Take the Challenge

There are a number of sales topics that could start out with a challenge, but one that really gets me going involves that client that just doesn’t seem to get it. They would rather throw their money into the wind and continue a schedule with a competitive book than listen to sound reasons why your audience needs to be considered for their messages. No matter what you have done, they buy the competitor because of “the deal” and nothing more. If you have a client that frustrates you, there might be a way to turn it around and finally get them to understand the need to address your audience.

Want to conquer this type of client? Then challenge yourself. Here’s something that worked for me, and it just might work for you as well. First, get a copy of the client's ad and hang it on the wall in the office, right in front of you. It’s important that you see this ad every day! This will act as a reminder to do something creative, something different, to get this client turned around. If you’ve done your homework, you'll understand the client, their product, their market, and the audience they are targeting. If you think creatively, you might find a solution to this dilemma sooner than you think.

I had one of these stubborn clients, and took the challenge given to me by my Ad Director, and displayed the client's ad where I could see it every day. I kept racking my brain, trying to figure out a way to get them to increase their schedule with us, but the annual media schedule continued to be split equally among three (3) print mediums. I was dealing with an Ad Manager that bought competitive brands because of a “great rate” and “editorial coverage,” not to mention that he was looking for kudos from his boss for spending the budget dollars wisely. Obviously, he wasn’t going to get anything other than the rate card rate from us, and we certainly were not going to offer any editorial favors. So, the 18 pages that were part of the annual schedule continued to get equally divided among the three (3) publications. I was not happy or satisfied with just six (6) pages, and one day, the light bulb went on in my head, and we came up with a way to turn the situation around.

I found out that this client was going to be celebrating a milestone anniversary the next year, so I used that angle as a way to get in front of the client's executive management. By getting all the players in a room, we could salute their milestone and at the same time review the benefits of the audience that we delivered to them. We sponsored an Anniversary Luncheon and invited all their executives and the folks from the ad agency as well. We had a set of beautiful glass tumblers engraved with the client milestone logo and the Automotive News logo and made certain that each attendee took a set home. We put together a display of print ads that had run over the past 25 years and it became the center for conversations on how well those messages worked and how much Automotive News played a role in their success.

The idea worked, and the next year our schedule doubled. So, my advice this week would be to take the challenge. If you think about it long enough, you will come up with a creative way to get your message across. The client will soon learn that it isn’t about the rate. It’s all about the results.

Keep making the calls,

Tony