what is a media sales executive?
As a media sales executive, you identify companies that require advertising spaces and negotiate deals with them. You contact businesses and potential clients that may require advertising services. Aside from identifying new leads through emails, phone calls or social media, you reach out to the clients to guide them through the purchase process.
Media sales executives negotiate advertising contracts and liaise with clients to ensure their requirements are met and that adverts meet their standards. You also maintain strong relationships with clients to ensure they know the existing advertising solutions. When you build relationships, you can upsell other services to clients.
As a media sales executive, you bring together the client and the media company. That means you work with a media sales agency, advertising company and media or publishing company. You can work for various media companies, from radio and TV stations to publishers like magazines and newspapers.
While the role doesn't require extensive qualifications, most employers expect media sales executives to have work experience and desirable qualities. For instance, you require sales, communication and customer service skills to achieve your sales targets.
Would working as a media sales executive suit your customer service skill? Then read on to find out what competencies and qualifications you need to thrive in a media sales executive role.
media sales executive jobsaverage media sales executive salary
According to ONS, the average salary of a media sales executive is £26,854 per year. In a junior media sales position, you earn a salary of £23,000 annually. When you are experienced or work in a senior media sales executive role, you take home a salary of £40,000 yearly. The role of media sales executives involves generating new customers for the business. Hence, some companies pay commissions or bonuses based on performance.
what factors affect the salary of a media sales executive?
Your compensation package as a media sales executive depends on the services you are selling. For instance, you earn a higher salary when you sell TV adverts to customers due to the wide coverage. Media sales executives selling advertising space on print media may earn less depending on the popularity of the publishing media. Like other sales roles, media sales executives are paid based on performance. Closing large business deals earns you a higher salary compared to smaller deals.
General salary factors like experience and qualifications also influence your earnings. When you are in an entry-level role, you have minimal experience and are likely to earn a lower salary. Working in large cities also improves your compensation prospects.
types of media sales executives
The types of media sales executives depend on the advertising spaces they sell. Some include:
- digital media sales executives: as a media sales executive, you sell advertising spaces in the digital space. You secure clients that media companies and social media pages can advertise. For instance, you seek clients that require social media or YouTube adverts.
- publishing media sales executives: your job is to identify clients who will place adverts in magazines, newspapers and other print media. You seek out customers who require advertisements on a company's online content to increase audience reach.
working as a media sales executive
Working as a media sales executive is an exciting career that allows you to interact with various people. Let's explore the role of a media sales executive, including daily responsibilities and work environments.
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media sales executive job description
Some of the daily tasks of a media sales executive include:
- lead generation: as a media sales executive, you research and identify potential customers. You spend the day on your phone cold-calling potential clients and ensuring they know the company's advertising solutions. You also coordinate face-to-face meetings with clients and make presentations on the services you are offering.
- building relationships with customers: as a media sales executive, you perform customer service roles like maintaining a good relationship with customers. You build trust and find new ways to drive sales. When you have established a good rapport with customers, you can sell your services and their benefits.
- creating proposals and presentations: when a client expresses interest in your advertising solutions, you develop proposals that suit their needs. The proposal should provide an analysis of the benefits of using the adverts. You make the presentation and write quotes for the services you provide.
- managing customer accounts: as a media sales executive, you manage multiple client accounts at a time. You coordinate various advertisement campaigns and regularly obtain feedback from the client on ways to improve the adverts. You also record transactions made with the client for proper bookkeeping and account management.
- networking with industry experts: as a media sales executive, you network with industry professionals during workshops and events. You make important networks in the industry that will help you generate more sales for your company.
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work environment
As a media sales executive, you work for media sales agencies and companies. You spend much of your workday indoors, calling clients or responding to emails. The role is a desk job, but you interact with diverse clients. You also spend time outdoors during workshops, networking events and conferences. Sometimes you meet with clients for presentations or to discuss the terms of the contract.
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who are your colleagues?
Working as a media sales executive requires collaboration with professionals in different industries. You work with marketing managers, marketing executives and communication managers to discuss the digital advertising requirements of various companies. You also work with customer service representatives, account sales manager and account managers to manage client accounts. Other professionals whom you are likely to collaborate with include sales representatives, accountants and IT technical specialists.
