Digital sales can seem like an overwhelming labyrinth of terms, acronyms, statistics and misguided competitive battles. There are a few things that I recommend keeping in mind going into an initial meeting as a rep or a newcomer to this lucrative game.
- Do your homework: 100% look at their site. Know the local competitors, what they pride themselves on, their other locations (if they have multiple), the main personnel within their organization and their historical background as a company. Think of this initial meeting as a first date. You need to find out what is going well in their lives, while subtlety understanding what you can offer to improve it.
- Be observant: If you’re there physically for a face to face meeting I recommend looking around to see who is in the store. They are likely the target market. As a simplistic example, if you’re pitching a fitness location, there are MANY different types of individuals that could be inside the gym. There could be the Lululemon yoga crew, or there could be the dudes who flip tires over and scream during UFC fights. This is the same “Fitness” category of consumers, but they are a very separate marketing persona for your advertiser.
- Relax, smile and be personable: Small and Medium Businesses want someone they can trust. You need to be their friend, consultant and reporting advocate. Their business is yours and you need to make known the fact that you care about NOTHING but their success.
- Let them lead the conversation: Find out the client’s pain points. As a digital Sherlock Holmes, your goal is to discover possible Improvements to their marketing strategy and attain homework (a proposal). This is the main goal of the meeting every single time. You need to find out the following:
- What are they currently doing (Digitally or not.. Find their current marketing mix)
- Who is their target market? Are they looking to expand that?
- Where do they want to target? (Geo)
- What are they trying to accomplish? (Long term and short)
- What success metrics do they have? (Key performance indicators)
- What is their budget (Don’t push it…… You will know when to ask if it’s appropriate)
*******They will ask “What does this all cost”? You need to reiterate that this is a custom tailored strategy for their business! No campaign is the same. You do not know how much an effective campaign will cost until you know how you can help them. That is why you are having a needs analysis appointment.
*******DO NOT PRODUCT DUMP. Listen to them so that you can make suggestions based on their needs.
- DON’T SPEAK IN ACRONYMS. We work in advertising… they do not. I see and hear this mistake constantly. No advertiser wants to seem like they are not in tune with 2019 marketing so they won’t stop you when you have lost them in the whirlwind that is digital. Show value by choosing intelligent products, slowing down and explaining WHY the recommended products will improve their business (could be ecommerce sales, registrations, form fills, site visits, door pulls..).
Make a CUSTOM plan and EXECUTE with their goals in mind. That is the key to retention.
