Media & Advertising Sales Training Programs

Guiding Buyers Through Change, Not Just Selling Inventory

In media, advertising, and digital ad sales, success depends on more than inventory and metrics. Sales professionals must guide clients through rapid change, shifting buying criteria, and multi-stakeholder decision cycles — often while selling high-value programs to skeptical buyers through intermediaries like ad agencies.

Richardson’s customized sales training equips media and advertising sellers to cut through the noise, uncover deeper customer needs, and build the credibility required to win in a competitive, high-stakes environment.

Why Media & Advertising Sales Teams Need a New Approach

Selling in the media and ad sales industry is uniquely complex. Rapid technology disruption, shrinking attention spans, and heightened pressure to demonstrate ROI have changed what buyers expect from sellers.

Today’s buyers:

• Come to the table with preconceptions and data
• Want to align ad spend to measurable business goals
• Expect sellers to deliver insight, not just inventory

At the same time, sellers must often work through agencies and indirect channels, making relationship-building even more critical.

In this environment, sellers who lead with questions, insight, and partnership — not just performance stats — are the ones who earn trust and win long-term business.

Our Approach to Training Media & Ad Sales Teams

We take a consultative approach to training, designed to help ad sales teams shift from transactional pitching to value-based selling.

• Through customized learning journeys, we help your team:
• Ask smarter, customer-focused questions that uncover true business goals
• Connect inventory or campaign features to broader brand and marketing objectives
• Navigate agency relationships while building direct client trust
• Challenge assumptions and guide buyers toward better outcomes
• Develop the agility to adjust messaging across industries, formats, and budgets

By reinforcing these behaviors, we help sellers gain access earlier in the buying process, increase deal size, and create stronger post-sale relationships.

Sales Training Programs for Media & Advertising Teams

At Richardson, we tailor every training solution to your go-to-market model, sales cycle complexity, and buyer dynamics. For advertising and media sales organizations, we typically recommend:

Consultative Selling

Ideal for teams selling high-value media packages through agencies or directly to marketers. This program teaches sellers how to:

• Conduct structured, insight-led customer dialogues
• Uncover and align to client marketing objectives
• Position large-scale media solutions with credibility and relevance
• Handle objections with empathy and strategic value framing

Consultative Prospecting

Equips media sales teams to engage decision-makers through multi-channel outreach. This program helps sellers:

• Break through crowded inboxes and agency gatekeepers
• Build prospecting cadences that combine personalization and persistence
• Establish early value to earn time on the calendar

Accelerate Sales Performance System

For organizations looking to scale skill development through technology. This system helps leaders:

• Analyze sales performance in real time
• Personalize learning journeys at scale
• Reinforce behaviors that drive long-term growth

What You Can Expect from Richardson Sales Training

With Richardson, your team gains:

• A proven, repeatable conversation structure that drives client engagement
• Greater alignment across sales, strategy, and client services
• Higher win rates on strategic campaigns that require upfront commitment
• Skills to handle objections, introduce new ideas, and differentiate your offering in saturated markets

Media & Advertising Sales Training Success: iProspect

When iProspect, a global digital marketing agency, needed to elevate their client services team, they turned to Richardson for a customized, consultative sales training program.

The results:

• 22:1 ROI from the training investment
• 17% increase in consultative selling knowledge
• 2.9 out of 3 participant satisfaction score

Feedback showed stronger client conversations and greater confidence across the team

By shifting to a dialogue-based approach, iProspect’s team gained the skills to proactively deliver value and grow key accounts.

Watch the video below to learn more about iPropsect's sales transformation journey.

FAQ: Richardson's Media and Advertising Sales Training Solutions

Q. What makes Richardson’s media and advertising sales training different?
A. Our training goes beyond product pitches. We teach sellers how to lead complex conversations, build trust across agency-client ecosystems, and deliver insight that drives buying decisions in a fragmented media landscape.

Q. Is this training relevant for digital media sales teams?
A. Yes. Our content is built to address digital transformation. We help sellers tailor messaging across display, video, programmatic, social, and integrated platforms while navigating changing metrics and buyer expectations.

Q. Can the training be customized for in-house sales vs. agency partner teams?
A. Absolutely. We work closely with clients to tailor training for various GTM motions, including direct advertiser sales, agency partnership teams, and hybrid selling models.

Q. How long is the typical training engagement?
A. We offer flexible delivery formats — from single-session workshops to multi-phase programs with digital sustainment. Our team will recommend a structure aligned to your goals, timelines, and team size.

Q. Do you offer virtual training?
A. Yes. All of our programs can be delivered virtually, in person, or through blended formats. We also support reinforcement through our digital learning platform, Accelerate.