Media Recruiting Blog

10 Most Important Criteria for Interviewing Digital Media Salespeople

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Part I in a Series

No matter how much technology changes, the web evolves and advertising channels transform, those in media know they’re in the “people” business.  This is especially true if you are in advertising sales, marketing, or other related digital fields where your interpersonal skills, perception and communication abilities help determine the trajectory of your career and the careers of those you hire.

If you are responsible for a web property’s advertising, its successful monetization begins when you’re interviewing prospective advertising salespeople.  These interviews are the gateways for your future success.  When you interview an ad salesperson for a job, it is incumbent upon them to show you that they can relate, converse, think on their feet, and respond well under pressure – all qualities important to a fast-paced digital work environment.  I’ll leave topics about what to look for in resumes and how to best network for talent for other blog entries.  For this article and those later in this series, I want to focus on the interview itself.  Yes, you’ll have information about their past results and their track record.  But, how do you best evaluate a future star during an interview?  How does a digital seller rise above the rest in a highly competitive process?

1.  Before the Interview: Study has become part of a successful digital media career, and will forever be a part of interview preparation.  Did your candidate do their homework?  Look to see if the candidate researched your company thoroughly - reviewing your products/ services, advertisers, press releases, etc.:

2.  Connection:  Let's assume several candidates are similarly qualified for a job in terms of their experience and results.  What then will distinguish someone from the pack?  The answer is right in front of you:  his/her ability to connect with you and others in the interview process – over time (not just that first meeting).  If they connect with you, it stands to reason they’ll connect with clients.  Set up interviews and meetings with different people, key people multiple times.  Look for consistency (and check on it through the reference checking process – you don’t want someone good at just interviewing).

3. Did the Salesperson Sell Themselves? This IS an interview for a salesperson, right?  Were you sold?  Some candidates say that "tooting their own horn" is hard for them – you can end those interviews early.  In an interview, selling yourself is “must”!  Candidates should be clear and enthusiast about how their experience makes them a fit for the job. If there is a gap between their past job experience and what is called for in certain parts of your job description, they should use this as a means to display their confidence.  Did the candidate refer to something they’d done that was similar to bridge the experience gap?  Or, did they over-sell you by overusing phrases like "I this" and "I that".  

For the full list of “10 Most Important Criteria for Interviewing and Hiring Digital Media Salespeople”, click below.

When Corporate Culture Counts in Digital Media Sales

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There is no shortage of jobs in Digital Media for ad sales, business development, marketing, account management, client services and sales development professionals.  As long as you have the  requisite experience, opportunities abound.  “If you’ve got the goods, you can get the job.”

Furthermore, in this hot job market, many of you have multiple jobs from which to choose.  On what basis will you make your decision?  What are the factors that will influence where you will go for your next job?  Compensation? Comfort with your company’s management?  Long-term career goals?

The answers are yes, yes and yes.  There are other criteria as well, corporate culture being an essential one. 

Corporate Culture is, in short, the personality and values of a company. This culture is shaped by the vision of the company leaders and is exemplified in their employees, from amount of overtime they put in to the way they dress. Especially in digital media, the varieties of corporate cultures are as diverse as the job seekers they interview. From the traditional values of Hearst to the innovative atmosphere at Google, with a little research, you can find your perfect fit.

A great tidbit to remember when interviewing is that the company is not only looking for the best candidate, but also a candidate that will fit into their specific corporate culture.

The questions you could ask during the interview process can inform you about a company’s culture.  Be sure to ask these questions in an upbeat, positive manner.  They should also be asked during the later part of the interview process after you’ve sold yourself to the company.  Here are some tips that can help you incorporate questions about a company’s corporate culture into your interview process:

1. If you could describe your corporate culture in a sentence, what would that sentence be?

This is a question you should ask every person with whom you interview.  How the interviewer responds, both in words and in body language can speak volumes.  This kind of question also positions you to be a bit more of a thinker, more of a strategic, creative candidate showing the interviewer you’re taking the job interview process seriously.  

2. Can you name 3 aspects of your company that you feel sets the company apart from others?

What sets a company apart has everything to do with a company’s corporate culture.  You can gain great insight in terms of if the company is “employee-friendly”, if the company operates with integrity, and if the company’s actions are consistent with its vision.  How much of the positive aspects of the company’s culture is transparent to its customers, employees, and the public at large?

3. What’s the best part about working in this environment that I will still be able to see after a year (or years) of working?

This question speaks to the consistency of a corporate culture, and also speaks to its depth and strength.  You learn about company traditions and what I call the “workplace way of life” – things that stand the test of time. 

4. May I speak with a few of your more seasoned employees?

Try to broaden your scope by speaking to more employees from the company.  This will allow you to get a sense of the company from a perspective from someone not normally in the interview process.  You’ll be able to ask them questions about the company, and judge their answers and body language as you did with your interviewers.

Conclusion

You spend a lot of time at work.  You want to be happy, and you want to be in an environment that not only will help you to thrive professionally, but will give you the sense that you fit in.   Be sure to evaluate a prospective company’s corporate culture as a part of your evaluation process.  

