Strategies for Navigating Market Uncertainty & Supply Chain Disruption
What can publishers and platforms do to navigate through these challenging times?
Global supply constraints are hitting advertisers where it hurts―inventory shortages are making it difficult to meet customer demand. Advertisers are worried about spending marketing dollars on products and solutions that they can’t deliver. To avoid the repercussions of overpromising customers and underdelivering, some advertisers are decreasing ad spend by as much as 10-15%.
Capture the Voice of the Advertiser and Agency
Capturing the perceptions, preferences and priorities of advertisers and agencies informs sales strategy. Value propositions should focus on tailored advertiser outcomes, not on generic publisher attributes. By understanding their key issues and evolving business problems, sales leaders can develop a defined, repeatable process that engages key stakeholders and translates findings into a successful campaign strategy.
Adjust Sales Coverage Models
Today’s business environment requires media firms to revisit their customer segmentation and get laser-focused on opportunities that matter. A successful strategy properly allocates customer-facing resources accordingly. Identifying where the opportunities are influences the approach to account prioritization, territory design, headcount planning and workload capacity.
Review Sales Compensation Plans
Using historical models and existing comp structures during times of significant disruption can lead to unproductive behavior and long-term distrust. Returning to growth requires alignment of incentive structure to the new market situation. Having plan agility can be difficult, but it is also a very powerful tool to keep the sales team motivated. There are seven strategies to take into consideration.
Seven Strategies for Dealing with the Sales Compensation Conundrum:
- Make Quota Allocation Adjustments
- Alter Thresholds and Excellence Points of the Payout Curve
- Change Measure Crediting Rules
- Move to Shorter Performance Periods
- Add a SPIFF (Special Incentive)
- Shut the Plan Off
- Do Nothing
Consideration
As advertisers reevaluate ad spend, leading media sales organizations are changing course. Alexander Group’s Media Sales Industry Trends research compiles insights from more than 100 executives across media segments including pure-play digital, broadcast, print, radio, out-of-home, ad tech and more to find out what leading organizations are doing to thrive in today’s unsettled market. To learn more about these findings and ensure that your organization is prepared to not only compete but excel in this hyper-competitive sales landscape, sign up for a complimentary briefing with an Alexander Group Media practice leader today.
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