(By Loyd Ford) If you sell radio advertising, I often wonder if you think about your sales brand. Not the brand of radio stations you sell or the digital brand your company has – I mean you.
I sometimes end up in spaces where sellers tell me that “advertisers don’t want to see salespeople anymore.” It’s often used as a reason to not go see someone. Of course, it’s true. Advertisers are like other people; they don’t want to see salespeople.
People don’t like to be sold.
People like for things to be their idea.
You’ve probably heard this said a million times; the greatest joy is to know and be known.
It’s not just joy. Here is the truth about continuing to stay away from people who advertise. If you don’t find a way to be an essential part of the lives of your clients, someone else will fill your slot. They will get your revenue and you will go home “struggly.”
I hope your brand is not struggly.
Notice that the sentence above does not say “The greatest joy is to be a seller and be known as someone who sells things.”
Don’t be just a seller. If you’re ready to consider how you can build a personal sales brand, consider the following steps:
Define what you want to be known for in your market. Identify a specific area of sales where you want to excel.
Develop your own value proposition. Figure out what sets you apart and how you can solve specific challenges for clients. Focus on making that known.
Explode your network. Go to any event in your industry that puts you in the “sphere of influence” of high-performing sellers. Constantly develop a strategy to connect with potential clients in your market and impact influencers around those businesses.
Build your social and online presence. Create a LinkedIn profile that mirrors the image of your brand. Create content on LinkedIn that draws people into your message, develop your SEO-friendly profile, and maintain a consistent posting schedule with meaningful content that matches how you wish to be seen.
Always be authentic and consistent. When you identify your brand, maintain that consistent persona and message across all channels of communication.
Ask yourself how you develop a reputation as something beyond “seller.” Sellers will be invited less and less to the party.
People want solutions. People want their business lives to be easier. They want to enjoy interactions with those they allow in their lives and they absolutely want to be a friend to creativity that brings them more customers.
Consider your opportunity to be ideas, opportunities, research, and someone who is seen as “the one who knows.” While other reps complain about being invited less and less to see clients, these clients (and their friends) will be seeing more of you.
Brand + Relationship + Great Products + Consistent Problem-Solving = Higher revenue.
Loyd Ford is president and chief strategic officer at Rainmaker Pathway Consulting Works (RPC). They help local radio with ratings and revenue. Reach him anytime at 864.448.4169 or [email protected]. Read Loyd’s Radio Ink archives here.
