Sales Assistant

About TEGNA

TEGNA Inc. helps people thrive in their local communities by providing the trusted local news and services that matter most. With 64 television stations in 51 U.S. markets, TEGNA reaches more than 100 million people monthly across the web, mobile apps, streaming, and linear television. Together, we are building a sustainable future for local news.

The Sales Assistant / Sales Development position provides comprehensive support to the KWES Sales Department and Director of Sales while gaining broad exposure to the station's sales, operational and client-service functions. This is a department-wide sales support position and is not dedicated exclusively to individual Account Executives. Responsibilities and priorities may shift based on the operational, Account Manager, sales and leadership needs of the department.
  The position will support sales leadership, assist Account Executives as needed, provide backup Account Manager coverage, and develop knowledge of KWES's broadcast, streaming and digital sales solutions. This role is also designed to provide professional development and exposure that may prepare a successful employee for a future Account Executive opportunity as business needs and openings arise.
Four Core Areas of Responsibility
1. Director of Sales & Department Support
Serve as a primary support resource to the Director of Sales and overall
KWES sales organization.
Responsibilities include:
• Assist the DOS with sales reports, presentations, meeting preparation
and follow-up. • Support preparation for weekly sales meetings, revenue discussions
and sales initiatives.
• Assist with revenue, inventory and sales activity reporting.
• Maintain current sales materials, programming information,
sponsorship opportunities and other department resources.
• Track department deadlines, outstanding items and projects requiring
follow-up.
• Assist with special sales initiatives, client events and station
opportunities.
• Coordinate information and workflow between Sales and other
departments, including Traffic, Creative Services, Finance, Digital and
Sales Fulfillment.
• Assist with organization and execution of seasonal programming,
sports, political and special sales opportunities.
• Provide administrative and project support as assigned by the DOS.
• Take on additional responsibilities based on changing department
priorities and business needs.
2. Account Executive & Sales Support Provide operational and administrative support to Account Executives as needed and based on department priorities to allow sellers to maximize client-facing and new-business development time. Responsibilities include: • Assist with order entry, revisions and schedule changes. • Support campaign setup and maintenance. • Monitor active schedules and campaign delivery. • Assist with makegoods, preemptions and discrepancy resolution. • Prepare and update client presentations, proposals and sales materials. • Assist with avails and inventory coordination. • Coordinate commercial materials, scripts and creative needs. • Follow up with Traffic, Creative Services and Sales Fulfillment on outstanding items. • Assist with routine client and agency administrative requests. • Support campaign recaps and post-campaign reporting. • Help maintain accurate client, account and campaign information. • Assist with Matrix/CRM administrative support while maintaining AE accountability for prospecting activity, opportunities and pipeline management. The Sales Assistant supports the business of the sales department rather than being permanently assigned to any individual Account Executive. Develop proficiency in Account Manager responsibilities to provide reliable backup coverage during vacations, PTO, vacancies, periods of increased workload or other business needs. Responsibilities include: • Become proficient in WO Media Sales and applicable sales systems. • Enter and revise orders accurately. • Understand Traffic workflow, deadlines and requirements. • Assist with schedule maintenance and campaign stewardship. • Coordinate makegoods and resolve scheduling discrepancies. • Assist with billing and invoice questions as appropriate. • Track commercial materials and creative requirements. • Understand MediaFerry and applicable creative workflows. • Provide professional client and agency administrative communication. • Coordinate with internal departments to ensure campaign fulfillment. • Maintain continuity of sales operations when Account Manager coverage is needed. The expectation is that this employee becomes a dependable cross-trained resource who can step into operational gaps without disrupting service to clients or the sales team. Develop the foundational skills, product knowledge and sales experience necessary to potentially advance into a future Account Executive position. Development opportunities may include: • Participate in sales and product training. • Develop knowledge of KWES/KIDY/KXVA broadcast programming and sales opportunities. • Learn TEGNA's Total TV approach: Broadcast + Streaming + Digital. • Develop working knowledge of Premion, CTV/OTT, Audience Marketplace and other digital solutions. • Learn Matrix CRM and proper pipeline management. • Participate in prospect research and new-business development exercises. • Learn effective prospecting techniques. • Observe and participate in client discovery. • Attend selected client meetings and AE ride-alongs. • Assist with development of integrated client recommendations. • Learn proposal development and presentation skills. • Gain exposure to pricing and inventory strategy. • Develop understanding of campaign measurement, stewardship and renewal. • Participate in role-play, presentation and sales-development exercises. • Demonstrate the ability to communicate the value of KWES/KIDY/KXVA and TEGNA solutions to local businesses. This position is designed to provide broad exposure to the KWES/KIDY/KXVA sales organization and may serve as a developmental pathway toward a future Account Executive opportunity. As the employee demonstrates proficiency in their core responsibilities, additional opportunities may be provided to develop prospecting, discovery, presentation, client relationship and new-business skills. Advancement into an Account Executive position is not guaranteed and will depend upon individual performance, demonstrated sales readiness, business needs and future position availability. The ideal candidate should demonstrate: • Strong organization and attention to detail. • Ability to manage multiple priorities and deadlines. • Professional written and verbal communication. • Strong customer-service mindset. • Ability to work effectively across multiple departments. • Comfort learning new software, systems and processes. • Working knowledge of Microsoft Office, particularly Outlook, Teams, PowerPoint and Excel. • Ability to analyze information and identify potential problems before they affect clients. • Initiative and willingness to take ownership of assignments. • Interest in sales, marketing, advertising and business development. • Ability to work independently while functioning as part of a larger sales team. • Desire to learn and grow within the organization. Experience in media, advertising, sales support, customer service or account management is beneficial but not necessarily required for the right candidate. Measures of Success Success in this position will be measured by: • Accuracy and timeliness of work. • Responsiveness to DOS and department priorities. • Reliability of AE and AM support. • Ability to manage and follow through on assigned projects. • Reduction of administrative and operational workload on sellers and sales leadership. • Quality of internal and external communication. • Campaign and order accuracy. • Ability to identify and resolve issues proactively. • Growth in product, system and sales knowledge. • Demonstrated readiness to assume increasing responsibility.     Role Philosophy The purpose of this position is straightforward: Support the sales operation. Protect the client experience. Give sellers more time to sell. Provide the DOS with additional operational support. Build organizational depth. Develop future sales talent.