Client Profile: Regional Sales Director at TalkSport

We sat down with Pete McManus, Regional Sales Director at TalkSport, to talk about his career journey and what you can do to champion a career in media sales. 

What does your role at TalkSport entail?

I’m the Regional Sales Director so I run the commercial team in Manchester, looking after all agencies and clients outside of the Greater London area. We are only a team of 8 with a large area to cover so it can be difficult to manage the team day to day, I’m lucky that I have a team I can trust to work hard!

What makes TalkSport attractive to clients and what is the typical process of your service?

talkSPORT is a very male brand so we are a natural fit for certain sectors/clients. This usually means we are included on briefs for very obviously male-targeted brands but gives us the challenge to attract more generic targeting clients. My role is to support the team wherever they need it, whether this is on a big sponsorship pitch or getting a new client to invest in something small scale.

How did you find yourself having a career in media sales?

I have family in media and I was made aware of a job doing sales support for Jazz FM when I was only 17. I’ve worked in radio ever since and I love it. I’ve worked for 4 different radio groups in that time but I’ve been with Wireless Group for almost 11 years now, working across talkSPORT and our other national brands. Media is a great industry to work in if your willing to work hard and want to have some fun along the way!

What would your advice be for someone looking to get a job in a company like yours?

I’ve had to do quite a bit of recruiting in the last 6 months and looking back on the many interviews I did the people who stood out were those with energy. Media is more and more about ideas than ever before, clients want you to give them something different and be creative. I suppose my best piece of advice would therefore to be bold and have ideas, don’t worry about saying something stupid, lots of great ideas start out as something that is unrealistic.

Is there anything else you think is important to add in this area?

Give it your all, commit to the job and you’ll really enjoy it. Media is not 9-5 all the time so don’t try to make it that way and expect to get the same out that everyone else does.

If you could describe your jobs in three words, what would they be?

Challenging, varied and fun!