Complete Story
05/27/2020
Why Ad Sales is Like the Game of Chess
Source: Ryan Dohrn, Niche Publishing Network, May 15, 2020
I’m occasionally asked to accompany an account executive for coaching purposes as they make a sales call. The majority of the time, the account rep will talk about their media product for the first 20 minutes of the ad sales meeting.
Why do sales people talk too much? Why is ad sales like the game of Chess?
Sales people talk too much due to a combination of poor training and fear. Poor training, in that the ad sales rep hasn’t learned to ask questions, rather than dominate the conversation. Fear, in that the ad sales rep worries about the outcome of the meeting because they don’t know what to expect.
Have you ever heard of Paul Charles Morphy?
He is considered to have been the greatest chess master of his era and is remembered as one of the best strategic players of chess known to man. Many said he knew every move he would make before the game began.
That is where you want to be as a sales person. Anticipate the outcome of your meeting by thinking of each question as a move in the game of chess. Each question you ask helps get you closer to the anticipated outcome of the meeting.
Most meetings that win business are focused on the advertiser and their requirements and have very little to do with the media you are selling. Of course, your media is an important factor, but the meeting must be about them and their needs, their requirements and their desires. You know, the things that are meaningful to them, like making money.
So, how do you get to that winning moment where you ask for the order?
You must first ask some really good questions of the advertiser. Lead them to the point where they realize that you really care about their business and their success with your media company.
