Most of your sales staff should be composed of generalists but having a couple of key specialists in advertiser categories can be very profitable. Newspapers have practiced this for years. Muscle-build your sales team with 1 to 3 key specialized sales reps. Strategically identify and target your top five advertiser […]
High performing out of home sales reps use all the sales tools at their disposal. One under-utilized tool is management involvement in the sales process. Including your manager in important presentations/sales calls isn’t a sign of weakness, rather the opposite; it demonstrates you are prepared, confident, and smart enough to […]
By Kevin Gephart My post on Handling Handling Collections During a Disrupted Market generated this question from a reader. I have a client that has had a perm’d billboard for a while. Because this past year was especially rough they have fallen behind in payments and their annual contract is […]
Here are my thoughts for maximizing collections during a recession or a disrupted market (e.g. covid). If, as a sales rep, you are subject to a commission/compensation charge-back for uncollectible accounts, take full responsibility for the process/outcome. Companies provide business office support for collections but when your compensation at stake […]
By Kevin Gephart Assuming you have diversity of personality-types within your sales department, make a formal determination of which rep fits into which of the four basic personality types: drivers, expressives, amiables, or analyticals. (If you’d like more info on these personality types, send me an email). Understand which category […]
By Kevin Gephart (I hope any sales rep readers will forgive me if I put on my management hat. I spent over a third of my career in management.) Any compensation plan that disadvantages either party will eventually disadvantage both parties. I’ve resigned from a number of rep positions because […]
By Kevin Gephart When you get the feared cancellation call, don’t overreact! Most OOH company’s contracts don’t allow for cancellation. The reality–it is very tough to hold a client to a contract, especially if you want to get paid. Be focused on winning the war not the battle. Take a […]
By Kevin Gephart A lot has been written about the making of a great OOH media sales pro…. Mark Natzke (known around the Green Bay/Milwaukee area as Mipps??!), who passed unexpectedly on Aug 25 at the age of 53 in his home in Wauwatosa, WI., embodied that and much more. […]
By Kevin Gephart Begin the renewal no later than 100 days before the end of the contract. It allows time for the process and, if need be, puts the unit(s) back in inventory no later than 60 days before the end of the contract. Always service as though the client […]
By Kevin Gephart Your renewal window starts now! How you execute your new OOH sale will competition-proof, and either secure or hinder, your renewal. Every client, in the back of their mind, wonders if the program will go off as planned. Build confidence by providing them a critical path which […]
