America’s mall sector is no longer one story but two: a small group of high-end, experience-driven centers is thriving, while many lower-tier malls continue to struggle. For local media sellers and ad agencies, that means retail should be approached more selectively, with stronger malls and lifestyle centers pitched as destination brands that need image-building, traffic-driving and event-focused campaigns across radio, TV, cable, print, outdoor and digital. The bigger lesson is that winning retail properties are succeeding through curation, experience and audience focus—exactly the kind of strategy local media companies should mirror in the way they package and sell advertising.

Retail therapy—the act of shopping to improve mood—is a scientifically supported behavior that offers emotional relief by restoring a sense of control, especially during times of sadness or stress. Research shows that the process of choosing and browsing, not just purchasing, triggers dopamine and serotonin, making consumers more receptive to emotionally resonant advertising. Local businesses, with their in-person experiences and human touch, are uniquely positioned to benefit from this behavior, especially when their ads emphasize comfort, self-care, and personal connection. For media sales reps, this presents a strategic opportunity to guide clients toward emotionally intelligent messaging and contextual ad placements. When done responsibly, advertising that aligns with retail therapy can drive results while supporting consumer well-being.

In the fast-paced world of media ad sales, time is our most valuable asset. As a General Sales Manager, balancing the constant flow of new leads, client meetings, team management, and strategic planning is a daily challenge. Over the years, I’ve learned that success doesn’t come from working longer hours; it comes from managing time efficiently.

To start, recognize that entire teams—and not just individuals—require clear feedback.’ Making the leap from individual contributor to manager can be fraught: for the new manager, their direct reports, and the organization as a whole. New managers tend to rise into their position based on past success. But few have the experience or training to effectively manage a high-performing team.

Oprah Winfrey's journey from poverty to becoming a media powerhouse is a testament to resilience, authenticity, and visionary leadership. Despite a traumatic childhood, she built a media empire through her company, Harpo Productions, and revolutionized television with The Oprah Winfrey Show. Her unique characteristics—such as empathy, service, and continuous growth—have been pivotal to her success. Oprah's story offers valuable lessons for media sellers and agency leaders, emphasizing the importance of owning your platform, leading with empathy, and being purpose-driven.

Building trust virtually, finding qualified leads, getting in front of the decision-makers — these are all challenges that salespeople face. And as a sales manager, you’re finding innovative ways to address these issues. However, to become more effective in your role and provide a better overall direction for the entire team, it’s important to know the current challenges that sales managers face as well.

We work for decades, yet for most of us, there are a handful of moments in time that define the course of our leadership career. Unfortunately, these moments — opportunities or crises — don’t come with a caption suggesting, “Hey, pay attention and embrace this mess because it’s going to turn out to be important to you.” For individuals who choose to lead, it pays to see the signposts. Here are three significant moments in the career of everyone who leads that merit your complete engagement.

There are a handful of popular and effective ways to stay in contact with customers, but it’s important to understand the limitations and how to utilize technology to your advantage. Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own. Most people running a business are well aware that customer communication is critical to success, but that’s only partially correct: It’s only successful when executed in a way that not only engages customers but builds meaningful relationships

In today’s fragmented and fast-changing advertising landscape, local media sellers face the challenge of promoting a product—news and community media—that can feel both complex and misunderstood. But this very complexity offers a unique opportunity: to become more than just ad reps by positioning themselves as trusted partners aligned with their clients' values. By shifting focus from features to solutions, leaning into authenticity, and involving advertisers in the creative process, local media professionals can mitigate risk, deepen trust, and foster long-term client relationships. This approach not only increases revenue potential but also reinforces the critical role of community media in a rapidly evolving world.

Steve Jobs fused craftsmanship and commerce, turning Apple into a culture-shaping brand through ruthless focus, taste as strategy, and storytelling that sold meaning before specs. Formed by a machinist father’s “back of the cabinet” ethic, Reed calligraphy, Zen simplicity, and partnership with Steve Wozniak, he built products—and narratives—that felt humane. Fired in 1985, he reinvented himself at NeXT and Pixar, then returned to save Apple by subtracting complexity, staging launches, and insisting on outcomes, even while his perfectionism and abrasiveness carried real costs. His private life—minimalist habits, walking meetings, family, music—underscored a philosophy of clarity and intention. For media sellers and agencies, the playbook is concrete: lead with a promise, reduce to essentials, rehearse obsessively, measure what matters, and “ship”—because trust and renewal are built on disciplined wonder.

You’ve got a good team. The results are solid. You genuinely like one another. Trust is good too. And yet. You have a feeling you’re capable of more. What’s missing? If you’re fortunate to be working on a good team, it can be tempting to keep doing what you’ve always done. But Marshall Goldsmith’s advice for leaders is true for teams too, “What got you here, might not get you there.”

YouTube’s growing “AI slop” problem is a flashing warning light for the entire attention economy: when synthetic content becomes infinite, audiences experience it as noise—and start seeking protection, not more videos. That shift creates a premium lane for local media, whose human verification, community accountability, and task-based utility (weather, traffic, breaking news) become differentiators algorithms can’t reliably replicate. For local media sellers, the opportunity is to productize “clean” environments—owned-and-operated destinations, curated streams, and sponsorships tied to verified, high-signal formats. For agencies and advertisers, the slop era strengthens the case for adjacency control, fewer-but-better placements, and plans that optimize attention quality over raw impressions.

One of the biggest mistakes that salespeople make is leading with their product. To understand why, you need to be aware of the four levels of value. We talk about four levels of value creation. Each level contains the ones lower levels, and transcends them to create even greater value. As you move up through the levels, you are a better salesperson and can better meet your clients’ needs. Once you reach level 4, you can differentiate yourself, gaining the ultimate competitive advantage.

Most sales leaders talk too much about new business development. The truth is: they would be better off yapping less about selling new customers and yapping more about growing existing customers. New call-to-action5 Selling Techniques That Grow Revenue Without Selling New Customers

Physical retail maintains strong pull despite e-commerce growth, offering local media and agencies key targeting opportunities. Despite e-commerce growth, 76% of consumers consider in-store shopping a holiday ritual, with three-quarters saying it's essential to feeling festive and connected. Physical stores drive higher-value purchases, as 70% of shoppers feel more comfortable buying premium items in-store versus 30% online, while 72% trust in-store quality more than online options. The research challenges Black Friday's effectiveness, with 84% of consumers preferring deals spread throughout November and December rather than concentrated one-day events. For local media sales reps and agencies, the data suggests opportunities in sustained promotional campaigns, experiential retail messaging, and targeting Gen Z shoppers who show the strongest affinity for in-store discovery.