In my most recent post, I recounted the story of a sales lesson I learned from Dick Harlow.  Many of you wanted a further explanation and this post serves as a clarification.

Lobster traps work by luring the victim in with bait.  Once inside, the lobster becomes confused by the design of the trap and, instead of extricating himself quickly, he becomes more entrenched.

There are certain questions that media sellers ask that have the same effect.  The point of Dick's lesson about lobster traps was that these questions should be avoided.  But, sellers like these questions because they believe the answers will assist them in successfully negotiating their way through the sales process.  Unfortunately, the answers are more of a trap than a guidepost.

The first question that should never be asked is, "What is your budget?"  You will almost never like the answer.  First of all, if a prospect actually has a budget for the media that you sell, the number will almost always be too low.  Secondly, you aren't really interested in the budget for your specific media so much as you're interested in the total revenue generated by the business and the percentage of that the client is going to devote to marketing.  To get that answer you'll have to ask a completely different set of questions.  

"But," you exclaim "I need to know the budget so that I can put together a proposal."

Not really.  You need to know what the client is trying to accomplish in order to know what to propose.  Once you know what to propose, you know how much you will have to charge. 

Handle that part of the sales call like this:

"Many other clients who have achieved the types of goals you are describing have purchased plans that cost anywhere from $5,000 to $50,000.  I'm guessing that you wouldn't be most comfortable at the top of that range, but where do you suppose your comfort level falls within the range?"

The way to make this tactic work is to quote a range in which even the low number is adequate for accomplishing the goals the prospect has described.  When the prospect says that they were thinking something like $2,500, you'll be able to tell them immediately that while you may be able to work with that amount, the goals for the campaign will have to be re-set.

A discussion about resetting the goals is more comfortable than one about resetting the  budget. 

The next question to avoid is:  "What are your expectations?"  The client's expectations are usually too high.  They plan on doing a grand opening campaign and they expect to have 1,000 people lined up around the building before they even open the doors on Saturday morning at 9a.m.

When the prospect tells a media seller what they expect to happen, the media seller often decides the best way to close the sale is to meet the expectations of the prospect.  Media sellers will then brainstorm the greatest ideas ever devised for this prospect only to later find out the prospect can't afford the plan.

A better approach is to discuss the goals of the prospect as it relates to the long-term growth of his business.  People who open businesses don't usually expect to fund next month's operations with the receipts generated from the current month.  Most people have a plan and they know that marketing needs to be a part of that plan.  This knowledge doesn't stop them from having unrealistic expectations of their marketing, however. 

The best media sellers know that they need to take a leadership role in setting expectations.  Use your knowledge of how marketing works and the experiences you've had with countless other clients and guide your prospect towards an understanding of what to expect from the upcoming campaign.  Letting a client's expectations dictate their ultimate dissatisfaction with you is the ultimate lobster trap!

Although there may be many more questions to avoid, the last one to discuss in this column is:  "Who is your target?"  Media sellers think that one of the keys to closing a sale is to prove to the prospect that his target audience matches that which is being delivered by the media represented by the seller.  However, there is a problem with this approach: 

1) Prospects hardly every know the demographics and psychographics of their customer base
2) Most products and services appeal to a wide variety of people

Think of dog lovers.  Could you possibly describe the target audience?  If a media seller were calling on a pet store, it is easy to see why this question becomes a lobster trap.  The answer will rarely help the seller and will often send him down the wrong path.

Instead of asking about the target, a media seller is far better off asking:  "What is your customer thinking?" OR, "What situation does a person find themselves in before deciding to contact you?"  These questions will provide the media seller with guidance for crafting a message that is likely to work regardless of the specific demographics of the audience receiving the message.

Still doesn't make sense?  Think about a golf supply store.  If a media seller were to ask the proprietor about the target, the proprietor would probably say that it's a man between 30 and 60 with a household income over $100,000, etc.  But, if it's Christmas time wouldn't other targets be the friends, co-workers, wife, significant other of a person who loves golf?  The common situation would be that these people are buying a gift.  That information is far more useful and promotes a higher likelihood of creating a successful campaign than knowing the typical target.

An easy way to remember which questions to avoid is to simply remember not to make a bad BET.  Don't ask about Budgets, Expectations or Targets and your sales calls and consequent campaigns will be much more successful as you avoid lobster traps.