Account Relationship Specialist
The Chattanooga Times Free Press is looking for an Account Relationship Specialist to join and support our dynamic Advertising Team of sales professionals.
As a media company that has been informing and connecting Chattanooga's readers, leaders and businesses since 1869, we are well-known for the deep brand awareness we've created for our advertising clients. We offer an extensive advertising portfolio of digital and traditional product platforms for clients, work in an environment of team productivity, offer excellent employee benefits and competitive salary compensation in a fun, supportive atmosphere.
Job Summary:
This position consists of providing sales support to the Advertising Sales Team and customer service to advertisers and prospects as needed. This is an inside-based position with the goal of supporting the team by leading all fulfillment of advertising campaigns, developing creative concepts for digital and print advertising, and conducting day-to-day interaction with advertising clients.
Company Benefits and Compensation:
Excellent benefits and salary compensation, aligned with industry structure and applicant experience.
Job Duties and Responsibilities:
- Must learn and maintain adequate knowledge of the policies, procedures, deadlines and operational systems of the advertising division.
- Must demonstrate cooperative and team oriented behaviors, flexibility in accepting change, and the behaviors related to the values of commitment, honesty, achievement, new initiative, growth and development and enthusiasm.
- Must demonstrate the motivation to participate in training to develop and increase job knowledge and skills, including cross training within the advertising department.
- Must support the sales team with processing insertion orders, proofing ads, corrections, tear-sheets and follow up as directed. Must keep work area clean and organized.
- Must perform other duties and assignments as requested by managers or Advertising Director.
- Must demonstrate positive verbal and listening communication skills.
- Must answer telephones for team and for the department. Must be able to work in a high pressure, high volume deadline environment.
- Be knowledgeable and uphold ad space/materials and final proof deadlines
- Be knowledgeable in proper breakdown percentages/amounts of advertising programs and packages (sponsorships, print/digital combo, etc.)
- Upon sale of an agreement, submit agreements and billing agreements to Finance
- Request Spec Ads when needed for presentations
- Interface with Customer on Run Dates and/or ad size (primarily on long-term agreements)
- Interface with Customer on Ad Creative (content, style, etc.)
- Book all ads in Stratica, via phone or email
- Input ad information on special section run-sheets
- Review Stratica sales reports to ensure ads are booked properly and set to run as ordered
- Seek ad materials from customer and enter ad materials into XpanceNET media creative and proofing program.
- Ensure customer approves ad creatives by deadline
- Book all sticky note and P&D insertions via phone or email, with appropriate forms
- Review run-sheets for sticky note, fixed positions, etc. and reserve space on run-sheet for all ads
- Complete Digital Campaign Insertion Request for all digital campaigns
- Retrieve payment and send invoices to client when requested
- Cancel ads and/or write billing adjustments when necessary
- Set up accounts for e-tears or delivery, when required
- Email Digital Campaign reports to clients at end of each month, or when reports are made available. Schedule appointment for advertising representative to review with clients
- Develop presentations for sales proposal
- Work with Digital Team to book all digital campaigns and ensure they fulfill as sold
- Lead in creative of digital campaigns
- Back-up Obits Clerk as needed
- Back-up Legal Advertising Representative as needed
Secondary Responsibilities:
- Must have accurate spelling and grammatical skills.
- Must be detail oriented.
- Must have excellent customer service and interpersonal skills.
- Must possess general word processing skills and be computer literate.
- This individual will work to support teammates to process advertising within deadline and maintain territory records, contracts and accounting information.
- Performance will be measured on ability to maintain excellent customer service, and to help the advertising team’s Multimedia Sales Consultants to secure, maintain and increase revenue and market share.
- Self-motivation required.
- Must demonstrate the ability to work quickly and accurately to meet daily ad production deadlines.
- Must use a high degree of accuracy and attention to detail in all related production activities.
- Must have the ability to visualize the advertiser's concepts and bring them to successful completion.
- Must be able to produce letters and presentations that are grammatically correct and spelled properly.
- Must have the ability to help produce professional sales presentations.
- Must be able to work in a highly motivated team-centric environment.
- Must have an affinity for excellent customer service.
- Must be able to use Microsoft Word for Windows and Excel, Google Workspace and Google Drive.
- Must have an understanding of and navigational knowledge of the PC and Windows operating systems.
- Must have a layout design sense.
- Must be able to operate general office equipment such as desktop computer, laptop, and copy machines.
Supervisory Responsibilities:
- This position does not have any supervisory responsibilities.
Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:
- Ability to communicate professionally and effectively, both verbally and in writing
- Attention to detail
- Ability to set and meet deadlines
- Comfort with organizational change and shifting priorities
- Ability to manage multiple priorities
- Strong organizational and time management skills
Education and Experience:
High school diploma or GED equivalent.
Physical Requirements:
The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to talk or hear. The employee frequently is required to stand; walk; use hands to finger, handle or feel; lift and carry 15 lbs and reach with hands and arms. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception and ability to adjust focus.
This job description is intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by the individual assigned to this position. Job results and criteria are intended to describe those functions that are essential to the performance of this job. It is not intended to an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties and skills required of personnel so classified. All requirements, however, are subject to possible modification to reasonably accommodate individuals with a disability. Employees have the responsibility of notifying their Supervisor and Human Resources of any disability that may require their position or responsibilities to be modified.
Chattanooga Publishing Company/Chattanooga Times Free Press is an Equal Opportunity Employer.