وب‌سایت رسمی دکتر حسنعلی محمودی

Advertising simply put is telling and selling the product. Advertising Management though is a complex process of employing various media to sell a product or service. This process begins quite early from the marketing research and encompasses the media campaigns that help sell the product.

Without an effective advertising management process in place, the media campaigns are not that fruitful and the whole marketing process goes for a toss. Hence, companies that believe in an effective advertising management process are always a step ahead in terms of selling their goods and services.

As mentioned above, advertising management begins from the market research phase. At this point, the data produced by marketing research is used to identify what types of advertising would be adequate for the specific product. Gone are the days when there was only print and television advertising was available to the manufacturers. These days apart from print and television, radio, mobile, and Internet are also available as advertising media. Advertising management process in fact helps in defining the outline of the media campaign and in deciding which type of advertising would be used before the launch of the product.

If you wish to make the advertising effective, always remember to include it from the market research time. Market research will help to identify the niche segment of the population to which the product or service has to be targeted from a large population. It will also identify why the niche segment would opt for the product or service. This information will serve as a guideline for the preparation of advertising campaigns.

Once the niche segments are identified and the determination of what types of advertising will be used is done, then the advertising management focuses on creating the specifics for the overall advertising campaign. If it is a radio campaign, which type of ads would be used, if it is a print campaign, what write ups and ads will be used, and if it is a television campaign, what type of commercials will be used.

There might also be a mix and match advertising in which radio might supplement television advertising and so on. It is important that through advertising management the image is conveyed that all the strategies complement each other. It should not look to public that the radio advertising is focusing on something else while television on something else. The whole process in the end should benefit the product or service.

The role of people designing the advertising campaign is crucial to its success. They have been trained by seasoned professionals who provide the training in the specific field. Designing an advertising campaign is no small a task and to understand the consumer behavior from the data collected from market research is a very important aspect of the campaign.

A whole lot of creativity and inspiration is required to launch an adequate advertising campaign. In addition, the management skills come into play when the work has to be done keeping the big picture in mind. It would be fruitful for the company if the advertising campaign lasts well over the lifetime of a product or service, reach the right customers, and generate the desired revenue.

Counter sales workers are the men and women who sell products and services directly to the public in retail stores. However, some counter sales personnel rent products — for example in car and truck rental companies. Department stores and other large retail outlets have numerous counters staffed by retail sales workers.

Importance of the Job

Counter sales workers are highly important to retail entities because they directly generate revenue for the store. Counter salespeople explain the products and help customers find what they need. For example, they help them choose among features, styles or flavors, depending on the product. When customers are ready to buy, the counter worker handles the payment transactions. Because some counter sales jobs pay commissions, satisfying customers' needs is essential.

Other Duties

Counter sales also includes rearranging and stocking shelves, building displays, ordering merchandise, checking in shipments, counting money in the register and running register sales reports. Counter staff members also exchange merchandise for customers and accept returns. Additionally, counter salespeople answer customers' questions and handle their complaints. Keeping the area neat and cleaning the counter periodically are additional duties of counter sales staff.

Security Responsibilities

Counter sales representatives must also be vigilant of security issues and the potential for theft. For example, counter salespeople follow store policies in making sure docks or back doors are closed before dark. They adhere to store policies for depositing large bills in a drop box during their shift.

Education and Skills

Some stores prefer to hire counter staff with a high school diploma, and most stores provide on-the-job training. Counter sales workers need a neat appearance, good communication skills and the ability to work well with people. Sales skills and persistence help them sell merchandise for the store. Honesty, reliability and punctuality are other important qualities for retail sales workers.

Average Pay and Outlook

The median income for a counter salesperson came to $10.90 per hour in 2016, including both salary and commissions, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor. Statistics. The pay for counter sales largely depends on the particular product. For example, workers in clothing stores averaged $11.58 per hour, while those in building material and supplies stores averaged $14.14. The top 10 percent of retail workers earned over $19.91 per hour, while the bottom 10 percent earned less than $8.56.

References

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook -- Retail Sales Workers 

• Career Planner.com: Job Description and Jobs for Counter and Rental Clerk 

• U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Employment and Wages, May 2013 -- Retail Salespersons