Sales isn’t what you tell people. It’s what ask people

Selling Radio Direct with Pat Bryson
 

I Have Some Honest Serving Men…

In today’s environment, this saying might be “I have some honest serving people.”  I’ve never been hung up about gender words, but what comes next in the saying is the focus of this post. The saying continued with, “They are Who, What, When, Where, Why.”  I learned this in journalism class many moons ago.  

 
Recently I did a training that focused on having a two-minute conversation with a partner by asking questions about an object the partner had in his hand. The object was to ask questions for two minutes WITHOUT asking a “Yes-No” question. In other words, you had to ask only open-ended questions. It’s harder to do than you might think!
 
The secret to asking open-ended questions is to begin with “Who, What, When, Where, Why”. These are the journalists’s secret to getting good information. Good information is the secret to creating on-target campaigns that will serve both our clients and us.  
 
The Phase Two needs analysis meeting is usually where the information flow begins. Information flow should continue whenever we are talking to our clients. I call it “going into vacuum cleaner mode”. We should always be sucking up information and storing it for future use.  
 
Selling today is not about what we TELL people: It is about what we ASK people. Become acquainted with our honest serving men/women. You will be rewarded with higher revenue and happier clients.  
 

About The Author 

Pat Bryson is the founder of Bryson Broadcasting International, a consulting firm that works with radio stations around the world to increase revenue by raising the skill level of their sales staffs. Her client list spans from the United States to Canada, Europe and Central Asia.

Pat has spent her entire career creating a culture of over-achievement for her stations. She began her career in radio sales, becoming one of the highest billing sales people in her market. Her career advanced to General Sales Manager, and then to Market Manager. Since starting BBI 7 years ago, she has helped hundreds of radio stations to find, train and grow great quality sales people and managers.

Pat was the recipient of two prestigious educational fellowships from the Educational Foundation of the National Association of Broadcasters: a fellowship to the Executive Development Program and a fellowship to the Broadcast Leadership Training Program.

She publishes the Bryson Broadcasting International Newsletter twice monthly, is the author of A Road Map To Success In High-Dollar Broadcast Sales and is a contributor to Valerie Geller’s latest book, Beyond Powerful Radio: A Communicator’s Guide To The Internet Age.

You may contact Pat at [email protected] or visit her website at http://www.patbryson.com.

 

 
 
 

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