Ever notice the faster you go the slower the results? You’re with a potential advertiser and you rush through the meeting, get nowhere except maybe a second appointment. You rush through that one too ‘cause you’re so anxious to get the close and, before you know it, you get the “no” as the close. Here are 8 suggestions:

1.       SLOW DOWN – get to know your advertiser, her business, her decision-making process, her key influencers and, most important, her challenges you can solve

2.       KNOW THE INFLUENCERS – ask your contact who you should be talking to so you can get the full picture

3.       KNOW MORE THAN ONE NEED – dig deeper, learn more than your competition to give you the advantage as well as more knowledge of your advertiser’s issues

4.       START LOW – rather than going to the decision-maker immediately do your homework. Interview employees, sit in the showroom, and learn everything you can so when you finally are in the decision-maker’s office you are already ahead of the game. Yes, this is the opposite of all you have been taught.

5.       FOCUS ON CUSTOMER SUCCESS– when you finally get to the proposal everything you talk about should be 100% focused on the customer’s needs and positioned that way. If you think they should buy banner advertising on your website be specific as to what they will get out of it and what the creative will be to activate user activity and help solve your advertiser’s need. If you think they should buy American Idol there better be a reason other than it’s got a huge audience.

6.       STAY CLOSE – don’t be a pest but continue to bring great customer-focused information to the potential advertiser throughout their decision making process. Do not assume anything.

7.       SET REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS – define what they expect to happen due to this investment. Do not be afraid to ask. In fact, just the opposite – be proud to ask. How will they measure success?

8.       INTERNAL ASKS – ask your own TV Station management team how they make purchasing decisions for the station. What is the process, who is involved, etc? You will learn a lot!

In today’s environment it’s not only what you sell but how you sell. For lasting relationships based on respect and results “slow down to speed up.”

Special thanks to Kevin Davis at www.toplineleadership.com for his help.