Sales Manager, Sports & Entertainment Division

Vault.com: What has been your work experience up to now?
Andrew Paulsen: I have been with ScreamingMedia for about six months. Before that I worked for Learn2.com, selling computer training. I was doing bundling deals, selling to people who would resell them. It was tough because it was really new. The company went public through a backdoor merger, and the stock tanked - that's when I cam here. Before that, I was at Mitsui Advanced Media. There, I was a sales channel manager, [and] sold CD recordable media in bulk. That was really new then too - in a year we went through the whole cycle from CD-Rs being $6 apiece to a commodity at $1 apiece.

V: How did you first become interested in working in the Internet and new media field?
AP: I used to be in real estate in New York City, and information on real estate is very closed. It's the only place in the United States where there's no open database. I saw that the Internet was really going to take power away from the old school.

V: So what did you do to get into the industry?
AP: [For the Mitsui job] I studied for three days straight. I had to go to the library and pull out CD-ROMs with articles and news - today, that kind of information could be found on the Internet. I had everything down, and they knew I was an expert. I got an offer right on the spot. The same thing at Learn2 and ScreamingMedia. You've really got to do your homework - not only on the company, but on the industry as well.

V: What does you current job consist of?
AP: I head up a team selling content to web sites. It's mostly outcalls - I have to identify companies with money. If I see someone spending a lot of money on advertising, I know [that it could become a client]. There's no time for relationship building. I tell them what their return will be, and make the deal.

~ V: I take it your job involves a lot of research to identify potential clients.
AP: Oh yes. I look at their web site, and make sure to know their business model, how they make their revenue, and their demographics. Then I can tell them exactly why they need [our content]. It usually winds up being a consultant-client relationship rather than salesman-client. They are looking to us for how many stories they need [and so forth], and there's no one else to give them that guidance.

V: You deal with implementation issues as well?
AP: I give the client an overview of the technical aspect, and sometimes I will bring in an engineer. But we have a separate team to do implementation.

V: And you also have managerial duties within the company?
AP: Our group is only two people now, but it will be five within a month and about 10 in three months. I'm here to help them out, but our deals are done totally individually. I don't micromanage.

V: Is the job potentially lucrative?
AP: Most definitely. You get a base, but the real money is commission money. I hope to be able to make a lot in this job.

V: What would an aspiring Sales Manager need to know to succeed?
AP: In sales, the keys are credibility, [to] create a need, nurture that need into desire, and create urgency to close the deal. [To accomplish these you need] a full knowledge of the Internet - knowledge of different business models and how advertising works. Savvy about syndication, licensing, and law. Savvy about the industry as a whole - how business is shifting from brick and mortar to the Internet. It's good to know contracts and negotiation [too]. You don't have time to bring in lawyers on a deal, so you just have to make the calls yourself.

~ V: Are there specific skills that are necessary?
AP: 100 percent of the basic computing skills. Computer skills are so essential just to be efficient. You need to know (pauses) just how to type, to bang out a letter, to pull files, to cut and paste files. You'd be amazed how many people don't know these things, don't know the ins and outs of Windows. It's important to have a strong base. You have to be the expert in the field because the client has to feel comfortable.

V: Anything else to add about your job?
AP: It's all about the numbers. If you hit the numbers, you move up. The good thing about sales is that at the end of the month, you know how you've done. Nothing else matters. It doesn't matter if you're a nice person or if you try really hard. It's all about results.