The Center for Sales Strategy - Sales Strategy Blog

I Bet You Didn’t Think About This With Native Ads

Written by John Henley | December 20, 2013

If you work for a media company that sells digital advertising, you no doubt are following the buzz around Native Ads. There is an important point for all salespeople related to Native Ads that I don’t want you to miss. The dictionary shows several definitions for the word native. A few that are relevant for this conversation are; belonging to a person since birth, living or growing naturally in a particular region. 

Definition of Native Ads

Some of you reading this, sell Native Ads, and you immediately recognize why I choose those two dictionary definitions. Even if you don’t sell Native Ads or aren’t in the media business, you have likely noticed these ads showing up in your Facebook feed, on Twitter, Forbes and other places. The first time you see one, you think it’s a regular post in your feed—until you look closely and notice it’s paid content.

Creating Ads That Belong 

Related to Native Ads, the Interactive Advertising Bureau (IAB) states that companies like Facebook, Twitter and others want to deliver paid ads that are so cohesive with the page content, assimilated into the design, and consistent with the platform behavior that the viewer simply feels that they belong. This doesn’t necessarily mean the viewer doesn’t know they are an ad, just that they belong.

The Power of the "Native Salesperson"

As I was reviewing the IABs findings on Native Ads, I started thinking about how powerful it is when a salesperson becomes a “Native Salesperson.” Someone who belongs in key client conversations and meetings. Someone who behaves in such a way that the client might have a hard time noticing that they work for someone else. The salesperson is so intentional about being assimilated into the client firm that everyone starts to feel like they belong.

How to Become a "Native Salesperson"

We could make a long list of actions you can take to become a Native Salesperson, but most will fall under one of these three headers; empathy, expertise and problem-solving. If you want to be trusted and valued, look for ways to demonstrate empathy, share your expertise and demonstrate problem-solving.  These are the foundation of a powerful business relationship. 

For more on becoming trusted and valued, click here.