Working in media sales requires excellent sales skills and a strong knowledge of advertising, as the representative may be responsible for the financial success of the media outlet. The role could involve selling advertising space for newspapers, websites, periodicals, televisions and magazines.
Time needs to be spent on working to secure new clients as well as making sure existing clients are happy. This may be in the office via telephone, or through meetings at client offices. Research on the client is necessary, as the benefits of advertising to the particular company must be able to be outlined.
Necessary skills include the ability to work well as part of a team or individually, to be comfortable presenting material to clients - sometimes in a cold-calling situation - and to be able to work within a stressful environment where targets are expected to be met on a monthly basis.
There is no minimum educational requirement to work in media sales, although many employers prefer a Bachelors degree, especially in a related field like advertising, communications or business. Salaries can depend hugely on commission earned, with anything between C
$27,000 and C
$77,000 being offered in Canada.