Kevin Gephart: What’s Important to Know Now to Sell More Faster In a Recession

Out of Home Sales Expert Kevin Gephart

Why this topic is important.

A bold thought from Tony Robbins: “Winners anticipate, others are doomed to “re-act”.

Your job as an out of home sales rep is to be the very best businessperson you can be that just happens to sell out of home. Be a sustaining resource for your prospects/clients by helping them anticipate. It means you must be current on what’s going on in the economy and your marketplace.

Are we in a recession?

Even experts don’t yet know.  The challenge with knowing is it’s based on historic data, not real time information.  Likely we won’t know if we are in a recession until we start leaving the recession. But let’s assume that times could get to be challenging.

What if you could cast a spell over all your media competitors that would get them to stop prospecting, stop challenging their clients’ ambitions and basically stop trying.  That’s what happens with talk about recession; “I’m not going to make that sales call, go that extra mile”.  The word recession is like kryptonite.  It makes us cower.  The news media constantly tells us the bad news.  When a hundred people in your town lose their jobs it’s in the news.  If a company in your town adds one hundred jobs that doesn’t make the news.  We have to go digging for the good news in a recession.  Companies like IBM, General Electric, Proctor and Gamble, General Motors and even FedEx and Microsoft were all started during a recession or an economic downturn.  We can free ourselves from the recession spell with facts and insights.  Most recessions generally last 10-12 months.  If we can get through covid we can get through 10-12 months!

The decision is yours

Sam Walton, the founder of Walmart was asked for his thoughts about recessions.  He said, “I don’t think about them a lot because I decided not to participate!”  Did Sam Walton say this because he was the richest person in the world at the time or did, he become the richest person in the world because he held these beliefs?  Decide not to participate and free yourself from the spell of a recession.

In the Chinese yin/yang theory a strength is a weakness, and a weakness is a strength.  For example, I was asked in a seminar if that is true, I just got out of college (a weakness) how is that a strength? I explained, you can tell your prospects that:  (1) You possess the most current up to date advertising and marketing education, (2) no one is going to work harder than I am because I’m new and I have the time and the bandwidth, (3) I don’t come in with any preconceived notions about your advertising.

If the weakness is a recession, what are the strengths of the recession.  Author Neil Howell said, “we solve problems when times are at their worst.”   Have you ever tried to sell somebody on using billboards when they are having a record year?  Pain makes gain.  When advertisers are experiencing pain that’s when they are going to be receptive to your message of an advertising change.  In tough times when advertisers are questioning everything, make sure you’re in the conversation to talk about OOH solutions.

My next column will address a  a critical high-gain recession question for your clients and prospects. Gain an insightful competitive advantage to sell more OOH Faster by purchasing the Ultimate OOH Sales Guide.  140+ pages of actionable local ideas you can use right now.  Order your hard copy or eBook https://billboardinsider.com/the-ultimate-out-of-home-sales-guide/

 

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