Thinking about moving from media agency to media sales? Discover what media sales is really like, the skills you need, targets, commission, new business and advice from sales expert Nick Paschalis.
Dear Amelia,
I’ve worked at a media agency for a few years and I’m thinking about moving into media sales. I like the commercial side of media, I’m good with clients and I already know plenty of people on the sales side, so it feels like a logical move.
But I also wonder whether I’m confusing being good with people with being good at sales.
I’ve never had a revenue target hanging over me, I’ve never had to prospect for business, and I’m used to being the person with the budget rather than the person trying to win it.
What’s media sales really like, and how do I know if I’m actually suited to it?
Best,
Not Quite Sold
Dear Not Quite Sold,
You’ve already got one big advantage: you understand the customer because you’ve been the customer.
You know how media agencies operate, what makes a good response to a brief, what pressures planners and buyers are under, and which salespeople make themselves genuinely useful.
But I wouldn’t assume that means you’ll enjoy selling. Sales is tough. Having a revenue target with your name against it creates a different kind of pressure.
First, find out how much hunting you’ll actually be doing
The first thing I’d want to understand is how much of the role is new business development versus managing and growing existing accounts.
If you’re inheriting established agency relationships and existing revenue, that’s an easier transition. If you’re expected to build a pipeline and generate a large chunk of your revenue from scratch, that’s considerably more challenging.
If it’s heavily focused on new business, ask what support you’ll get. What sales training is provided? Who’ll coach you? Will you inherit a pipeline? How long will you have to get up to speed before you’re expected to hit target?
I’d also look carefully at which agencies you’ll be selling into. If they include agencies you’ve worked for, or people you already have strong relationships with, that’s another advantage. You’re not starting as a stranger trying to get a meeting.
But knowing someone and getting them to spend money with you are two different things.
Which is why I wanted the perspective of someone who really knows the sales side.
I asked a media sales expert
I asked Nick Paschalis, Country Manager NZ at Big Ads, for his perspective.
Nick has more than 30 years’ experience in media and advertising sales, including senior roles at Fairfax Media, MediaOne, Yahoo! NZ and Acquire Online. He’s carried revenue targets, managed major agency relationships, developed new business and led sales teams across traditional, digital and programmatic media.
Nick agrees that understanding the type of sales role is critical.
As he explains, “A BDM role might be 75% ‘hunting’ (new business) and 25% ‘farming’ (existing), while an established agency patch may be the reverse.”
He also describes the move from agency to sales as “shifting from a position of perceived power (holding budget) to one of influence (selling solutions).”
That’s the mindset change. Your relationships can get you through the door. They don’t guarantee you the sale.
So, what’s media sales actually like?
Nick says the days can be very varied, but “success requires rigorous planning: prospecting, appointment setting, and responding to briefs.”
There’s also the less glamorous but necessary work of managing your pipeline, keeping your CRM up to date and staying across developments in the market.
Nick says you should also find out whether the role is predominantly consultative or transactional.
His advice is: “Don’t just sell inventory; offer tailored value.”
A consultative role is about understanding an agency’s challenges and developing solutions around them. A transactional role may involve much more chasing of standard orders. They’re quite different working experiences.
And what makes someone good at it?
Nick points to honesty and empathy, curiosity, data literacy, responsiveness and “polite persistence”.
I particularly like that last one.
You already know what it feels like to be the planner being chased for an answer. Now you’ll need to become the person doing the chasing, without becoming the salesperson whose calls you used to avoid.
Depending on what you’re selling, you may also need more technical knowledge than you expect. In programmatic and ad-tech particularly, Nick’s advice is to think of yourself as a “Technical Consultant who happens to sell media.”
Being personable helps. But you also need to understand the agency’s problem and know enough about your product to solve it.
Look carefully at the OTE
Then there’s the money.
As an example, if the on-target earnings (OTE) on offer is $140,000 per annum, Nick says the base might be around $70,000 to $90,000, with the remainder coming through commission or bonus when you hit your targets.
So don’t focus solely on the headline OTE. Ask how the target is calculated, whether there’s a ramp-up period while you build your pipeline and whether commission is capped.
Nick also recommends looking at staff turnover because “high churn often signals unrealistic targets or poor support.”
I’d add one question of my own: what percentage of the sales team actually hit target last year?
That answer could tell you more than the advertised OTE.
So, should you cross over to sales?
I’d certainly explore it, Not Quite Sold.
Your agency experience could be a genuine advantage, particularly if you’ll be selling into agencies and people you already know.
But I’d judge the individual opportunity carefully. How much new business will you have to generate? What relationships will you inherit? Is the product genuinely good? What training will you receive? And is the target achievable?
Then ask yourself whether you actually want the pressure that comes with being measured against that number.
Because I think the question underneath your question isn’t really “Would I be good at sales?”
It’s “Would I enjoy being responsible for the sale?”
Those aren’t necessarily the same thing.
Got a question for an upcoming #AskAmelia?
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