Kayleigh Ball works as a sales executive for our Tavistock Times Gazette series, based in Devon.
She also sells advertising solutions for customers across the Mid Devon Advertiser, South Hams Gazette and Crediton Courier titles, both in print and online. Having first joined in 2022, Kayleigh talks about the appeal of working in a multimedia role for Tindle and the personal development she has achieved in building new digital skills and business experience.
What are the main responsibilities in your role?
In my role as a multimedia sales executive I sell print and digital advertising. My duties include canvassing potential customers and handling incoming enquiries, which could be on the phone, email or in person with people coming into the office off the street. My area of Devon to cover is Tavistock and Okehampton. I have always lived in Tavistock so it is an area I know well.
What jobs did you have before you joined the company?
I had never worked in sales before. When I left school I did an apprenticeship in childcare which was not for me. I had lots of siblings growing up but after four years I went to work in a café. My skills from these roles included dealing with the public, including people from all walks of life. In those roles you literally did not know what each day was going to entail. Dealing with children, parents and the public can be unpredictable and I was quite a shy person. Working for Tindle has helped me come out of my shell.
What was the appeal of joining the company?
The Tavistock Times office is very local to me, with a small, friendly team, some of whom I knew before I joined, which was quite a confidence boost. I wanted to work for a company where I could challenge and improve myself. I wanted to learn and grow. I did not really know what I was coming to, but even after two years I am still learning every day and progressing my skills. My line manager Lianne Carr, the regional sales director, is an example to me of how I can progress. I did not want to be in a dead-end job.
What does a typical day in your role involve?
I am selling a range of print and digital opportunities for advertisers. We do job adverts and different recruitment packages, along with sponsored articles on our websites and social media advertising. Because we are local advertisers know their advertising is not going to be wasted because it will be seen by people in their community. It is rewarding work. Everyone has their own customers and we really like to get involved with our clients to ensure they get the package or product which works best for them, whether that is to build their print presence or online.
How does your work fit into the wider business?
Even though we have separate geographies we all work as part of a sales team for Devon as a region. We regularly have contact across the company for training on video calls. We run advertising alongside news stories so we have regular contact with colleagues in editorial to share information about what is going on for possible news or commercial opportunities.
Within my team, I work with two other sales executives and a sales support colleague, as well as reporting in to the regional sales director. We speak with digital colleagues across Devon as well as our ads operations team who are always happy to help.
What do you enjoy about working for Tindle?
Working for Tindle has given me an opportunity to grow my confidence and my skills. Every day brings a new challenge and it is extremely rewarding to progress, even though there can be some stressful times. I have never thought I did not want to go in to work as it is a really rewarding job. Whether we are working towards hitting targets, helping colleagues or figuring out how to use a new kind of digital media, we are always overcoming difficulties. I get to interact with the wider team, including colleagues in digital and editorial as well as the senior management team.
How do you use digital in your role?
I did not have a range of digital skills when I joined the company. At the time the business was relaunching its package of online products so it was overwhelming for me but there was a lot of new information for everyone on the team to take in. We have all grown our skills together since then. All our print advertising packages include digital campaigns. We are consistently thinking about which digital product works best for each client.
We are learning about how we can use social media to advertise. We can add value to our clients’ social media advertising. If there is a very local new business starting out with an interesting story there are some great offerings for native advertising. We have seen native work well for many customers.
What are your interests outside of work?
I have been planning my wedding with my partner, which has taken up a lot of my time. I love going out and walking with my family and friends.