(By Rick Fink) I’m not a fisherman. While I enjoy the pastime, I don’t do it very often. However, one of my best friends loves to fish and every year he goes on a major fishing trip to Canada.
After having a lengthy conversation with him about his most recent trip, from beginning to end, it got me thinking about the similarities between fishing and selling advertising and how implementing some of fishing’s best practices can increase your chances of being a successful media salesperson.
Persistence pays off. You gotta have patience; the fish aren’t always biting, and not every business owner is ready to take your bait on any given day. All too often we quit calling our prospects or give up on presenting another proposal just before they’re ready to buy. Make one more call a day and I’ll guarantee you a better year.
Bigger bait catches bigger fish. Presenting small radio packages does not capture your prospects’ attention as well as a larger multi-media offering. If you continually cast out small lures or bait, you’ll only attract small fish. If your prospect can bite onto a larger lure, present it and see if they bite.
Fish in non-traditional places. You can cast hundreds of times in the usual good fishing spots with no luck. Sometimes you need to fish in different spots. While it might seem justified and smart to fish where everyone else is fishing, trying your luck where no one else has fished can really pay off.
Change your approach. The old tried and true sometimes can lose its luster and just doesn’t work as well as it once did. It’s ok to try a different approach. Different prospects, like fish, need to be approached differently and reeled in differently. Do you have a new “lure” or valid business reason for every call, or are you presenting the same old bait all of your competitors are using?
Prepare. The best fishermen, like the best media reps, are prepared. They are continually trying to hone their skills, and they have the needed tools to make every day a successful day. Do you anticipate and plan for objections in your presentation? And are you prepared to negotiate? Did you think about your approach before beginning a sales call or presentation or did you just put the boat in the water and cast a line? The better prepared you are, the better your chances are of landing the big one!
Know when to let your prospects “run.” Once the hook “appears” to be set, it’s easy to start pulling or “pushing” too hard. Once you “hook” your prospects’ interest, don’t reel too hard or too fast. Let them run a bit if they need to. If you don’t, you stand a chance of breaking your connection. Continue to ask questions, let them talk, and let them be part of developing your solution.
When you’re prospecting for new clients, these lessons can be the difference between “fishing” or “catching.”
Rick Fink from ENS Media can be reached at 605-310-2062 or [email protected]. Read Rick’s Radio Ink archives here.
