Advertising Account Executive
Chronicle Media LLC
Position Overview
Chronicle Media LLC is seeking an Advertising Account Executive to develop relationships with local businesses and organizations while growing advertising revenue across our expanding portfolio of print, digital, sponsorship and specialty media products.
This is not an order-taking advertising position.
We are looking for someone who enjoys meeting people, learning about businesses, developing relationships and finding creative ways to help advertisers connect with the communities they serve.
The Account Executive will work directly with business owners and decision-makers to understand what they are trying to accomplish and recommend advertising opportunities that make sense for their business.
The long-term goal of the position is simple:
Build your book. Keep your book. Grow your book.
As the Account Executive develops recurring advertising relationships, that recurring revenue continues to count toward weekly sales goals and commission levels. This gives the right salesperson an opportunity to build a substantial portfolio of business—and an income that grows along with it.
Primary Responsibilities
The Advertising Account Executive will be responsible for:
Identifying and developing new advertising prospects
Building relationships with local businesses and organizations
Making outbound calls, emails and in-person business visits
Scheduling and conducting meetings with prospective advertisers
Learning about each client's business, customers and goals
Developing advertising recommendations and proposals
Following up consistently with prospects
Closing new advertising business
Maintaining relationships with existing advertisers
Developing recurring and annual advertising agreements
Renewing existing advertising relationships
Identifying opportunities to expand accounts into additional Chronicle Media products
Maintaining an organized and active sales pipeline
Working with Chronicle Media's internal team to ensure campaigns are communicated and executed properly
Becoming a trusted resource for businesses looking to reach their local communities
A significant portion of this position should be spent talking with businesses, developing relationships and creating new opportunities.
What You'll Sell
Chronicle Media continues to develop new ways for businesses to reach local audiences. Account Executives may sell opportunities including:
Newspaper and print advertising
Website and digital advertising
Email newsletter advertising
Digital screen advertising
Sponsorships
Special sections
Community and specialty publications
Sports advertising and sponsorships
Inserts
Sponsored content and approved business features
Social media and video sponsorships
Multi-platform advertising packages
Other Chronicle Media products as they are developed
The objective isn't simply to sell whatever ad space happens to be available.
We want our Account Executives asking:
What is this business trying to accomplish, and how can Chronicle Media help?
Compensation
This is a full-time salaried position with uncapped commission potential.
Base Salary: $36,000 annually
In addition to the base salary, the Account Executive earns commission based on total weekly commissionable revenue.
Weekly Commission Structure
Weekly Commissionable Revenue | Commission Rate |
|---|---|
$0–$3,999 | 0% |
$4,000–$4,999 | 4% |
$5,000–$5,999 | 5% |
$6,000–$6,999 | 6% |
$7,000–$7,999 | 7% |
$8,000–$8,999 | 8% |
$9,000–$9,999 | 9% |
$10,000+ | 10% |
Once a commission tier is reached, that percentage applies to all commissionable revenue for that week.
For example, $8,500 in commissionable revenue during a week earns an 8% commission on the entire $8,500.
There is no commission cap.
Build Recurring Revenue
One of the most important parts of Chronicle Media's compensation structure is that Account Executives aren't expected to start over at zero every Monday.
Recurring revenue from accounts sold by and assigned to the Account Executive continues to count toward their weekly commission threshold.
For example, an Account Executive who has built a portfolio generating $6,500 in recurring weekly advertising revenue begins with that revenue counting toward the week's commission level. If the Account Executive generates another $3,500 in commissionable revenue that week, total weekly revenue reaches $10,000.
The salesperson would therefore qualify for the 10% commission rate on the entire $10,000 for that week.
This structure is intentionally designed to reward both sides of the sales process:
Bring in new customers—and take care of the customers you already have.
Recurring revenue continues to qualify while the account remains assigned to and actively managed by the Account Executive.
Earning Potential
The combination of a $36,000 base salary, recurring revenue and uncapped commission provides significant upside as an Account Executive builds their portfolio.
If weekly production were maintained consistently throughout a 52-week year, compensation would approximately look like this:
Avg. Weekly Revenue | Annual Revenue | Annual Commission | Total Compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
$3,000 | $156,000 | $0 | $36,000 |
$4,000 | $208,000 | $8,320 | $44,320 |
$5,000 | $260,000 | $13,000 | $49,000 |
$6,000 | $312,000 | $18,720 | $54,720 |
$7,000 | $364,000 | $25,480 | $61,480 |
$8,000 | $416,000 | $33,280 | $69,280 |
$9,000 | $468,000 | $42,120 | $78,120 |
$10,000 | $520,000 | $52,000 | $88,000 |
$12,000 | $624,000 | $62,400 | $98,400 |
$15,000 | $780,000 | $78,000 | $114,000 |
$20,000 | $1,040,000 | $104,000 | $140,000 |
These examples are for illustration and assume the same commissionable revenue is produced each week throughout the year.
The real opportunity is in building recurring revenue. A salesperson who develops a strong portfolio of weekly and monthly advertisers can enter each week with a meaningful amount of their sales target already established.
Commission Policies
Commission is calculated based on revenue collected by Chronicle Media and credited to the Account Executive.
Commissionable revenue may include approved Chronicle Media advertising and sponsorship products, including recurring revenue generated from accounts assigned to the salesperson.
Commission is generally not paid on:
Unpaid invoices or bad debt
Refunds or credits
Sales tax
Canceled advertising
Pass-through expenses
Barter or trade unless specifically approved
Account assignment and commission eligibility will be determined by Chronicle Media.
Performance Expectations
The goal is not simply to generate one-time sales. Account Executives are expected to develop a large and increasingly recurring portfolio of advertising relationships.
A successful Account Executive should consistently:
Add new advertisers
Retain existing advertisers
Increase recurring revenue
Maintain an active pipeline
Follow up with prospects
Develop long-term advertising agreements
Expand existing relationships into additional products
Maintain strong relationships with clients
Work toward reaching and maintaining the upper weekly commission tiers
Over time, a successful Account Executive should be working toward a portfolio capable of generating $10,000 or more in weekly commissionable revenue.
Who We're Looking For
The ideal candidate is:
Personable and relationship-driven
Comfortable starting conversations with people they don't know
Confident meeting business owners and decision-makers
Self-motivated
Organized and dependable
Persistent without being overly aggressive
Comfortable asking for the sale
Curious about businesses and how they work
Able to work independently
Comfortable working toward measurable revenue goals
Creative when developing solutions
A strong communicator in person, by phone, email and text
Interested in local businesses and the community
Excited about helping build a growing local media company
Previous advertising or media sales experience is helpful but not required.
Candidates with backgrounds in outside sales, business development, banking, insurance, real estate, automotive sales, fundraising, marketing or other relationship-driven positions may be a strong fit.
Our Sales Philosophy
Chronicle Media isn't looking for someone who simply wants to sell ads.
We want someone who wants to build a business within our business.
The Account Executive should develop a portfolio of advertisers they know well, understand what those businesses are trying to accomplish and continually look for ways Chronicle Media can help.
That creates better results for our advertisers, stronger relationships for Chronicle Media and greater earning potential for the Account Executive.
The formula is intentionally straightforward:
Find new relationships.
Turn them into recurring relationships.
Take care of those relationships.
Continue building.
Build your book. Keep your book. Grow your book.
To apply, send your resume to [email protected].