Job Details - PREVIEW

Description
The Paris based ad sales team currently consists of 4 people, selling across a combination both press and online products. The role will be based in Paris and will have dual reporting lines to The Head of Advertising for France and Belux based in Paris and the CEMEA Online Group Head based in London. The CEMEA online sales team is made up of 4 people, based in the FT’s London, Paris and Frankfurt offices. The primary role of the Paris based executive is to actively seek out new business opportunities and service the clients and agencies in France and Belux and also support our representatives based in France’s various regions for FT.com advertising.

The CEMEA team is responsible for booking around 25% of all WW advertising revenues into FT.com from CEMEA based agencies and clients. It has consistently outperformed the market interms of year on year growth and is well placed for the future. France is one of the most important markets within CEMEA and this role is of great importance to the region as a whole.

Due to an internal promotion, there is now an opportunity to join the Paris ad sales team and the CEMEA online team based in the Paris office which will report to the Group Head for CEMEA Online, Hasan Ramadan and the Head of Advertising for France & BeLux, Prakash Megha.

The person will be responsible for selling advertising on FT.com and its related online products both face to face and over the telephone. The successful candidate will work with the existing Paris based team to prepare convincing and creative proposals and find inventive uses for clients on FT.com, ensuring that the FT is kept ‘front of mind’. The person will be in charge of a patch of advertising agencies and will be required to work with their press colleagues to develop relationships with clients directly. The individual will be a sales person of the highest calibre, confident and ideally with knowledge of the French advertising market place. The successful candidate will be comfortable selling to decision-makers at the highest level. Fluency in both French and English is essential.

Key Tasks
• Creating and developing strong business relationships with marketing decision-makers and advertising agencies in France and Belux
• Selling the portfolio of FT.com to French and Belux clients and agencies
• Identify, develop and sell new advertising and sponsorship solutions consistent with the site
• Generate new business through developing new contacts and maintaining current relationships
• To be open and active to participate in key industry events and the French Belux media scene
• Liaise closely with colleagues in the Print sales team in Paris to promote an integrated sales approach
• Ensure all administrative procedures are carried out accurately and promptly
• To report into Group Head CEMEA Online and to the Head of Advertising – France all revenue generation and key market intelligence
• To work closely with all parts of the FT (marketing, editorial) in developing and generating new money making initiatives
• Work with FT.com production department to ensure successful campaign management
• To take ownership of clients and to proactively seek out new business generating opportunities in France
• To be a brand ambassador for FT.com

Essential Skills
• Fluency in both French and English
• Of graduate calibre
• Demonstrate high knowledge of the online market place
• To be comfortable in selling a cross portfolio of products
• Excellent interpersonal skills and self-confidence
• Solid sales/agency experience with a good track record in media
• To understand and demonstrate the sales process
• Excellent written and verbal communication (PowerPoint/Word/Excel etc.)
• High level presentation skills
• To be proactive in generating revenue
• Good organisational skills
• Strong and independent personality, enthusiastic, driven and competitive
• Innovative with the ability to develop and sell your own ideas
• To ensure the that the best customer policy is adhered to across the region

Preferred Skills
• 18 months to 2 years sales/agency experience within a large media organisation
• Key contacts within the French advertising/marketing community
• A cultural awareness and appreciation of France and its society