Have you seen those Coke Zero commercials where the guy is always asking "and?"
His attitude that there must be more than meets the eye is a great illustration of how consumers, clients and team members look any proposal, product or offer.
In the newspaper business, the advertising department is the revenue workhorse. While subscriptions bring in a good amount of revenue, it is advertising (in all its forms) that pays the majority of the bills.
In order for there to be advertising in the newspapers, there have to be advertising salespeople to solicit the ads. Anyone who has managed a sales force know it takes the right people, the right product and the right incentives to make it all work.
Gone are the days when salary plus commission were enough for the sales department to hit their marks. Even though many in management think, “selling is their job,” the proof is in the sales, or lack thereof.
Once it was realized that adding bonuses and incentives were key to sales success, many in my industry went overboard with cutesy contests and other programs — which led to lackluster results in many cases.
During a lunch meeting with a fellow publisher, the subject of incentives for salespeople came up. He made a statement regarding this I will never forget.
“Salespeople won't bust their tail for a chance to win something. They will bust their tail if they are guaranteed a win if they hit their mark.”
While contests are fun in a lot of ways, do not forget to reward for performance.
As managers, we need to “build in” investments in rewards and incentives into every project that requires sales. Our pricing structure should be such that it pays the bills, pays for a quality product and incentivize the salespeople.
Looking internally is a good start, but it is only half the solution.
Just like a municipality offers incentives for a sports team, industry, etc. to locate in their city, we should look for ways to offer incentives to our customers.
Many of those who are reading this column are thinking, “my product/service should not need any sort of gimmick for people to buy it.” I couldn't agree with you more.
But what should be reality and what is reality are two totally different things.
The truth is we all want a “better deal.” We wait for sales at our favorite retailers. We use coupons in the grocery store. We get excited when someone gives us a gift card to our favorite restaurant.
Another truth is your competition is already using incentives. Whether it is free vacations for their best customers, or a little something extra at the close of the sale, there are already incentives in play.
The sales “game” was once just about a product, a relationship and timing. But that game has changed.
It is time we all stepped up our game. AND win.
Until Next Time...
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