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Quick Tips:
Becoming the Trusted Digital Media Advisor
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Do Your Homework
Spend a few minutes before the meeting answering some
fundamental questions.
Define Success
A key piece of pre-meeting
planning is defining your
and the client’s definition
of ‘success.’
Ask yourself the following:
PURPOSE
Why are we having this
meeting? What is the
benefit to the client?
DESIRED OUTCOME
At the end of the
meeting, what factors
will determine it is a
success? If this meeting
is a success, how will I
know?
1 What does the client or company do,
what products/solutions do they sell, what
challenges do they face, how is their market
changing?
2 Who from my team is attending the meeting
and who is doing what?
3 What obstacles can I expect to encounter and
how will I respond to each?
4
What information or materials should I bring?
A successful meeting begins well before the
meeting itself. The better you prepare, the
better results you and the client or prospect will
experience.
Plan
Think ‘Client’: Instead of focusing on the agenda and measuring success
based on your needs, focus the meeting on satisfying the client’s objectives.
They and you will benefit more.
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Start Your Meeting Right:
Make Your POINT
Starting a meeting with a well defined,
easy-to-understand agenda statement
sets the meeting’s tone and ensures
everyone is working toward the same
objective. Use the following four steps:
We’ve all been in meetings in
which within the first minute we
thought, “This meeting is going to
be a waste of time,” or “I have no
desire to spend any time with this
person.” The techniques below
help create stronger interactions
to lead to more successful
meetings and outcomes.
P
Purpose
State the reason for the meeting from the client’s perspective.
Example: “Thanks for making some time to meet today. The purpose of today’s discussion is
to introduce ourselves and to hopefully come up with a few ideas to maximize the success of
your upcoming restaurant openings.”
O
Outline
Outline the topics you intend to cover.
Example: “To make the most of our time, I thought we’d:
• Look at a brief overview of our approach and how we work with local restaurants.
• Discuss your current marketing plan and some of your specific goals.
• Share a couple of initial ideas that have worked for other recent restaurant openings.
• Discuss any next steps if we feel there is a fit between our companies.”
IN
Input
Is there anything the client would like to add? Make them vested in the discussion.
Example: “Does this sound OK? Is there anything else you’d like to make sure we include
today?”
T
Transition
Transition to your positioning statement.
Example: “Great. Then let’s begin with a quick overview of how we work with local
restaurants.”
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Open continued
Make A Strong Elevator Pitch
First impressions are important. Use
these four steps to create a strong
90-second “Elevator Pitch” that will
create interest and leave people asking
for more.
1 Describe your focus.
Example: “Here at <Company> we specialize in helping small and medium-sized
businesses leverage the power of digital marketing.”
2 Describe your typical client and a major problem they face.
Example: “Most of the companies we work with have successfully launched their
businesses using traditional marketing methods like print, radio or TV. Yet they haven’t
figured out how to take the next step with digital tools like social media, video, mobile and
search optimization.”
3 Describe how your clients benefit from working with you.
Example: “We work with best-in-class partners like Google and offer many unique tools
such as robust reporting and real-time campaign optimization. For years we’ve been
helping businesses like yours put the power of digital marketing to work. In fact, since
implementing an online marketing campaign, one of our restaurant clients has seen its
revenues increase 50% from last year.”
4 Bridge to your first question.
Example: “So let me ask you…”
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Open continued Re-Position Your Relationship with a Client
Often you have established relationships with clients who want to grow or change. Use a repositioning
statement to further establish yourself as a trusted advisor. Follow these three simple steps:
1 Describe some changes happening in the industry.
Example: “Since the last time we spoke, we have seen companies dramatically increase
the pace at which they’re changing their creative and messaging. Some companies are
changing their creative on a weekly basis.”
2 Then describe how you are responding to those changes.
Example: “To give our clients an advantage, we have greatly expanded our team of
graphic designers and copy editors, which has enabled many of our clients to adjust their
campaigns daily.”
3 Describe how your clients are benefiting.
Example: “The results are amazing. Customers are seeing an increase in site traffic and
because we can get the right message to the right audience, we are seeing a consistent
increase in conversion rates. We took a fresh look at your campaign using these new
tools and we have some ideas to boost traffic and reduce your overall acquisition cost…”
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IdentifyIdentify
Now it’s time to uncover the client’s key
motivating factors, while simultaneously building
a stronger relationship. Asking great questions
motivates clients to BUY, alleviating some of the
pressure on you to SELL.
Get the Whole Picture
When learning about a client, we need to consider their
entire situation. We need to understand where they are
today (Current Situation) and where they want to be
(Desired Situation). Once we understand both ends of
the spectrum (Current vs. Desired), we can help provide
solutions to the client to take them from where they are to
where they want to be.
