Avionics News April 2016 - 64

MARKETER'S TIP SHEET
Continued from page 63

That happens, too. But if the voicemail grows old in your
phone, the sales rep eventually will stop calling with these
opportunities. Even in a monthly magazine, sometimes quick
decisions must be made to take advantage of special offers.
Respect their time. Advertising sales reps are juggling
the needs of dozens of clients. They are prospecting for
new business while keeping current clients happy. They are
traveling, making sales calls, performing research, meeting publication deadlines and, in many cases, tracking
down ad materials and late payments. Media reps are busy
people, too. Avoid asking for rates for "a meeting this afternoon" because if the rep happens to be traveling or knee
deep in something else, it throws off the whole schedule.
Of course, you're at an advantage here. A sales rep will
always want to provide you with rates and a proposed plan
if business is at stake, but just because you can do it doesn't

SALES REPS SPEAK
We went straight to the source - the advertising sales
reps themselves and asked them to provide one piece
of advice in order to work with them more effectively.
Here's what they said:
"Ad reps are the information resources of
the market. Treat your ad reps with respect and
communicate (even when you are not in a buying
mode), and the reps will return the courtesy by
providing you with market intelligence. You may also
find that when you do advertise, you'll see better ad
positioning and other value-added benefits."
- Brian Curpier, AOPA Pilot
"Be the customer. What does your best prospect need to
know (or what do you want them to know)? Whatever those
questions are need to be answered on your website and in
your sales materials. If they are advertising ADS-B installations,
for example, help them get the information they need to make
intelligent decisions so they are more informed when they
contact you. If you have certain strengths, make sure that is
part of what they need to know. It might be a price guarantee,
downtime guarantee, warranty, or even stop by to see all of
your options - we sell and install everyone's ADS-B."
- Jim Van Gilder, FLYING Magazine

avionics news

april

2016

mean you should. You know when the meeting is going to
be, so give the sales rep enough of a heads up so they can
service your needs in a timely way.
In addition, multipage request for prosposals are a popular
way to gather information. I've seen 10-page RFPs, asking
for competitive advertising information going back five years,
with a 48-hour deadline. I know how it works: Your team at
last finalizes the RFP and the time you took "perfecting" your
RFP is taken away from the sales rep's time to complete the
information. As a general rule of thumb, give a publication
five to seven days to complete your RFP. It's only fair.
In short, use your ad sales rep as a resource. Of course,
some are better than others. But if you come upon a sales
rep whose opinion you value, make that rep your confidante
and consultant. In the aviation community, most sales reps
have many years of experience and are willing to share their
expertise with you. It's all in your best interest. q

What is your be
piece of advsitce
aviation market for
ers?
"It's best to have real-time conversation with sales reps. Ask
questions, share opinions and put them on the spot to custom
fit their offer to your company and your products or services.
Most reps want to add value and share their experience with
you. Don't pass up a chance to make a friend whether you buy
or not. Your next job referral or a profitable lead for your company may be the result." - Tom Bliss, AVweb
"One of the most important aspects to take into consideration while working with an ad rep is recognizing the publication's deadlines. Doing so will ensure adequate time to lessen
the chance of error as well as helping the creative director and
editor with layout." - Lauren McFarland, Avionics News
"Be clear. Who you are hoping to reach, and
why? Require that your ad rep define who his or her market
is. Getting sold into a market you'd not considered is fine -
if you have retained your common sense in the being-soldto process. Listen and stay smart. Ask questions."
- John Shoemaker, Twin & Turbine, King Air, Cirrus Pilot q

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Avionics News April 2016