Now's the time to focus on the power of advertising.
For a creative salesperson, this is the time to be selling electronic-display advertising. People are afraid; business is down; advertising budgets are being slashed, and financing is tough. People aren’t buying signs, unless they must.
Perfect.
This is the time to focus on the reasons people use digital signs: The power of advertising’s impact, something no business can forego.
When times are tough, smart business people look for ways to trim budgets. Frequently, those who advertise most spend many worried hours staring at the ad budget to find items to cut. There’s no better opportunity than now to catch a business owner, in the throes of such an evaluation, with a new, low-cost, clearly focused advertising medium.
As a 30-year industry veteran, I’ve weathered several recessionary periods. My experience tells me it’s time to step back and evaluate where and how to prospect for new business.
This may be a very new scenario for many of you. Because the digital-display industry has been on an extended roll, many salespeople don’t spend much time prospecting but, instead, respond to a steady stream of leads. If you fall into this category, pay particularly close attention.
If you learn to prospect for new, electronic-sign business, and focus on the power of advertising, you’ll find a new confidence that will serve you well in any economic condition.
Where to focus?
First, pinpoint the types of businesses that greatly benefit from vehicular visibility. “Place-based” businesses, or retail establishments that are positioned at a given location for a business advantage (usually traffic accessibility) are a goldmine. Cross-reference these with visible advertising expenditures in another medium.
Try starting with advertisements and work back to the business. The poor, beleaguered newspaper is the perfect target. The effectiveness of newspaper advertising, which is expensive, has decreased because of circulation declines.
As I quickly scan today’s paper, I see ads for three jewelry stores, a surgery clinic, a supermarket, a large credit union, a lighting center, a window-replacement company, a bar/restaurant, a real-estate company and a funeral home. These ads feature single-location businesses. Chain stores and products that can be bought in multiple locations (such as soft drinks) aren’t good prospects for this type of evaluation.
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