Ryan shares 5 more tips for ad sales management success.
When I host sales trainings, we always spend some time evaluating the best practices we want to see in management. Last week I wrote about key leadership strategies in 5 Tips for Ad Sales Management Success. Identifying those leadership qualities can help you lead your ad sales team effectively.
Every good sales manager should know how to set clear expectations, understand the 80/20 rule, manage the big personalities and more.
Here are 5 MORE tips for successful ad sales management:
1. Get to know your team personally without getting too personal. There is a finesse to appropriate interaction with your sales team. Get to know each member of your team in a friendly, business-like way. Take them to lunch every other month. Ask them to coffee and get to know their interests or passions.
2. Don’t just lead, help your team. When you are looking for ways to serve the needs your team, you have a distinct advantage over other managers that are “self” focused. Ask your team: What can I do today to help YOU sell more?
3. Consistent role playing creates winners. Every sales person hates to role play. Find me one that loves it and I will show you a sales super star. Don’t let your team practice on your advertisers. Practice as a group to be perfect. Most role playing stinks because reps are joking around and throwing out crazy client statements to be funny. Serious practice = serious results.
4. Manage the active account list. Most top ad sales managers handle several accounts to keep their sales skills fresh. Also, this helps them better understand what their team is facing. Don’t just take the posh clients. Challenges create personal growth.
5. Always be training. Top ad sales managers are always putting fresh ad sales training in front of their teams. Find a sales system that you like and then create a training program to revisit key topics monthly.
The best ads sales management training is all about exploration and refinement. Ask yourself: What will I do as an ad sales manager– to be the best I can be for my team today, this week, this month and this year?
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More about Ryan Dohrn: Ryan is President of 360 Ad Sales Training, an internet & sales consulting firm focused on developing print and online revenue strategies for magazine publishers.
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