-Steve
Visit MRG Site

About me: I am the Managing Partner of Media Recruiting Group, the leading executive search firm for digital media sales positions across the country.  We serve markets in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and all major metropolitan areas.  In addition to Ad Sales and Advertising Sales Management, our expertise also includes placement for Client Services, Account Management, Sales Development, Marketing, Business Development, and Acquisition positions (SEO, SEM, Email, and Social Media).  

10 Essentials for Success in support of a Digital Media Sales Career

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The smartest of us in media sales know that we’re back in school. It is no longer enough to have that winning smile and great personality in advertising sales. To sell digital media and secure the most promising ad sale jobs, you have to know digital media and the concepts that envelop this exciting, evolving industry. Don’t get me wrong, you need to BE a salesperson as well in order to truly succeed in this field. But without a dedication to learning (and continuing to learn) the conceptual knowledge that surrounds digital media sales and marketing, you might as well find something else to sell.

“You have to immerse yourself in digital media – its terminology, concepts, ideas, trends and its major industry players,” says Brian McFarland, Eastern Sales Director for VideoEgg (the most innovative rich media advertising network in the country) when teaching the Media Recruiting Group sales course called “Strategic Selling for the Digital Age”.

So, in addition to becoming a “lifetime student”, what else does it take to be successful as an advertising salesperson in the digital media world? Digital agency and ideally client contacts are crucial in this market. But is this enough? Media companies and media recruiters are looking for candidates who are ambitious, proactive and have a successful selling track record. They also look for people with tenacity, problem-solving skills and the ability to listen and absorb information. Last, they want someone who is prepared, strategic, and will close business.

Below are 10 essentials for a successful career in digital media sales that will help propel you to greater heights and achievements in the online and mobile “Mediasphere”.

1. BE - DO - HAVE
A joke you can find online about salespeople is: “You might be a salesperson if when you bought a new house you called your fellow alumni and offered to name a room after them, if they'll help with the down payment.” There is a whole list of these quips, begging the question, “Are you a salesperson?”

There is a natural order to life, and it applies to business and sales (bring out your rightbrain power for this part). Question: If you have the things digital media salespeople have and do the things digital media salespeople do, are you a digital media salesperson? You might have the job, have the clients, go on sales calls, etc., and have a certain degree of success. But is being a salesperson really you? In sales, like every other career and aspect of life, it helps to know yourself.

The answer to the question above is “maybe”. Truth be told, the world works in the reverse order. The happiest and most successful salespeople ARE salespeople first. They love selling, they don’t mind rejection and they get a thrill when they close a deal. They then DO the things salespeople do, and HAVE the things salespeople have.

So, know yourself. If you’re not truly a salesperson, find another field – one that lights you up.

2. Passion
Passion is what I mean by a field that lights you up. Without passion, no list of essentials, principles, rules or tips will help. You only go through life once, and with work being such a large component of life, you should love what you do.

Sales call activities (email, social, phone and in-person) are voluminous and you need a high quantity to succeed. You have to deal with a lot of frogs before finding the prince. Without a passion for digital media sales, this part of the job will feel like drudgery. Passion
overrides the mundane parts of the job and provides you with the energy and stamina to take each contact as far through the sales cycle as you can.

3. Knowledge
Simply said, digital media sales and marketing knowledge has become a “must” for all media professionals. If you have some, get more. If you have no experience in digital media, get it. Now. As one of the leading digital media recruiters with a focus on sales and marketing careers, Media Recruiting Group had to begin making this transition years ago. We have been recruiting digital media sales talent for many years now. As a firm, we had to educate ourselves on the intricacies of digital media, and now offer affordable digital media sales and marketing courses way through our new training division.

Imagine you’re on a sales call, and your client says, “Branding and search are both important to me and we have to discuss flighting and adjacency, but what I want is a contextual campaign with a behavioral component using rich media and roadblocks on a CPM basis and mobile on a CPC basis. I also want access to the new iAds platform. Do you think this campaign will be effective in having readers/viewers pause their multitasking and transmedia navigation?”

Huh? If you don't know what all of this means, or if you know what it means but not with the depth to truly engage, then you have to upgrade your knowledge base. Digital media training, reading, learning takes you from the “then” to the “now”, or the “now” to the future and beyond. If you are out of work, this will help you get a job. If you are working in print or other traditional media, this will help you expand your value to your current employer and marketability to others. If you are selling or marketing digital, look to do an advanced digital media course to advance your knowledge. Whatever your level, you are reading and studying digital media news and trends everyday.

4. Authentic Relationships
Comedian Rodney Dangerfield compared a job in sales to working in comedy in a Time Magazine interview. "In both fields, the most important ingredient is: you've gotta be liked. Whether you're selling aluminum siding or going onstage, you gotta make 'em like you and believe you," he quipped.

Most executives believe strongly that relationships are the key to success in sales. There is so much to say about building strong relationships, but let’s begin with being trustworthy. “To be trusted is a greater compliment than being loved.”-George MacDonald. This should be the foundation of all business relationships - clients, marketing directors, media buyers, staff and other business relationships. Without trust, empowering and rewarding relationships with your clients simply cannot exist. Do what you say you will do, and if you can’t, communicate ahead of time to avoid surprises, and make up for any fall out.

