How To Increase Your Sales In 30 Seconds

(By Pat Bryson) One of the hardest parts of our sales process is getting in the door the first time. Today, businesspeople are inundated by people wanting to sell them something. In-boxes are full, phones ring constantly, and people walk in their doors. How is your sales icebreaker?

That businessperson you’re calling didn’t get up in the morning saying, “Gee, I hope a radio or TV salesperson comes by today.” Instead, they are trying to figure out how to run a profitable business in a business environment that is constantly changing. New problems arise daily. When we approach them, they are asking themselves, “Why should I give this person my time?”

“Hello, I’m salesperson X with XXXX station. I’d like to talk with you about your radio advertising.” Or, “I’d like to come by and learn a little bit about your business to see if I can sell you something.” Or, “We’ve got this great new package I’d like to talk with you about.”

Sound familiar? How are those opening lines working for you?

There are two worlds in every sales situation: Our world and the world of the client. Guess which world is most important? A prospect will welcome us into their world IF they perceive that doing so will make their world better, will solve problems for them. It’s not about US: It’s about THEM. We must answer, “Why”?

“Hello, my name is Salesperson and I’m with XXXX. I’m not sure if we have anything to talk about or not, but we’ve been working with businesspeople, such as yourself, to help them deal with some of the problems they are facing today. Some of our clients just can’t find enough good people to work for them. We are helping them to locate staff. Some are experiencing supply chain problems. We are creating messages for them that help them create revenue streams for other parts of their business. Some recognize that since the cost of doing business is rising almost daily, the only way to protect their profit margin is to get more people in their stores. We have devised campaigns to increase their traffic. Which of these frustrations might you be experiencing? Well, would it make sense for you to invite me over for half an hour so we could discuss whether or not we might be able to help you? I’m available Tuesday at 2:00.”

Note that this 30-second sales icebreaker commercial leads with how we have helped other businesspeople to solve problems (third party reference). The problems we mention (in bold) are the problems we are hearing from our current clients. These are almost universal today and will change as the business environment changes. You can insert new problems as they arise. Chances are your prospect has one or more of these challenges.

We craft our 30-second sales icebreaker to present what we do from the world of our clients: We help our clients to solve business problems. The vehicles we use to deliver messages from our clients to potential customers may be our radio stations, digital programs, outdoor, direct mail – all of these are VEHICLES TO DELIVER MESSAGES. It’s not about US! It’s about THEM: Our clients. They don’t want to buy advertising, but they DO want to solve their business problems. If they believe we can help them do that, they will invite us in. They will give us their time. They will give us their money.

Happy Selling!

Pat Bryson is the CEO of Bryson Broadcasting International, a consulting firm that works with sales managers and salespeople to raise revenue. She is the author of two books, “A Road Map to Success in High-Dollar Broadcast Sales” and “Successful Broadcast Sales: Thriving in Change” available on her website. Read Pat’s Radio Ink archives here.