If you’re trying to grow your business nationally, chances are you’ve had this conversation:
“We need another salesperson.”
It sounds logical.
More territory means more prospects. More prospects mean more sales. Therefore, hire another salesperson.
But before you spend six figures recruiting, hiring, training, managing, and compensating another salesperson, it’s worth asking a different question:
What if the problem isn’t that you need more salespeople? What if you simply need more qualified opportunities?
For many businesses, national advertising can either make a new salesperson dramatically more successful—or eliminate the need to hire one altogether.
The True Cost of Hiring a Salesperson
Many business owners underestimate what a salesperson actually costs.
Consider a typical experienced salesperson with industry expertise:
- Base salary: $70,000 – $120,000
- Benefits and taxes
- CRM and technology costs
- Training and onboarding
- Travel expenses
- Management oversight
- Commissions and incentives
It’s not uncommon for a salesperson to represent a total annual investment of $100,000 to $200,000 or more.
And there’s another challenge.
Most salespeople spend a significant portion of their time doing something that doesn’t generate revenue:
Prospecting.
Cold calls.
Cold emails.
LinkedIn outreach.
Voicemails.
Follow-ups.
Gatekeepers.
Rejection.
In many industries, salespeople spend more time trying to find prospects than actually selling.
Option #1: Make Your New Salesperson More Successful
Let’s assume you decide to hire a salesperson.
National advertising can dramatically increase that person’s effectiveness.
Imagine a prospect receiving:
- Your SiriusXM advertisement
- Your website visit
- Your email campaign
- Then a call from your salesperson
That conversation changes.
Instead of:
“I’ve never heard of you.”
The prospect says:
“I think I’ve heard of your company.”
That familiarity increases response rates, appointment rates, and close rates.
Your salesperson spends less time explaining who you are and more time discussing how you can help.
In other words, advertising creates leverage for your sales team.
Option #2: Generate Inbound Leads Instead
Now let’s consider another possibility.
What if qualified prospects came to you?
Instead of hiring another salesperson to chase opportunities, national advertising can help create opportunities that seek you out.
That’s the power of inbound marketing.
When prospects hear your message repeatedly on a trusted national platform, they often:
- Visit your website
- Request information
- Call your office
- Submit forms
- Schedule appointments
Instead of paying a salesperson to hunt for leads, you’re creating an environment where leads arrive already interested in your solution.
Many business owners discover that a consistent advertising program can generate enough qualified inquiries to postpone—or entirely avoid—the need to hire additional sales staff.
Why SiriusXM Is an Attractive Option
Most business owners assume national advertising is reserved for large corporations.
That’s no longer true.
SiriusXM offers one of the most accessible national advertising platforms available today.
While many national radio campaigns require budgets of $100,000 or more, SiriusXM campaigns often begin around $10,000.
That means a business owner can test national advertising for less than the annual cost of a single salesperson.
Instead of committing immediately to a new hire, companies can evaluate whether advertising can create demand first.
Reach Business Owners, Decision Makers, and Executives
One of SiriusXM’s biggest advantages is its audience.
Many channels attract:
- Business owners
- Entrepreneurs
- C-suite executives
- Investors
- Professionals
- Affluent consumers
Channels such as:
- FOX Business
- CNBC
- Bloomberg Radio
- Business Radio
- FOX News
can help businesses reach influential decision makers across the country.
For B2B companies especially, this can be an efficient way to generate awareness among people who actually have purchasing authority.
Which Is Better: A Salesperson or Advertising?
The answer is often both.
The strongest growth companies typically combine:
- Skilled salespeople
- Consistent lead generation
- Strong brand awareness
- National advertising
Advertising creates demand.
Salespeople convert demand.
When both work together, growth accelerates.
However, if you’re deciding where to invest your next $100,000, it’s worth considering whether that money might generate a better return creating opportunities rather than simply hiring someone to chase them.
Explore Your Options
At HowToAdvertiseOnSiriusXM.com, you’ll find free tools that can help you evaluate whether SiriusXM is right for your business.
Our site includes:
- SiriusXM campaign planning calculators
- Audience targeting tools
- Channel recommendation tools
- The SiriusXM Cost Comparison Guide
You’ll be able to estimate campaign costs, identify channels that align with your target audience, and compare SiriusXM with other national advertising options.
Talk With a SiriusXM Advertising Expert
RaptorUSA has extensive experience helping businesses evaluate SiriusXM advertising opportunities and understand how SiriusXM fits alongside digital marketing, sales teams, and existing advertising efforts.
Consultations are free, and there is no additional cost to use RaptorUSA when advertising on SiriusXM.
Before you hire another salesperson, it may be worth exploring whether a national advertising campaign can generate the leads that salesperson would otherwise spend months trying to find.
