Have you cracked the ad sales hiring code yet? An inevitable topic at every one of our niche publisher roundtables is how to find top salespeople (and successfully retain them).
We asked Sales Leader Stephanie Holland to talk about how to identify traits of great salespeople and where to find them outside normal HR channels. We also asked her to share some of her interview best practices.
Stephanie:
Stephanie: “Depending on your product suite, you can likely find super star sales people in various places. When selling custom publishing solutions, former marketers often understand how to put together integrated content driven programs. For lead generation products often the best sales reps are those that may be involved in production or audience development. These are often teams that know what types of content or campaigns your audience responds to.”
Stephanie:” I ask for a case study on their favorite program that they ever sold, and the reason it was their favorite. In asking for case studies, you’ll know if the rep really took the time to understand the client’s problem, recommended a solution, and understood results. I find that case studies are the best way to sell other advertising programs, and the best way to sell me!”
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More about Stephanie: Stephanie Holland is a passionate leader with more than 15 years of experience in advertising sales and marketing. She currently manages global advertising sales and marketing at the American Chemical Society. In addition to sales, Stephanie is also the manager of marketing for ACS’s weekly news magazine Chemical & Engineering News.
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About this blogger: Diana Landau is the Content Wrangler for Niche Media. A former sales director and corporate marketing hack, she has now found nirvana in writing and wrangling quality content. Diana is a food, wine, art and SF Giants enthusiast…who sometimes gets carried away.
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Niche Media has the best events, education, and training in media! Our super niched-out events & content give target-audience publishers in the B2C, hobbyist, B2B, city & regional, and association markets the tools they need to build revenue, audience, and more.
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