Throughout my career, I have always heard how a great salesperson can sell anything, but I have never bought into this concept. I can't sell ice to an Eskimo. I can't sell cars, homes or
shower curtain rings. I can only sell media. And within media, I can only sell a well-branded content property. It gets even worse for my career opportunities: I can only sell media for a
well-branded content property that has sold me as a consumer.
Could I literally sell a car, or a Web site that writes about cars? Perhaps. But would I be great at it? Not
a chance. And in today's media climate, being great at what you sell better be on your to-do list -- and selling something you buy into as a consumer is the surest ladder to greater
achievements.
At Newsweek, I had to become a newsweekly junkie, and I was far from one. So my first year working out of the San Francisco office, I did not own a
television. This allotted me the time required to read each issue cover to cover as well as the competition before I headed out on my sales calls every week.
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At
Tennis magazine, my clients bought my credibility when I walked into their offices, because I had been running around on a tennis court since I was six years old -- which became obvious the
second we started our discussions. While working for Tennis, I was asked to rep another magazine the company published called Snow Country. Looking back now, I can see why my
bosses were so pissed when I refused, but no one dislikes skiing more than I do, so selling that audience was not a trail towards success in my mind.
At IGN, I started as a salesperson and
left as the vice president of sales. I was one of the worst salespeople there because I'd never played video games -- not even as a kid. So when sitting in front of a video game publisher, or a
consumer advertiser interested in learning more about the video gaming market, I had no greater market insight beyond my marketing slides.
To be great at selling media, you have to
realize media buyers are not Eskimos and never buy anything they don't want to buy. When they identify our site and our audience as a "unique complement" to their media plan, that's when we use
our skills to creatively package our inventory so they buy more of it -- but that's very different from selling them something they don't want or need.
A good media
salesperson tells a consistent story, educating media buyers on why this publishing brand matters to the audience it attracts and how an advertiser can benefit from being part of the user experience.
Great media salespeople do this with greater integrity, insight and credibility because they consume the content they represent.
So think about what you sell now and how you can become
an avid member of your site's audience. If this is as unlikely as me becoming an avid gamer, then identify companies with brands you personally connect to and think about making a
move. If you're a good salesperson now, imagine how great you would be selling yourself instead of selling someone else.
On the rare occasion ice is sold to an Eskimo, the chance
to renew that business melts. When you educate buyers through greater market insight gained as a consumer of what you represent, you reek of credibility. That's when buyers are more likely to
purchase "you," over and over again.