Oddly, I feel compelled to start out with, “Hello world!” This is my first blog—ever. A brief introduction: I'm Caley, one of three account executives (aka sales reps) at LVS. You could probably classify me as the resident health nut on staff (Definition: A fitness fanatic who follows a strict whole foods, mostly vegetarian diet and starts the day with a regular 5 a.m. workout followed by a green kale smoothie for breakfast. Weird? Okay, maybe a little.) The reason I mention this is because I find my uber-healthy lifestyle is critical in maintaining my energy level to deal with the trials, tribulations and well, triumphs of working in the sales department at the magazine.
The job of a Style account executive is primarily to work with local business owners and their respective marketing teams to place advertising in the magazine to help grow their business. Sounds simple enough, right? Well, if you are or have ever been in a sales position, feel free to join me in a sarcastic chuckle at that statement. Juggling deadlines, tracking down clients who are ridiculously busier than I am, and of course my favorite, COLD CALLS to find new advertisers. These are just a few of the challenging tasks decorating our plates. Ah, the lovely world of media sales! My positive spin on this is that thank heavens I am selling a beautiful, valuable, well-known product that I truly believe in. Let me say it again—thank heavens!
It's funny because everyone is always excited to learn that I work for the magazine. Most times after they ask me where I work, the first comment that follows is, “Wow, that's really cool. Are you a writer, a designer, or photographer?” And then I'll respond in varying fluffy ways, but basically telling them no, I'm in sales. This news flash regularly generates a high-pitched “Oh,” usually accented with an undertone of fake enthusiasm. Yeah, it's not the most glamorous job at the magazine, but my pride will not be broken! In fact, I can proudly say that I pretty regularly manage to hook up clients and new businesses in getting some editorial ops. I definitely don't make editorial decisions, but to say I have some “pull” could be an accurate statement.
Despite the aforementioned stressors, I feel truly fortunate to share that I sincerely love my job. There are many factors wrapped into that statement that you might be interested to know about, such as the staff and our often hysterical camaraderie (at least we think so), the flexibility and change of scenery between the office and road time, the media perks, the fabulous events, and most of all the influential people and interesting clients I get to meet and work with daily. If any of this intrigues you stay tuned for future blogs. I will elaborate. And as for that green kale smoothie . . . I'm happy to share the recipe—send me an email. Trust me, if my husband enjoys it it's gotta be good. Check back soon!
