.  When the officer approached me, I did not even try to get out of getting a ticket.

When he asked if I knew why I was getting pulled over, I said, yes I must have been over the limit.  He replied: "you were doing 70 in a 50." I said, I am sorry officer, I am late to a lunch appointment with a very important client.  Without me even asking, the officer continued "I am going to write you up for a 55 since that is the minimum we can write you for.  You can just take defensive driving and you can even take care of it online, so you don't have to come back to Galveston to deal with it."

Wow, I guess I got off easy.  But it makes me wonder, if that officer was a sales person, would he be the kind that goes out and discounts the price of their offering before the client even asks?  Would he offer added value in cases when it is not really needed?  Would he give it away if he could?

What would you do?

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Be smart, Be yourself

There more I study sales and motivation, the more convinced I am that you need more and better skills if you want to stand out.  There is so much to learn.  Some many tips, techniques, close, etc.  They all help.

However, with so much information, you can get caught up in becoming someone else.  Don't get confused.  The tips, techniques and closes that you learn are intended to be personalized and become part of you.  Not the other way around.  You do not need to become someone else because you have learned all of these techniques.  You need to be yourself.  Learn, modify and apply as many tips and techniques as you can and you will continue to increase your sales. 
 

But most importantly, Be smart.  Be yourself, and more sales will come.

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Make sure you are talking to the real decision maker...

It amazes me how often sales people call on prospects that are not the real decision makers. I know it is exciting to get "in" with a client, but be true to yourself and determine if this is the right person that you should be talking to.

There are several ways to do this.  The simplest, yet most difficult, is to directly ask the prospect: "In a decision like this, do you have to get approval from others or do you make the final decision?"  This is a difficult question to ask because you do not want to offend or undermine the prospect's authority.  In many cases they will even lie to you and say they decide by themselves.  However, it is better to go straight to the point and get a decisive answer so you know where you stand. 

Over the years I have seen so many cases where a salesperson is hopeful that the prospect will have a decision, only to be notified that "they" (a third party) decided not to go ahead with the offering.

Don't waste your time presenting and following up with people that cannot say yes.  be clear who is the final decision maker.  This exercise alone will increase your sales dramatically.

Don't be afraid, just ask.

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MediaSalesSuccess.com
10807 Lasso Lane
Houston, TX 77079
Phone: 832-202-6085