By: Vanessa Pence, Katie Holdsworth, Amy Borum, Emily Iverson
Ever have that feeling of déjà vu when meeting with digital media sales reps? Ah, you know that type. To be fair, we know dealing with agencies is not an easy job. Here at Booyah we LOVE our sales reps (especially those that come bearing food), but it’s easy to tell which sales-tactic university they came from. In case you might encounter these reps-of-the-third-kind, here’s a quick guide to know which graduating class you’re dealing with:
- The “Skeev” – The sales rep who might be married or in a relationship, but conveys that ‘icky’ vibe no matter what.
- The “Email-Caller” – The sales rep who shoots off an email and follows up immediately with a call, just to make sure…
- The “Buddy Buddy” – The sales rep who wants to be really chummy in hopes to get biz. He follows the 80/20 ratio – emails are 80% YouTube clips, 20% work-related.
- The “Stalker” – The sales rep who wants to touch base just a little too often…you may have his Western Texas area code memorized.
- The “Sensitive One” – The sales rep who takes your rejection of business personally, and it shows.
- The “Briber” – The sales rep who’s maybe not as chummy, but willing to throw down hardcore. This job is his excuse for a serious party, and somehow he occasionally comes out of his blackout with new business – if he remembers to follow up…
- The “Only-Caller” – The sales rep you email, they call, you email, they call….
- The “Asshole” – The sales rep who does not even try in any way to win your business. And somehow they still occasionally do?
- The “Father Figure”- The rep who is seriously tenured and notices the mass difference in age, so proceeds to give you unwanted advice on topics outside of advertising.
- The “Boyfriend”- Develops strong relationship during the campaign and then gets crushed upon the breakup; each boyfriend reacts differently to the news.
- The “New Parent” – This rep plays into the sense of emotion with a blown up picture of a baby on his PowerPoint, or 3 perfect children playing in the grass, hoping you notice how down-to-earth he is.
- The “Over Sharer” – The rep who handles the business discussion, and then gets a little too personal. TMI. STOP! Eww…
- The “D-bag” – The rep who ended up in sales after his failed attempt at male modeling and/or perpetual ski bum.
- The “Touchy Feely” – The rep who always wants a hug when they see you…and maybe they linger a bit…too…long.
- The “Selfish Opportunist” – The type of rep that loves to start the meeting by asking about all clients and projects going on at Booyah, regardless of relevance. This normally takes about 75-100% of the meeting, and we’re still not sure what they do?
- The “Backstabber” – The rep who is pissed they even have to go through a buyer because they used to be able to talk the client into WHATEVER they wanted.
- “The Former Beauty Queen” – These reps are young, beautiful, and oftentimes clueless. They take notes in sparkle pens and do not know the answer to questions, but hey, their hair looks great!
- “The Second Half Starter” – Characterized as traditional media folks, this older generation tries to stay relevant in a channel they don’t feel comfortable in. Oftentimes looking confused during their own presentation, these reps oftentimes bounce back to traditional positions or become librarians.
- “The Dude Talker” – These male reps seek out the only man in the room and present only to this person. They oftentimes leave with their tail between their legs and no RFPs by the time our friendly female staff gets their hands on them.
- “The Former Frat Boy” – Coming to the table with 6 varieties of Colorado brews for a 30 minute meeting, they follow with an extensive happy hour where business is discussed after 5 shots of tequila. This rep wants to party. Hard.
- “The Bouncer” – The rep who has emailed and called from so many different companies, they lose a little bit of credibility…
- “The Eternal Optimist” – The rep who reaches out from a very specific niche company about one of your clients and, upon hearing the client is not currently planning a campaign, will try to mold their offering to whatever client they can. You can sell TV service on a ski site, we swear!
- “The Surprise Visitor” – This rep did not heed your response that you truly are busy when they’re in town. They just can’t help bringing in an afternoon bag of pastries from Starbucks while you’re on an important call.