Sales Director

Iconic Media Group; Portsmouth; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Iconic Media Group in the Portsmouth area is seeking a Sales Director to build, lead and develop our southern team of media sales consultants. The role focuses on a consultative sales culture, owning revenue, retention and new business targets, and developing people with grit and drive.

You’ll recruit, coach and network across the southern business community, traveling regularly. A track record in leading sales teams and a non‑traditional media background is valued.

Qualifications

• Proven record of leading high‑performing sales teams.
• Experience in consultative, needs‑based selling.
• Ability to manage revenue, retention and new business targets.
• Willingness to travel across the southern region and reside near Portsmouth.

Responsibilities

• Build, lead and coach a southern team of media sales consultants.
• Embed a consultative, needs-led approach in client conversations.
• Own performance against revenue, retention and new business targets.
• Recruit and develop people to become outstanding sellers.
• Run regular one-to-ones, pipeline reviews and deal coaching sessions.
• Foster accountability, improvement and sustained performance.
• Develop relationships with councils, BIDs, Chambers of Commerce and local organisations.
• Represent Iconic at business forums and community events.

Skills

Sales leadership

Coaching & development

Consultative selling

Account development

Networking

Job description

Competitive salary plus performance-related bonus, dependent on experience.

Portsmouth area, with regular travel across the southern region

Every local business has a story. Build the team that helps them tell it.

Iconic Media Group is now looking for an accomplished Sales Director to build, lead and develop our southern team of media sales consultants. Home to more than 150 trusted local news titles across the UK and Ireland, we are transforming from a heritage print publisher into a publisher-powered digital marketing business, helping local companies grow through print, digital, video, social media and audience-targeted campaigns.

This is not about managing a team that simply sells advertising space. It is about creating a consultative sales culture: understanding what local business owners want to achieve, identifying the challenges holding them back and developing campaigns that deliver genuine value.

What you’ll actually do:

• Build, lead and coach a high-performing team of media sales consultants
• Embed a consultative, needs-led approach across every client conversation
• Own performance against revenue, retention and new business targets
• Recruit and develop people with the grit, curiosity and confidence to become outstanding sellers
• Run regular one-to-ones, pipeline reviews and deal-coaching sessions
• Create a culture of accountability, continuous improvement and sustained performance
• Build your own profile and network across the southern business community
• Develop relationships with councils, BIDs, Chambers of Commerce and other influential local organisations
• Represent Iconic at business forums, networking events and community initiatives

What will make you successful:

You do not need to come from a media or publishing background. You do need a strong track record of building, coaching and leading sales teams to sustained results.

You will know how to turn salespeople into trusted commercial advisers: people who listen before they pitch, find the brief behind the brief and build relationships that generate repeatable, growing revenue rather than one-off sales.

You will bring resilience, commercial curiosity and the confidence to engage senior business leaders. You will also be comfortable working with targets, pipelines, forecasts and performance data—and prepared to step into important client conversations when your team needs you.

A proposition you can believe in

You will be leading a team with a powerful proposition. Research shows that 70% of people trust local news, compared with 28% for social media, while advertising appearing within our brands generates 1.5 times greater brand trust.

Your team will not just be selling media. They will be helping local businesses become better known, more trusted and better connected to the communities they serve.

You should:

• Have a proven record of leading and developing successful sales teams
• Understand consultative, needs-based selling
• Be confident managing revenue, retention and new business performance
• Be able to build relationships with senior business and community stakeholders
• Live within practical reach of Portsmouth
• Hold a driving licence and be willing to travel regularly across the southern region

Media, publishing or digital marketing experience would be useful, but it is not essential.

Package:

Competitive salary plus performance-related bonus, dependent on experience.