寻找销售线索

媒体代理热衷于投放次数、品牌互动之类的话题。那么，要想获得实在的销售线索，而不仅仅是空虚的投放次数，直销人员究竟应该怎样做呢？
Media reps love to talk about impressions and brand interactions. So what does a direct marketer have to do to get a hard sales lead instead of a soft impression?


我的电台销售代表为我实现了20.8亿次投放，价值超过
了100万美元，而我只花了20万美元电台广告费。为此他很得意。
我们公司的网站在两天之内就实现了15万次品牌互动，于是我的互动代理就报名参加了网站营销评奖活动。
品牌建设果真是非常出色。但是最重要的，是我想知道我要的销售线索在哪儿？
我并不是想与人为难。我相信作为全美最大的在线抵押借贷公司的市场人员，投放次数对我们很有价值；实际上，我知道有些家伙甚至愿意为了实现同样的数字而去杀人。我也知道，许多品牌广告商也心甘情愿付钱买收视点和互动品牌体验，因为这些东西能够在消费者心中播下优先选择的种子。我也相信从某种程度上来说，这些东西都有价值。
但是我觉得直接效应营销的道理其实很简单，广告就应该能产生销售线索并最终促成一笔交易而收回广告成本。我希望花在广告上的每一分钱都有回报。这要求过分吗？

为什么买单
要说服媒体代理接受我的看法，即赞同花出去的每一分钱都该有回报、每一个广告应该能自负盈亏，其实并不太难。他们也懂这个道理。我们进行详细的线索跟进，主动与他们分享数据，他们对此会心存感激。他们知道，如果我们发现他们提供的某些东西有用，我每个月都会高高兴兴给他们开出大额支票，只要他们继续尽职尽责就行。
问题是，媒体代理能轻而易举地把我也要买的销售线索清单卖给品牌广告商，而品牌广告商衡量媒体代理的标准和我的完全不一样。我又能说什么呢？广告商和代理们吃吃饭，过一过数字，假装推让一番，然后各让一步，谈妥利润分成。下午3点一切就都搞定了。多容易的事！
品牌经理们要销售线索和结果没用，他们要的是到达率和暴光频次。只要有观众，有不计其数的人无数次地看到品牌，他们的任务就算完成了。
可是直接效应营销人员需要的是销售线索。如果我的媒体代理告诉我，我的品牌知名度提高了,而且他们还能多给我些销售线索以示“奖励”。我只能说谢谢他们,然后把下周的订单取消。
我们公司负责贷款银行业务的副总裁对收视点和暴光频次不感兴趣，他有上百个银行家客户都等着他提供源源不断的新销售线索来发展他们的业务。独立的品牌知名度和“鲜活的品牌体验”打动不了我们的首席执行官，他关心的是市场营销投入的回报、按揭贷款的增加。有人会说，积极的品牌体验会在千千万万消费者中流传开来，最终会聚起人气，形成我们公司的支持力量。但是我却觉得一个现有客户比两个潜在客户的价值要高得多。
当然，我可不是久经世故的品牌广告商，能满有把握地把职业生涯押在收视点和家庭投放次数上。和那些家伙相比，我只不过是美国中西部种萝卜的农民罢了。我要算计每个电话、每个销售线索的成本，销售线索到真正实现销售的转化率，每个线索源的收益率，还有达成销售前15种其他的指标。如果广告最终也无法收回成本，那打造品牌有多少好处对我来说也都无所谓了。
打造品牌对直接效应营销人员重要吗？当然了，自己的品牌当然非常重要∶它必须要承载最高度的信任、最独特的专长、最绝对的专业，而且还要特别有趣。客户们应当为能和我的公司、和我的品牌打交道而引以自豪。他们要在鸡尾酒会上告诉其他人，他们从Quicken Loans公司获得了不少好处，而且如果人家愿意的话，他们很乐意在中间牵线搭桥。
但是，这些都是在客户对我们公司的广告做出反应、和我们的某个媒体代理谈过话以后的事了。我们的品牌体验反映的是我们的公司本质和价值。如果一个直接效应营销人员能够热情高涨地全力帮助客户提升财务状况，如此而产生的正面印象效果是任何广告活动都无法做到的。

