1. StarTribune Sales Force “DNA” Revealed Joel Stensrud University of St. Thomas Master of Business Communication May 15, 2006

2. Success Is the Only Option in Sales

3. The Sales Force Impacts Profits The sales force drives the bottom line Employees are affected by sales: –Success sharing –Benefits –Compensation Mistakes in hiring result in staggering costs We must hire and develop expert salespeople

4. Expert Opinion Researched academic literature on salesperson performance Also reviewed StarTribune performance appraisal criteria

5. Are the best salespeople born or can they be developed? Many opinions exist about which attributes contribute to sales success We must determine which attributes are most important for success “It’s a … Salesman?”

6. StarTribune’s Sales Performance Report Card: Manageable? 1. Effective use of research/market information 2. Proactive approach to doing business (Pre-sell) 3. Effectively positions benefits of an adv. program 4. Conducts business with a sense of urgency 5. Sells cross-media opportunities 6. Provides clear communication/direction 7. Negotiates the best possible deal for the company 8. Understands the goals/needs of the advertiser 9. Strong market/product knowledge 10. Sets revenue/share of business goals for each account 11. Creates/presents strong “value-building” evidence to support share of business goals 12. Provides solutions based on a client’s needs/goals 13. Ability to build effective partnerships 14. Persuasive 15. Persistent 16. Strong Presentation skills 17. Strong Negotiating skills 18. Resourceful 19. Ability to make decisions 20. Likes to win 21. Ability to close a sale 22. Strong Marketing skills 23. Effectively handles objections 24. Positions for “share of business” when negotiating 25. Positive attitude 26. Strong presence during business meetings 27. Asks for/uses competitive information to make good business decisions 28. Aggressively looks for ways to grow existing business 29. Aggressively looks for ways to develop new business 30. Involves management when obstacles cannot be overcome 31. Professionally asks for budget/media mix information during business meetings 32. Understands strengths/weaknesses of various media 33. Effective at positioning information to maximize revenue opportunity 34. Gives maximum effort on attaining highest rates/shares on business. 35. Sells beyond CPM/CPI 36. Visible at all major advertising agencies/accounts 37. Provides timely important product/market information 38. Provides good customer service 39. Responds to requests in a timely fashion 40. Effective use of CMR to measure account performance/identify opportunities 41. Effectively resolves problems/business issues 42. Overall sales performance rating

7. Research Question: Are there identifiable, common characteristics of top performers in advertising sales at the StarTribune?Are there identifiable, common characteristics of top performers in advertising sales at the StarTribune?

8. Tested for Factors of Sales Success 22-question survey to test characteristics from academic and StarTribune research Tested 55 characteristics found in research Rank order and multiple choice questions

9. Gathering the StarTribune Data 82 surveys sent to entire sales staff –77 responses / 94% response rate –Three sales levels: Account Executive I, II & III (top) Response rate is high enough to make valid statements about entire sales force

10. Interpreting the Data Made assumption that salespeople within top level at StarTribune are high performers –Account Executive III = high performer Sought out scores that had large variance between top sales level and lower sales levels –Indicated criteria vital to success

11. 14 Traits Most Vital to Performance Q: How well do you currently perform in the following categories? (Rank 1-7 with 1 = lowest skill level and 7= strongest) Criteria Sales Level III Levels I & II Adapting Style to Customer 92%66%(% self-ranking 6 or 7) Competitor Knowledge 83% 28% StarTribune Experience (7+ yrs) 83%28% Organization 83%57% Professional Image 82%49% Tenacity 82%53% Negotiating 75%26% Product Knowledge 75%41% Sales Call Preparation 75%47% Assertiveness 67%33% Problem Solving 67%45% Competitive Personality 58%28% Formal Presentations 58%29% Utilizing Research Data 50%21%

12. Relevance of the Results These characteristics of top performers can assist in hiring and staff retention strategy Improve productivity and increase profits

13. Conclusions Did I answer the research question? There are 14 common characteristics of top performers in advertising sales at the StarTribune that largely do not exist among sales employees at the other two levels Yes!

14. Recommendations Use the characteristics most important to successful sales when assessing job candidates Target the skills necessary to develop in lower two sales levels Measurement: –Survey sales force after one year of training to determine degree of improvement

15. Questions?