Thanks to everyone who submitted their toughest OOH sales questions. I will tackle the most common ones over the next few installments. Let’s start with the Number 1 question:

“How do we keep competitors from undercutting our rates and stealing our business?”

There isn’t a magic solution. Solving it requires a strategic shift in how your sales department thinks and your sales reps sell.

I once had a very direct (read: blunt) sales manager who responded to rep rate complaints with:
“That’s your problem. What’s the client’s problem?”

Advertisers are not shopping for cheap billboards. They are shopping for solutions and billboards may be one of the tools.

Reps who operate at higher levels of selling don’t lead with their newest location or their hot deal. They lead with business understanding, relevance, and questions. When reps probe advertisers for their real challenges (growth, visibility, traffic, hiring, awareness, competitive pressure), price becomes only one and somewhat minor factor.

Have you heard statements like these from your sales team?

• “They like it, but we’re too expensive. Can I cut the rate?”
• “I could close this if we gave them two bonus weeks.”
• “Everyone else in the market is cheaper.”
• “The economy is bad.”
• “It’s summer — everyone’s on vacation.”
• “This is a tough territory; nobody here uses billboards.”

These are the signs of a Level One sales rep: the Product Peddler. Level-one reps can produce numbers and close deals, but they live in a constant state of vulnerability because they:

• Sell products instead of outcomes
• Close short-term transactions
• Compete primarily on price
• Are easily replaced by a cheaper option

Premium pricing and durable relationships live at higher levels.

• Level Two: Problem Solver — connects inventory to business needs.
• Level Three: Professional Salesperson — shapes strategy and planning.
• Level Four: Sustaining Resource — becomes embedded in the advertiser’s success.

At Levels 2-4, you’re no longer selling OOH, you’re solving problems, guiding strategies, and protecting outcomes.

Think about the competitor accounts you can’t crack; the ones that seem locked up year after year. Chances are those advertisers are being managed by Level Two, Three, or Four reps for your competitors; reps who have moved the conversation beyond price.

If your team wants protection from undercutting, the answer isn’t a new discount strategy, it’s elevating how they sell.

If you would like to explore how to elevate your team and sell more OOH faster through the four levels of OOH sales reach out to me: KevinJGephart@gmail.com