制胜5规则
那么，直接效应营销人员到底怎么才能够获得实在的销售线索，而不仅仅是空虚的投放次数呢？我告诉我们的媒体代理，遵循下面的规则会帮助他们达成更好的交易，也就能让所有人都受益。了解到了这一点，他们就会拼命为我工作，而不是走投机取巧的路子去和品牌经理们打交道了。
给我销售线索，我就给你开支票。简单之极，甚至都有点愚蠢了。但是如果我的确发现某个广告活动能带来符合我的效果测量标准的销售线索，我会敦促媒体代理把活动做大。
而这才是难的地方∶他们必须在内部加倍努力，才能拿到更多的销售线索和资源，这样才能把项目做大。但是如果我愿意做大，他们应该愿意想方设法做到。
提供更多价值。有很多方式可以达成交易，这就需要富有创造力！如果我拿不到更低的价格，那就得给我更多的销售线索，承担我的部分生产成本，或者把我的广告和别的产品捆绑运作；如果搞电台秀，那就给我提供网络清单，让主持人做现场广告；如果是网络广告，那就在我通常不会投放广告的地方给我提供一些额外的投放次数，让交易能够达到我的要求。
但是不要又拿老套的评级卡来糊弄我。要证明给我看，你们对我的业务投资的方式，和我对你们媒体的投资是一样的。这才是培养长期合作关系之道。
让你们的高管层投资我的业务。我为自己的事业感到骄傲，因此也希望你们的高管一起来分享这种兴奋。鼓动他们到我的公司看看。我想如果让他们成为我的客户，他们就会知道我们与竞争对手的不同之处了。希望他们会打电话给我，与我讨论对双方合作的看法，了解究竟应该如何有效地做到对我的业务有帮助。
大多数媒体的高管们都是脱离客户的，他们期待与了解他们工作的客户建立密切而坚固的联系。这会让媒体代理感到工作起来很费劲，因为他们可能不想让自己的上司卷入自己的具体业务中。但是优秀的销售代理却是懂得建立这种密切联系的价值的。
始终关注我的效果测量标准。一定要克制住冲动，想要告诉我有些品牌广告商愿意出钱买到你刚给我的销售线索。如果我们之间的交易收效甚微，也别骗我说一切没问题，别说你给我做了很多品牌推广工作，因为这并不是我关心的。
我的效果测量标准才是最重要的标准。如果广告没有给我们双方带来收效，那我们就不用再做了。我也明白必须把某些机会让给其他人。我了解这一点。但是我需要我的媒体代理关注我的标准，帮助我改善它们。要记住∶如果你做到这一点，我是会不断开给你大额支票的。
成为我团队的一分子。优秀的媒体代理能够不留痕迹地融入我的营销团队。他们不断为我的业务着想，帮助团队其他人学会他们那个行业里的买进、卖出规矩，其中也包括了解我的竞争对手或者其他大广告商的做法。
最糟糕的媒体代理，每月的工作成果都是些即使附带不值一提的短程旅行之类的优惠、别人也都不要的销售线索。
人们常说广告有一大半纯属浪费，只是你并不知道是哪一半。过去可能真是这样，但是现在我对哪些是浪费可以看得清清楚楚。直接效应营销人员的工作就是消除浪费。所以我要求媒体代理认真工作，而不是弄点看上去挺光鲜但却没有任何价值的垃圾来敷衍我。
（王欣红 译）

My radio sales rep is very excited that he got me 208
million impressions-worth more than $1 million-as a make-good on my $200,000 radio buy.
My interactive agency is submitting our company’s Web campaign for an award because it got more than 150,000 brand interactions in a two-day period.
Terrific branding. But I want to know where my leads are!
Now, I’m really not trying to be difficult. As a marketer for the nation’s largest online mortgage lender, I am certain that there is value in gross impression numbers; in fact, I know folks who would kill for some of the numbers we get. And I know that many brand advertisers are comfortable paying for rating points and for an interactive brand experience that sows the seeds of preference in the consumer’s mind. I agree there is value in these things-to a point.
But in my simple world of direct-response marketing, an ad pays for itself by generating a lead, which results in a transaction. I expect to earn a profit on every dollar of advertising spent: Is that too much to ask?

