I have been on both sides of the fence of media owner and ad agency and i don't like it when one side does not understand the pressures that the other faces (typically media owner "pushy", ad agency "takes an age to sign off" but this is my highly personal guide to good selling to ad agencies (and a pretty good indication for what i want OME staff to be like)
- PRODUCT KNOWLEDGE - i will forgive most things for an account manager who really understands his/her product. Where strengths/weaknesses lie, how to fix a campaign etc
- ATTITUDE (as in positive!) - cannot define it but we can all spot it a mile off and it comes over in everything somebody does from saying "Good Morning" to a heated negotiation
- PERSUASIVENESS - you should be bale to stand your ground - say you disagree and tell me why - i may even one day be convinced of your argument
- PROBLEM SOLVING - taking bookings and delivering brilliant results is the easy bit - good account managers excel when the shit hits the fan - and clients are getting frustrated and disappointed (in online an inevitability once in a while). Here's a clue - don't blame IT, the ASP in Norway or an Act of God.
- POLITENESS - maybe its just a personal bug bear but when i hear someone being rude to a member of staff as they think they are the receptionist or just having a chippy manner - they are unlikely to be helping sell their product too much.
And just to stand up for the recruitment world - i think as an industry we are stronger in many of these skills than many of the rather personality led display sales people i have dealt with over the years.
Rant over.
3 comments on Media Sales / Good Account Management
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Can you make the call? If you are not the person that pts pen to paper and makes the ultimate decision fine, you’re still valuable but let us know. It just makes a lot of work if not.
Be honest - If you don’t know something fine, take your time and find out, don’t just blag. When we are chasing deals and the dates we are given for sign off are based on nothing more than gut feel, it means we chase you when you won’t have the answers we need.
Media talk - Newsflash, media talk to each other. If you’re going to play one of the other make sure you have it right as it's not unusual for media A to call media B about a deal offered to agency C.
Timing – Not all proposals are needed yesterday. We know this because we have all had this conversation in the past:
Agency Contact X: I need that proposal by the end of play or you have no chance of getting on the schedule.
Media Rep Y: No problem
5 days later……
Media Rep Y: Any news?
Agency Contact X: Haven’t actually sent it over yet, it’s still on my desk.
Live it, learn it, love it.
Cheers
Dom
Personally I thought it was desperately unethical. It just shows what a competitive marketplace it is and how some sites will literally do anything to get your business.
Good account management is so important, probably second most important criteria in choosing the right job board.