Sales planning is one of the more underdeveloped skills of many media sales professionals; there are many reasons for this;

The sales plan is a rigid document that's supplied by the business and is more about capturing forecast information that being a plan for the salesperson

Salespeople completely over-estimate what they can feasibly achieve and fill the plan with far too initiatives

One or two key components of the plan might be missing entirely - very dangerous

As mike Tyson famously said, everyone has a plan until they get punched in the face. Media Sales can often throw up unforeseen obstacles or opportunities that immediately take priority over the activities laid out in the plan

Neil Petch, Chairman at Virtugroup joins from the UAE to unpack this topic.

About Neil:

As the Founder and Chairman of Virtuzone, I work closely with over 300 entrepreneurs and startups monthly in building their businesses in the UAE. Since founding Virtuzone over 12 years ago, we have grown it to become the largest, fastest-growing and best-known setup operator in the Middle East, establishing more than 45,000 businesses to date.

As the Chairman of the holding company, Virtugroup, I also hold an executive leadership role at Next Generation Equity, a citizenship-by-investment firm.

Prior to Virtuzone, I helped establish ITP, the largest media publishing house in the Gulf, and grew its people from two to 600 employees. During my time at ITP, I spearheaded the launch of over 60 digital and print titles, such as Time Out, Harper's Bazaar and Arabian Business.

I have also previously served as the Managing Director of ENG Media and launched the Coast FM radio station, along with numerous magazines, such as MediaWeek. For the last 7 years, I have also held the role of Chairman at GMG, the world's first interbank financial brokerage based in Dubai, with offices in DIFC and London.

Having lived in over a dozen countries and with a career spanning over 25 years in the UAE, I have developed an astute cultural insight with fresh thinking, which allows me to leverage my business experience and intuition to help entrepreneurs bring their ideas to life and transform their aspirations into success stories.

As a strong advocate of public-private collaboration, I have assumed the role of Task Force Member of The Advisory Council, a coalition of key decision-makers and prominent movers of the UAE business landscape, led by EMIR and the Ministry of Economy.

I am also a co-host of Starting Up with Virtuzone, the UAE's first ever radio show for entrepreneurs, startups and SMEs, as well as a regular speaker, panellist and economic commentator, specialising in the SME sector.

Connect with Neil on LinkedIn

Connect with Jamie on LinkedIn

Edited, Hosted and Produced by Joanne Helder

Music by Donyea Goodman at donyeamusic.biz/onlinestore