Different Strokes
Selling media reps on the idea that every dollar needs to return a profit-and that every ad needs to pay for itself-really isn't that hard. They get it. They appreciate the detailed tracking we do and our willingness to share the data with them. They know that when we find something that works, I am happy to write them big checks every month as long as they keep performing.
The problem is that it’s so much easier for media reps to sell the same inventory I want to buy to a brand advertiser, who holds them to a very different standard. Who can blame them? How much easier is it to have lunch with some agency guys, run some numbers by them, pretend to negotiate, agree to split the difference and be done by 3 o’clock?
Brand guys don’t buy leads and results; they buy reach and frequency. As long as the audience is there, they’ve done their job by exposing countless millions to the brand.
But a direct-response marketer need leads. When my media reps tell me about all the brand lift I got and how they were able to give me some “bonus” inventory to make it better, I thank them, then cancel the next week’s buy.
My vice president of mortgage banking doesn’t care about rating points and frequency; he has hundreds of bankers who need a steady stream of new leads to build their business. My CEO is not impressed with unaided brand awareness and “bringing the brand experience to life”; he wants a return on his investment in marketing and an increase in mortgage originations. While some would argue that a positive brand experience spread across millions of consumers will ultimately build a groundswell of support for our company, I would argue that a new client today is worth much more than two potential clients tomorrow.
Of course, I am not a sophisticated brand advertiser with the confidence to stake my career on ratings points and household impressions. Compared to those guys, I am a Midwestern turnip farmer. I need to measure cost per call, cost per lead, lead to transaction conversion, profitability per lead source and about 15 other things in-between. At the day’s end, if the advertising doesn’t pay for itself, few branding benefits really matter to me.
In my simple world of direct-response marketing, an ad pays for itself by generating a lead, which results in a transaction. I expect to earn a profit on every dollar of advertising spent: Is that too much to ask?
Does branding matter to a direct-response marketer? Of course it does! My brand is incredibly important: It needs to convey a high level of trust, expertise, professionalism and fun. Folks need to feel smart about working with my company and my brand. It is important for them to be able to say at cocktail parties that they got a great deal at Quicken Loans, and that if you would like, they can refer you to their “guy” because he did a terrific job for them.
But that part of the job kicks in after they respond to our advertising and speak with one of our representatives. Our experts are the brand experience, the true essence of who we are and what we stand for. No amount of advertising can create the positive impression that a passionate team member can when she is working hard to put a client in a better financial situation.

Five Ways to Win
So what does a direct marketer have to do to get a hard lead instead of a soft impression? I tell our media reps that the following rules will help them bring me better deals. And better deals are better for everyone. Knowing this motivates them to work harder for me instead of taking the easy route with the brand guys.
Get me leads and I will write you checks. This is so simple, it’s silly. But the reality is that if I find a program that consistently delivers leads that meet my metrics, I will push the reps to make the program bigger.
And that’s the challenge: They need to work hard internally with their organizations to get more inventory and resources to grow the program. But if I am willing to put my money where my mouth is, they should be willing to find more ways to make it work for me.
Deliver more value. There are always ways to make the deal work: Get creative! If I can’t get a lower price, let’s talk about more inventory. Take on some of my production costs. Or bundle in another property. If it’s a radio show, give me some Web inventory. Have the host do a voiced spot. If it’s a Web deal, offer me some additional impressions in an area I wouldn’t normally buy to make the deal meet my metric.
But don’t hold me to the conventional concept of a rate card. Instead, show me that you are investing in my business in the same way I am investing in your media. That’s the way to cultivate a long-term relationship.
Get your executives invested in my business. I am proud of my business and I want your executives to share that excitement. Fly them out to see our shop. I want them to become clients so that they understand the difference we make in the marketplace. I want them to call and discuss the performance of our deals and to understand what does and doesn’t work for my business.
Most media executives get isolated and crave strong relationships with clients who know their stuff. That’s sometimes tough on the media rep, who may or may not want his chief executive involved in the pipeline. But the best reps see the value in building closer ties.
Stay focused on my metrics. Resist the temptation to tell me how much some brand advertiser would be willing to pay for the inventory you just offered to me. If a deal didn’t perform, don’t tell me that it’s OK because we got a lot of good branding out of it: I don’t care.
The only metrics that matter are mine. If the deal doesn’t work for both parties, we obviously won’t do it. I understand that I will have to pass on certain opportunities that make sense to others-I get that. But I need my media reps to focus on my metrics and help me improve them. And remember: I will continue to write you big checks if you do.
Make yourself part of my team. The best media reps are the ones who function as a seamless extension of my marketing team. They are constantly thinking about my business and helping the rest of my team learn the ins and outs of their world and that of my competitors or other great advertisers.
The worst are pesky vendors who come up with their monthly deal of inventory they couldn’t sell to anyone else, packaged with a boondoggle trip for two.
There is a rule of thumb that says half of all advertising is wasted, you just don’t know which half. That may have been true once, but today I know exactly where to find the waste. As a direct marketer, it is my job is to get rid of all the waste. So I need my media reps to help me keep my house clean, not just give me better-looking trash.

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