Valley PR Blog

Sales career tips if you’d rather CALL on PR people than BE one

By Linda VandeVrede on February 25th, 2010 In Advice, Professional Development

Time for you to leave public relations, but you don’t want to give up completely on the skills that you’ve learned? Maybe the next transition is into sales.  Instead of being a public relations professional, you can call on them.

The upside to this path is that you still get to deal with PR managers, who tend to be very energetic and creative.  “They have to pitch people all the time, so they seem to be slightly more receptive to folks like me who call to pitch them on stuff,” says Malcolm Atherton, account executive for Businesswire.   “I find that calling on PR professionals allows me to remain connected to the practice while partnering with clients on their various projects,” says Michele Putnam of PR Newswire.  “Unlike any other sales call, the professionals in this industry are to the point,” according to Mike Shaldjian of Media Watch AZ.  “They know what they need and why they need it.” 

Advice if you want to make the leap:  Michelle suggests that any PR person looking to transition into a service/sales role should “network with the various people you utilize for wire, clipping, web design, broadcast services, databases, and print services to see what might be out there.”

Mike recommends that if you want to eventually get into sales, it’s important to believe wholeheartedly in the product or service that you sell. Know your product and know your target market inside and out. Not everyone has the skills and talent to sell, so make sure that you have the requirements to succeed in a sales position. You must be willing to put in the time, as sales are cultivated over time. It’s relationship building more than anything. But let’s face it, he says, PR professionals are already “selling” day in and day out as it is. Pitching your clients or pitching to prospective clients is selling. “So if you enjoy those aspects of your job and do them well now, you’ll have no problem selling other arenas, provided you believe in your product.” 

Malcolm feels he is a perfect example of how to fall backwards into a sales job within an industry he knew nothing about, as his previous experience was in the medical and wellness field.  “I don’t feel that there is any particular science to it, but I know that it’s easier to penetrate markets with which you had some experience. While there are rows and rows of sales books, I tend to be a firm believer that sales is based on listening and producing a solution that is in the buyer’s best interests. PR folks need to establish relationships with, listen to, and learn about their clients, as well as blogger/editor/journalist contacts in order to sell an idea, understand their needs and/or become a trusted resource and establish a relationship. That parlays nicely into a sales environment.”

Michelle agrees that sales is similar to PR and that you must listen to the client, understand their objective, find solutions that fit their strategies and goals and be detail oriented about the execution of the service. “There are many great sales people that were in PR, so the switch is not difficult.”

All three companies have new products and services to be announced in the next few months, so stay tuned to Facebook and Twitter.  

Blogger’s note — I think these three people have amongst the coolest jobs in the Valley.   They get to network with lively PR pros without having to deal with eccentric executives; they are free to succeed or fail within their job depending on their personal level of energy and motivation; and they get to attend breakfast meetings and eat amazing pastries.   Never mind the travel, quotas, or paperwork – think PASTRIES!

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