The Con-Artist versus the True Believer
Fresh out of graduate school, I hit the job market with two major assets: A love of words (my degree was in English) and an ability to talk my way in and out of a paper bag. Naturally, magazine sales seemed a perfect fit. With my first job at a manufacturing publication, I thrived at a title that had been a weak number two buy. Driven to succeed and blessed with a brilliant mentor, I racked up schedule after schedule.Soon, however, I learned that the magazine I touted with such conviction was number two for a reason. By now I knew. The magazine had high numbers but low-quality circulation. Its editorial quality was poor. It lacked positive brand recognition and generated few solid leads for advertisers. On top of that, its ad rates were too high.
So what did that make me? Instead of feeling like a rah-rah salesperson, I started feeling like a fraud. A con artist. Even though I kept making the calls (the thrill of the hunt was still irresistible), every six weeks I would get sick and miss days of work. I would cry in the car on my way home. The magazine was built on stilts, ready to be knocked down by the first storm, which soon came by way of a recession. By then, the magazine and I were both in crisis.
The purpose of this cautionary tale is this: Having trained thousands of salespeople, I know that my crisis of faith is not uncommon. After all, no magazine is perfect. Some magazines are turkeys. Others are young and struggling, or face harsh competition or shrinking margins due to rising costs. Problems alone, however, do not cause a crisis of faith, since most magazines still deliver value to the advertiser. Rather, the crisis occurs when salespeople are left in the dark about those problems.
I believe that publishers must disclose magazine problems--and define the actions they will take to correct them--to the people whose job it is to sell the magazine. Magazine publishing, after all, is a fairly transparent business. If a publisher cannot explain to salespeople why the magazine relies on subscription agents, or why the editorial has lapses in fact-checking, then salespeople are left to defend the indefensible. Eventually, the only salespeople who stay on such a magazine are ignorant, inexperienced or con artists.
As publishers, we train salespeople to sell the advertiser. The first people they must sell, and continue to resell, are their salespeople. Consider the following:
Share your decision-making process. In publishing, tough decisions are par for the course. A magazine that is cutting 10,000 in circulation, for instance, might be improving targeting rather merely than cutting costs. The magazine may deliver more qualified buyers without raising advertising rates. Publishers must explain to salespeople why a move that appears negative at first glance might actually be a positive.
Demonstrate publishing best practices. That means providing salespeople with clean and healthy audit reports, up-to-date readership research and valid ways of demonstrating return on investment. While the media may not be perfect, publishers must be able to show that it is effective; that it reaches the customers that advertisers need to reach, and in powerful, persuasive ways.
Walk your talk. Like parents, publishers (like it or not) must model the behavior they want to see. If they do not want angry, explosive salespeople, they must keep their cool. If they want salespeople who are honest and fair, they must openly make honest, fair choices, particularly in situations where it would be just as easy to be dishonest. And if they are having trouble with salespeople who procrastinate, fib by omission or blame others for poor results, publishers should turn around and look in the mirror. The clarity of leadership is reflected in the sales team.
Value your reputation more than sales. One short-term sales gain--say, a quack product ad in a health/fitness magazine--can undo months or years of building its reputation. When a top-level decision appears to hurt or frustrate sales efforts, it is important that salespeople understand how that decision ensures readership trust and longevity. Salespeople need to know that decisions are not arbitrary, but based on good publishing practices and consistent ethical behavior.
By the way, my story had a happy ending. I brokered the magazine to new owners with a successful track record. Promoted to publisher, I worked with the owners to improve the magazine and turn it into a profitable property. Today, my own training and consulting company is designed to help others avoid the drastic mistakes that I have seen.
To ensure your salespeople stay on top, explore our customized sales training and mentoring program. Our programs are powerful, results-oriented and interactive training experiences. It is your best opportunity to solve your unique challenges, work toward your goals, and close your most elusive contracts. Within hours, your salespeople will have the tools to perform as proactive, strategically minded, tactically brilliant, and creative marketing consultants.
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And for further reinforcement, check out Ad Sales: Winning Secrets of the Magazine Pros, now available as both two-volume hardcover book and as a series of e-books on helenberman.com. On sale now!
Welcome, and best of selling in 2006.
Helen Berman
For Print, Internet and Exhibition Sales
The Helen Berman Corporation
15332 Antioch St. #164Pacific Palisades, CA 90272
Phone: 310-230-3899
Fax: 310-861-0661
Website: www.helenberman.com
Email: hberman@helenberman.com
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