Carolina works for SBS in Miami. Her GM is Donny Hudson who tells Radio Ink his Sales Manager’s work ethic is gold 24-7, she is genuinely a good person and always fair when she makes decisions. “I have been in this in management for over 15 years and have had different combinations of managers working with me. By far Carolina Patino stands out as a driver, leader and what makes her stand out the most is her attention to detail not only with the team but with our valued clients.”
Here is our interview with SBS Miami Sales Manager Carolina Patino, the Radio Ink Sales Manager of the Week.
Radio Ink: Give us the story about how you got into radio, then how you got into radio sales.
Carolina Patino: I started my radio career back in 1994 in New York on a station that broadcasted its signal directly from Colombia, South America. You needed to have a radio with a special chip to listen to that radio station. A true niche. In 1997, I decided I wanted to grow my career in radio and interviewed and accepted the opportunity to work at Spanish Broadcasting System’s New York WSKQ-FM, La Mega 97.9 and WPAT-FM, Amor 93.1 as an Account Executive. My career has been 100% Radio and Radio Sales since 1997.
Radio Ink: How did you know you’d be good at selling radio? When did it click?
Carolina Patino: I was young when I started but was blessed with great mentors. We need to do more of that in radio. Mentor programs helped me learn how to sell radio. At the beginning I didn’t know if I was good at selling radio and it clicked when I got my first client renewal. This is when I knew radio was for me. If my clients were renewing, it meant they were getting results (it just clicked).
Radio Ink: Why are you a successful leader of salespeople?
Carolina Patino: I lead by example and am there for my sales team in every step of the sales process. Together we do brainstorming sessions, we do proposals with unique ideas for the clients (to help them stand out from the clutter), translate, write copy and we focus on client’s results (it’s all about ROI=return on investment).
Radio Ink: Tell us how you spot a great salesperson.
Carolina Patino: It’s a difficult task to spot a great salesperson at first. The best salespeople are radio salespeople. Successful radio salespeople are self-motivated and self-driven. It’s a combination of their desire to make a lot of money with discipline, passion, resilience, perseverance, customer service and the personality to handle rejection.
Radio Ink: How do you keep your team motivated?
Carolina Patino: We added the human element to the sales equation. Each team member is a key member of the SBS family. We make each person feel special as a human first, not only a number. We celebrate their successes, support them in their failures, we pray together, we celebrate and sing each birthday.
Radio Ink: What are you doing to always be on the lookout for new sellers?
Carolina Patino: We ask our clients to recommend new sellers, they are the best referral tool.
Radio Ink: How do you keep yourself sharp, up on all the trends, ahead of the competition?
Carolina Patino: We focus on client’s results and share the success stories in the sales meetings. Success is contagious and sharing strategies has helped each make sure their clients are part of the success.
Radio Ink: Over the past 18 months, what are you most proud of?
Carolina Patino: I am proud of my team as a whole, that’s why they earned their title: “Gamechangers”. We have endured health issues, human losses, financial hardship in our economy due to the pandemic, and yet our station WCMQ-FM, Zeta 92.3 is the #1 local billing station in South Florida YTD (both General market and Hispanic according to Miller Kaplan). And our other 2 stations (WRMA-FM, Ritmo 95.7 and WXDJ-FM, El Zol 106.7) are also outperforming.
Radio Ink: What advice, in this competitive environment, do you have for other sales managers across the country?
Carolina Patino: My advice is to add the human element to the business equation. Empathy is essential in business. We are all connected.
Reach out to congratulate Carolina for being chosen Radio Ink’s Sales Manager of the week at [email protected]
Read about our other Sales Manager’s of the Week HERE.
You can also nominate your Sales Manager HERE.
