Don't Rely On The Opinions Of Advertising Salespeople Alone - Part 2
As I said yesterday, my advance apologies to the honest, caring ad reps in our industry. As you'll see this doesn't apply to you. Now on to the tip:
Yesterday we told you to not rely on the opinions of advertising salespeople alone. Here's some more tests to give them:
Test #2: Inflated Budget
Here's another way to test the trustworthiness of your advertising sales rep. In this scenario, you don't reveal your entire campaign budget. Instead you just tell him how much you want to spend in his publication or whatever. So, here's the trick. Make sure the number you give him is actually about 50 to 100% higher than you actually intend to spend with him. If you were planning on spending $5,000 with his company, tell him you want to spend $10,000. Then, see how he reacts. Sales reps on the lower end of the spectrum will lick their chops and tell you that you're an advertising genius and try to take your money. You might find out, however, that they try to steer you in another direction.
We do this all the time for clients. We tell the sales rep we want to spend $10,000 in a week, knowing full well that $5,000 is plenty to get the coverage we want. Sometimes the rep will fax over a proposal for $10,000 that is just ridiculous. Way too many ads or too big. You just don't need to do that, it's overkill, a waste of money. About half the time the sales rep will say, "Hey, that's just too much money to spend in that short amount of time. You need to either cut your budget, or extend the amount of time your ads will be running." Makes you feel more confident in that sales rep, doesn't it? But what if they don't say that? Then you know not to trust that person.
Test #3: Competing Media
Here's the third thing you can ask the sales rep to find out if their opinion is worthwhile...or worth-less. Ask them about specific competing media. Again, do your homework and form your own opinion about the competing media before you ask. If you've concluded that a competitive magazine would be a good fit for your campaign, and the sales rep only has negative things to say about it, that should throw up a red flag. Here's a sales rep that only has one thing in mind: Fattening his commission check. Steer clear, and ask for a new rep that's more objective.
Bonus Test: Longevity
Okay, one bonus question to ask a sales rep to find out what their opinion is worth. Here it is: Ask them first, how long they've been selling advertising, and second, how long they've been with this particular company. The longer someone's been around in general, and the longer they've been with the company they're with now, the more likely they are to be objective. Sure that's a generalization, but maybe it can work for you. If a guy hops around from company to company every six months, that person is more likely to tell you whatever he thinks he needs to get the sale...because he's probably starving!
The Sales Reps who are good, the ones who really do have your best interest at heart, can be a very good source of information. They can give you helpful suggestions and steer you in the right path when you DON'T know exactly the best way to proceed. Usually, these kinds of reps will be happy to work with you even if you're not buying anything for them. They know that if they help you now, that you'll be likely to buy from them when it is appropriate.
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