Keep things confidential if asked to do so. This will help build trust. Think for a moment…can’t you tell when you’re being “sold”, versus when someone really cares? Ensure that there is real authenticity, transparency, clarity and honesty in all your dealings. Never assume anything and never be seen to be taking advantage of your client/sales relationship.

Embrace individuality. Each person you deal with will be different from the next, and different from you. Understand that; see people for who they are, learning to read each person and look from their perspective when selling. Ask yourself, “How will they hear what I’m going to say?”

As you grow into your relationship from a place of integrity and service, you will move from an acquaintance to a professional peer to a trusted advisor.

5. Social Media Savvy
Remember the day (or perhaps you don’t) when it was really difficult to find out about your clients? Did they like football, the opera? Did they have a family? When is their birthday? Knowing your client helps you foster deeper relationships, and social media provides the means. Look up your client on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Flikr, etc. Look at their past jobs – you might have a mutual colleague from a previous job who knew them in the past and can help expand the relationship. See if your client has a blog, and read it (possibly comment on it as well). Facebook might be blocked, but it’s worth trying nonetheless. Remembering and having interest in the small personal details of a client’s life, such as their holiday or family, will go a long way.

Consider using social media tools to become better known to the people you’re trying to reach. Use of a blog, Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook updates can help enhance your digital credibility (and help you keep up with your digital knowledge). Being up-to-date with, and oftentimes ahead of, digital trends is an important trait that can set you apart and ahead of other sales reps.

6. Never Forget the Basics
Sales have been around for a long time – long before people started selling digital media. There are clear tried-and-true basics you should only ignore at your own peril. I’ll go through some below.

First impressions count. When you’re first introduced, give a warm facial expression and positive body language. Have careful attention to your appearance; deliver a firm handshake and respectful eye contact.

Authentic humility is a subtle way to gently building rapport with your clients. A salesperson that blows his/her own horn too much will be a turn off and distract significantly from your value proposition.

Exude self confidence without appearing cocky. Establish a common ground. Respect people’s time by using the client’s time purposefully.

We’ve all heard the expression, “You have two ears and one mouth.” Salespeople should use these in this same ratio by listening twice as much as they speak. One of the keys to a person's success in sales is their ability to establish client's needs. This requires good listening skills to uncover unmet needs and to identify key signals sent by prospective clients. Open your ears to improve your listening skills in order to tune into a client’s goals, passions, struggles/challenges and desires.

Other qualities that count in terms of being a successful digital media seller include being a good problem-solver, paying attention to details, being emotionally resilient, being independent, organized, self-motivated, driven, dedicated, results-oriented, hard-working, a self-starter, adaptable and flexible. A high-energy work ethic and having the ability to effectively prioritize and re-prioritize as needs change are key. In many digital media companies, the culture is highly entrepreneurial, and you have to be able to work well in a small, fast-paced, team-oriented environment.

7. Preparation
The Boy Scouts had it right in their motto “be prepared”. “Success always comes when preparation meets opportunity.” – Henry Hartman. First and foremost, know your pitch by heart. Practice it. Memorize it. Tape it and listen to yourself. Know how to deliver it in a short amount of time, because your clients don’t have a lot of time – especially those on the agency side. Can you deliver your value proposition in 10 minutes? 5 minutes? 1 minute? The answer needs to be “yes”.

Do mirror work. Get rid of the extra nodding, twitching, touching your hair, etc. Nuff said. After all the work you will have done to get the sales call, make sure you go through your checklist. Our “Strategic Selling for the Digital Age” course written by Brian McFarland and Ed Urgola of VideoEgg has a list of 25+ things you must do to prepare for a sales call. These range from logistics (confirm the appointment, confirm the attendees, etc.), to research (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, Google, etc.), to what to bring (tech check, cleaned screen, working remote).

8. Creativity & Strategy
Creativity and strategy are used to get meetings with busy media planners for sure. But the rubber meets the road once you have the meeting and you are delivering your presentation. Your competition is heavy when it comes to selling digital media. First, you’ll be sure to cover the basic qualifying questions like:

· What is your overall marketing objective?
· What is your target?
· What is your timing?
· What is your success metric?
· What assets to you have?
· Who is involved in the decision?

So now, what will set you apart? How will you earn the business when planners have so much choice and they just want to rely on comScore?

What is your value proposition, and how do you position your property in relation to others to have the agency or client feel it is a more strategic buy? What kind of added value and new ideas can you bring to the sale that will make you and your property stand out? The answers to these questions are unique to your property and client. But if you are going to succeed in digital media sales, answer these questions you must with creative ideas and strategic approaches.

9. Assertiveness and Resiliency - Don’t take “No” for an Answer
It is easier to file down the claws of a lion than to teach a lamb to attack. You have to be relentless in your search for sales leads, qualified leads, sales meetings and closes. Successful digital media salespeople have thick skins and learn to not take rejection personally. While you don’t want to cross that line of turning off a client, you must get out of your comfort zone.

