I think most of us agree on one thing, radio programming is, well, not what it used to be.

What about the current state of the radio sales department? Any of you who get to observe the sales people, what do you think? Are there still great radio sales people, or are they just, "order-takers?"

Sales has changed as well. Budgets have risen, while commissions have been cut. Sales staff's have gone from selling one station to cluster selling of multiple formats. There are a lot of stressed out AE's in the Portland Market, and more so stressed out Sales Managers.

It's not what it used to be. However, those that know the business and have a heritage in it, and are creative and passionate, as well as savvy when going for the business, still remain.

No one is just an order taker anymore. The $$$ pie has shrunk, so you have to earn your share of the market from the client/agency.

I think the entry level sales gigs are a revolving door though. The big three owners in Portland are always running ads for entry-level AEs. I bet it's like car sales is these days, where they hire a pack of dogs that's too large, so only the aggressive ones end up getting any of the meat. This "natural selection" is cheaper than coaching and eventually having to fire sub-par performers.

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I don't think that there are too many order takers anymore. When I moved into sales in 2000 after 24 years in programming/production it was booming. Dollars seemed to fall out of the sky. Those days are long gone.

Sellers today have to create and maintain relationships with both agency and local directs. The agency business is harder to control since most agencies are looking to come in at a certain CPP, and could care less about who's on the air, what great promotions you did last quarter, or what PSA Projects you do.

The key is local direct, especially in the smaller markets. These are the people that will stick with you during a down time if you've done right by them. It takes work and dedication to create a meaningful sales relationship with them. It's not easy money which is why so many try and fail.