KEY POINTS:
There's a new type of salesperson that is in much demand in the New Zealand market - and that demand is growing as fast as the growth of the internet and other interactive media.
According to the latest market share figures for 2007 from the Advertising Standards Authority, interactive advertising is growing at 20 times the rate of the wider advertising market. While its overall share is still small, at 5.8 per cent, interactive is expected to rapidly achieve a large market share as New Zealand's broadband penetration grows and more and more people use the internet to find the goods and services they need.
The people that the industry so badly needs are good salespeople who are tech-savvy.
Head of online sales at Yellow Pages Group, Greg Murphy, says: "We've been grappling with the skills shortage created by the internet advertising boom for the last 12 months.
"Generally what we're looking for are people with some sales experience, but who understand the new media."
He says Yellow Pages Group recently recruited 27 people of varying experience into online advertising.
Murphy says young people who are recently qualified tend to have the technical skills required and confidence in the medium. "Enthusiasm is great; however, people in this field have to talk to businesses, and this comes with experience."
A large proportion of New Zealand businesses are small, and often the owner is also the person who markets the business. "The owner won't want to deal with a whizzed-up propeller head - that person needs to be given explanations in how online fits into his or her business.
"So, in short [we need] good technical skills and the ability to communicate in a business-like way."
Murphy says a marketing degree is a good start. "The person selling the advertising needs to explain to a businessperson how online advertising will work for his/her business. Business acumen is the key. There are agency customers to communicate with too - these people expect salespeople to be professional."
Murphy accepts that there are media salespeople who don't want to work online. "They shy away from it, and want to stay with traditional 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 will have to accept that we cannot guarantee that you will be in the same role in six months' time. Products change. If you're not comfortable with that, this job is not for you. We're very upfront with people when we interview them - they need to understand that the ball is in their court. They have to thrive and change and be interested in learning. Personality traits that are required are: high energy, high resilience, ability to take knocks and keep moving, deal with product changes and be able to work in a fast-paced environment. You can sell a product today and it can go live in two hours. That's how fast it is."
Murphy says you also need to be able to work well in a remote-team environment. "Our salespeople are quite independent." They may be doing conference calls around the country and seldom see their colleagues - other than in meetings. Self-discipline and motivation are mandatory, he says. "If a site is down you need to go on to the next customer. We like our people to work in the field, not an office. Lots of companies like to have people come and see them and be walked through what we're offering.
"It's hard to find people. Everyone is looking. This is a job with a future - we are now in phase one. Soon we will be looking beyond the internet and considering mobile phone space. We may be able to consider location-based advertising."
A good candidate must enjoy working with the latest technology, and be happy to keep adapting to what's new.
He says the age group required is mixed - however, because of the technology side it tends to be biased towards the young. "If you've been selling to businesses for 10 years and know how to sell and enjoy a fast-paced work environment, you have a huge future in this field."
He says online advertising is great for people who want to get in at the start of things. "In New Zealand online accounts for just 5.8 per cent of the market now - but it's growing. In Britain and Australia it's already at 15 per cent. My advice to people interested is: get in now and get going.
"From a very low base, interactive advertising has made $186 million this year - we expect it to go up 60 per cent next year. There's a future in it.
"In Britain, online advertising is expected to eclipse advertising on TV with spend by the end of the year. It's well proven that spend is driven by broadband speed. This creates more jobs and opportunities."
Murphy says many companies are discovering the benefits of online advertising. "Certain companies don't really need to have websites. If you're a plumbing concern, for example, all you want is for people to find you. A good online salesperson will tell you how to do it in a way that your name gets high priority on searches."
