It's a PR lament. But one that has nothing to do with
reporters.
"All sales people think we do is write press releases," says
Ellen Slaby, director of media/events at Centra Software (Lexington
MA), which markets online business collaboration software for
online seminars and e-learning and whose clients include Business
Objects, Epicor Software Corp. and Xilinx. "We have to take them
through the process and show them how the information gets into
print and if they decide to talk to a reporter about [their
products], they can't review the story before it runs."
Disabusing sales reps of the notion that they have veto power
over reporters' stories is taking up an increasing amount of
Slaby's time. But the effort is worth it because Slaby doesn't want
sales reps to jeopardize the relationships she has cultivated with
members of the press. Yet aside from assuaging concerns about
reporters' motives, Slaby also shows how PR can help generate
sales.
Jim Sohl, a West Coast sales rep for Centra, says trade magazine
stories on Centra, which are constantly updated, are an important
part of his sales arsenal. "I can slam an article down in front of
a prospect and put him in touch with people [who have been quoted]
who understand the benefits of our products," he says. "I can't say
a piece has turned into a sale but it's one of 50 things that gives
me a better chance of obtaining one."
Educating sales forces on the relationship between PR and the
press is an ongoing effort, of course. But with the economy still
groggy from a three-year slumber, companies (and their PR agencies)
are taking extra pains to bridge the communication gaps between PR
and sales. These efforts range from media training to making sure
the reps are patched into press coverage of their products to
teaching sales reps the behavioral skills needed to finesse a
deal.
The current issue of Fortune, which features the magazine's 2004
List of "America's Most Admired Companies," is sure to have a
prominent place in the marketing materials among FedEx's 3,000
salespeople. The Memphis-based transportation giant is ranked No. 9
on this year's list - the third year in a row it's been honored by
Fortune.
"This is the kind of ranking that can help create supportive
behaviors in the workplace and marketplace," says Bill Margaritis,
senior VP/worldwide communications and investor relations at FedEx.
"It gives them incentive to be ambassadors of the company."
Margaritis keeps FedEx sales reps informed of myriad articles
concerning the company and is able to craft media coverage to make
it relevant to a existing client, prospect, region, sales sequence
and emerging economic trends. Moreover, "FedEx TV" is piped into
thousands of the company's field locations; the company also
broadcasts interactive, Town Hall-type meetings to provide sales
reps with a better understanding of sales strategies and corporate
performance (including media/analyst coverage).
"Their jobs are more demanding and we need to help them stay
abreast of media trends, customer trends and strategic changes," he
says. "Speed is increasing, so they look to us as resources to help
them sort through all of the issues." (For the PR role in FedEx's
efforts to transform its brand, see PR NEWS, Oct. 27, 2003.)
Lloyd Benson, executive vice president of Schwartz
Communications (Waltham, MA), has for the last few years been
teaching the PR ropes to sales execs of Cyberonics, which markets
to doctors and hospitals VNS Therapy, a kind of "pacemaker" for the
brain for people with epilepsy who have not responded to drug
treatment. After getting feedback from a sales rep who has closed a
deal Benson creates a media plan targeting that particular market.
This mainly involves lining up patients who have benefited from the
medical product - - a lay-up for local print/broadcast media
outlets looking for stories that can pull the heartstrings.
Sometimes, though, Benson has to be proactive with those sales
agents who are leery of PR. "We'll call them and inevitably they'll
open up," about their sales efforts, Benson says. "Once they
understand how PR works in terms of sales they really like it,"
Benson adds. "When doctors call them up and say, 'That was a great
piece I saw this morning on [the product] and I got calls from 20
prospective patients,' it really clicks." Other clients, he adds,
offer financial incentives to make sure their salespeople stay in
the PR loop - a growing trend in the field.
Dave Lakhani, president of Bold Approach Inc., a Boise, ID-based
marketing communications firm, whose clients include Cougar
Mountain Software and eAccleration, says it's crucial that PR execs
help salespeople to connect the dots. "We need to be highly focused
on congruent messages so that a story that may have run on the
'Today Show' is consistent" with what sales people need to know
when they're in the trenches. "There's a disconnect because
sometimes consumers are responding to messages that sales didn't
even know existed."
PR can also help sales at a more granular level. Mike Paul,
president of reputation management firm MGP & Associates,
counsels sales execs of a major telecom client -- that he would not
name -- on the nitty-gritty and lets corporate take care of
drumming up media coverage. Paul recalls accompanying one of the
firm's global sales crews to San Paolo, Brazil, where the sales
team was trying to land a statewide contract to provide systems
integration for large parts of the South American country.
"They had barely gotten off the airplane and they were ready to
close the deal," Paul says. "They had all the PowerPoints ready and
were so used to doing deals by rote, but were not actively
listening to the client, which included decision-makers from
banking, the government and major corporations."
In this and similar situations Paul counsels sales execs to take
a step back and lose the "take it or leave it" attitude that can
kill a deal. "All they're seeing is dollar signs rather than
backing up to see if they like the client and whether they can do
business together," he says. "I told them to listen to their key
points and pay attention to body language."
The client closed the deal, worth upwards of $500 million.
Paul's efforts were not lost on the company's CEO, who increased
the budget for "sales support," a euphemism for PR without
admitting it's PR. "The C-suite will give money for 'sales support'
much quicker than traditional PR," Paul says. "Good clients
understand that PR for sales goes well beyond getting ink."
Contacts: Lloyd Benson, 781.684. 0770, [email protected]; Dave
Lakhani, 208.323.2653; [email protected]; Bill
Margaritis, 901.818.7090, [email protected]; Mike Paul,
212.595.8500, [email protected]
; Ellen Slaby, 781.994.1068, [email protected]; Jim Sohl,
714.815.9569, [email protected]
Selling PR to Salespeople
Failure to understand and support the PR effort by sales teams
underscores a communication conflict that has existed as long as PR
has been part of the business equation. There are four steps
necessary to get the sales team on your side.
1. Get input from key players inside the sales team -
Salespeople understand the value of inside advocates, so use their
own principles and language to support your needs. Identify key
players from the sales team (be sure to include field level
salespeople), explain the message you are creating and get their
feedback. Understand their concerns and observations. When
appropriate, use their suggestions. Own the inside advocates by
sharing the message with them in advance of release to the rest of
the company so they can start spreading the message themselves.
2. Share the message in advance - Too often salespeople
find out from clients or their company Web site that a new message
or initiative is being launched rather than from the agency or PR
department. People, particularly salespeople, want and need to be
in the know. The earlier you bring the sales team into the loop the
stronger their support.
3. Educate the team on properly supporting the message -
Often sales doesn't support the message because they haven't heard
it and don't know what is expected of them. By educating the sales
team in advance and setting expectations you dramatically increase
your chances of successful support. For maximum effect, create a
contest that rewards sales team support.
4. Follow up and feed back - Salespeople are focused on
closing business, conversations and sales. They look forward to
knowing the outcome of an effort they made. Show them the results
and recognize them for their support.
Source: Dave Lakhani, Bold Approach Inc.