Interview Question Guide… for Local Media Sales Candidates
This interview guide helps local media managers assess next-gen sales candidates across key traits like digital fluency, data literacy, storytelling, and competitive drive. It organizes questions into categories such as planning, motivation, tech comfort, and local market passion, with a 5-point scoring system for consistent evaluation. A new section highlights red flags like disorganization, tech aversion, and a transactional mindset. It also includes a comparison chart outlining the strengths of top performers versus the weaknesses of underperformers. Together, these tools help hiring teams identify candidates who are not only skilled but also adaptable, strategic, and aligned with the future of local media sales.
Comprehensive Hiring Checklist: Next-Gen Local Media Sellers
Hiring the next generation of local media sellers requires a shift from legacy experience to candidates who are digitally curious, data-literate, and self-motivated to win. Top performers are organized, goal-driven, and possess a natural competitive spirit that fuels consistent follow-through and client success. Strong hires also demonstrate consultative selling skills, storytelling ability, and a passion for helping local businesses thrive. Managers should watch for red flags like tech aversion, disorganization, and a transactional mindset, which often signal underperformance. By focusing on mindset, adaptability, and strategic thinking, local media companies can build sales teams equipped to lead in a hybrid, AI-enhanced marketplace.
Hiring the Next Generation of Local Media Sellers: What to Look For
As local media evolves, hiring sales talent requires a shift from traditional experience to digital fluency, data literacy, and strategic thinking. The next generation of sellers must be curious, coachable, and capable of using AI and analytics to craft personalized, results-driven campaigns. Strong storytelling skills and a passion for local communities remain essential for building advertiser trust. Managers should prioritize mindset and adaptability over legacy media experience and use role-based assessments to evaluate real-world skills. By hiring for future-ready capabilities, local media companies can build sales teams that thrive in a hybrid, tech-enabled marketplace.
How Old-School Leadership Is Killing Innovation Faster Than You Think
Traditional leadership approaches are destroying innovation potential at an alarming rate, with 76% of employees reporting their best ideas die in bureaucratic approval processes. In my two decades coaching Fortune 500 executives, I’ve witnessed how outdated leadership practices consistently undermine creative potential and organizational growth. Read More
7 Signs Your Leadership Style Is Driving Away Your Best Employees
The greatest threat to your organization’s success isn’t your competition—it’s your leadership style driving top talent out the door. In my work coaching senior executives, I’ve documented a concerning pattern: leaders often remain blind to the behaviors that prompt their most valuable employees to quietly plan their exits. Read More
We’re Doing Everything Right, But Nothing’s Working!
Scratching my head at these and similar statements, I wonder, “If you are doing everything right, then it should be working! That’s how designing and executing your GTM/selling strategies work! If it isn’t producing the desired outcome, then there is something flawed in the design or in what you are doing!” Read More
If You Can’t Do It Yourself…
“If you can’t do it yourself, you probably shouldn’t be using AI!” This was a brilliant observation by James Pursey in an outstanding seminar on AI in sales. The only modification I would make would be to say, “If you can’t do it excellently yourself, you probably shouldn’t be using AI!” Read More
Mastering Sales Leadership: Proven Strategies to Elevate Team Performance and Drive Revenue Growth
The person you hired wants to be successful, even if they don’t yet know what that means. This new member of your team wants to do good work and succeed. As a sales leader, you must fill in the blanks for the people in your charge. If you don’t set the standards that ensure success, then no one knows what success means, nor will they know what to do and how to win deals. Read More
Have You Learned Your Lesson Yet?!
During the Holidays, together with family, often the conversation goes back to old memories. In one of these conversations, my Mom and Sister ganged up on me. They reminded me of the struggles my Dad and I had with my misbehavior. Read More
The No. 1 Mistake Well-Intentioned Leaders Make That Harms Their Team
Studies reveal a startling paradox: 82% of leaders believe they’re supporting their teams effectively, yet only 38% of employees feel genuinely supported. Moreover, this disconnect stems from what initially appears to be a positive leadership trait – what I call “the protection paradox” – the desire to protect teams from challenges. However, this well-intentioned shield ultimately becomes the very barrier that stifles growth and erodes trust. As an executive leadership coach working alongside pioneering organizations,
What Are You Looking For In A Candidate?
Clients and colleagues frequently ask my opinion of people they are considering hiring. It’s often a request, “Dave, what do you think of each of these candidates? Who would you hire?” And the requests are accompanied with resumes, each extolling the fantastic accomplishments the candidate has achieved through their career. Read More
Your Team Hates Meetings—Because You’re Running Them Like It’s Still 1995
If your team dreads meetings, it might not be the idea of meetings they hate—it might be the way they’re being run. Many leaders haven’t evolved past the outdated meeting practices of the 1990s. Endless talking, rigid agendas, and one-way communication no longer work. Today’s teams need meetings that are dynamic, inclusive, and productive. If you’re running meetings like it’s still 1995, it’s time to rethink how you bring your people together. Read More
Boosting Morale and Retention: The Essential Role of Sales Training in Modern Business
Sales teams are vital to business growth, yet they often face high turnover and low morale. Effective sales training programs not only enhance performance but also play a crucial role in boosting employee morale and retention. Investing in sales training provides salespeople with the skills and confidence they need, reducing stress and increasing job satisfaction. Research indicates that companies with robust sales training programs experience significantly lower turnover rates, with improved employee income and retention. Read More
7 Effective Brainstorming Strategies to Inspire Creativity
We brainstorm ideas all the time, often without even realizing it. We all face some sort of difficulty or challenge on a regular basis which causes us to brainstorm solutions. Brainstorming ideas is something innate in all of us when we deal with personal tribulations, but brainstorming also occurs in a professional setting. In fact, brainstorming ideas is necessary when it comes to teams and companies. Read More
The Power of Role-Playing in Sales: Mastering Conversations to Boost Success
Some of the best sales organizations use role-play to sharpen their skills. Role-play is a powerful tool because it allows sales teams to practice the language they need to use. Sales is a conversation. Sales managers who emphasize role-play provide their teams a safe place to find the right words—or borrow them from other sales reps who have mastered their talk tracks. Read More
