HERE’S WHAT YOUR SALESPEOPLE CAN SAY TO SKITTISH RETAILERS
With the economy still in a shambles, even stalwart retailers who kept advertising when others cut back or gave up entirely are fidgeting. Maybe with holiday advertising dealt with, they think, the first quarter might be a good time to rein in the old ad budget and hunker down until things get better. What can your salespeople say to counter this pervasive thinking? It’s all about expenses versus investments.
I’ll give you my take in a moment; first, here’s what one of America
"All great enterprises move forward in a recession
and the weaklings move backward.
The dumbbells cut back on advertising.
The smart people don't."
-- Ed McCabe, Advertising Agency Founder
That’s one way of putting it, although I’ve never found that calling my clients dumbbells was particularly profitable. What your salespeople can say to customers and prospects who are wavering about spending money on radio advertising in the new year is this:
“There’s good news: you can entice customers to come to you and take action right now.”
“You can tell them what you want them to do and why what you have to offer is better than that stuff your competitors try to palm off.”
“You can trumpet the many ways your customers and prospects can benefit by doing business with you – price, quality, customer service, convenience, the skill and caring you and your employees bring to work every day, your unbeatable experience and reputation.”
“No matter what economic conditions apply, you can do every one of those things every single day. You can not only survive but thrive. You can, as the song says, live, love, laugh and be happy.”
Unless you cut your advertising budget.
That’s the key: eliminate expenses. Don’t eliminate investments.
EXPENSES vs. INVESTMENTS
Investments can be defined as “money that is invested with the expectation of a profit”. Based on that sound logic, it’s easy for your customers to determine the checks they write that will never, except in the loosest definition, bring any financial return.
When the economy belches, however, they may have to lay off unproductive or excess personnel, close branch locations or tighten inventory.
All of those items are expenses.
Make sure your salespeople engage their customers about the items in their accounts payable lists that count as investments, items that are absolutely necessary for their businesses to survive and thrive. These include:
· their primary business location
· inventory that is attractive and will definitely sell
· furnishings that make the business function
· valuable, productive employees – and
· ADVERTISING
None of the other four ingredients works if no one knows who your clients
are, where to find them, what they provide better than anyone else or what’s compelling and newsworthy about their businesses.
That’s what advertising is for.
There has never been a more compelling moment for radio salespeople to reinforce the idea that advertising is an important business investment. As you send your warriors out during this busy pre-Christmas week, make sure they’re focused on first and second quarter business but also on keeping your customers zeroed in on advertising as an investment.
TUESDAY: Continuing this vital end-of-year topic, I’ll reveal Five Compelling Reasons Why Your Retail Customers Should Keep Advertising.
