We continue our series today with the industry pros who hire and manage successful salespeople. Kristin Okesson is a SVP of Connoisseur Media and is responsible for managing Connoisseur’s entire Connecticut operations which cover the Bridgeport, New Haven, and Stamford/Norwalk markets. Recently named “One of the Most Influential Women in Radio” by Radio Ink, she draws on nearly two decades of experience.
Radio Ink: Do you have any benchmarks that help you determine a high performer?
Okesson: Benchmarks for us are sometimes not so easy to quantify. We look at depth of relationships with clients; how much does the AE know about the business. We want to have business conversations with our clients not advertising conversations all the time. Relationships with the client and how deep they are is a pretty good indicator if an AE is a high performer. So it’s important for me when I walk into a client with an AE and they know everybody on that sales floor; that’s a great benchmark for me.
Radio Ink: Is ego a problem with high performers? How do you manage that?
Okesson: In any good sales organization I think ego can be a problem. I think the way we manage that is that we don’t have different roles for different people. We try to avoid a one-size fits all approach, however the end expectation is the same for everyone. Sometimes you have to have that conversation with someone to remind them that these are the stations accounts.
Radio Ink: How do you keep high performers on staff and happy?
Okesson: A big part of what I do is I try to establish a positive, motivating and fun culture. It’s a results based culture and there is a way to hold people accountable but also create a wonderful culture to work in. At the end of the day I want to be the place where everybody wants to come work. We manage people but give them a lot of freedom and try to be the best mentors we can be. A big part of what I do is be very focused on the mission of the organization and getting feedback from salespeople on what we can do better and what we can continue to do.
Radio Ink: What are the things you look for when hiring an AE?
Okesson: I think for us the days of finding AEs with media experience doesn’t happen that much today as it has in the past. We are less looking for experience and more looking for people that have coachability; who have that ability to motivate themselves and others. I’m looking for somebody who is more focused at looking at their watch rather than their calendar. They have that zip in their step. So good salespeople we found are not always the ones who come to us with sales experience in media, but are those who have a sense of urgency and want to get things done. I like those who not only ask questions about our radio stations but also about our organization and culture, because those same inquisitive types are then going to go forward and ask questions of our potential advertisers and clients and that is the key to our success.
Radio Ink: Are incentives or rewards a good motivational tool for your staff?
Okesson: I think they’re part of it, I really think the best way to motivate a salesperson is absolutely to have the right compensation plan. We also put a lot of emphasis on creating relationships that go beyond the sales department. When you have good salespeople, part of that is motivating them not only to make the next call or give them the courage to ask for a bigger order, but motivating them in life; to have a bigger picture. When we sit down to have one-on-ones with our salespeople maybe at that point in their life or day their focus may be on something other than the radio station. I think for us motivation comes in all forms and not just motivating them to close the next deal.
Radio Ink: What factors should be considered before firing an AE?
Okesson: Are they taking the feedback, are they able to be coached, have we given them all the resources that we possibly can. All to much in our industry we are expecting salespeople to be closers, prospectors, come up with creative ideas, campaigns and copy; and then back to the office and facilitate the administration of that. These are a lot of different skill sets and quite often one person doesn’t have all those skill sets. So when we have a person that’s teetering on the edge, the first thing I ask myself is what are they good at, lets focus on that and try to give them the resources to support that person.
Radio Ink: How long do you give an under performer before pulling the plug?
Okesson: There is no one answer. I think during the process we are always having a conversation; often time giving the feedback on what is not working is good for them because it allows them to come to terms if it is the right fit or not. It’s very rare that during this process that someone will continue to stick it out; they usually leave on their own. I’m not going to let that process go on forever, maybe three to six months.
You can contact Kristin at: 203.783.8247 or email: [email protected]
