Tuesday, October 18, 2011

A $45,500 print and Web contract sells to an oral surgeon

Dental work doesn't really have a season, so it's always a good time to get your local oral surgeon on a major contract, just as my client, the Herald-Mail, did recently.

Using our Response Oriented Selling sales techniques, they signed a 52-week contract for a full-page totaling $45,500, including $6,500 in Web ads.

For the past 5 years, this advertiser ran very small and infrequently until ad rep Kathy Gelwicks and ad director Brittney Hamilton started applying our techniques and they landed an appointment with the decision maker: the surgeon herself.

An hour-and-a-half later, they left with a $45,500 contract, without ever feeling like they were selling the account at any point during the meeting.

Instead, after briefly explaining why their print and online newspaper matched up with the demographic the practice was trying to reach, they began the process of proving that the new ad strategy would work.

First, they reiterated what they had learned about the business' target customers, services, and competition.

They had learned that the experience and expertise of the surgeon, the state-of-the art equipment and procedures, and whether or not they take health insurance were critical information to prospective patients.

Kathy then went on to fix the incorrect theories that local businesses typically have about ad size, frequency, and content, and at the same time she drew a new approach to effective advertising out of the surgeon.

Finally, Kathy and Brittney simply showed the ad and explained how it incorporated the new techniques and addressed the key issues prospective patients cared about.

Once the surgeon understood why the ad would drive some major revenue each week, it triggered that epiphany and the surgeon herself suggested the 52-time option for the full page.

This brings up a good point: Whenever possible, it's vital that you present to the decision maker. Especially with an ad like this, a full-page with lots of copy, there's no way a gatekeeper would be able to explain why the ad would be worth it. Meeting with the decision maker can sky rocket your success.

Now it's your turn!