Sales Planning & Revenue Management

TV, Mobile and Digital Media

Sales Planning and Sales Revenue Management Recruitment
Filcro Media Staffing recruits Sales Planning Directors and Vice Presidents with the proper TV and Digital experience to
enhance planning, revenue management and sales reporting functions. We understand the analytic, people and media
technology skills required to be successful on a single platform or multi-cast multi-platform multiplex.
Convergence has transformed the operational dynamics of sales planning for broadcasters who disseminate on multiple
platforms. The accurate integrated awareness of pricing and inventory across multiple platforms for sales personnel is now
a necessity to optimize revenue.
Traffic, Inventory, Planning, the Agency, the Client, the Account Executive and the Network as a whole all need to be on
the same page.
The success of planning and planning personnel is determined by their unique ability to assimilate media metrics and
analytics and disseminate data in such a way that your sales executives, agencies and clients can establish the optimal
value of your inventory.
Traditional succession planning in the industry has been focused on a Sales Planning to Account Executive pathing. Our
firm endorses establishing senior operational management roles for the specific purpose of enabling continuity of sales
support staff, sales planners and the associated sales technology and reporting functions.
Establishing operational means that are embedded facilitates a more productive sales environment and allows for greater
scrutiny and confirmation of how process is optimized for everyone. Filcro Media Staffing will recruit and bring forward
those who can function as needed change agents or additions to staff who formalize and enhance sales planning
operations. Expanded Sales - Sales Planning Recruitment Group.
Filcro Media Staffing has a history of recruiting sales planners, sales planning managers, directors and the senior vice
presidents who have sales planning reporting into them. The sales planning executive search below exhibits the intricacy
of identifying, recruiting and attracting these highly skilled media professionals.

A Major Media and Entertainment Conglomerate Cable TV Network Executive Search Review
Senior Director Sales Planning
and Sales Planning Operations
Search Senior Director Sales Planning
Based Chicago, IL - USA
Search Firm Filcro Media Staffing
Officer in Charge Tony Filson - New York, NY
Reporting to President TV Network Sales - New York, NY


Client
VIACOM is a leading global media company, with preeminent positions in broadcast and cable television, radio, outdoor
advertising, and online. With programming that appeals to audiences in every demographic category across virtually all
media, the company is a leader in the creation, promotion, and distribution of entertainment, news, sports, music, and
comedy.

Viacom's well-known brands include CBS, MTV, Nickelodeon, Nick at Nite, VH1, BET, Paramount Pictures, Infinity
Broadcasting, Viacom Outdoor, UPN, TV Land, Comedy Central, CMT: Country Music Television, Spike TV, Showtime,
Blockbuster, and Simon & Schuster.
Client Situation
The President of TV Network Sales was seeking greater efficacy on a tactical and strategic level to enhance revenue.
Executive Search (ES) Member Industry and Sector Inclusion:
Cable TV Network - Multiplex
Broadcast TV Network - Major
The President identified Filcro Media Staffing Tony Filson (TF) functioning as Officer in Charge of Search. The firm has
conducted numerous similar searches above, on and below line in the past and the familiarity with the ideal skill sets,
culture and strategic initiatives relevant the TV Network's practices were advantageous the the Network and assuring an
expeditious search.
Filcro Media Staffing is Retained
Filcro Media Staffing Officer in Charge of Search Tony Filson worked entirely with the President
of Network Sales to establish a consensus of the type of improvements that were needed to
enhance sales operations that could facilitate revenue growth. The President was very clear as to
the specific functions and areas of concern that needed to be addressed in this geographic. The
Midwest offered a unique opportunity for the proper Director.
Filcro Media Staffing was provided with technical, sales, operational, organizational, financial, cultural and creative
overviews requested to evaluate all hard and soft assets as they relate(d) to the skills and experience required of the new
Director of Sales Planning and Sales Operations (DSP). Specific tent pole events and preemption of programming in the
past were examples of areas where wanted someone with a calm and collected demeanor when rapid changes were
required.
The current DSP was not appropriate based on the growth the Network had experienced recently and the additional growth
that was anticipated in the near future. The President wanted this position to become more strategic as opposed to tactical
and to grant greater autonomy across all traffic, planning, inventory, reporting, training and associated sales functions would
be mandatory. By utilizing previous documents from other similar searches, a compilation of appropriate skill sets was
utilized with latitude during universe compilation and tiering.
The hierarchy of desired skill sets and industry experience established placed great emphasis on the new DSP taking
initiative and formulating practices that would increase efficiency across all areas relevant to Sales Operations and
establishing enhanced lines of communication with Programming.
The building and mentoring of staff to proceed with strategic initiatives involving the Midwest and West Coast was essential.
Greater stewardship was needed in the development of soft and hard assets reporting into this Director of Sales Planning.
New software being reviewed at the time involved contract negotiations and establishing a new vendor relationship key to
planning across three media platforms.. This technology upgrade required a person who was familiar with the review and
implementation of new sales systems. The President wanted a Director of Sales Planning and Operations with the capacity
to take ownership of the process as it related to a new joint IT and sales planning initiative where this new DSP would work
as a committee member with the Network's IT staff as they transition and train the sales assistants, sales planners,
inventory, traffic and account executives over to the new system. The ability to set a a clear syllabus with benchmarks for
HR Training and Development would also fall to this person.
Universe compilation and tiering had to be setup in multiple frames for this search. With so many variables involved it would
ultimately be a compilation of skills and experience as opposed to specific weighting. It was essential to give the President
everything he needed with different weighting variables so he could determine the strategic value of each candidate that we
first tiered.
Filcro Media Staffing was very fortunate to have a President of Network Sales who had such a clear vision of where he
wanted the Network to be from a market and revenue perspective in the near future. As opposed to him giving the search
to a EVP, SVP or VP he opted to to take a hands-on approach to assuring that the person was proper strategic fit for his
expansion plans.
Geographic issues were few. Chicago offered many choices as to where and how the firm would start universe compilation.
Since relocation was also an option we started with the four primary markets relevant to a DSP and worked outward from
Chicago. Proper attraction on this market has generally been through relocation.
Of the targeted environments we established nationally as primary for universe compilation all were positive and relocation
proved to be a moot point in the end but many of the candidates exhibited everything the president wanted in his ideal.
Challenges Facing the New Sr. Director Sales Planning (DSP)
Change Management
Mentoring
Ad Sales Planning
Ad Sales Systems and IT Acumen
Ad Agency Accountability
Client Accountability
Strategic Partnerships
Financial Controls
Optimization of Revenue
Filcro Media Staffings Recruitment Solution
Filcro Media Staffing proceeded to Identify "Directors of Sales Planning with proven efficacy in every area relevant to the
President's initiatives. Subs and revenue targets were matrixed to allow greater access to high-pot Senior Managers as well
as Directors. The Network is very much in a growth mode with 100million subs and going strong.
An executive capable of focusing on sales operational team development and sales
infrastructure was essential. The client base, advertising agencies, account executives and
sales planning staff had to witness a clear difference in the policies and procedures being
brought in that would enhance efficacy as well as the bottom line. This new Director's soft skills
were of key importance.
The strategic skills required would prove to differentiate the top four candidates but the tactical
reviews we conducted offered greater insight into day-to-day running of the department and those that really understood
the strains of an upfront, preempted programming, make goods and presenting the proper plan the first time. Avoiding ADU
issues by improving process was something we wanted to accomplish not just through proper assimilation of media metrics
but by properly applying these analytics.
Successful Director of Sales Planning Recruited
The new Director we identified was very hands-on. She was a skilled teacher in every area of concern to the President as
confirmed in our skill set reviews:
Her ability to quickly review plans prior to being presented to the account managers for submittal to the client/agency and
identify potential issues was exceptional. She was known for accurately monitoring the reweigh / remix of all Upfront plans
without the prior Directors shortcomings in scaling to the Networks growth.
Experience and Proven Capacity
Distribution of all MSAs as well as overseeing client receipt of them in a timely fashion.
Monitoring/approving the re-expressions of dollars.
Monitoring/approving all sell-off requests.
Monitoring/approving all cutbacks
Monitoring/approving all planning rates
Monitoring/approving the distribution of ADU schedules
Monitor and prioritize sales planners workload and distribute work accordingly
Supervise all sales assistant and sales planners
Providing post summaries of all accounts
Handling excess inventory and oversell situations
Consultation and interaction with account executives regarding research materials, programming, added-value
(vignettes, billboards) advertising needs.
Interaction with network traffic department to gauge inventory availability, restrictions, specials, etc in determining
make-up of proposal.
Liaison with various departments on client's behalf when requested.
Filcro Media Staffing - Broadcasting & Media Recruitment Practice Groups
Broadcasting and media executive search experience and skill set designations for clients and candidates

