In my last column for Editor & Publisher, I talked about how thoughtful, value-driven follow-up can help media sales professionals close deals faster. We explored what I call the “Circle of Romance” — the idea that every interaction with a prospect should continue building trust, insight, credibility and momentum.
But there’s a bigger issue underneath all of it.
Most salespeople — and frankly, most sales managers — are measuring the wrong things. In media sales, we obsess over outcomes: revenue, closed deals, monthly pacing, quarterly goals.
Those numbers matter, of course. But revenue is an outcome — not an activity. The hard truth is: You can’t directly manage outcomes. You can only manage the activities that create them. That idea fundamentally changed how I think about sales leadership years ago after reading “Cracking the Sales Management Code” by Jason Jordan and Michelle Vazzana. The book introduced a simple but powerful concept: Activities + Objectives = Results
It sounds obvious, but many media organizations still focus primarily on hitting revenue targets and, potentially, a new business goal. They review revenue after the fact, rather than proactively managing the daily behaviors that actually drive sales success. The best salespeople I know understand something critical: Consistency in activities creates predictability in results.
What activities are you actually measuring?
Here’s a question every sales leader — and every seller — should ask themselves: Do you know exactly how many …
… you need to hit your revenue goals each month?
Most people don’t. And that’s where performance becomes reactive instead of intentional. Top-performing sales organizations understand their numbers deeply. They know their conversion ratios. They know where deals stall. They know how many conversations are needed to generate opportunities. Because when you understand your activity metrics, sales becomes less emotional and more operational.
The digital sales reality
This is especially important in digital advertising sales. Traditional media often relied on fewer, larger deals with longer-standing relationships. But digital revenue growth usually requires more prospecting, more education, more meetings, more touchpoints, more follow-up and more pipeline activity.
And often for smaller average deal sizes. That means activity management matters more than ever. If a seller needs 20 meaningful prospect conversations to generate five proposals and close two deals, that matters. If a sales manager knows a rep’s proposal-to-close ratio is slipping, they can coach earlier. If leadership sees a decline in prospecting activity, they can address pipeline issues before revenue misses.
Without activity measurement, sales management becomes guesswork.
Great sales leaders coach behaviors, not just numbers
One of the biggest mistakes sales leaders make is only discussing results during one-on-ones. “How much did you close? What’s your forecast? Why are you behind?” Those conversations happen too late. Great coaching conversations focus on controllable behaviors:
Revenue tells you what has already happened. Activities tell you what’s about to happen. That distinction changes everything.
Your calendar tells the truth
One exercise I often recommend is simple. Look at your calendar from the last two weeks. How much time was actually spent prospecting, meeting with clients, following up strategically, networking, building pipeline, learning or coaching?
Then compare that against your goals. Your schedule reflects your priorities — and your priorities determine your outcomes.
The reality is that many sellers spend more time reacting than prospecting. More time managing internal tasks than building revenue-producing relationships. That’s a dangerous pattern in today’s competitive media environment.
If you want stronger sales performance, start with discipline around measurable activities. Here are a few practical ways to begin:
As media companies continue evolving into full-service marketing organizations, the complexity of selling increases. Clients expect strategy, consultation, insight, digital expertise, business intelligence. That means success can no longer rely on legacy relationships alone. The organizations that grow fastest will be the ones that build disciplined sales processes, measure the right activities, coach proactively, create accountability around behaviors and help sellers become trusted advisers instead of transactional reps. Because at the end of the day, sales success is rarely accidental. It’s usually measurable. And measurable things can improve.
Dream Local Digital Founder and Client Success Officer Shannon Kinney brings more than 30 years of experience in leadership roles, developing scalable digital marketing strategies and supporting and training media companies with scalable digital revenue growth. She played a vital role in the development of prominent internet giants, including Cars.com, CareerBuilder.com, Knight Ridder Digital, LinkedIn, Google, eBay and Microsoft. She worked with media companies worldwide until pivoting to found Dream Local Digital. Since Dream Local Digital's creation in 2009, Shannon has served on the Local Media Association board, been awarded the LMA Digital Innovation Award, appeared on hundreds of stages as a keynote speaker, and helped media companies transform their business model. She currently also serves as a project lead on the Local Media Association Branded Content Project Cohorts, helping media companies transform through new revenue streams. Shannon can be reached at shannon@dreamlocal.com.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here