Media Sales career development

How will my career develop?

A career in media sales will not give you a foot in the door or lead into journalism, editorial, marketing, PR or production. It is only suitable for those wishing to pursue a career in media sales and sales team management.

The first rung on the media sales ladder will be selling in classified advertising. Classified is a cost effective form of advertising that is contained in a dedicated section at the back of a magazine. It is the place where readers look when they have a need for a product or service. Classified ads can be anything from a simple text ad to full colour half page. Often it can appear under a specific heading within a classified section. If you are working on a national newspaper or a business magazine you could also be selling recruitment advertising.

You will work as part of a team and have a line manager to assist with your personal career development. You will learn basic sales structures, objection handling and negotiation. You will also begin to understand the print and production process. There will be times when you need to give advice to a client on the design and look of their advert. If you work on a weekly title then the pressure to meet deadlines will be even greater.

Your clients will consist of existing advertisers and business that you will win. You will have a weekly/monthly sales target to work toward and once hit will result in earning commission on top of your basic salary.

The media sales environment is a meritocracy and when you are ready you will make your next move. This could be into a more senior role within the classified department or into a display sales position. Display ads are the full, half and quarter pages that appear alongside editorial features. They are, generally speaking, for the purpose of creating brand awareness.

At this stage you begin to see your clients face to face, undertaking ‘field sales’. This is usually the most effective way of presenting your magazine/newspaper as an advertising solution. Further more your clients need account handling, they are likely to be spending large sums of money and commit to a schedule of advertising lasting 6-12 months. They will expect a highly professional service from you - the client is king. Entertaining clients can be a part of your role so your social skills need to be adept.

Once you have been successful in a field sales role you may want to consider moving into management. You may start out as an Assistant Advertising Manager or, if you are exceptional, fast track to Advertising Manager. Either way, suddenly the buck stops with you. There will be a sales team to manage, motivate and train and budgets to hit. If those targets are missed will need some swift explaining to your boss (the Ad Director or Publisher) and you will, no doubt, have a strong competitor magazine looking to steal a march on you.

The ultimate goal will be to rise through Ad Directorship into a Publishers role. This is a big role and will mean that in addition to being in charge of the Advertising, Editorial and Production teams of several magazines you will also need to work closely with the marketing and circulation managers.