The AdNews NGen blog: The Sales Rep - the other side of the fence!

When that all too familiar sound of an e-mail received at work interrupts my train of thought, I'm more than happy to oblige by checking my inbox for a quick distraction. After all, it could be one of those hilariously inappropriate 'motivational' emails, an email from a reader wondering where their competition prize has got to, or it could be my big break for that account I've been waiting to secure with the million dollar commission. But just as good as the aforementioned emails, is when my AdNews newsletter arrives. Being an avid reader of the NGen blog, my mouth waters a little when I think of what tasty offerings they have for me to sink my teeth into this week.

After reading through the latest commentary of the NGen blog it became increasingly obvious that the land of the ad agency is being very well represented here, so I thought it was high time to throw in a voice from the other side of the fence – and after much consideration, I nominated myself to do the honours and give an insight into the world of the sales rep.

Having worked as a magazine sales rep for a number of years now, I have certainly seen some massive differences in the type of people who form our side of the industry. And categorically speaking - eventually when you settle into the world of sales, you naturally adopt a distinct style. Allow me to introduce you to a few:

The Turtle – This is the one who sticks their head out for a moment and realises that it's all just a bit too confronting/hard and retreats to the safety of Microsoft Outlook. You know who they are.

The Bull – If you've seen Wall Street (the good version from 1987 with a sober Charlie Sheen) – you'll know what I'm talking about. And if you haven't – well I highly recommend a trip to Video Ezy – but like the name suggests, this one's aggressive and hungry for a sale.

The Goldfish – This rep is very inquisitive and polite, however often forgets things easily and will call contacts frequently with the same offering week after week.

The Fast Food Rep – "Would you like a front cover mention, bonus full page, editorial feature and cover mount with that?"

You get my drift.

Of course these are some of the extremes in terms of characterisation, but I have to acknowledge that they actually do exist (and yes, even I have slipped into these roles from time to time). So I can understand how sales reps as a collective group can be considered to be 'annoying' (I know, I said it) and picking up the phone to talk to us slash meet with us can sometimes be a chore.

But I believe a good rep is one who is adaptable and understanding – not everyone is going to want to go for a coffee to catch up – there simply aren't enough hours in the day; or chat on the phone about how much weight evil Joe lost on The Biggest Loser last night; or say 'yes' to the offering of free movie tickets/manicures/booze etc. Although the latter does help a little, you must admit!

I am also of the belief that a great rep is one who knows what the client wants before they even know – and is able to deliver the most effective result for everyone involved. Of course there are a bunch of other factors that contribute to being a great rep, but I have a word count I need to stick to, and I also need to keep some of these tricks of the trade up my sleeve.

But speaking of my career strategy, I myself have attempted to jump out of my comfort zone in order to 'better' myself as a sales rep (yes I rented The Boiler Room and attempted to mirror the hard core version of selling back in the day, only to be told to lighten up and go and watch The Notebook and hug a Care Bear on my day off). But after much thought you realise that not everyone is going to have this approach to selling advertising, and that keeping on top and ahead of what your client/agency is doing, making sure you work out the best and most effective offering and ensuring that what you're doing is going to have a positive and hopefully win/win effect for all parties involved, is essential.

So if you will indulge me while I step on my soapbox, I do have one final, important message to leave you with. Ahem. Here it goes. When it comes to delivering the best result for the client and everyone involved, we need to work together in a positive and effective way to achieve this outcome. So let's be honest, open and on top of our game to make sure that everybody wins. And if you're reading this and not feeling the love – go home and hug a Care Bear (it really works).

Emma Keft
Pacific Mags