You can get literally thousands and thousands of dollars in real and perceived income for your sales career by adding a publicity element into your overall marketing program. If you want your sales career to prosper and profit, then take the time to master publicity. With publicity, you can easily position yourself as the expert in your market, win public and industry recognition and respect, and turn the credibility factor that you get from the media into revenue for yourself.

Customers buy from someone they believe is trustworthy. One of the ways to gain that trust is to position yourself as a industry expert and a valuable resource. Publicity can offer your sales efforts what I call the “halo effect.” By becoming a recognized resource, you acquire a significant level of trust that will decrease buying resistance, close more sales and larger transactions, and increase customer loyalty and confidence.

Media Coverage Means Money

Your prospects form opinions, positive or negative, based on what they hear and see in print, on television, and on the radio about your company. Why not get some of that publicity for yourself - especially if your company isn’t doing anything about it? When you recognize the importance of your own personal media attention and harness PR power, you’ll place yourself head and shoulders above your sales competition.

Think of these two brief scenarios:

Salesperson One: makes his/her own cold calls (must not be busy enough to be selling all the time), sets up an appointment and then goes to that appointment with a few brochures, a notebook and calendar in hand in hopes of making a sale or at least another appointment.

Salesperson Two: has someone make the cold calls for them (they are too busy to cold call or are at least giving the prospect that impression), before going to the appointment sends a ‘New Client Kit’ in the mail that includes the salesperson’s biography, a list of actual testimonials from clients, a list of testimonials from reporters and TV/Radio hosts, along with a CD or tape of a recent interview that showcases the rep’s expertise in a particular area. Notice that brochures and any other company paraphernalia is NOT included?

Well it’s obvious that the impression that the second salesperson makes on the prospect is designed to differentiate them in ways that are measurable in the amount of commissions they earn.

Here are some recommended tactics that are quick and effective to help you establish yourself as the salesperson of choice:

• Don’t wait around for the media to find you. Produce your own media. Create your own newsletter, e-zine, web site, and audio materials to help the press find you. Start by contacting media and try to get quoted in or write articles for industry publications.

• Create a database of local reporters and columnists and send them an email or call them. Ask them how you can be of help to them.

• Showcase your expertise by writing articles. Get them published in online publications. Submit them to article submission sites. Offer them up to editors and ask to write for them.

• Get on the radio, TV, and in print by presenting yourself as an expert. Get into articles for things that are not related to your business. You can include in your ‘New Client Kit’ an article that was written about how you were a self-proclaimed “Toys for Tots ambassador” and you went to each and every on of your clients and prospects to pick up the toys.

• Look for other ways to increase your shelf-life with a prospect or client. This is extra work that will payoff well if implemented correctly.

Gaining both online and offline exposure for yourself will net highly lucrative relationships with your prospects and clients. The implied third-party credibility will make an enormous impact on your prospects.

For additional advice on your own personal publicity campaign, I am offering a FREE 17 minute consultation on PR. Simply send me an email at: dwells@emdco.com and ask! I’ll reply with 2 time slots that are available for us to speak.

David Wells is a business development expert, speaker, trainer, consultant and founder of http://www.emdco.com a provider of business-to-business lead creation, data confirmation and integrated marketing solutions.

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