Death of a Sales Call: A Day in the Life on an Indie Ad Rep

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, Dec 1, 2001 by Sarah Gonser

With the flush times gone, every ad rep is looking for an edge. Ogling aside, Dorfman searches for it in his peregrinations. Dan Meeban, the East Coast sales manager for Fenton Media's Boardwatch Magazine, says his unique selling proposition comes from an understanding of his clients' marketing needs. "Even a year ago, in the tech sector, you almost didn't need the sales people," he says. "You just needed organization--and if your book was somewhat respected, people wanted to be in it. Now, when budgets are so thin and the competitive set is narrowing, is when the real selling comes in.

"If I tell IBM this is my publication, here's my circulation, and this is what it costs--but I don't understand specifically how my audience fits into the overall marketing goals of IBM's five product lines I'm working with--then I'm really not selling the viability of my market," Meehan continues. "It's crucial to understand the big picture, so that when they buy Boardwatch Magazine, they understand why. When they trust me, they'll come to [see] me as a resource instead of being a sales guy who bothers them. If you can't do that. your ability to get ad revenue is limited."

Continuing his own ad-revenue quest, Dorfman exits the pricey fashion boutiques, drains a Mister Softee vanilla shake (his first meal of the day) and takes the subway to his next sales call.

2:15 COMPETING WITH THE GIANTS

Dorfman's voice is too loud for the hushed atmosphere at Etro. This Upper East Side boutique is laid out like an apartment, with racks of splashy clothing displayed in private viewing rooms accessible only by private elevator. It's a family operation founded by the owners of a textile design company in Milan. Etro hasn't bought any ads from Dorfman yet, but he remains undeterred.

"Okay, are you ready for this?" Dorfman asks public relations director Alisha Farmer, as the trim blond in a perfectly tailored black suit (by Etro, natch) and tan Vicini three-inch-heel boots flips through an issue of Big. "In 2003, we're doing 10 issues dedicated to America. We're selling it as a package--you buy them all a the end, they'll be sold in a collection sleeve, all And in at Bames & Noble."

He sits back in his chair. "What do you think? You're a marketer."

"Well, I find it's tricky, this sort of thing," says Farmer. "I mean, what if we go to war? Do you still buy into this sort of thing?"

Dorfman sidesteps the question, then pitches the symposium that Contents is planning. But Fanner says the idea is happening too early, that emotions are still too raw to be sitting around chatting about the future direction of culture, even if Spalding Gray, Susan Sarandon, Diane Von Furstenberg, Wim Wenders and Moby will be there. "I don't know, I think it's too early," she says, sighing. "And honestly, from Etro, I just don't know if you're going to get anything."

Dorfman tones it down. "Everything's so unpredictable, who knows anything?" he says. "I'm just showing the magazine. Then he softens his voice and leans toward Farmer. "So, what do you think? When we meet a year from now..."