Radio Ink - Radio's Premier Management & Marketing Magazine

• News Tips
• Advertise
• Conferences
  • Convergence
  • Forecast
  • Hispanic Radio Conference
• Lists
• Blogs

by Sean Luce

You are the message — especially if you don’t have enormous numbers to sell from Arbitron or Eastlan. Eighty percent of the reason someone buys from you is because they like and trust you; 20 percent is because of your product or service.You must build a relationship, but you don’t need a two-year wedding march to get the order. Here are 5 tips on how to sell with emotion and enthusiasm:

Recently, I sat in on the Dawson McAllister Live call-in advice show, listening to teenagers and young adults telling their stories and asking for help. I felt many emotions that Sunday night, and left the studio a different person than the one who walked in. What I heard that night was real, not staged. One 19-yearold caller literally cried for help while telling McAllister that she “breathed drugs and sex,” and admitted that when she came down from drugs, she just wanted more two hours later. And she couldn’t stop. Listening that night, I felt raw emotion. Emotion sells —whether you’re selling the advertisers on your station or listening to a radio show. If you don’t have emotion when you’re selling, something is wrong. If you’re emotional about what you believe in, you’ll convey that emotion, and sell advertisers on your station. You are the message — especially if you don’t have enormous numbers to sell from Arbitron or Eastlan. Eighty percent of the reason someone buys from you is because they like and trust you; 20 percent is because of your product or service.You must build a relationship, but you don’t need a two-year wedding march to get the order.

Here are 5 tips on how to sell with emotion and enthusiasm:

LISTEN:
The true consultant salesperson is a better listener than talker. If you’re talking more than you’re listening, there is no way to maximize your sales efforts. Listening is an art. Have you ever had someone finish a sentence for you? I catch myself doing this sometimes, and I think it’s very rude.You can never know what someone will say unless they finish their own sentences. Asking 75-80 percent more questions will limit your talking time, and get the customer dialed in to what you’re doing.

MAKE EYE CONTACT:
Our managers grade our sales reps in the field on making eye contact with clients. It’s one of the most important techniques in letting your clients know that you’re listening. Body language is important here — moving the side of your head so one of your ears is closer to the client is a good way of “tuning in.” Make an effort to concentrate on who you’re talking to, and don’t wander mentally. When you’re in a person’s 25-squarefoot comfort zone, you’d better be listening.

FOLLOW THE LAW OF THREE:
An easy rule to follow is the Law of Three, which states that 90 percent of all of your sales results come from three activities:
1) Prospect and make appointments
2) Make effective presentations
3) Follow up and close the sale

PROSPECTING:
Today, the average sales rep only spends about 90 minutes a day with prospects.With attrition rates, that’s not very much time to garner new business. We need to monitor how much time we’re spending on new accounts; you can’t sell yourself if you’re not in front of customers.

BELIEVE IN YOURSELF:
How you’re seen by customers — whether they like and respect you — is a major force in garnering sales. The best way to communicate outwardly is to first look inward. The only thing that matters is believing you can do it, because you are the product.That’s the most important of the tip of the day.The way you dress, speak, and carry yourself all convey emotion about the product you are selling. Confidence is 90 percent mental and 10 percent physical. Remember, there’s no one thing that will convey emotion when you’re selling, it’s all of these things. If you really want to double your income, doubling your time on certain areas of your selling and gaining new business is vital. Have a purpose for selling your product. Many radio sales reps don’t believe in the value of radio, and that is communicated to clients through a lack of enthusiasm. Next time you go out in the field making calls and representing this great media, think of the power of radio.You’re selling the greatest medium on the face of the earth. Do you believe it?

Sean Luce, head national instructor for the Luce Performance Group, he can be reached at 832-567-6340 or Sean@luceperformancegroup.com

Send This Story To A Friend