Once we understand the start and end points, we can
define a roadmap leading to the desired results.
Focus on Three Areas
We have found that focusing your questions on three main areas helps in uncovering the
client’s Current and Desired Situations. These areas are: the client’s business model, the client’s
marketing efforts, and the client’s personal goals.
Their Business Their Marketing
Their Individual,
Personal Goals
• Market
• Opportunities
• Budget
• Strategy
• Priorities
• Resources
• Ask open-ended questions that require descriptive answers.
• The longer your questions, generally the shorter the response you’ll get.
• Listen to understand versus listening to respond.
• Listen and look for emotional and logical cues.
• Anything you can do to help them be successful will make you
successful. Find out what he/she needs in order to win.
QUICKTIPS
Current Situation
Where are clients
today?
Desired Situation
Where do they
want to be?
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IdentifyIdentify continued
Here are a few
example questions to
help evaluate where
your clients are today
and where they want
to be.
Understanding your Client’s Current Situation
Business
• Who are your target customers?
• Where are you online? Where are you offline?
• Who are your main competitors? What sets you apart
from them?
• How do you see the market changing? What trends/
conditions are impacting you the most?
Individual
• What are the big issues on your agenda?
• How is your success measured?
Marketing
• What are your marketing goals? What is your marketing
budget?
• Where are you marketing your business (online and
offline)? Why did you decide to use those channels?
• Do you know how most of your clients find you?
• What are the goals of your website?
• How much does it cost to acquire a new client?
Understanding your Client’s Desired Situation
Business
• What are the top priorities for your business this year
and how are you acting on them?
• What plans do you have to grow your business?
• What are some of the challenges or roadblocks that you
anticipate handling?
• Is there a product or service that you would like to make
a bigger percentage of your revenue mix?
Individual
• What are your priorities for this year/quarter?
• What projects do you have on the back burner that you
would really like to make progress on?
Marketing
• Do you have a preference towards acquisition or
retention? Which is more important to you and why?
• Are you happy with the amount of sales you currently
have or could you use more?
• Are you happy with your brand awareness?
Current Situation
Where are clients
today?
Desired Situation
Where do they
want to be?
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RecommendRecommend
There are many different ways to present a
recommendation to a client. Choose the method
that makes the most sense based on your
message and audience. At the core of every
good solution is a value statement, which we call
a Link-Feature-Bridge-Benefit (LFBB), described
below. Once you have mastered LFBBs, use one
of the two frameworks outlined on the following
pages to package your solution to a client.
Link
Refer to something the client said previously.
Example: “Earlier you mentioned you were looking for additional customers in some
pretty specific time windows.”
Feature
Share a proven fact about a product.
Example: “An optimized AdWords campaign will give you a lot of flexibility.”
Bridge
Use a short phrase using the word “you” that pivots the feature to the benefit.
Example: “which is exactly what you are looking for because…”
Benefit
Demonstrate the value the client would receive using or experiencing the feature.
Example: “You can change the amount you spend on different keywords at different
times of day. For example, we can increase your bid between 1 p.m.– 4 p.m. so anyone
searching for a sandwich shop for lunch will be more likely to see your ad and stop by.
Then we can drop your bid back to lower levels for your already busy dinner rush. Now
you can drive traffic when you need to, and save costs when you don’t.”
LINK FEATURE BRIDGE BENEFIT
• When delivering an LFBB, keep the feature
simple. Do most of the describing in the
benefit.
• It is often a great idea to combine multiple
LFBBs together to create a powerful,
flowing value statement. Just be careful to
not combine too many.
QUICKTIPS
Paint a Picture Using LFBB
The key to a strong LFBB is enabling the client to envision
its impact on their business (i.e., sell more units, build
brand recognition, drive more profits).
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1. Craft a Story
This is a great structure to use when trying to present multiple solutions in one pitch.
Remember, your story needs to be simple and so easily repeatable that your audience
can retell it after you leave. A great story often includes five key elements:
Recommend continued
Create a Framework
Consider these two ways to structure a message for
maximum impact.
1. Craft a Story 2. Develop a Storyboard
• The imperative needs to be very emotional (e.g., competitors are gaining
ground, sales are dropping, online presence isn’t effective).
• Strategically using competitors’ efforts is a great way to sell some of your
concepts. For example, “If companies X, Y & Z are doing this effectively, we
need to be doing it as well.”
• Keep your value proposition tight and focused on what the client cares
about.
QUICKTIPS
Begin with an EMOTIONAL
reason the client needs to take
action immediately.
