Getting media sales teams to increase the time spent cold calling is an area I am often asked about when training classified media sales executives.
Most media sales people find cold calling tough, and once established on their brand they can spend most of their time focusing on their existing business. When this happens call times tend to drop, as teams spend more time selling on email. Having worked with a wide range of media sales clients here is the number one tip used by the best media sales managers I have worked with to increase cold calling rates.
Create a Power Hour for cold calling
Having a dedicated calling time when everyone on the team has to be calling works well. Most teams have one hour in the morning and one every afternoon dedicated to cold calls. It is important that every media sales person is on the phone, no exceptions. Turn off emails, stop writing proposals, ensure everyone is only making calls.
Here are the reasons why it is so effective
- Focuses everyone
- Creates a buzz. With everyone making calls it creates a nosier atmosphere so people aren’t shy about being heard
- Generates momentum
- Develops your sales people’s confidence
- Means that cold calling gets done everyday, not just as you approach deadlines
- Reduces time wasting
- Encourages people to be more organised
- Rates for new business are likely to increase
As a media sales manager, if you are looking to increase the amount of time your sales people spend cold calling, introduce your power hour and ensure it happens EVERY day.