12 Ways to Get a Client or Prospect to Meet Face-to-Face

Out of Home Sales Expert Kevin Gephart

Thanks to Kevin Gleason (CEO of Adams Outdoor) for his insights a couple weeks ago in BI about  the importance of meeting out of home clients for face-to-face. They assure you will sell more OOH faster and get your increased share of the ad sales pie. You get far more face-to-face meetings when you demonstrate that you are a great businessperson that just happens to sell OOH. If you are having a difficult time getting in-person meetings take inventory of your approach.

The pandemic exacerbated a trend that began a while ago. Advertisers and their ad buyers always appear to be too busy or too disinterested to take face-to-face meetings.  It is more challenging to “sell” the meeting to an agency or paid buyer of advertising because they have to account for their billable hours. You’ll have to explain that a face-to-face meeting vs 18 emails will actually save them time and get them what they need faster.

A shocking breakdown of the components of a face-to-face conversation (from Albert Mehrabian, UCLA Psychology Professor) is: 55% nonverbal, 38% vocal, and ONLY 7% are words. You are at a huge disadvantage if you attempt to sell via email, ZOOM, or phone calls.

Chris Lytle reminds us: “The three biggest reasons buyers don’t like to meet with salespeople are: 1) Lack of preparation, 2) Lack of interest or empathy, 3) Rep being too pushy.” A direct marketing tenant reminds us that every customer contact is positive or negative, never neutral. Avoid the buyer dislikes, and you’ll guarantee your face-to-face meetings are POSITIVE and open the door for more.

Convince advertisers and advertising buyers to give you those direct meetings using these strategies:

  1. Current Clients: Explain because they are a key client, they deserve your best, which is a face-to-face meeting.
  2. New Prospect: Point out “Whether you buy from me or not, you’ll benefit greatly by our meeting.” (“Because I pre-plan with relevant ideas that help you win.” )
  3. Explain you are a sustaining resource, not just an 00H rep therefore you warrant a meeting.
  4. Illustrate that a key part of your personal attention is doing face-to-face meetings to assure better outcomes.
  5. Offer to bring something of true value:  a research insight, a media trend, or valuable competitive intel (uncovered only from public information).
  6. Assure them that you pre-plan all meetings guaranteeing very efficient use of time with improved outcomes.
  7. Point out, the best advertising comes from collaboration. Face-to-face meetings are the very best way to collaborate.
  8. When they say they don’t have time: Explain: “I assume you are busy, successful people are, advertisers I work with have felt the same way and found a concise 20-minute meeting saves days worth of emails.
  9. A strategic face-to-face meeting will provide real-time answers and insights into their challenges.
  10. Bring management along…it almost always gets a meeting.
  11. Sometimes advertisers don’t want to inconvenience you. Tell them you’re going to be in their area on XX day and you would like to have a meeting.
  12. Persist, because “no” always means “no” for now, always keep asking.

Remember; Reps with the most face-to-face meetings WINS!!!

 

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