The Elephant in the Room

Someone asked me once, "How do you sell air?"

Now clearly we don't sell "air" we sell the OTHER "a" word, ACCESS, and we really DON'T "sell" that, or anything else. In the very same manner that a washing machine store sells access to clean clothes, we sell access to potential customers. If you don't think having clean clothes are an issue, let the washing machine break down and we'll SEE how long it takes for you to "become" motivated. If you're in business, prospective customers are the clean clothes of your world. No customers coming in the door and your accountant will soon be on the line wanting to know how you plan to make payroll on Friday.

It's never a matter of how many customers you have, or even how many you need. It's about what it takes to maintain your current lifestyle, and how many it will take to BUILD the lifestyle you'd like. Explaining to me that you don't need any more business, or your can't handle the business you have now, is like suggesting to a two year old that the popcicle's in the freezer are extras and we don't need them.

Owning a burgeoning business is a wonderful problem to have, but that's just IT, it's a problem. The solution to the problem is increased cash-flow so that you can hire the people and resources to get you out of your current predicament, and trust me, if you're not getting home til late every night, your current predicament will SOON become a problem, the likes of which you wish you'd never had.

This job is never about "selling" anything actually. A successful marketer is in the business of solutions. We only look for a problem so as to design a successful solution TO the problem. There are plenty of people who are in the problem business, we simply aren't "that guy."

I once had a guy tell me that he'd NEVER "buy" anything from my radio station. He'd had a huge fight with my predecessor and that was, simply put, THAT.

I asked him IF I could ask him just a couple of questions before I hit the door with my tail between my legs. "Sure" was his answer.

First Question: How many times do think you'll say "no" to me before you decide to give me a break and work things out? He looked perplexed frankly, and just ripped a number off the the top of his head. "10,000 he said."

OK, that's a significant number right there.

Second Question: Do you want to take the time now to get those 10,000 no's out of the way are perhaps we could do 1,000 a day for the next 10 days and wrap this up so I can start creating new business for him.

I could tell that he had NOT expected my questions as he sat there are stirred this over in his mind. He went on just a tad longer than I'd hoped but I sat there in silence waiting.

"You know what?" he said. "I like you, you've got talent, and I like salespeople with talent. C'mon back to my office."

Now I can't GUARANTEE that this works 100% of the time, but there are also 100 variations on the theme and the POINT is simply this. It's so darned easy to just walk out the door and figure you'll get him the next time. But what if there ISN'T a next time? Or the time after that? What if this was your ONE TRUE SHOT and winning this guy over? What if TODAY was THAT day?

You never know and you never will.

YOU MUST THINK OUTSIDE OF THE BOX EVERY CALL.

EVERY CALL.

I had a guy tell me once that he didn't believe in radio. I said "what, like Santa Claus & the Easter Bunny?" He said "yeah, like that."

I told him, quietly, that I understood how he felt. I'd bought some underwear just last week and they were really uncomfortable and I was seriously considering not buying anymore in the future.

He looked at me all aghast and said, "that's ridiculous...that's stupid."

I just sat and looked at him, and then his face fell. 

"I get it" he said "I was just trying to get rid of you and you know it."

I did know it, I told him, but think about this for just a minute...what if today is the ONE day I come in here? What if I'm the ONE guy that could show you why what you've been doing can be made to be better....work harder and produce more? What if you're in the process of throwing away your ONE golden opportunity?

"What's it gonna cost?" he asked.

Sir, if I may...advertising is like putting money into a savings account. You'd never PUT the money in there in the first place, if you thought it was going to COST you something....now would you? No, you EXPECT that the bank is going to pay you back WITH interest, for the privilege of using your money.

Advertising works the same way when it's done right. Advertising doesn't cost, it pays...and when it works the way it's supposed to work, it pays huge dividends.

I remember one sales call some 35 years ago or so. It was a car dealer. He blew me out of the water faster than a bullet and I knew I would never get in the door again so I spent it all, right there.

"What if I can put more people on your lot than your sales people can talk to in one afternoon?"

OK, he whipped around, looked me straight in the eye and said, what's the catch. No catch I said, but there IS a deal, and here it is. I put more people on your lot next Friday afternoon from 1-4 than your people can talk to, you owe me $400.00 and an annual contract.

You're on and he walked away.

Now it just so happened that the circus was in town that coming weekend. I managed to rent an elephant for $50.00 out of pocket and got some hay from the farm store across the street from the dealership. We brought Bonnie the Elephant to his dealership, and with some station promotion, we packed the place. I even rode Bonnie and did a live broadcast while doing so.

He walked over and looked at me and shook his head. You got me, he said...you got me good. We enjoyed a long and colorful relationship until his untimely death a few years later.

Sometimes, it takes an Elephant.