If you are an agency specializing in a single vertical, such as automotive, you are more than likely very well-versed in all the car brands, each various model, new features, and more. So, when you head into a new dealer to pitch an ad campaign, you already know how to “talk the talk”. This talk most likely includes a discussion on co-op advertising funds. The Marketing Managers at many of the car dealers are very knowledgeable about the co-op program that they can utilize and may even know, to the penny, how much co-op money they have available to spend.

If you are an agency or Media Publisher that sells across many verticals, you will find that knowledge of co-op funds is all over the map when you make your customer visits/calls. If you are giving your sales reps “a list” of clients to pursue that are in multiple verticals, it may be tough for your reps to get their arms around the various co-op guidelines for all the different brands. We recently learned about one of our customers who took a different approach, and it is netting them huge results.

The sales rep was given an Amarr garage door dealer in the area he was initially assigned. He had great luck in selling to that dealer. Before going on to another customer (under a different vertical), he thought he would look up other Amarr garage door dealers within a 100-mile radius. He then reached out to these dealers, and since he learned quite a bit in working with the first dealer, he had his “pitch down”. He was very successful in selling to these other dealers and went to his manager about pitching Amarr dealers across the country. This company has had tremendous growth due to learning about specific verticals and then pitching those dealers across the country. Now that this gentleman has covered his bases with those dealers and has quite a bit of knowledge of the garage door industry, his goal is to reach out to other brands, such as Lift-Master, etc.

Now you may have luck with 4 or 5 dealers and then “hit a wall” with your next 15 or 20 calls. Well then, it’s time to move on and become the “expert” in either another brand or another vertical.

There is not one right way or wrong way to include a co-op conversation in the sales call, but this company figured out the right way for them that makes their sales reps “experts” in particular verticals and have the co-op conversation!

To find out how to subscribe to the Co-op Connect Platform or for more information about our Co-op Concierge Services, call us at 877-990-2667 or email [email protected].

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