Sean Finch
Vice President, Sales, Creative Circle Media Solutions
How long have you been in media advertising sales, and how did you get your start?
After graduating from college, I entered media sales with TCI Cable in 1990. I spent five years there and then was recruited by Dontech (a partnership of Reuben H. Donnelley and Ameritech) to sell yellow-page advertising. I earned MVP and President Club honors with Dontech.
I tried selling pharmaceuticals for a while, but it wasn’t the same. I realized I really loved selling advertising.
I was approached by Town News, a new company at the time, to help start a service for newspapers to help them monetize their new websites. In 2000, a lot of newspapers didn’t have a website or were launching their first efforts. Businesses had not advertised on a website, and sales reps had no idea how to price or sell them. At the time, the sale was primarily educational. We were helping businesses see new opportunities and teaching sales reps how to monetize an entirely new medium. It was an exciting time. I sold millions of dollars in digital advertising for local newspapers.
When I joined Creative Circle Media Solutions in 2016, I saw an opportunity to work with a small, entrepreneurial team again — a team trying to take media websites to a new level. It’s been re-energizing.
Who had the most influence in helping you become successful in sales?
I don’t think I can put a finger on one person. I have been extremely lucky to have worked with many people who have mentored me, encouraged me, and pushed me. Over the years, I’ve worked with hundreds of ad directors and reps, along with my co-workers selling advertising and software at Town News and now here at Creative Circle. I’ve just learned a lot from all of them. What a great opportunity. Even little things you pick up from one person add up, and I’ve had a chance to learn from hundreds of sales professionals.
What advice would you give to those struggling with media sales and/or who have become frustrated with the new digital solutions they must master to represent their company to advertisers?
I’ve spent the last 22 years working in the newspaper industry, working primarily with sales reps in local markets to help them sell more digital advertising. I’d fly or drive into markets all across the country — about 300 times — and spend five days on appointments with local sales reps selling ads that many of them didn’t think could be sold at rates they often thought were too high. But we sold them.
Newspapers have consistently under-valued digital advertising. Unfortunately, I see the same problems
in just about every newspaper I’ve worked with.
You have to have a passion for selling and for newspapers. You can offer a great service for your clients and grow their businesses. “I’m going to grow your business, and here’s how.” You have to believe in the product. You have to care about newspapers and the role they play in society.
Too many salespeople I meet just look at it as a job — a job they don’t stick with. Passion is everything. You must have a passion for selling, for advertising and for newspapers. That’s what makes you believable. That’s what sells you.
The other advice I would offer is to keep things simple when selling. Too many people try to sell digital by impressing clients with all kinds of slides and graphics of statistics and technology. Take the smoke and mirrors out of it. Digital is just an extension of any other type of advertising, including the print advertising that many businesses have been doing for years.