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MENTOR: @Julie Wallen
Director of Corporate Relations
Kansas City PBS (Kansas City, MO) |
MENTEE: @Alex Wilson
Senior Account Executive
PBS SoCal (Orange County, CA) |
ALEX
In September of 2019 I had the privilege of being selected to participate in the #CSPI mentorship program. Going back to PBS headquarters after having previously finished the CSPI training program was an exciting opportunity for me to continue to hone in on my corporate sponsorship sales knowledge and add more tools to my belt. There I met my mentor, Julie Wallen and we immediately hit it off -- due in no small part to PBS Corporate Development’s use of the Myers-Briggs personality assessment to pair mentors with mentees to ensure a match.
Early on we shared resources and reviewed each other’s collateral to find strengths and weaknesses in each of our respective market’s approach to selling underwriting. I found this process immensely useful; having the opportunity to peer into another market’s sponsorship sales strategy and work directly with someone who has a lot of experience has been invaluable. After a few conversations with Julie, I learned that KCPT had been placing sponsorship messaging around the PBS KIDS digital livestream which was something I had been trying unsuccessfully to launch at my station for some time. Julie was quick to help us navigate through this process and as of April 2020 we have now secured new business and made this product available to our sponsors. Having a product like this to offer was crucial as a significant amount of my business is made up of long time PBS KIDS sponsors -- many of which were partnerships several years running and I wanted to be able to offer them something new and fresh to keep the partnership strong. Immediately following launch of this product I was able to secure an emphatic renewal from long time PBS SoCal KIDS sponsors; The Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association with a 5% increase in spend from previous year.
During our work together the world came to a stand still and industries have been disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic. This is the elephant in the room for our year of working together and we would be remiss not to acknowledge the level of disruption it has caused our business and our clients. Namely non-profits, museums, performing arts and other industries that have been forced to close during the pandemic naturally have also had to cease or dramatically decrease all media spend. Julie and I both have experienced some cancellations but both of us have also been fortunate as a lot of our other sponsors have remained on-air. We have worked closely as the pandemic has progressed on prospecting new client leads and categories and Julie has been a great resource for me to communicate with and workshop my sales pitch and pipeline during what has been a completely unprecedented, business halting event.
It was disappointing for Julie and I not to be able to come together at Annual Meeting or to close out this program in D.C. in the fall but I believe we both have found that despite all of the unusual and unfortunate circumstances that have befallen the world during our time working together, the timing may not have been better as we are being challenged to renew business and find new leads during this pandemic. Innovation requires collaboration and I believe it thrives most when you are being pushed by another; Ideally in my case a mentor, to encourage and work with you as you try and do something that has not been done before. The world has changed, is changing and programs such as this one are a great way for professionals early in their career to develop strong connections and grow in their careers in order to weather the storms and ever changing business landscapes ahead of us.
JULIE
First off, thank you, #PBS, for selecting me as a Mentor! Over the past year, I have had the pleasure of getting to know my Mentee - Alex Wilson from PBS SoCal - and I couldn't have asked for a better pairing. Having lived and worked in Southern California myself for 15 years, I could relate to Alex’s geographic challenges and the customer base SoCal serves, as both are familiar to me. Coupling our shared experiences with the fact that he was initially hired to only focus on Kids - a large proponent of my success in Kansas City - made us the perfect team.
Each month, Alex and I held at least two calls - during which I encouraged Alex to take the lead. In our first few conversations, we focused on getting to know one another at both the personal and professional levels - sharing and workshopping ideas, discussing our various proposals, and reviewing our current clients and leads that we were prospecting.
As we progressed, conversations ranged from talking about internal station challenges and how to navigate those, to discussions of sales strategies and gaining a deeper understanding of the value proposition for General Audience. As I’m sure many can relate, conversations in the past few months have largely been influenced by the challenges Covid has dealt us, and how to maneuver through these tough times in the world of fundraising. Regardless of where this year has taken us, I am proud of what we have accomplished, both individually and as a team - thanks to this program.
One of the great values of this program can be seen in the cultivation of new client relationships. Alex has shared his leads with me and vice versa, which led me to create an IVS for The Goddard School (a national franchise that he was in the process of closing). I cold-called on local branches, met in-person, and received a "yes" for $10K! Unfortunately, this “win” happened concurrently with the start of Covid, so circumstances have led to a pause - but I'm still hopeful to get this deal closed. Regardless, I have gained new relationships thanks to our conversations.
I have learned so much from this partnership. As a Manager, my most rewarding experience is seeing the members of my team learn and grow - something I have experienced as a Mentor, as well. Over the course of the program, I have seen Alex’s focus shift from selling Kids exclusively to also selling General Audience. I was proud to see my Mentee’s drive for innovation flourish into not only a “win” for him, but something that will benefit his station. I know that this program has also resulted in my personal and professional growth in so many ways, and I'm sure that Alex and I’s relationship will continue long after this year ends.
I'm so glad that I went through CSPI Training, which led me to this great opportunity. Internal networking is so rewarding. It is comforting to know that you are not alone and that you have a partner to share your victories with - small and big!