In past life, I have been a salesperson. As a matter of fact, I still am one. Come to think of it, we all are, in a way.

More so those who have been around in the digital marketing industry (across its various disciplines).

In the founding years of Digital Marketing in Asia (1999-2006), if you had anything to do with digital marketing, you essentially had to sell hard. Everyone loved to listen, but few actually bought what you were selling. Specially ‘digital media’ was an abstract thought in the early days (“it is all a scam”)

So I know what it means to be a sales rep. And just like people from all walks of life, there are some good ones and others who are simply a pain in the butt.

And as a digital marketing consultant and buyer of media and technologies, I deal regularly with publisher representatives/media sales people day in and day out. As someone who has been on both sides of the table, here is what I look for when it comes to setting rules of engagement with salespeople. Applies equally for salespeople across all industries:

1. Bring value to the table- not a hook : The agenda is value- how can you impact my business, my client’s business -and your business in turn. Give me value- not a hook. Better efficiencies? tick. Innovations? tick.  Allowing agency to help media create a better solution? tick. We are all in the business of consulting, innovation and accountability. Even commodities (ad space) can be innovated upon. Lunch/coffee/dinner/beer can wait.
2. Be genuine: Sales is not only about, well, selling. It is about relationships. Work that out- it helps. have genuine relationships. In the Asian context, it works better culturally- and is bound to rub off on the business.
3. Share: Media and agency folks are hungry for knowledge/information. Load them up. White papers, learning sessions, special webinars, the works. Think of a route to share- even if you are in the business of selling ‘general’ content.
4. Don’t (try to) intimidate : Appreciate you are God’s gift to your company. But please. Understand the business you are in. It is not the media business. It is not a ‘sales’ business. It is a business of relationships. It exists due to relationships. So if you have come from a more ‘advanced’ country or represent a big search engine- give me the value- and spare me the attitude.
5. And I should comply because you met the ‘client’?: So you met the client. And are thinking eff the agency. (“We met the client yesterday and they want to go ahead with our solution. Raise the IO”) Guess what? Bad idea. There is a reason Brands trust their agencies. Domain knowledge, accountability, consistency- all the things that an agency brings on the table. Media Strategists meet these ‘James Bonds’ every day. In a B2B2B ecosystem, piss off one party involved in decision making- and say bon-voyage en-route to eternal alienation. Alas, Bond is fiction.
6. Be fast (not furious): Agencies need things fast. ‘As of yesterday’ is more than just a cliche here. Prompt deliveries will ensure that you are top of mind in case of any new business requirement. Fret on deliveries and there is always someone else who is faster and eager to make that sale.
7. Management introduction: Introduce agency partners to your management. It makes you look good and the agency get the bigger picture. Make sure that the conversation is elevated here- and moves beyond nice exchanges. International trends? Bigger partnerships for betterment?

In short, Value, Relationship and Delivery -three key issues to engaging well with your prospective clients (b2b or b2c or b2b2b or b2b2c or whatever….)

That said, not that agencies do everything alright. They have their share of jokers too. More on that later.

Think About It