In some cases, it is appropriate to take a bit of a risk to make happen what you want to happen. Strengthen your resolve with conviction; you know your digital property is not only good for the client, but it’s better than the competition. If you’re coming from being of service to your clients and satisfying their needs, it is difficult to go wrong. If you are coming from your ego or your next commission check, you may want to revisit any tactic deemed risky.

10. Ask for the Order
After you’ve done all the heavy lifting, if you don’t ask for the order it is all for naught. Find out what it will take for you to get their business, and get it - then and there. But do not over-promise while in the throes of your enthusiastic close. Manage expectations.

Your dedications to these 10 essentials will fast-track you to success, prosperity, and excitement in your digital media sales career.

 -Steve

Digital Media Jobs - 6 Ways to Increase Your Worth

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Few can question the rise of digital media, and its continued meteoric growth.   People will continue to consume media from more sources over different platforms, and media companies will find more innovative ways to reach them.  Companies in the industry range from established media brands gone digital, to early, mid and late stage start-ups.  Mobile, social, online, platform, solution, email, gaming business models abound.

As someone who works in the industry and you’re early in your career, ask yourself these questions:  How can I separate myself from the pack?  How do I distinguish myself? How can I increase my worth?

1.  Produce results beyond expectations
Nothing will increase your worth more than producing results beyond expectations.  Today’s competitive environment calls for extraordinary results.  If you’re in Digital Media Sales for instance, you need a strong value proposition for a client and an infrastructure that delivers on its promise.  But you must stand out as seller, and be top of mind with your agencies/clients:

• be sure to respond immediately to clients

• Have your communications stand out (for example, add a hand-written thank you note)

• Have in-person meetings and entertain to whatever extent necessary

• Acknowledge important events... birthdays, weddings, anniversaries

• Promote your clients on your social media platforms…follow them on Twitter

• Provide unlimited campaign support and customer service

Strong relationships with the digital ad agencies are key to increasing your worth as a digital ad salesperson.

2.  Align yourself with the skills and experience necessary for the next step
Always look towards the next step. What does your manager or supervisor do? What are his/her key responsibilities, or necessary skills to accomplish his/her job?  Once you’ve become familiar with their job, start making the effort by asking for some of those responsibilities.  This provides you with the opportunity to learn some key skills, so that you’re able to do that job if the opportunity arises.   And if/when you choose to leave your company, you’ll be ready for the next step.

3.  Recognize your worth
How can you request a higher salary if you’re not sure what you’re worth? Be sure to research your current position. Know all the skills required to do the job, and make sure you’re fulfilling those requirements. Then look at your job as well as similar jobs in your industry, and get a sense of where you stand against the “average”.

 
4.  Listen and Read
If you’re in Digital Media already, you know a lot and understand the technical “terms of art”.  But do you sometimes still hear words, expressions or concepts from management, peers, clients or vendors, and sometimes not quite know the meaning, exactly?  Even though you can manage to make sense of it because of context, don’t stop there if you don’t fully understand.  Dig in.  Be sure to know all the language of your industry, and be able to use it properly.

Also, know what is happening in the industry.  DigiDay, Mashable, PaidContent, MediaPost, iMediaConnection are just a few of the key sources of digital information. Reading industry news websites, newsletters and publications will not only ensure you recognize the industry’ s “jargon” and know what is happening in Digital Media for your own edification.   But you will be able to show your industry intellect when you find yourself in conversation with the CEO, or perhaps during an interview for a fabulous job.

5.  Be more entrepreneurial
Saving money and making money for your company are the bottom line to any business.  So why not come from the perspective that you are responsible for the company?  Think of yourself as the owner (just don’t tell anyone).

Being in the entrepreneurial mindset enables you to think in terms of, “how am I going to save my company money?”, “How can I negotiate the best deal?”  or “What value can I offer that will make more money for my company?”  These concepts relate to #1 on the list, but this point speaks to a context, more a “way of being” as an employee and contributor to your Digital Media company.  Autonomy goes a long way, and if you’re making strides without hand holding, you’ll be noticed.

6.  Never stop Learning
Learning is an essential part to increasing your value to an employer and your worth. Examples:

• Taking sales training courses

• Attending as many conferences as possible (like AdTech), and making the most of the sessions

• Getting your masters-degree or MBA if relevant to your job 

   

-Steve
Visit MRG Site
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 About me: I am the Managing Partner of Media Recruiting Group, the leading executive search firm for digital media sales positions across the country.  We serve markets in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and all major metropolitan areas.  In addition to Ad Sales and Advertising Sales Management, our expertise also includes placement for Client Services, Account Management, Sales Development, Marketing, Business Development, and Acquisition positions (SEO, SEM, Email, and Social Media).  

Digital Media Trends and Stats You May Have Missed

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Below are some recent digital stats that came accross my inbox that I thought I would share.

AdWeek revealed its list of six significant trends in digital advertising. They are as follows:

• The end of the click-through rate as an effective measurement of an ad's success is nigh.

• The thin line between mobile and desktop is getting even thinner as Apple has begun to incorporate iOS features into OSX, while ad servers like Google's DoubleClick begin to integrate their desktop and mobile offerings.