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work schedule
The hours you work in the role may depend on your duties. For instance, if you spend most of the day in the office, you will work the typical office hours of 9 am to 5 pm in a full-time position. Media sales executives also work evenings when attending networking events and workshops. Sometimes, you also attend events during weekends and public holidays.
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job outlook
Working as a media sales executive is a great entry point for working in digital media ads and other marketing roles. When you improve your skills and qualifications, you become a marketing executive or a marketing manager. Some media sales executives become digital communications managers.
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advantages of finding a media sales executive job through randstad
Finding your media sales executive job through Randstad provides important advantages such as:
- a wide variety of training and development opportunities
- an experienced contact person to provide help if needed
- a range of opportunities in your area
- get paid weekly or monthly, depending on the job
- temporary and permanent contracts
Want a permanent contract? A temporary job as a media sales executive is often a stepping stone to an attractive permanent job. Every year, thousands of people earn a permanent contract with great employers thanks to a temporary job found through Randstad. What's more, many companies recruit their permanent employees through Randstad too!
education and skills
The role of a media sales executive doesn’t require formal qualifications. However, the following educational qualifications improve your skills:
- bachelor’s degree: complete a degree in sales, marketing or technology to enjoy a preferential status in the job market. The degree courses take four years and prepare you for your duties. Some sales executives also complete master's degrees in preparation for higher sales roles.
- work experience: aside from education, employers require extensive experience in sales. For instance, you require at least one year of experience in media, sales or customer service to become a media sales executive. Find internship opportunities or entry-level jobs to kickstart your career.
media sales executive skills and competencies
Employers look for the following skills when hiring media sales executives:
- naturally social and outgoing: as a media sales executive, it is important to be social and outgoing since your job relies on networking and meeting new people daily. Your relationship-building skills help you connect with new and current customers to boost sales. Being outgoing also requires people skills like a sense of humour and reliability since you interact with people from different backgrounds.
- excellent communication: whether you are communicating with clients by phone or email, you require great communication skills. While you want to get your point across to your audience, you don't want to overwhelm potential clients. Your communication skills help you leverage your tone and voice to maintain friendship as you negotiate a hard deal.
- organisation skills: as a media sales executive, you have a tight schedule since you spend your day generating new leads and reaching out to clients to negotiate deals. Organisation and time management skills help you stick to a schedule and meet clients at their convenience. Organisation skills are also useful when you work on various projects.
- resilience: as a media sales executive, resilience helps you handle rejections well. The ability to take rejection and find calm resolutions to volatile situations is valuable in the role.
FAQs about working as a media sales executive
Here, you will find the answers to the most frequently asked questions about the profession of a media sales executive.
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what does a media salesperson do?
As a media sales executive, you identify companies that need advertising spaces on the media platforms of your clients. Since companies advertise their products and services to reach various customers, you help them acquire the advertising space. For instance, you guide clients through the purchases of advertisements by teaching them about the advert packages available on radio, television and billboards.
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how much do media sales executives make?
As a media sales executive, your salary differs based on your qualifications and experience. The median salary for media sales executives is £26,854 per year. In entry-level positions, media sales executives take home £23,000 annually, while experienced workers earn over £40,000 yearly. Some companies also have additional incentives like commissions and bonuses required in the role.
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how can I be good at media sales?
Working as a media sales executive requires a range of skills and competencies. For instance, you require creativity in cold-calling to attract new clients, like using story-telling techniques to relate with your audience. You also require exceptional customer service skills to maintain a friendly and professional relationship with clients. Good media sales executives also have impressive communication and people skills to interact with various people.
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do you require a degree to be a media sales executive?
Media sales is a sales role, and you rely on your skills and competencies to close sales deals. You don’t require educational qualifications to work as a media sales executive. However, a bachelor's degree in sales or marketing prepares you for the role. You learn the principles of marketing products and attracting high-quality leads.
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what are media sales like?
As a media sales executive, you work on selling advertising mediums to help companies and businesses connect with their target audience. For instance, you sell spaces for social media ads and TV advertising. Depending on your role, you sell a single medium or multiple media.
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how do I apply for a media sales executive vacancy?
Applying for a media sales executive job is easy: create a Randstad profile and search our job offers for vacancies in your area. Then simply send us your CV and cover letter. Need help with your application? Check out all our job search tips here!
