Why Technology Prevents Lost Ad Sales Opportunities

7 CRM Features Every Sales Rep Needs

Let’s face it. No matter how awesome you are at selling ad space and media, you can still leave money on the table. The fact is we are human beings – not machines. We need technology to see opportunities that the human eye can’t. Perhaps this is why CRMs have become so popular over the past 20 years. Study after study keeps finding that CRMs work!

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While CRMs at the most basic level organize records, notes, communications, follow-ups and next steps, there are essential features in your CRM that avoid a clogged sales funnel. If you haven’t been using these ad sales features, the following reasons may convince you to start.

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7 CRM Features that Help You Prevent Losing an Opportunity

1. Scheduled call-back lists
   If you use an Excel sheet or a notebook to know who to call and when then it’s time to stop. This is not a reliable way for your team to know what is happening. If your CRM doesn’t tell you what follow-ups are needed on a daily basis, it will make a positive difference.
2. Integrated Proposal Templates
   When you get an RFP, how long does it take you to create it? Here’s a secret coming from a former agency person: people get tired of reading proposals. Therefore, if you can generate a proposal quickly, and submit it ASAP, you can almost guarantee it will get read. Then, once approved, you’ll need a system that can automatically convert it into a contract. After all, you won’t want to give your client a chance to change their mind.
3. Contract Expiration Notifications
   This is the definition of leaving money on the table. Chances are, you don’t have every contract expiration date memorized. If your system is not giving you this type of friendly “heads up”, you should bring it up to your vendor.
4. Client Inactivity Reports
   Clients rarely fall off the planet, but they do stop advertising – even if it’s not on purpose. If a client has not been in communication with the sales team for some time, you’ll want your CRM to identify it.
5. Lead Identification
   Guess who is thumbing through media kit posted on your website? Someone considering advertising! While most CRMs cannot identify this person, some sophisticated systems can, including The Newspaper Manager.
6. Issue-to-Issue Comparison Reports
   Is your holiday issue looking a little slim? You may not remember who advertised last year, but your CRM can! If you can quickly identify which advertisers are missing, you’ll probably have more luck luring them back than finding entirely new ones.
7. Mobile Access
   Want to know why most people sleep next to their smartphone? It’s called #FOMO (fear of missing out). As you go from one sales call to the next, any data you could possibly need, such as rates and historic data, should be right at your fingertips. After all, opportunities can knock at any second. Are you prepared?

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Obviously, there are even more features that help save opportunities, but these seven areas are a great start. Once you start maximizing your publishing system’s full potential, you should start seeing a healthier pipeline forecast (another great CRM feature). You may be the greatest ad sales rockstar on the planet, but great technology will still make you better at it.

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To learn more about The Newspaper Manager, please contact us.