• "Supercookie," a file that allows websites to track users even after they delete it in their browsers. Hulu and MSN have come under fire for their use, but AdWeek does not expect the file's use, which is legal, to stop.

• Ad-tech consolidation becoming a real thing.

• The emergence of HTML5 as the heir apparent to Adobe's Flash.

• According a report from ad intelligence company SQAD, specialized content can still be valuable and make money.

2.  Apparently, it's good to be Apple right now. The company announced this week that it has sold 11.1+ million iPads during its fiscal fourth quarter; an increase of 166% over the same time period last year, according to a report from Mobile Marketer. In fact, the iPhone also saw a spike as sales increased 21% to 17.07 million in the same time frame. And finally, it also said 92% of Fortune 400 companies are either testing or deploying the iPad.
 
3.  Moms are becoming a sizeable portion of Facebook users, and will account for 17.9% of all U.S. social network users and 17.4% of all Facebook users as of 2011, estimates eMarketer, which defines a mom is a woman with a child under 18 years of age in the house who visits the site at least once a month. However, while social channel penetration is currently high, it also means the moms' share on social sites is expected taper off as growth rates slow down. By 2013, eMarketer predicts 16.1% of all U.S. Facebook users and 17.1% of all U.S. social network users will be moms with children in the household.

A few comments:
Though AdWeek predicts the end of the click-through rates, we all know this won’t happen soon, if ever. In fact, according to this article, mouse-over time will be a significant form of ad success, according to startup Moat’s “Kill the Click” campaign. Though figuring out a better way to measure the level of success of a digital ad is important as we continue to grow on the net, I do not think mouse-over time is it.

Supercookie… Can anyone say violation of privacy? Honestly, whoever created this file must not be paying attention to the current, and long winded movement in the government for anti-tracking. If a user deletes a cookie, it’s for a good reason; they don’t want to be tracked.  We’ll see how long this lasts before lawsuits start.

Mom’s on Facebook, well yeah. They are the super power behind blogs, and it only makes sense that there would be some kind of cross-over, especially with those power bloggers that use other social media tools to bolster their readership. Though I do think the estimate of 17.1% of users will be mothers and their children (under the age of 18) is rather low.  Though women only account for 5% of bloggers, according to an article by Social Media Today, 92% of mommy bloggers use Facebook to promote their blog.

-Steve
Visit MRG Site
Follow Me:

 About me: I am the Managing Partner of Media Recruiting Group, the leading executive search firm for digital media sales positions across the country.  We serve markets in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and all major metropolitan areas.  In addition to Ad Sales and Advertising Sales Management, our expertise also includes placement for Client Services, Account Management, Sales Development, Marketing, Business Development, and Acquisition positions (SEO, SEM, Email, and Social Media).  

Digital Media Sales –Providing Leadership By Re-positioning People

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Innovation abounds in digital media, including the ways in which advertising is sold.  Are you a brand that wants to advertise using video across a broad spectrum of websites?  SAY Media can show you how.  Want to reach Facebook gamers watering their vegetables in Farmville?  Companies like Selectable Media can offer you solutions.  Looking to turn a digital photograph into an ad unit?  Luminate can provide this technology.  And there are mobile applications for all of the above, and a multitude of other innovations.

Market leaders like Google, Facebook and Apple are a given.  They pride themselves on being leaders in innovation as well.  But who are the leaders of tomorrow, and will their technological leadership translate into a culture of leadership within their sales organization and organization at large?

Certainly in a digital ad sales organization, leadership is shown through hiring sellers, retaining your talent, and managing results to expectations.

“At most companies, people spend 2 percent of their time recruiting and 75 percent managing their recruiting mistakes.” — Richard Fairbank, CEO, Capital One

Media Recruiting Group is a leader in digital media sales recruitment, and we pride ourselves in the quality of our placements.  Placing talent within digital media companies is our business.  But the responsibility of providing leadership for your team and organization is yours.

Leaders are people with the responsibility of taking business to a new level. A leader is innovative, astute and an out-of-the-box thinker.  Digital Media Sales leadership certainly is revealed in the quality of the hires, in the training provided, and the sales results of the team.  Thomas Edison said that “genius is 1% inspiration and 99% perspiration”.  Well, sales leadership is 100% inspiration and 100% perspiration. 

So, how can you empower yourself as a leader when your team is in place?  One important facet of sales management and leadership is in the positioning of your staff.  A leader has to stay alert to the changes taking place with their staff, and the effect the dynamic environment has on their staff.

I offer this article by author Dr. John C. Maxwell, where he reviews the repositioning of people for success within an organization:

REPOSITIONING PEOPLE

One of the traits of outstanding leaders is that they properly place people within a team. Good leaders have the ability to see their people, sense where they are and put them in the right place. So why do so many leaders place so many people in so many wrong places? I've identified five reasons.

1. Failure to know the requirements needed to make a job successful.

I'm not talking about the job description, and I'm not talking about how you do a job. I'm talking about what a particular person has to do to be successful. Make a list those qualities. It could be two or three things; it could be 10. Whatever those things are, you have to go out and find people who have a giftedness to match those qualities so that you put the right people in the right place.