Accounting Advertising Sales Affiliate Sales Broadcast Operations
Business Affairs Broadband Closed Captioning Corporate
Development Editorial Engineering Facilities
Finance Human Resource IT Interactive
Inventory Legal Marketing Media
On- Air Promotions Production / Post Program Practices Programming
Real Estate Research Sales Planning Systems
Talent Payment Technology Traffic Home Page

Keep abreast of industry news via trades to increase and strengthen knowledge of Network position and get a
general / broad understanding of what's going on in the industry.
Resolve order / invoice-billing discrepancies.
Invoicing: research discrepancy, advise client, management, and finance by correspondence on results and if
necessary adjusting.
Daily review of national missed spot list to modify accounts by either makegoods or clients.
Client correspondence and direct contact as necessary.
Weekly group meetings with supervisors and staff to discuss weekly activity, resolve problems, and forecast.
Everyone involved in the search felt that all of the above should be second nature to the new DSP
and that ultimately led to the identification of an extremely talented new Director for the Network. The
new Director had functioned as the National Sales Planning Manager for (4) four Networks as a
(multiplex) owned by a direct competitor of our client.
She was responsible for managing and training the Chicago Revenue Planning staff as well as being a liaison between
them and various departments in New York including, but not limited to, the inventory control department, the traffic
department, and invoicing department.
She created and tested reweight / remix template for the various Networks new planning systems, trained Sales Planners to
understand template, and continued to utilize templates to build plans as she Directed this environment.
Implementing office procedures to organize flow of information along the lines sought by our client and creating proposals
for media buyers at advertising agencies by analyzing data and customizing it for demographic goals and budgets of
specific clients were all part of her responsibility.
She also Analyzed and incorporated these demographics based on MRI data as well as other research tools in order to
optimize our clients buys. Being extremely proactive and involved with the process of developing and maintaining client
relationships to facilitate future business she was also responsible for overseeing the maintenance and delivery on all
accounts and overseeing / executing cutbacks, sell-off requests, planning rates, added value requests, and re-expression
of dollars.
Her ability to negotiate deals and present sales presentations to assigned sales territories and work with AEs, V.Ps and
above was proven. Her development of four National Revenue Planning Departments to develop upfront and scatter
planning strategies to maximize sales and meet the company's annual goals were just what the President wanted.
This new Director was identified in Chicago and relocation was not required.
For more senior level sales planning positions, please visit our Traffic and Inventory areas for SVP and VP searches where
these functions report into leadership. Thank you.

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