Discovery meetings are a vital tool for uncovering new business opportunities. In these conversations, sales managers and sellers have a unique chance to learn about potential clients, understand their challenges, and present solutions tailored to their needs. The key to an effective discovery meeting lies in the ability to ask thoughtful questions, actively listen, and establish genuine rapport.

During the past 70 years, Cable TV has evolved from its original purpose – providing isolated rural areas and those with poor TV reception access to the closest broadcast channels – to expanded viewing options for urban and suburban audiences. The number of channels quickly increased to hundreds, and with more content than even a couch potato could watch. The cost of subscriptions has increased and new streaming services attract more viewers.

Weekly Newsletter January 19, 2026

Judgment is the ability to make good decisions. It’s a complex phenomenon requiring the ability to observe and understand things, draw upon knowledge and experience, form an opinion, and reach a decision. It entails discerning, comparing, and making considered decisions.

Often, when I talk to managers, they tell me how much time they spend coaching. They tell me stories of meeting, weekly, with their people, doing reviews, pipeline discussions, activity discussions—-all sorts of “coaching meetings.” They say, “Dave, coaching is important and we are spending a lot of time coaching…..”

Nov 16, 2024 | Media, Retail, Advertising and the Economy, Industry Press Highlights Editorial credit: Jonathan Weiss / Shutterstock.com Executive Summary: Advance Auto Parts plans to...

A new survey from the Local Media Consortium finds that 83% of local media professionals expect digital revenue to grow or remain steady in 2025, with gains driven by video, subscriptions, and newsletters. While some challenges persist—particularly around digital ad revenue and staffing—AI adoption, cross-platform content strategies, and audience engagement are gaining ground. These trends provide a strong foundation for media sellers to deliver smarter, more tailored solutions to local advertisers. The data underscores the continued relevance and revenue potential of trusted local media in a fragmented digital landscape.

Before my first undercover assignment, I was sent back to the Behavioral Science Unit at the FBI Academy for a series of psychological tests to determine my level of self-awareness. I was disappointed because I expected to learn how to scissor-kick in high heels to take down a guy twice my size. At least, that’s how movies portray it. Alas, not for the first time did I learn that movies are entertainment with a tenuous grasp on reality.

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Media sales professionals must refocus their efforts on understanding the advertiser’s business rather than simply promoting their own multi-media offerings. While digital media has become ubiquitous and powerful, traditional media still plays a vital role in building trust, reach, and local relevance—and the two work best when used together. Tools like The Media Audit and Scarborough provide rich qualitative insights into consumer behavior and advertiser categories, helping media reps consult rather than just sell. The key to success lies in empathetically listening to advertisers, diagnosing their challenges, and crafting solutions that genuinely serve their goals. In a world full of shiny digital distractions, media reps must “keep their eye on the ball”—the advertiser—and build relationships rooted in strategy, not salesmanship.

Frustrated with failed sales strategies? You put together a robust sales strategy—a strategy that you worked extremely hard on and believed to be near flawless—only to see it fail in the long run. Frustrating, right? In my years of consulting, I have rarely (and I mean rarely!) come across a seriously flawed sales strategy. However, I have come across many (and I mean many!) sales strategies which ultimately fail.

What is the role of advertising? Aside from helping to sell a product or service, advertising has several key benefits in terms of reinforcing a company’s marketing efforts, providing information to customers and the marketplace, and creating and enhancing a company’s identity and image. Advertising helps create awareness for a business, reach new customers and different demographics, keep loyal customers and stay ahead of competition.

Boost your advertising impact with this week’s powerful summer promotions!
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• Mazda More to Move You Sales Event – Accelerate buyer interest.
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The programmatic advertising landscape is evolving in ways that benefit premium, trusted media sellers. A Q1 2025 ANA study reports that effective impressions are rising and low-quality ad placements are sharply declining. However, inefficiencies like optimization gaps and data compliance concerns remain. For local media—TV, print, digital, out-of-home—this presents both a challenge and a powerful opportunity to highlight the unique value of trusted, local ad environments.

Organizations, to their detriment, often overlook opportunities to spotlight exemplary behavior—ethical behavior in particular. Increasingly remote workforces, with limited non-essential communication, likely worsen the situation. And the situation as it stands isn’t that great. Most of the time, the focus of employee recognition is not on ethics but on metrics related to the bottom line, or subjective perceptions of overall performance.