2. Failure to know the skills and the giftedness of the person.

Sometimes we know what gifts and skills are required for success in a particular job, but we do a poor job evaluating the giftedness of the person we place in that position. Maybe we know a particular job needs someone who is detail-oriented, but we fail to recognize that the person we're putting in that position breaks out in hives when overwhelmed with details.

3. Failure to move people when either the job or the person is changing.

While it's common for people to get promoted out of a job that really fits their skills, it's also possible for them to stay in a position so long that they no longer do it well.

As a leader, you might place someone in a position that is a great match with that person's uniqueness and giftedness, only to look up later and realize that the person's productivity has fallen sharply.

What happened?

Something changed. Maybe the job changed. Maybe the organization changed. Maybe the person changed. Maybe you changed. Maybe everything changed.

I have found many people end up in the wrong place only because they stayed in the right place too long. They were in the right place in the beginning, but the right place becomes the wrong place if the job changes or if the person changes. So the right place can become the wrong place over a matter of time.

4. Failure to be patient.

Sometimes the person is in the right place, but they have to grow into it. And not only do they have to grow into it, but they also have to be trained and developed into it. You know they have the giftedness, they have the ability, they have the passion; but they need time and someone to help them. Smaller organizations often can't afford to hire the best, so they have to hire young people with great potential and then train them.

In "The 17 Indisputable Laws of Teamwork" I write about the 'Law of Dividends', which is, "Investing in the team compounds overtime." As you invest in your team, especially if you have them in the right place, the team is going to compound in a very positive way for you. Of course, if you don't have the right players in the right place, time isn't going to do it.

5. Failure to prepare.

Many times we haven't done enough front-end homework as leaders, so we aren't prepared to place people where they can grow and can blossom.

When we consistently fail to place people in the right place within the team, several things inevitably infect our team like an angry parasite. Morale suffers, people lose their willingness to play as a team and confidence erodes. As a result, potential goes unrealized, progress is hindered and our competitors benefit.

On the other hand, organizations do best when the people within them are carefully put in the right places. People are encouraged and fulfilled, growth is ensured, teamwork is increased and victories are secured. And, for leaders, there is a huge reward in seeing your players in the right place, doing the right thing for the right reasons.

-Steve

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 About me: I am the Managing Partner of Media Recruiting Group, the leading executive search firm for digital media sales positions across the country.  We serve markets in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and all major metropolitan areas.  In addition to Ad Sales and Advertising Sales Management, our expertise also includes placement for Client Services, Account Management, Sales Development, Marketing, Business Development, and Acquisition positions (SEO, SEM, Email, and Social Media).  

Changing Social Media Usage & What It Means for Digital Marketing

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Thought I would share this emarketer report with you all. I find it very interesting, though a bit predictable, but see for yourself if you agree.

Users continue shift from content creation to distribution

The number of Facebook users in the US will increase 13.4% this year, eMarketer estimates, after 38.6% growth in 2010 and a whopping 90.3% rise the year before. The rate of adult Twitter user adoption has similarly begun to plateau, dropping from 293.1% growth in 2009 to 26.3% this year and still slowing. In many developing countries, these and other networks are seeing their audience growth taper off as most new users come from other countries such as the BRIC nations and Indonesia.

Meanwhile, users in more advanced countries have been shifting their behaviors after spending years on the sites. According to the GlobalWebIndex “Wave 5 Trends” report, social network usage growth has all but stopped among 16- to 24-year-olds in the US, and in a few countries usage within this already-saturated group is actually declining.

Among those who remain on Facebook, GlobalWebIndex reports, there were declines in participation in activities like messaging with friends, sending digital gifts, installing applications and joining groups between July 2009 and June 2011. The activities on the wane are decreasing faster in the US than worldwide, and are often decreasing even further among college-educated US users under the age of 30.

Meanwhile, on microblogs like Twitter, the heaviest users are focused on disseminating content. Links to other microblogs, personal photos, and links to videos and news stories were the top subjects of status updates on these real-time oriented social sites among frequent users. Other than personal photos, these all relate to content created by others, while most content creation activities scored lower.

The report also noted the high demand for professional content. Traditional sources of news were dominant, including among microbloggers and heavy social network users. And when asked what they want from brands, consumers ask for knowledge and, among younger adults, entertainment. Brands have an opportunity to use the transmission-oriented social media landscape to disseminate valuable content to followers—who in turn are hungry for interesting and entertaining content to transmit.

I think these insights are quite surprising, especially when you consider how marketing and advertising dollars are still being funneled heavily, not only into social media, but specifically targeting the 16-24 years old market. It seems that social media consumption is plateauing in the U.S., with less and less social activities occurring between the 16-24 age group.

The U.S. has been at the forefront of social media evolution since early 2000, so I suppose it could make sense, in the essence of a cyclical life span of a product, or in this case lifestyle tools, that there would be a dip in usage, especially once the reached a critical mass in the marketplace (which happened two plus years ago). The U.S. population, especially the younger consumers are all about the newest and shiniest toy, so it makes sense that there would be a point of boredom.

