You have a million things to do, but the phone keeps ringing with pitches from salespeople offering ad space in media outlets ranging from print and online venues to cable television. No wonder there are days when your instinct is to send your calls to voicemail and hit "Delete."

Patrick Schaber feels your pain. “I get plenty of cold calls from people wanting our business,” he writes in his blog, The Lonely Marketer. “I understand the frustration that goes along with persistent phone ringing and sometimes bad sales approaches.” But, he argues, taking the time to treat salespeople with courtesy can yield valuable results.

His top tips:

Answer the phone. You never know what salespeople have to offer or what kind of deal you might be able to negotiate. And if you build good relationships, you might find yourself on the receiving end of open media slots that haven’t sold, often at a discounted price—or for free.

Build a database. Even if the calls don’t relate to your current needs, save the contact information and make a note of what the salesperson has to offer. This way, if your priorities or budget change, you have a database of contacts and pitches you can quickly review.

→ end article preview
Read the Full Article