Pete, how did you get into out of home?

I was out of a job in 1978…My wife worked in Peachtree Center in Atlanta and her friend who was working at the desk next to her walked by my wife said my husband’s company is looking for a guy.  That company was called ABC – which stood for Associates of the Bell Company.  Founded by a gentlemen of the name of Lance Bell.  Lance was considered the godfather of the outdoor advertising industry.  He was a sales guru.  We represented specific outdoor companies.  I ended up being Sr VP and General Manager.    That company is now Wilkins Media.

What are you doing now?

I’ve got a small stake in Paragon Printing.  I got in the business about 20 years ago.    I’m a sales and marketing consultant for Billboard Planet.  I also represent Vital Outdoor.  It was a total accident.  We left south Carolina last year and moved out to Oklahoma to be closer to our daughter who lives in Ft Worth Texas.  Semi-retired.  I heard about Justin Booher at Vital Outdoor.  I called him.  He said are you looking for a job.  I said, no, not really. He said well, if you are I want to talk to you.  Next thing you know I’m helping him sell space.

Can you give us two out of home sales successes and what you learned?

My very first significant sale.  In Atlanta.  A very large agency.  One of their big accounts was Krystal Hamburger restaurants.  I started knocking on that agency’s door.  I befriended the media director, the creative director, the media buyer.  It took a long time.  After a year I go back to my office and I dump this handful of contracts on Lance’s desk.  6 months of a poster showing in every single Krystal market of the southeast.  About a $400,000 contract.  The lesson is persistence.  It took a long time.

I was making sales calls in Pensacola, Florida.  I visited a small ad agency.  A single employee.  I walked in and talked for 20 minutes.  He says “Pete I’ve never bought billboards in my life.  I’m not about to start now. I appreciate your time.” I left.  A week later my phone rings.  It’s that guy on the phone.  The first words out of his mouth were “you’re the last guy I thought I’d ever be calling.”  A client came along after I’d left.  The lesson is that you never know when your efforts will pay off.