I don't necessarily think social media marketing initiatives should scale back, but I do think marketers and advertisers should reevaluate their efforts, and start pushing more money into a different demographic. As we move along in the natural progression of social media marketing and what it really means, and how it affects a brand, it'll be more clear how and why certain age groups lose interest, spark interest, and what it takes to engage them. For now, it's really just a highly educated guessing game.

-Steve

Visit MRG Site
Follow Me:

 About me: I am the Managing Partner of Media Recruiting Group, the leading executive search firm for digital media sales positions across the country.  We serve markets in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and all major metropolitan areas.  In addition to Ad Sales and Advertising Sales Management, our expertise also includes placement for Client Services, Account Management, Sales Development, Marketing, Business Development, and Acquisition positions (SEO, SEM, Email, and Social Media).  

Online Video Stats You May Have Missed

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Nielsen has identified a new trend that bucks the idea that new platform viewing is additive with traditional TV viewing. Until last fall, Nielsen data consistently indicated that the heaviest media consumers display such habits across all platforms. A subset of consumers from television and internet homes emerged over the first 3 months of the year that defies this notion, with the lightest traditional television users streaming significantly more internet video and the heaviest streamers, particularly 18-34 year olds, under-indexing for traditional TV viewership. Overall, TV viewing increased by 0.2% from a year ago to 158 hours and 47 minutes/month, while internet video viewing jumped 35% to 4 hours and 33 minutes/month. Watching on mobile devices such as smartphones rose 20% to 4 hours and 20 minutes a month. The company did not make a correlation between increased online viewing and "cord cutting."
 
Reporting online video viewing for the month of May, Nielsen said Americans set another record by streaming over 15 billion videos for the month. Total online viewers also increased by nearly 3% from April to top 145 million unique viewers. MSN, Hulu, AOL and Fox Interactive Media all grew their audiences by over 10% for the month. MSN/WindowsLive/Bing and AOL also increased the amount of streams they delivered by over 25% month-over-month. Hulu was second only to YouTube in total streams (852 million). The ave. Hulu user spent 4 hours, 43 minutes viewing Hulu videos in May. Hulu was followed by Ustream.tv and Justin.tv (both of which replayed their Royal Wedding coverage in May) in this category, with their time spent increasing a heady 61% and 55% month-to-month, respectively. 
 
Top Online Video Destinations by Total Streams  (May 2011, U.S.)
Video Brand                    Total Streams (000)  MOM % Change in Streams
YouTube                              8,860,520              1.3%
Hulu                                      852,173             12.1%
VEVO                                    414,615               0.3%
MSN/WindowsLive/Bing             266,712             26.9%
Yahoo!                                  193,344             -5.9%
Dailymotion                           150,340              -4.6%
Turner-SI Digital Network        149,102                4.5%
AOL Media Network                148,727               25.2%
Facebook                              135,168              -8.3%
CBS Entertainment Websites   120,707               12.8%
Source: Nielsen
 
Top Online Video Destinations by Time per Viewer (May 2011, U.S.) 
250K Unique Viewer Minimum
Video Brand       Time per Viewer (hh:mm)  MOM % Change in Time
Hulu                    4:43                                -8.8%
Ustream.tv           3:40                               61.4%
Justin.tv              2:35                               55.3%
YouTube              2:31                               -3.3%
Megavideo           2:29                              -14.8%
Cwtv.com            2:17                               11.5%
ABC Family           2:04                               28.4%
Lifetime Digital      1:57                               12.4%
CBS Entertain.      1:12                                -8.7%
MTV Networks      1:11                                 6.7%
Entertain. & Games
Source: Nielsen

I am surprised that Netflix is not included in this data. Recently reported, Netflix accounted for nearly a quarter of online video traffic. Though this information does make me question, out of these online video properties, which have the highest ad sales? And do they correlate with time spent on the site? In otherwords, though YouTube has the highest rank in video streams, they are ranked fourth in terms of time spent by viewers, but as one of the top online video destinations, do they have higher digital ad sales? I will be keeping an eye out for this information.

-Steve

Visit MRG Site
Follow Me:

 About me: I am the Managing Partner of Media Recruiting Group, the leading executive search firm for digital media sales positions across the country.  We serve markets in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and all major metropolitan areas.  In addition to Ad Sales and Advertising Sales Management, our expertise also includes placement for Client Services, Account Management, Sales Development, Marketing, Business Development, and Acquisition positions (SEO, SEM, Email, and Social Media).  

Stats Update: Online Video/TV to Grow by 2015

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There's not much denying that streaming premium video is contributing to a huge increase in traffic being generated online. (Netflix now accounts for nearly a quarter of it in the U.S.) A new forecast from Cisco Systems predicts that traffic will just about double by 2015 to reach 200 exabytes; that's 39 times what it was in 2005. The impact of web-enabled TVs is palpable - by 2015, TVs will account for over 15% of global consumer internet traffic (up from 3% in 2010), and 28% of internet video traffic (up from 7% in 2010). More users and the proliferation of tablets, mobile phones, connected appliances and other smart machines are also driving up the demand for connectivity. By 2015, there will be nearly 15 billion network connections via devices and more than two connections for each person on earth. Globally, mobile data traffic will increase 26 times between 2010 and 2015.

