Marketing Blogs
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by Publisher | Clareon Aug 8 |
Who are you calling a liar?
Sales people have a saying - 'buyers are liars'.
Did you know that, marketers?
I’m tipping that marketers have a few sayings about salespeople too, which I probably shouldn't write here.
Can't we all just get along?
A big part of the marketer’s role is relationships with agencies and media sales reps and often these relationships are fantastic and, at times, the best part of the job. Lunches, drinks, dinners and lots of white glove treatment is thrown at you the marketer, and all because you hold the purse strings.
But it's not always so wonderful being the centre of such attention, is it?
It's also the thing you hate most about your job. All those sales people out there, chomping at the bit to get in contact with you, build a relationship and convince you to spend, spend, spend with them! It's exhausting for them and equally exhausting for you. Especially now that you have such a broad media landscape. We've all seen the diagrams at marketing events, the media map and how it has grown. Everyone has an audience now and a way to communicate with them.
Admittedly there are a million and one new products/media out there and not all are relevant to your business. However, there are a number that will rejuvinate the way you communicate your message to your audience. And without leaving it all to a 21 year-old media buyer at the agency - who frankly doesn’t care as much as you - here are some solutions for the best way to tackle this scenario.
So how do you get sales people to give you snapshot information, and not waste your time if their product is not relevant.
Four steps to a better sales pitch outcome
When a sales person approaches you, make sure:
1. They understand they have just 20 minutes of your time.
2. They ask you what your objectives, target audience, timings, expectations and budget are. Too many sales people just walk in and present the product without really knowing if it’s the right fit!
3. They present you their product and how it fits your needs.
Sales people are humans too.
Step 4 is important for all involved.
4. Give them an answer either way.
And now it's time for the violins. In my five years of being a salesperson, my biggest gripe was buyers not being direct and giving you a strong answer. Waiting by the phone like a teenage girl with a crush is the hardest thing for sales people. Just let them know. Tell them! And please, if it's 'no', don't worry. It's ok. They'll move on and stop stalking you 24-7. Everyone’s happy.
So try these tips out to improve the relationship between marketer and salesperson.
It'll stop you from hiding under your desk, afraid to leave your house. And in return, those sales people might stop huddling into sales training sessions, cursing 'buyers are liars' and marketers might actually be able to squeeze yet another gourmet lunch window into their crazy schedule.
So what do you think marketers and salespeople? I'd love to hear what you have to say about each other.
Be kind now...
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5 Comments
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bad sales people give me the (BAD WORD FILTERED)s
Great article and I think this is a great debate topic. How about a round table subject in one of the upcoming magazines on this? And I don't mean from your senior managers either, get the word from the people on the ground. From a marketer / an ad-salesperson/ a media buyer / a planner, possibly someone from the strategic side as well.
There is so much to say on this topic but I'm going to get on my high horse about a couple of things from both points of view (by the way, I sell advertising for a living).
If a sales person doesn't do the research, speak to the KDM, drill down on the phone or in the meeting, doesn't know their numbers, and is afraid to ASK THE QUESTION, get out of the game now, you're wasting everyone's time and money. (it's a generalisation but some key points, it hurts the good sales people out there).
If a 21 year old can be called a media buyer/planner and are sent to these meetings on their own, I think it's an insult to the industry as a whole. We all know that they don't make the decisions now don't we? Nothing like traveling interstate and sitting in front of a numpty with answers like "I don't know my client's business enough to answer that question." (another generalisation but happens surprisingly often).
Thanks, now I need to get off my high horse and grab me a free coffee from the editor of this website!
Oh and 1234, you've kind of proved a point. Once you've had one bad sales person, you perceive them all to be the same. It works both ways, Once a sales person meets a 21yr old numpty that doesn't know there arse from their elbow (in agency land or otherwise), the stigma is attached.
NOW I'm off my high horse!
Adios Amigos!
Sales
Advertising/Marketing
One of the great problems here is the training of sales people. Don't get me wrong, there are many talented and gifted sales people out there but I reckon there are many more who just don't cut it and give the industry a bad name.
Let's face it, if you want to be a doctor, you need to do some training, if you want to be a mechanic, you need to some training, if you want to be a kindergarten teacher, you need to do some training. For sales people, there is no training required. In fact, many organisations don't bother to provide any of their sales staff with a decent learning and development program.
So too, marketing professionals need sales training. Yes, that's right, the buyer also needs to understand the sales process. Marketers are sales preople through and through and until they also understand the theoretical framework behind understanding challenges and providing solutions, no one wins in the selling/buying relationship.
Good one Marketing mag, let's bring that round table discussion on!