A Radio Advertising Salesperson is responsible for selling air time to people and businesses that want to advertise on the radio station. The salesperson works with the station’s sales manager. The Radio Advertising Salesperson also handles business the station already has. The stations sales manager usually assigns a number of accounts to each salesperson. The individual then services those accounts.
He or she is responsible for calling or visiting the advertiser on a regular basis to find out when they want to advertise, the number of spots they want to buy, how and if they want to change their commercials, etc. The salesperson will tell customers about new promotions the station is running and supply information about discounts and package rates. The individual might also offer suggestions for copy or content of the commercials.
The sales manager might also refer call-ins to the Advertising Salesperson. These are calls in which potential customers want more information about the station, its rates, demographics, etc. The individual will send out or deliver rate cards, informational sheets on the station and its demographics, comments from other advertisers, etc. He or she will then try to set up an appointment with the caller to discuss advertising on the station. The individual may offer special discounts for new advertisers in order to get them to try advertising on the station.
It is also the duty of the Radio Advertising Salesperson to bring in new business. To do this, the individual may make cold calls to potential advertisers. This means that the Advertising Salesperson calls businesses that have not expressed an interest in advertising on the station. The salesperson identifies him- or herself and the station affiliation and then requests an appointment to tell the potential advertiser more about the station. The individual must be able to accept rejection. He or she will not be able to make appointments on every call. The salesperson might also bring in new business by increasing the number of spots current advertisers are buying. This can often happen when the client is running sales, specials, promotions, or contests. Additional spots might also be purchased by a client if the station is running discounts, promotions, or packages.
Depending on the structure of the station, the Advertising Salesperson may have a set sales territory or may be free to sell advertisements to any advertiser. In certain stations, one salesperson might be hired to sell advertising to specific types of clients, such as restaurants, retail shops and stores, entertainment, etc. In other situations the individual will be free to solicit any type of business in order to sell air time.
The Radio Advertising Salesperson must learn everything there is to know about the station in order to be able to sell advertising. He or she must know the type of audience it attracts, the programming, data about other types of businesses using the medium, how far the station reaches, and wattage. The individual must also know the same type of information about competing stations in the area. In this way, he or she will be able to discuss the competitive differences. The salesperson must know about the various rates, discounts, and packages the station offers and be able to explain them to advertisers in a way they will easily understand. He or she must be knowledgeable about the length of advertisements and the time slots for which commercials may be sold.
The salesperson may be expected to attend training sessions and seminars the station or some outside training force offers. The individual may be required to attend weekly staff meetings during which sales techniques and suggestions are made.
The Advertising Salesperson may develop marketing or advertising ideas for current or potential customers. He or she might brainstorm with a client in order to help the individual come up with effective advertising ideas. He or she keeps up on current industry sales and advertising ideas and brings these to both current and potential clients. The whole idea for the individual is to sell effective advertising to clients. If the ads are not effective, the customer will not purchase any more time. The individual may collect success stories or letters from clients on how advertising on the station helped increase business or draw people to a location. These will help prove to potential clients that advertising on the station works.
The Advertising Salesperson is expected to keep accurate records of advertising sold and billings. The individual writes orders and makes sure that they get to the appropriate people and departments at the station. He or she continuously checks with clients to make sure that they were happy with their commercials, to see that they were billed properly, and to inquire about the purchase of future advertising time.
The Advertising Salesperson often works in the field, making calls on businesses and others who are current or potential advertisers. At other times the individual works from his or her desk. The salesperson does not have anyone looking over his or her shoulder. In order to be good at this type of job, the individual has to know how to set priorities and organize the work day. As many stations today have their own Web sites, Advertising Salespeople may also be responsible for selling advertising space on the station’s site. In some cases, the radio station may hire salespeople specifically to sell Web site advertising.
The Advertising Salesperson working in a radio station is responsible to the station’s advertising sales manager. While the individual can work normal business hours, he or she may arrange sales calls in the evening or on weekends. Successful salespeople are always trying to sell, even in social situations such as dinner parties or at meetings. As individuals in this line of work are usually paid on a commission basis, they can experience a great deal of stress and pressure. The individual must realize that not every day will be a great selling day. Some days or weeks the person will sell more advertising, and sometimes he or she will sell less. If the person can’t deal with this type of fluctuation and pressure, he or she might consider going into another type of work.
Salaries vary greatly for individuals working as a Radio Advertising Salesperson. The great thing about being a salesperson is that the sky is the limit on earnings. Most Radio Advertising Salespeople are paid on a commission basis. This means that for every dollar of advertising space they sell they receive a percentage as a salary. Percentages vary from station to station, ranging from 10 percent to 20 percent, although the average commission is 15 percent. Salespeople who sell more earn more.
Annual earnings for Advertising Salespeople in radio can range from $18,000 to $95,000 plus, depending on a number of variables. These include the size and location of the station and the sales ability of the individual. It is important to note that many stations offer a weekly or monthly draw against salary to salespeople. This is done for a couple of reasons. The first is to help beginning salespeople get into the swing of selling. The second is to adjust individuals’ incomes in case they have a bad week or month. Most radio stations also offer benefit packages to people working at the station in order to augment their income.
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