The Information Sent

1. 'Competition Excluder'

This is an information kit which you send immediately, when a prospect let's you know that they will be advertising 'at some time' in the future -- but not just yet.

At the moment they are just 'researching the market'.

You send them a Special Report which 'helps' them choose the right vehicle to advertise in -- yours.

The special report details what the publication must have for them to advertise effectively.

And what it needn't have.

Of course, the report emphasises that the publication or vehicle must have all the benefits which your opportunity possesses -- and needn't have those features which are the strong points of your competition.

2. Case Studies

Case studies tell the story of a great publication and a happy customer. The customer should always be interviewed and quoted in the article.

There is no standardized format for writing a case study. They can be as short as a single paragraph, or as complex as a four-page document with sidebars, summaries and charts.

For best results, we recommend you follow what we call "The Case Study Sequence":

Ø      The customer. In the lead paragraph, focus on your customer, not on your publication. Gain attention with an interesting lead.

Ø      The challenge. Next, introduce the problem. What condition was your customer trying to change or improve? If possible, use the customer's own words in the form of a quotation.

Ø      The journey. What steps were taken to solve the problem? What other marketing ideas were tested? Why didn't these work out? Many case study writers skip this section. Don't you skip it. This is the place in the story where the reader begins to identify and empathize.

Ø      The discovery. How did the customer find out about you? From a referral? At a seminar? Through reading a Special Report? This section often acts as a bridge to the remainder of the case study.

Ø      The solution. This is where you have unbridled freedom to pitch your publication as 'the answer' without fear of sounding too promotional. The earlier sections have earned you this right.

Ø      The implementation. How was the customer's advert implemented? Was there any pressure involved? How long was it before the results began to flow in? Be honest about any problems that arose and how they were resolved. Highlight instances where you went "the extra mile" to satisfy the customer.

Ø      The results. How well did your ad space solve your customer's problem? Be as specific as you can here. If possible, use hard numbers such as enquiries generated, sales made, revenue gains, profit growth and return on investment.

This is another good spot to include a customer quotation. And a great place to summarize and close your story.

3. Special Reports

We use special reports all the time. There is a Module elsewhere in this program devoted to them, including two examples. Please refer to that module.

4. Client List

Sending your prospect your existing client list can pique their curiosity (who's tried this before?) and reassure them. You want to comfort your prospect with the knowledge that they are NOT a pioneer. Pioneers end up with arrows in their back.

This won't happen to your prospect, because the path of advertising with you has been well tried, and there are no unpleasant ambushes waiting for them.

Your client list proves this in a way which your claims can't. You can claim anything. Your client list demonstrates that your ad space works. It is worth faxing over as an 'urgent' piece of news ....

5. Adverts from 'Circle of Influence'

Further to your client list, if any of your present advertisers are known to or are friends/suppliers/customers of your prospect then send a copy of their actual adverts as another contact.

If you can send over 5-10 adverts in a folder, with something scribbled in bright red marker pen across each advert -- like 'results: 15 sales' or 'results: 17% increase in profits' -- then even if your prospect only glances at each one ..... you've hit him with another 5-10 reasons to advertise.

6. Articles from Previous Issues

If your client is, say, an accountant and you are trying to convince him that your ad space will help him to attract more clients, then send over some previous articles which you have run --dealing with accounting subjects.

Let the prospect know when you are next going to publish an article on the subject and offer to place their advert on the same page as the article.

7. Tip Booklet

We use a tip booklet to show that we care about the client's sales results. The Tip Booklet we use is available in another module of this course as a .pdf file and a word file for you to copy and amend.

It is a tool to demonstrate that you want to help your client make more sales.

By sending it, with a short covering letter, you are making another contact, giving a gift (which will probably be quickly scanned then put in a 'pending' tray to be looked at later) and setting up your next phone call:

"I hope that the tip booklet was of some help, and that you passed it around some of your sales people, but there's just one important point that needs to be made ....."

[You then make any point that you want. One point we often make is that none of their sales people can begin to give a sales talk until they have someone to talk to. Someone who has made contact because they read the client's advert ...]

The Media Used

Physical Media

1. Packages by courier

These are used to create a sense of urgency and importance. The most important part of any package is the short, sharp covering letter.

The Purpose of the package is to be opened ... so that the covering letter is read.

The package can be a Special Report, tip booklet, examples of adverts -- any of the information products revealed above.

The covering letter makes a couple of short points that you'd like your client take on board. The sort of points which they won't take your call to listen to, or read in a brochure, or bother to concentrate on .... unless you use a device like an urgent package to catch their attention.

If you send a long letter with the package -- the client won't read it.

A short letter with a benefit in the headline, plus two more benefits contained in a three or four paragraph note is ideal. Your client reads these points before they stop paying attention.

A package is usually the third or fourth contact made -- after they know who you are and what you are offering, but before a detailed sales conversation.

2. Letters

Letters are one of your most important tools, and are usually the second contact that you make (after the initial phone call) and again after a couple of faxes and emails and further phone calls.

Letters are often filed ... so sales points which are made over the phone ar reinforced when repeated in a letter.

See the module 'Letters that Sell' which is part of this System.

3. Faxes

It is against the law in some states to send unsolicited faxes. Faxes are usually urgent, and get put on a client's desk and skim read.

So a fax is usually sent as the fourth or fifth contact, and contain information which can be quickly digested.

Sending your client list by fax often has an impact. The client grabs the fax, quickly glances down the list to see if there is anyone she knows ...... and if there is .... notes it at the back of her mind before throwing the fax in the bin.

But the next time you speak to her on the phone, you can ask:

"Do you know any of the people on our client list very well?"

And take the conversation from there.

'Non-Physical' Media

4. E-mails

E-mails are great for quick points to prospects who have begun to recognise you, and for answering any queries promptly.

They are lousy for giving dense, detailed information such as a breakdown of readership profiles and buying habits.

Why? Because most business people use email for quick ephemeral 'sound bites' and expect weighty or complex information to be printed.

Emails are like a paper tissue. Wipe up a quick spill and forget it.

Many successful ad sales people put a quick summary of their information in an email, and then post a letter with the expanded version.

Craft your subject line. Your subject line is a window into your soul, so make it a good one. First, it has to get your message past the spam filters. Then, it must communicate that your message is worth reading. While you're at it, craft your "From:" line too because when people see the From is from an ad sales person, they usually assume the message is a pitch

Keep it short. The ideal length for an email is five sentences.

5. Phone Calls.

These are the heart of the sale. You make several of these.

Ø      The first one is probably short to confirm that the prospect has some small interest.

Ø      The second one (after you have mailed some 'stuff' to your prospect) is the qualifying conversation -- do they have enough interest and money to be worth persuing?

Ø      The third call is probably the selling call -- the whole point of everything. See 'How to Sell Ad Space Like the EXPERTS Do'

A staggering number of ad sales people only make phone calls.

It's hard to make progress this way. You can't bully a prospect into advertising with you -- you have to entice them.

By contacting them in a variety of ways, with a variety of tools you can entice a prospect to want to advertise with you.

You intrigue them, inform them, question them, amuse them, show concern for them, inform them some more ... and all the while build a rapport with them.

Then you give them the sales talk.