Media sales, as an industry, is constantly changing and evolving. As media continues to grow, the job market for media sales, media sales analysts, and media sales executives will become even more important and have more of an effect than ever before.
The goal of a media sales person is to sell advertising to clients. In order to be successful, a good media sales person must be client oriented and use a client-focused approach. This means finding out what about the clients’ needs and showing how your product can provide a solution. If a client is satisfied, they will use you again. A media sales person wants to develop and build long-term relationships with advertisers and to also generate new business. This new business comes from both existing clients and potential clients. This is done by routine, through telephone calls, emails, and meetings.
In addition to being financially rewarding, some of the perks in this job include making presentations and meeting with advertising agencies, getting to go to award functions and all kinds of exhibitions, traveling, and working with a team of your peers.
There are many recruiting agencies that specialize in the areas associated with media sales. These job areas include research, marketing, management, news, talent, promotion, traffic, engineering, technical, production, and sales support. There are top advertising job search institutions out there that make it their mission to research and track down every single advertising job opening. These institutions have research analysts reviewing advertising jobs and gather a comprehensive collection of job openings. These include job openings from Fortune 500 and Fortune 1000 companies as well as job openings from nearly every employer career Web page and job board in the U.S. This is why it is worth your while to investigate these job-finding sites carefully instead of going it on your own.
Usually a college degree is required for most media sales jobs. Recent graduates are often hired at entry-level jobs and are given competitive flat salaries with good commission and/or bonuses. Most companies that hire media sales people offer excellent training courses which enable them to develop a strong team. This training usually includes negotiation techniques, selling strategies, handling objections, and instructions on how to close a sale.
Many corporate offices are currently seeking account executives for their media sales department. Account executives have a huge impact on a company’s business. The essential duties and responsibilities for this job typically include the following:
- Securing new advertising clients.
- Performing extensive cold calling to develop client lists.
- Conducting customer-needs analysis to ascertain prospective/clients needs.
- Preparing formal advertising proposals for prospective and existing clients.
- Servicing existing clients according to the company’s described procedures.
- Meeting defined sales quotas and goals.
- Preparing sales activity reports.
- Preparing and reviewing advertising contracts and confirmations.
- Submitting new orders.
- Copying instructions and other required documents.
- A bachelor’s degree in a business-related field.
- A minimum of five years of experience in media sales.
- A demonstrated track record of meeting and exceeding established quotas.
- Excellent communication, both written and oral.
- Excellent time-management skills.
- The ability to relate and interact with senior level management.
- The ability to work as a team member.
- A willingness to travel.
If you are interested in a media sales job but do not know if you are cut out for this type of work, you can ask yourself the following questions; however, in all likelihood, if you have an interest, you most likely fit the criteria.
- Are you the kind of person who never gives up?
- Do you refuse to take no for an answer?
- Are you ambitious?
- Do you get along with everyone?
- Are you an outgoing person?
- Are you a good communicator?
- Do you enjoy socializing?
- Do you have a mind for business?