The Anatomy of a Top Biller

(By Pat Bryson) Today’s successful Account Executives see themselves as marketing consultants, not just spot salespeople. They seek to understand their clients’ needs and to create solutions to those problems. They advise their clients on all platforms that the client may use, whether or not that salesperson sells it. They understand marketing and how to create effective campaigns.

These salespeople share certain traits in common. What are the attributes of the Best of the Best? 

1. The super-sellers innovate and stay out of their comfort zones by trying to surpass their previous levels of performance.
2. They set short, intermediate, and long-term goals which are higher than the quotas set by their managers and focus on their mission.
3. They solve their client’s problems by recommending their stations or other platforms only after they have identified a client’s need and included them in developing a solution.
4. They view the customer as a partner rather than as an adversary.
5.  They see rejection as information they can learn from. Mediocre sellers personalize rejection.
6. They mentally rehearse each stage of the call from the handshake to the questioning process to the close before they arrive.
7.  Rather than present products, they exchange information with their clients.
8.  Top billers act as a resource for their clients, providing them with ideas and experience.  They are perceived by the customer as an advocate of their needs.
9. They are enthusiastic. Top billers believe in their product. Selling is the transference of enthusiasm from the salesperson to the customer.
10. A top biller does what they say they will do, when they say they will do it.
11. They are members of the Extra-Mile Club. Top billers do more than their customers expect. Remember, a little extra gives big rewards!

How do you rank?

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.