Prep your sales reps!

Publishers seeking to build a state-of-the-art sales force, one that earns fast and sustainable returns from both print and digital media, heard about a five-point plan for effective sales at the Selling Multimedia session at Ink & Beyond on Friday.

The panelists were Peter Kvarnstorm, vice-president of B.C. newspaper operations for Glacier, Stephane Le Gal, vice-president of advertising sales for The Gazette, and Zouhaire Sekkat, vice-president of digital solutions for Transcontinental. Kirk Allen, senior vice-president of publishing sales for Canwest, moderated the panel. 

The five-point plan addressed the structure of the sales force, the kind of training reps need, how to keep reps engaged, pricing and which types of products are most salable.

The plan boiled down to these four must-haves: Sales reps need to be Internet-savvy; they need support from specialists; they need regular training sessions; and they need significant compensation to stay engaged.  

The panelists agreed that sales reps with these four credentials would be equipped to handle both print and digital sales without difficulty.