Take Ten Setting Forth For Success
Ten ways to help make your sales pitches
second nature and come out first. By Mike Peterson
Whether it's sponsorships or vacuum cleaners, the basics of selling remain the same. It's easy, unless you've never done it. But you have "sold" plenty of things, starting with the day you interviewed for this job and had to "sell" yourself to your boss! Did you beg for the job, or did you present yourself as a capable, motivated person who would be a positive addition to the staff?
That's selling, and here are the basics of any sales presentation:
Know what you are selling - not what you think it is, not what you wish it were, but what it is. You can't sell something you don't understand, so start by learning how newspapers work, the impact of NIE on your business and the rules of ABC that govern your program. What you learn should make you a believer in NIE, because you can't sell anything that you don't believe in. Get your knowledge and enthusiasm together before you hit the street!
Know your prospect. Know the type of business you're dealing with and have a sense of their goals. Don't walk in like you know it all, but don't walk in completely ignorant, either. A bank has different goals than an auto dealer, but they both have many goals in common. Keep them in mind as you talk to these people.
Be ready to make the deal, just in case it happens. Try not to look shocked if the prospect suddenly agrees to sponsor your program. Make sure you have the form to be signed. And a pen.
Find the decision-maker and present your program to the person who has the authority to say "Yes." If you spend 20 minutes explaining NIE to the wrong person, you've just wasted 20 minutes. They'll sum it up in 30 seconds to the real boss, and probably get it wrong in the process.
Manners count, especially if you are just introducing yourself. A handshake, a smile and a quick "Have you got a minute?" are as good an icebreaker as you can have. Carry a one-page flyer to leave behind if you can't meet now, but make it one page. It probably won't be read, so think of it as a giant business card.
Concentrate on what you do for the community, not on what you do for your sponsors. You're trying to get them to support what you do, not vice-versa.
Maintain control of the meeting and faith in your program. Don't offer them a lot of options; don't offer to change your program to fit their individual needs. Tell them what you have and give them the chance to be part of it. If you believe in NIE, you won't compromise, and they won't expect you to.
Deflect, don't debate. If they say, "Kids don't read the paper," agree that more kids should and tell them about the school where the kids fight over the papers in study hall. Let their resistance reinforce your expertise, and work from the assumption that they are going to say yes. If they won't buy it because it's not blue, you say, "If I can find it in blue, how many will you want?"
Know when to walk away. You're there to do business, not to provide entertainment. If somebody is wasting your time, remember that there is another person just down the street who wants to be part of your program.
Keep it simple. If you can sum it up in nine bullet points, don't waste everyone's time with a tenth. Oops. Never mind.
SUMMER/FALL 2003