A salesperson who tries to generate client demand through advertising is known as an advertising sales representative. Print, television, and the internet are all examples of possible advertising mediums. While some advertising sales reps prefer to specialize in one type of advertising, others prefer to work with a variety of media, frequently combining Internet advertising with more traditional print and television elements in their campaigns.
The advertising sales representative, like all sales professionals, tries to persuade clients that the resources he or she can bring to the advertising task are the best fit for the customer’s needs. He or she will achieve this goal by demonstrating the additional or unique service options that are available in comparison to the business’s leading competitors. This will necessitate the sales representative’s thorough knowledge of the competition. When attempting to secure new business, an ethical advertising sales representative, on the other hand, will never make negative remarks about a competitor. Instead, this salesperson will state that he or she can provide certain strategies and services that are not available from other companies, and then go on to explain how those assets will benefit the client significantly.
Someone in this position will conduct preliminary research on a potential client. Understanding the customer’s previous public relations campaigns and the impact those campaigns had will aid the representative in coming up with ideas to pitch to the potential client. Knowing what has worked in the past will assist the representative in developing ideas that will help the client advance to the next level of success. This strategy works best when the representative understands the customer’s core business, the types of advertising that have worked in the past, and the consumer segments that the company wants to reach today.
A sales representative for advertising can work for a company or as an independent contractor. When a representative works for a company, he or she is usually paid a base salary plus a percentage-based commission program. It is more common for independent advertising representatives to be compensated as a percentage of sales generated by the campaign.