Focus on the client’s goals
by solving one of their key
challenges.
Reference industry competitors
who “get it” and are doing a
great job of taking advantage of
online marketing technology.
Demonstrate what you can do
to help the client (LFBBs work
great here).
Ask for feedback and clarify
action plans, timelines, etc.
CompetitionThe Imperative Client Goals Value Proposition Next Steps
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Recommend
Key points to make
Logical
• Features
• Benefits
• Data/Evidence
• Proof
• Examples
• Case Studies
Emotional
• Story
• Metaphor, anecdote, parable
• Thought-provoking question
• Invitation to wonder
• Humor
• Surprise
The S.T.A.R. Moment
• Something They’ll Always
Remember
• The “a-ha” moment clients will
retell tomorrow and remember
long after
• This can occur at any given
time within the presentation
What are other
companies doing?
How will you solve the
problem?
What problem does the
client need to solve?
MOVE FROM
What are the client’s
goals?
How will I close the
presentation?
What is my call to
action?
What are next steps?
What will the client be
able to do?
What will things look like,
feel like, afterwards?
MOVE TO
Use the following as a guide to develop your storyboard.
Move from left to right, answering the questions as they pertain to the client.
Incorporate logical elements, emotional textures, and the S.T.A.R. moment into your answers to
craft a compelling presentation.
Recommend continued
2. Develop a Storyboard
This is a great structure for making a powerful presentation.
It allows you to map out how to effectively integrate logical
and emotional concepts to arrive at a memorable takeaway.
Logical
Use concise facts, proof points and known industry examples.
Emotional
Weave in elements that move the conversation beyond the mind,
to the heart.
S.T.A.R. (Something They’ll Always Remember) Moment
Leave th e client with a point or points so relevant that he/she can’t
stop thinking about your message.
• Use specific data and statistics to make
your point.
• Tell your story through visuals when
possible.
QUICKTIPS
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Close
If the
objection is
unclear, go
back to the
Listen step.
Client
“Yes, that is accurate.”
Salesperson
Respond
“That makes total sense. Why
don’t we continue to map out the
specifics of the campaign and get
everything ready to go? That way
when the budget is available we
can start the campaign without
any delay. Does that sound like a
good plan?”
Client
“It’s more of a timing issue. Every
fiscal year we allocate budget
for testing, but we have used up
all of our discretionary funds for
this year.”
Salesperson
Restate and Cushion
“So it sounds like you might
be interested in exploring this
campaign further. We just need
to figure out the timing that
makes the most sense for your
business. Does that sound right?”
Client
“Well, this fiscal year we have
tried a lot of ways to drive
business and they have not
panned out well.”
Salesperson
Clarify and Listen
“Would you say that the challenge
is more a timing issue or a total
dollar issue?”
Client
“We just can’t afford this
right now.”
Salesperson
Clarify and Listen
“Help me understand
that a little better.”
Close
You’ve expertly planned the meeting,
opened the conversation, identified
the client’s specific needs and
recommended solutions that deliver
value — logically and viscerally. Now
it’s time to close the deal. As with any
decision-making process, objections,
concerns and hesitations are certain
to arise. How you handle them can
be more important than any of the
prior steps. Use this process to
resolve concerns effectively:
Listen
Clarify
Restate
Cushion
Respond
START
1
2
3
4
5
For Example
Listen
Respond
Clarify
PAUSE
Restate
Cushion
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Close continued
‘Thank you’ is not a close. An actual close involves
specific, actionable next steps — such as
scheduling the next meeting, receiving a signed
proposal, launching a new product adoption,
increasing the budget, etc. If you are not able to
close on your desired outcome, make sure you
further its progress with clear next steps.
Alternate Choice
Ask the client to choose
one of two options, both
of which require a specific
answer and indicate a
positive buying decision
has been made.
Example:
• “Would Tuesday
afternoon or
Wednesday
morning be
better for you?”
• “Which region
should we
start with, the
Northeast or
Central?”
Assumptive Close
When the client has
expressed a positive
reaction to your
recommendation and
seems to have no strong
objections, assume they
are going to buy.
Example:
• “How about we
set up a meeting
with our account
management
team for next
Thursday?”
• “Why don’t I send
over the new
contract this
afternoon?”
Direct Close
Simply ask for the
business.
Example:
• “Can we increase
your monthly
budget to
$10,000?”
• Set likely next steps before your meeting or call begins.
• Consider preparing two solutions so you can use an alternate choice.
• Write prompt post-meeting recaps you can utilize in subsequent
meetings.
QUICKTIPSWe should
build a
house.
Yes.
I agree!
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