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MENTOR: @Kim Shefferly
Assistant Business Development Manager
WGVU Public Media (Grand Rapids, MI)
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MENTEE: @Sara Lucci
Corporate Support Account Executive
WQED Multimedia (Pittsburgh, PA) |
From Sara:
Throughout my professional career, I’ve always hoped to find a mentor-- someone in my industry to bounce ideas off of, get advice from and calm any anxieties. Over the past year, Kim has been that person for me and then some. When I needed a second set of eyes on a proposal, Kim was there to provide feedback. If I wasn’t sure that a spot was FCC-compliant, she would check the script. I always looked forward to our bi-weekly Facetimes and it’s only hitting me now that those will be stopping (or at least slowing down.)
In the midst of a global pandemic, I feel lucky to be a part of this program. Having a mentor during one of the most unique times in our history was vital. Dealing with unchartered territory, Kim and I helped each other during the crisis that is COVID-19. Together we slowly waded through the uncertainty and began to communicate frequently on what policies our respective stations had enacted, canceling clients and creating new packages.
Despite the roadblocks of 2020, I’m happy to say that I accomplished most of the goals I had upon meeting Kim. More surprising was what I unexpectedly accomplished—my client relation skills. I didn’t even think I needed work in this area but through our conversations, Kim has shown me how important it is to connect with our clients beyond a work environment. Not necessarily becoming best friends with a client, although it wouldn’t hurt. I’m referring to creating personal connections both in and out of client meetings. Since I began my work with Kim, I look for opportunities to reach out to past or present clients regardless of the state of a contract. Recently, I read a positive article from the New York Times on future travel plans and shared it with a travel agency client. They haven’t been able to support us due to COVID-19, so my hope is that this small courtesy will keep WQED top of mind when they are able to plan their next media buy.
Of my successes from the past year, I am most proud of the contracts listed below. Each of these contracts had their own special “speed bumps” that made closing business difficult. For example, my rep at People’s Gas had changed what felt like seconds before we were closing the deal. Kim gave great advice on finding a new contact and acting quickly. I had to wait some time before meeting with the new rep. Time, the killer of deals – but not in this case!
- Equitrans Midstream Corporation -- $10,000^
- People’s Gas -- $5,000**
- Willis Towers Watson -- $10,000**
- PPG -- $31,800^
- Environmental Health Project -- $6,000**
- Rhodes Group -- $10,000^
- US Steel -- $20,000**^
- UPMC -- $17,000^
**denotes new business; ^denotes post-COVID success
My time with Kim during this mentor program has been extremely valuable. I often left our conversations motivated to try new tactics or explore a new industry. Having the ability to work so closely with another PBS station is a unique experience that I am grateful for. I am lucky to have had her as my mentor and look forward to “bouncing ideas off” of Kim for many years to come!
From Kim
When Sara and I began our mentoring relationship, we found out we are both married to attorneys. I pondered how this commonality could apply to corporate support. All lawyer jokes aside, it does. Like our spouses, we spend our days navigating the landscape of unique cases, planning our approach, overcoming objections and negotiating…all in hopes of a win. And we don’t easily concede losses. We pull ourselves up by our boot straps - or as 2020 would have it, by our slippers – and find new ways to present the facts in a convincing manner.
I was slightly starstruck to get paired with Sara Lucci from WQED in Pittsburgh…that’s sacred Mr. Rogers turf…a man who was prominent throughout my childhood (plus the Tom Hanks film was near release in theaters). I hail from a smaller market with fairly limited resources (and no Hollywood connections LOL), WGVU Public Media in Grand Rapids, Michigan. I wondered…would I be able to effectively mentor Sara? Will my experience at WGVU be enough to advise Sara on the huge partnerships WQED handles? But, no matter the size of the market or what each station’s capabilities are, we face the same general responsibilities, challenges and obstacles as we work tirelessly to bring in revenue.
One of Sara’s main goals was to enhance her skills in working with ad agencies. For me, this topic would take some critical thinking, as I’ve had my share of frustrations while attempting to sell our product “indirectly”. Agencies require a unique method of presenting and selling, especially when it involves public media. They tend to want the cold, hard numbers and demographics that will generate results for their clients. While we can provide these stats, we need to shift the focus to the value propositions; highlighting the features only PBS can bring to the table. Sara had a specific target in mind, Eat’n Park, a restaurant chain based in Pennsylvania, known for its Smiley Cookies and the motto, "the place for smiles”. Doesn’t that just scream ‘PBS’?! This prospect even had a decades-old, nostalgic holiday ad that was public media-friendly. I provided my best pointers, but Sara still needed to convince their agency that WQED was right for them…and she did, landing the account!
Sara and I tackled numerous other topics…from pledge packages to educational initiatives and most recently, 2020 election coverage. Also, Sara recently acquired a large prospect/client list from a colleague who retired. Since I have been the fortunate recipient of such lists during my time at WGVU, I felt I could bring some ideas and guidance to Sara as she started working through her new list. She once again proved herself to be the rising corporate support professional that she is, closing several sales and partnerships…including some who have been absent from WQED for quite a long time. Bravo!
Sara and I worked together during a very difficult season in our nation, world, and industry (Covid-19), which shaped many of our conversations. It is evident that Sara takes her career at WQED seriously, with an eagerness to listen, learn and grow. She is genuinely passionate about public media – and it’s truly been a pleasure mentoring her. I look forward to staying in touch with Sara, and continuing to share ideas, news from our stations and of course, photos of our beloved dogs.