By Shawn Kelly
So, this is it huh? The New Millennium. What happened to the Y2K bug we bought into? I, for one, believe it was all a good sales pitch. Not saying that there weren’t any problems with the whole Y2K thing, but it wasn’t nearly one tenth as bad as the presentation the high tech world gave us. Yes millions upon millions of dollars were spent on making our systems Y2K compliant, but when you really take a look at it, it was indeed an excellent sales pitch. And that’s what everything in life is, a sales pitch. In fact you’re going through one right now, as you read this article. When someone tries to convince you about something, it’s a sales pitch. When you write a commercial, it’s a sales pitch. When you want someone to go with you to a movie, you are making a sales pitch. When you woke up this morning, did you ever think that someone would say that you were a salesperson? Of course you didn’t. That’s why you have to know how to be a salesperson in order to write copy that gets results.
First you have to understand the comparisons between you and your salesperson.
You are trying to get people to buy the advertiser product. Your salesperson is trying to get advertisers to buy your product, your station.
Your salesperson has to ask people who have no money to advertise. By producing copy, you are asking people who have no money to buy the advertisers product.
Your salesperson has to go out everyday and produce more revenue for your station. Everyday you have to make commercials to produce more revenue for your clients.
A salesperson will say anything to get the sale. You will say anything to get the sale, too.
You think your salesperson is arrogant, uncaring, and doesn’t care about you. Your salesperson thinks the same about you.
We are all in the same boat. We all have a job to do, and we must get it done no matter what. The problem is, we don’t understand each other’s jobs. If you took the time to know exactly what a salesperson goes though to make the sale, you would look at the classic salesperson in a different light. Now, let’s get back to the main subject.
Before you sit at your computer ask a few questions.
What is the clients’ main goal?It's to make more money.
What is the one thing my client is trying to sell? Videos
What is the one thing he wants the listeners to know? He has the most copies of new releases.
What one thing makes him different from other video retailers? He is open longer.
How long is his schedule? (You need to know this in order to make his campaign season sensitive.)
Did you know that by asking these questions you have become your salesperson? These are the same questions your salesperson asks everyday, and so should you. These are the questions in your salesperson’s sales pitch and in yours.
Your salesperson is trying to convince the client that it’s in his best interest to advertise with the station. You are trying to convince the consumer that it is in his best interest to buy the advertisers product.
The salesperson is asking the client, “Wouldn’t it be great if lots of people came rushing in to your store to buy your product?” You are asking the listener, “Wouldn’t it be great if you owned this product?”
Your salesperson is asking, “Isn’t it a nice day for golf? How would you like to see a 10% rise in clients next week?” You are saying to the consumer, “Isn’t it a great day for golf? Set up a tee time with a friend and go play!”
Do you understand yet? You are just like your salesperson. You both ask the same questions. You are both trying to get the same results. You are both out to make more money for you and the station. Everything you do everyday is a sales pitch. Aren’t you trying to get the salesperson to understand your way of thinking? Aren’t you trying to get the advertiser to understand why his commercials should not sound the same as everyone else’s? Aren’t you trying to make the station sound better through the sets? Aren’t you trying to get listeners to listen to the commercials? If you are, you are making a sales pitch and you are a salesperson.
You have the difficult task of being creative with your clients’ copy in order to attract listeners to your station and client’s store. Your salesperson has the difficult task of being creative in ways of getting clients to buy, and you should know better than anyone else how hard it is to deal with clients.
So before you get frustrated with your salesperson about copy or deadlines, remember, you are the same as they are. You both have the same goals in this business. Don’t fly off the handle when something happens. Speak with your salesperson about the situation. Ask questions about the situation and resolve the situation. Get the clients spot done no matter what! Understand your salesperson, respect your salesperson, and they will understand and respect you.
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