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Tag : fast yellow

There's a new type of salesperson that is in much demand in the NewZealand market - and that demand is growing as fast as the growthof the internet and other interactive media.
According to the latest market share figures for 2007 from theAdvertising Standards Authority, interactive advertising is growingat 20 times the rate of the wider advertising market. While itsoverall share is still small, at 5.8 per cent, interactive isexpected to rapidly achieve a large market share as New Zealand'sbroadband penetration grows and more and more people use theinternet to find the goods and services they need.
The people that the industry so badly needs are good salespeoplewho are tech-savvy.
Head of online sales at Yellow Pages Group, Greg Murphy, says:"We've been grappling with the skills shortage created by theinternet advertising boom for the last 12 months.
"Generally what we're looking for are people with some salesexperience, but who understand the new media."
He says Yellow Pages Group recently recruited 27 people of varyingexperience into online advertising.
Murphy says young people who are recently qualified tend to havethe technical skills required and confidence in the medium."Enthusiasm is great; however, people in this field have to talk tobusinesses, and this comes with experience."
A large proportion of New Zealand businesses are small, and oftenthe owner is also the person who markets the business. "The ownerwon't want to deal with a whizzed-up propeller head - that personneeds to be given explanations in how online fits into his or herbusiness.
"So, in short [we need] good technical skills and the ability tocommunicate in a business-like way."
Murphy says a marketing degree is a good start. "The person sellingthe advertising needs to explain to a businessperson how onlineadvertising will work for his/her business. Business acumen is thekey. There are agency customers to communicate with too - thesepeople expect salespeople to be professional."
Murphy accepts that there are media salespeople who don't want towork online. "They shy away from it, and want to stay withtraditional media such as newspapers, TV and radio. That's fine.Online sales are for a specific personality."
A person interested in this field must thrive on change. "You willhave to accept that we cannot guarantee that you will be in thesame role in six months' time. Products change. If you're notcomfortable with that, this job is not for you. We're very upfrontwith people when we interview them - they need to understand thatthe ball is in their court. They have to thrive and change and beinterested in learning. Personality traits that are required are:high energy, high resilience, ability to take knocks and keepmoving, deal with product changes and be able to work in afast-paced environment. You can sell a product today and it can golive in two hours. That's how fast it is."