So I wonder how the digital advertising landscape will change for TV. If consumers are shifting to online viewing, where there are less commercials/advertisements, will online TV be a viable spot for ads for optimal ROI? I'd love to hear any thoughts/speculations on this.

-Steve

Visit MRG Site
Follow Me:

 About me: I am the Managing Partner of Media Recruiting Group, the leading executive search firm for digital media sales positions across the country.  We serve markets in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and all major metropolitan areas.  In addition to Ad Sales and Advertising Sales Management, our expertise also includes placement for Client Services, Account Management, Sales Development, Marketing, Business Development, and Acquisition positions (SEO, SEM, Email, and Social Media).  

Apple, AOL, and Social Gaming, Oh My!

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Apple has superseded Google to become the most valuable consumer-facing global brand, according to the 6th annual BrandZ Global Brands study conducted by WPP's Millward Brown Optimor. Technology and telecom brands dominated the ranking this year, making up one-third of the Top 100 brands.

Apple led with brand value of $153 billion (up 84% from last year from spot #3,)  followed by Google, with a brand value of $111.5 billion, and IBM in third place with a brand value of $100.9 billion. Facebook made its debut in the Top 100 at No. 35 with the highest increase in brand value, 246%, making it worth $19.1 billion. Online retailer Amazon also edged past Walmart to become the No. 1 retail brand and 14th overall, with a 37% rise in brand value to $37.6 billion. 

The success of Apple is no suprise. Apple saw an opportunity (a hole if you will) in the computer technology market and they filled that hole with the iPad, attributing to their 2 place jump. But, now that Apple has released their shiny toys, how will they continue to be number one? The market is becoming saturated with different brands of tablet computers, a market that I believe will quickly weed out the tablets that just can't compete, leaving only the strong. The strong being the iPad, Android tablet, and possibly Samsung. 

I think that Google has the opportunity to take back the number one position once the Google Music platform debuts, beating Apple to the cloud. It'll be interesting to see the results by next year (and the reason's behind it). 

The Most Valuable Global Brands 2011
Rank Brand             Value in $ millions % change from 2010
1      Apple              153,285                       +84%
2      Google            111,498                          -2%
3      IBM                100,849                        +17%
4      McDonald's        81,016                        +23%
5      Microsoft           78,243                         +2%
6      Coca-Cola        *73,752                         +8%
7      AT&T                69,916                             -
8      Marlboro            67,522                        +18%
9      China Mobile      57,326                         +9%
10    GE                    50,318                        +12%
Source: BrandZ, *The Brand Value of Coca-Cola includes Lites, Diets and Zero

Other Apple Statistics:

Apple iOS remains the platform of choice for app developers with 91% of developers saying they are 'very interested' in iPhone development and 86% very interested in developing for the hot-selling iPad, according to a new joint Appcelerator/IDC survey querying more than 2,700 developers. Google witnessed a plateau in its earlier momentum gains. Reported interest in Android phones fell two points to 85% and Android tablets fell three points to 71% after increasing twelve points during Q1. Developers complain about fragmentation of devices for the platform, and worry that weak demand for Andriod tablets and app stores will weigh it down.

• While 71% of developers are very interested in Android as a tablet OS, only 52% are very interested in one of the leading Android tablet devices today - the Samsung Galaxy Tab. That number drops to 44% for the Motorola Xoom and 31% for the upcoming HTC Flyer
• Microsoft fell seven points, with only 29% of developers saying they are 'very interested' in the Windows Phone 7, while BlackBerry phones dropped eleven points to 27%
• #3 player Microsoft's biggest problem with developers may simply be available time, as 46% of respondents indicated, "I have my hands full with iOS and/or Android."

 AOL also announced a precipitous drop in Q1 profits as it absorbed its $315 million purchase of the Huffington Post in March. Profits fell to $4.7 million from $34.7 million a year ago and revenue also fell by 17% to $551.4 million for the quarter. Continually dropping Internet subscription revenue dropped 24% to $215.4 million while overall ad revenue fell 11% to $313.7 million. One bright spot was a boost global revenue from display ads - up some 4% y/y.

The mobile gaming arena continues to explode as digital game downloads for mobile devices now represent close to half of all video game full game downloads according to NPD Group's latest Online Gaming 2011 report (excluding micro-transactions and add-on content to be used with previously purchased or acquired full games). Due to lower price points for mobile games, however, consumer spending remains stronger for console games - among those who purchased a mobile game in the past three months, 60% indicated that they are still spending the same or more on console and portable games since they started purchasing for their mobile devices, while 40% reported spending less.

-Steve

Visit MRG Site
Follow Me:

 About me: I am the Managing Partner of Media Recruiting Group, the leading executive search firm for digital media sales positions across the country.  We serve markets in New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, and all major metropolitan areas.  In addition to Ad Sales and Advertising Sales Management, our expertise also includes placement for Client Services, Account Management, Sales Development, Marketing, Business Development, and Acquisition positions (SEO, SEM, Email, and Social Media).