🤝🏻 Sales Needs More Humanity

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Welcome to The Niche Fix. Each week, we will share insights from experts and professionals in the niche publishing industry. Have questions or thoughts about the industry? Reply to this email, and let’s chat!

But first…

Last Call: Want to sell more ads without leaving your desk?

The Niche Media Ad Sales Summit starts this week, and seats are almost gone. Join Ryan Dohrn for two days of live, virtual coaching packed with real sales strategies that actually work.

You’ll learn how to sell in uncertain times, handle tough objections on the fly, use AI tools to prep smarter, and get Ryan’s personal email templates + 25 subject lines that boost open rates.

B2B Sellers: July 21–22
Consumer Sellers: July 23–24
Virtual + recorded for easy replay

Don’t miss it—this is your ad sales reset for 2025.

Now, let’s talk humanity…

Putting the Human Back Into The Sales Business

By Zach O’Brien

Let’s be honest: the term “salesperson” still makes people flinch a little. Blame Boiler Room. Blame Wolf of Wall Street. Blame every polyester-suited pitch artist from the '90s who chased you into a RadioShack asking if you’d “thought more about that fax machine.”

But as Ryan Dohrn—our favorite billion-dollar sales coach and professional no-nonsense-giver—says: those days are over. The old sales playbook is due for a rewrite, and the new title? Be More Human.

At a time when AI is writing emails, summarizing sales calls, and whispering cold-call scripts into your AirPods, the most effective thing an ad sales pro can do might just be... act like a person.

Stop “Checking In.” Start Being Useful.

If the bulk of your follow-ups sound like, “Just checking in!” or “Circling back one more time!”—congrats, you’ve officially become inbox wallpaper.

Ryan puts it plainly: “How can I help?” is the better question. It’s disarming, it’s sincere, and it flips the dynamic from selling to serving. Instead of feeling like you're begging for budget, you become an advisor—someone they trust, not someone they dodge.

Try this line next time:
“When you gave me this meeting, I imagine there was something you hoped I could help with. What does that look like for you?”

Suddenly you’re in a conversation, not a pitch.

Salesy Closes Are Out. Respect Is In.

Old-school sales tactics like “create urgency” and “never give them a chance to say no” don’t just fall flat—they come off as manipulative. And today’s buyers? They’ve seen every trick in the book. Twice.

You’re not fooling anyone by saying “another client is looking at this same package today.” In fact, you’re probably insulting their intelligence.

Ryan’s advice? Drop the gimmicks. Be direct. Be helpful. Be honest. A little humility—and a lot of humanity—go a long way.

More Non-Sales Touches, Please

Here’s something that’ll make you stand out instantly: stop selling 100% of the time.

Ryan recommends 30–35% of your touches should be non-sales related. That could mean sharing an article they’d appreciate, sending a handwritten note (yes, with a real pen), or just checking in to say, “Saw this and thought of you.”

These small, intentional moments build relationships. And relationships lead to referrals, renewals, and revenue. Not because you pushed for the sale—but because you became someone worth buying from.

Advisors > Order-Takers

There’s a big difference between saying, “Please buy this ad” and, “Here’s what I recommend to help you reach your goals.” One is a plea. The other is a partnership.

Ryan’s big shift is seeing yourself not as a salesperson, but as an advisor. Advisors get paid to recommend. Salespeople beg. Which one are you?

Be someone your clients refer to their colleagues. Be someone who knows their business better than the last three reps combined. Be someone who stays in the game long after the deal closes.

AI Is Fast. But You’re Human. Use That.

AI can help you write a first draft, summarize a meeting, or research a lead. But it can’t send a thank-you note with real ink. It can’t read the room. It can’t replace the moment when you ask a client how their dog’s surgery went—and you actually mean it.

Ryan puts it best: “Bring the humanity back into the sales business.” It’s not a trend. It’s the edge.

So next time you fire off that follow-up or hop on a Zoom call, remember: in a world of bots, being human is your superpower.

This issue of the Niche Fix is brought to you by Omeda

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