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Jay Ahuja

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Corporate Development, WFAE 90.7FM, Charlotte's NPR News Source

50 points

I locate and develop corporate sponsors for Charlotte's public radio station. Having sold newspaper and magazine ads for decades, I can say that this is the easiest media sales position in the world. A great product that gets results for businesses of almost any size.

Dec. 29, 2011

Jay Ahuja and 12 other people answered this question

What is your top sales prospecting tip for 2012?

The answer obviously varies depending on what industry you are in and what product you represent. Ultimately, it's all about fundamentals. Salespeople today are overly focused on shortcuts, but sales is still about trust and that is best accomplished face-to-face.
How do you buy and ... more

Lead Generation

Marketing Automation

Dec. 1, 2011

Jay Ahuja and 3 other people answered this question

With all the "noise" in the marketplace, what are the best practices for building your Brand?

Assuming you already do as Loren suggests, "build a great product and provide a great customer experience," the key when it comes to building your brand is simple; "Dominate or don't bother." By that I mean, find a media outlet(s) where your brand has an ... more

Nov. 21, 2011

Jay Ahuja and 20 other people answered this question

How do we improve collaboration between marketing and sales?

I've been on both sides of the equation as a media salesperson most of my life and also as a marketing director. The key is communication between marketing and sales, as well as buy-in from above. I am facing a similar battle right now and ... more

Demand Generation

Sales and Marketing Alignment

Nov. 14, 2011

Jay Ahuja and 6 other people answered this question

When a company misses its revenue target, what are the most common reasons sales cites for the miss?

Ben Franklin observed that, "One who is good at making excuses is good for little else." The excuse I hear most often is "the economy." That is probably valid once or twice in a generation, when things change drastically from one year to the next ... more

Nov. 7, 2011

Jay Ahuja and 16 other people answered this question

Would you rather have less work to do, or more work you actually enjoy doing?

I am pretty certain that I will never represent a better form of media in Charlotte than WFAE 90.7FM, an outstanding NPR News public radio station, but my favorite job ever (with Community School of the Arts) paid about half as much and took 50% ... more

Human Resources

Career Development

Personal Development

Nov. 7, 2011

Jay Ahuja and 46 other people answered this question at this roundtable

Customer 2.0 Is Mad as Hell [11/3 @ 11 am]

Are face-to-face conversations still the most powerful way to connect with a prospect?

Even though I have a "voice and face for radio" and I'm a far better writer than debater, if I was limited to just one type of presentation, it would be face-to-face. Nothing works like looking a person in the eye and telling them the ... more

Oct. 27, 2011

Jay Ahuja and 6 other people answered this question at this roundtable

FSI Sales Office Hours: Understanding How Your Customers Make Decisions [10/20 @ 1 pm]

How important is selling to the decision maker?

Twenty years ago a sales manager told me, "Don't deal with the monkey if the organ grinder is in the room." That advice has served me well. For larger deals, it's sometimes necessary to work your way up the chain of command, but it stands ... more

Decision Influencers

Decision Makers

Oct. 3, 2011

Jay Ahuja asked a question

What makes for effective sales meetings (weekly meetings between management and the salesforce)?

I'd like to Hear from Experienced Managers and Salespeople.

Sept. 20, 2011

Jay Ahuja and 44 other people answered this question

POLL: Recruiters should look at candidates' Facebook profiles when hiring. Agree or Disagree?

I appreciate and actually agree with the sentiment of "what I do on my time away from work is my business," especially if I perform well at work, but once I post my activities to the Web, it's anybody's business. Sadly, the harsh reality is ... more

Human Resources

Sept. 19, 2011

Jay Ahuja and 29 other people answered this question

Do you use a Blackberry, Iphone, Ipad or some other device to take notes while on a sales call?

That seems like using technology for technology's sake. What's wrong with an old-fashioned pen and paper for taking notes? I am a serial note-taker in client meetings, in-house meetings, board meetings, etc., but I would find it distracting to have somebody use a phone to ... more

Aug. 20, 2011

Jay Ahuja recommends this answer by Nick poulos

POLL: Are you in favor of ending tax cuts for the wealthy as part of a deficit reduction program?

hi; your resident Obama Republican here, ready to offer my $0.02 which all you Tea Party radicals will diss and attack me for, but the conversation so conceals! and distorts the truth, as to require me at least to say: stop distorting history.
In fact, the ... more

Aug. 18, 2011

Jay Ahuja and 4 other people answered this question

What are the 3 things every local retailer should do to survive or even thrive in this economy?

1- Include a significant marketing budget as part of your business plan. "If you build it; they will come" is not a marketing plan, it's a recipe for failure.
2- Hire quality people and pay them well, so your employees are inclined to take care ... more

Aug. 12, 2011

Jay Ahuja and 104 other people answered this question

What do you think successful people do that others don't?

To be fair Patricia, I paraphrased a famous Winston Churchill quote about the difference between optimists and pessimists. And, when it comes right down to it, that may be the core difference between people who are successful and those who are not. more

Aug. 11, 2011

Jay Ahuja and 4 other people commented on this post

Customer Service Strategy: Ten Questions to Ask Regain the Customer’s Confidence

Everything I said earlier is predicated on the best sales advice I ever received, "Don't worry about the money. Worry about the client's best interest and the money will come." It was true in 1988 when I first heard it and it's true today.
Part of ... more

Customer Service

Customer Service Strategies

Internal Customer Service

Aug. 9, 2011

Jay Ahuja is now following Kelly Daly-Ford

Aug. 9, 2011

Jay Ahuja and 26 other people answered this question

Sales Presentation Best Practices: What are your 3 tips for giving a successful sales presentation?

1- Do your homework before showing up, but don't assume you have all the answers.
2- Listen intensely while taking notes to discover how you can best serve the client as a resource.
3- Follow up and deliver everything you promise.
All three of these points are based ... more

General Management

Aug. 4, 2011

Jay Ahuja and 3 other people answered this question

On-shoring: Could the long-awaited US economic recovery end up coming from India and abroad?

I've witnessed second-hand as my wife's company is experiencing issues with training and then quickly losing the IT talent they're using offshore to other multi-national organizations. It's entirely likely that these IT jobs will return to the US as productivity and customer satisfaction has not ... more

General Management

Information Technology

Aug. 3, 2011

Jay Ahuja and 13 other people answered this question

POLL: What is the one piece of info you think more startups should emphasize on their websites?

Contact information is absolutely critical and once they are well established they should have a host of real life testimonials. Ideally, these should be video clips. If that is not possible audio clips will work, so customers can say in their own words how they ... more

Aug. 1, 2011

Jay Ahuja and 38 other people answered this question

You own a popular local coffee shop, Starbucks moves across the street. What do you do to compete?

Drop your prices and accept lower margins or figure out why you are better and invest in advertising. more

July 26, 2011

Jay Ahuja recommends this answer by Dave Brock

In managing a sales staff, are "weekly call reports" useful or a waste of time?

It depends, if you are using them as part of your coaching and business management, then weekly call reports can be useful. Where any reporting becomes a waste of time is when management doesn't read and use them (which covers about 80% of reporting 80% ... more

General Management

Business Development

Sales and Management

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