Sebastian Stier (32) is sales and marketing manager at Berliner Tagesspiegel. He tells Uniglobale about his tasks and job prospects in sales at a media company that delivers 80,000 subscription newspapers to readers every day.
Anyone who manages the sales department of a media company should feel comfortable on various floors. “It can happen that I have an appointment with a sales partner at nine in the morning, and an hour later I’m sitting at a conference where a federal minister is speaking,” says Sebastian Stier, sales and marketing manager at the Berliner Tagesspiegel.
When two such different worlds of appointments follow each other, it is important to switch your mind quickly. Stier likes that. The wide range of his tasks appeals to the media and communications business economist.
Key question: What do readers want?
“The essence of selling print and online media is to determine the needs of readers in a target group-specific manner and to fulfill them as optimally as possible,” explains the 32-year-old. With readers' needs in mind, the area of responsibility ranges from ensuring punctual printing and delivery to advertising acquisition and marketing, the publisher's own advertising, special promotions and collaborations with partners, all the way to selecting suitable products in the publisher's shop.
Newspaper publishers depend on revenue from subscribers and advertising customers. It's also about acquiring new subscribers and bringing back those who have canceled their subscriptions. “To this end, sales develops new strategies and ideas in coordination with management and the editor-in-chief in order to optimize publishing products and related services.”
According to Stier, additional information products and extra services related to the brand are becoming increasingly important in media sales.
Since there are many music lovers among Tagesspiegel subscribers, they can buy concert tickets in the publisher's shop and, as a bonus, receive a free glass of champagne before performances. The publisher buys tickets from organizers and resells them in the shop. For this purpose, the cooperation partners place advertising and are present in the publisher's shop.
Business administration background recommended
30 employees work in Tagesspiegel sales. Everyone is specialized: “We have copywriters, graphic designers, campaign managers and data experts,” reports Stier. Production takes care of the processes surrounding advertisements, e-mail campaigns, advertising letters, radio spots or flyer inserts. The department works similarly to an advertising agency.
Media clerks and media designers for digital and print media are trained at Tagesspiegel. Students can get a taste of the area as interns. “If you are interested in a job in sales after studying, you can take on project assignments as an assistant to the management or sales management,” says Stier. “A business background should be available in relation to the tasks.” DVDs CDs on all channels
There are also exciting job prospects in media sales in the film or music sectors. Universum Film, for example, manages all DVD sales areas in Germany, Austria and Switzerland and works with internet platforms. Sales and account managers look after sales and lending in Germany.
Music publishers and record companies such as Sony, Universal and Warner Music distribute CDs internationally and are faced with the challenge of meeting the needs of buyers on various retail channels and adapting to new developments, whether it involves online orders or deliveries to department stores and record stores. A different, but similarly versatile service parquet to that of newspaper publishing.
Sebastian Stier (32) is sales and marketing manager at Berliner Tagesspiegel. He tells Uniglobale about his tasks and job prospects in sales at a media company that delivers 80,000 subscription newspapers to readers every day.
