This week concludes our discussion on the top 6 mistakes advertisers make. Let's recap our first 5:
1. Advertising without a goal or objective.
2. Having a small "presence" in a number of different mediums.
3. Placing ads instead of a campaign.
4. Treating mediums as a commodity.
5. Trying to build a business with Yellow Pages
The number 6 is listed below:
Having a Them vs Us attitude with your media representative. You need to work with reps who understand marketing and want to help you grow your business and not just sell. However, you have responsibility with that too. If you have the us vs them attitude or think it is your job to beat them up on price, etc -- The best of the best will not want to work with you.
Like any industry there are top notch pros and bottom feeders who sell advertising. That truth is real in every medium. To be a successful advertiser, you need to find and work with the top notch pros. As stated above, you have some responsibility with that as well.
If you are an advertiser who enjoys beating up the sales rep, getting the lowest price, than taking forever to pay, you are not creating a partneship that will serve you in the future. A good rep (admittedly sometimes is hard to find) will help you. They will offer you suggestions, give you advice, and will do their best to get you in on limited opportunities. If you are beating them up, you probably will not be notified about the limited avail options.
Business is hard enough for you, you need to surround yourself with people who will help you be successful. You don't need a yes person or someone who is solely worried about having a great relationship with you. You need a pro who will provide honest, direct feedback and information, even if you don't want to hear it.
Sometimes there will be personality conflicts with your rep. You may not like them. But before you pick up the phone and ask for a new rep, give them a little time. Are you looking for a friend or do you want help in building your business? If that person provides quality ideas, great customer service and honest feedback, why do you need to like them? To me, confidence and respect are much more important than liking someone.
Take care of the great reps and they will take care of you. Good Luck.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment