Use special section bundled solutions as training wheels for your reps and customers

The second half of 2010 has begun, and it’s time to do a quick gut check. Have you made significant progress towards your online revenue goals? Based on conversations I’ve recently had with several VPA members, there has been some progress, but not a great deal. What’s surprising about this is that we are really good at upselling our current customers to special sections, annual guides and advertorials, yet we aren’t getting the same kind of traction with our online sales. Let’s use our special sections as the training wheels to get our reps and customers more thoroughly engaged in online.

I think one of the major challenges that we have when we go about trying to sell online advertising is that we look at it as if it were something different and mysterious. Rather, we need to look at it for what it is – simply another way for our customers to reach their customers.

The Web’s ability to capture and report on every action, including views and clicks, has clouded our vision. We tend to think that we have to act as if we are scientists, wearing white lab coats and spouting data, rather than telling our story the same way we always do: We reach your customers and prospects because that is the composition of our audience, both in print and online.

The fastest way to initially grow your online revenue is to upsell your current customers to a bundled package. Let’s start by making our online sales a part of another event, say a special section. Getting your sales team to quickly grow online customer count and revenue can be easy, particularly when online is packaged with a special section. When you are actively selling your bridal section, make sure that an online ad that runs for a 13-week duration is part of the package. Reps will gain confidence in selling a bundled solution while at the same time generating additional eyeballs for your customers.

The bottom line is that we have to begin, right now, to make online a part of every sale. To not do so is to leave money on the table and eventually lose customers to your online competitors. Remember, your brand is more than simply ink and paper.

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