RELENTLESS RADIO

 

Author:	Sean Luce
Published:	June, 2000

 

You say you have never taken a client for granted right? I wouldn't hedge a bet on that! The first thing we have to recognize is that your number one client is usually someone else's number one prospect. Too many times in a rush to procure new business and sign up every prospect, those that belong on the station and even those who don't, we have a tendency to take our current clients for granted. So how do we get a firmly entrenched client away from our competitors? Let's hope they have left a small crack in the door for us. Even if you know the prospect and his or her family intimately, and socialize with them outside the office, the basic rules of good salesmanship do not change. You still have to provide value to the prospect. So as you go out there and beat your head against a wall and try to use logic (we know most prospects buy on emotion), here are six unconventional tactics that can turn a prospects head in your direction and on your station. Develop an inside coach You need to get up to speed on this prospect as quickly as you can. This doesn't have to be a 3-year wedding march to get the order. Get advise from people who already have knowledge of their business and the important contacts that can influence the decision maker. Coaching can come from inside their business or with people who they already work with such as vendors they currently do business with. Use your referral alliance This is a small world and you would be surprised who knows whom. All you have to do is throw their name around your current circles of clients and see if anybody knows them. In most cases this can lead to a call from one of your satisfied clients to the prospect and get things rolling right away. People want to do business with people who are successful. Sometimes they need an outside voice to move the process along. Get more influencers to help you How deep are you penetrating the different levels of people on this account? The more firmly entrenched they are with the competitor, the deeper you are going to have to go in developing relationships outside the main decision maker. Have you met the sales people on the floor? Business manager? Warehouse people and so forth? It takes work, but the more you do the better your chances of making this prospect a client. Ask them for the "wish" list If you could satisfy your customers' wildest expectations beyond their most current dreams, what would they have you do? Ask them and find out, and then figure out a way to make it happen. Walk their business It amazes me how we think we should get a presence in front of the prospect without first walking their business. Walk once, walk it twice and keep walking the business until you know as much about their business as they do. Build your own customer profile You should have a thorough knowledge of the customers personality, likes and dislikes, family members, where they went to school, community involvement and much more. (E-mail me at the address below for a complete 35 question customer profile) the question you need to ask yourself is does your competitor have a better profile of the customer than you do? If they do, it's going to be pretty tough to dislodge this prospect, if not, your chances of selling this prospect over a period of time are extremely high. Hopefully your competitor has slacked off and you have done the above. This is also a good reminder to protect your existing relationships because your clients are somebody else's top prospect. It takes three times the effort, money and time to get a new prospect than to keep your existing clients. Protect the home front and then go after the gold!