AOL Makes Changes to Sales; Eliminates Two Teams

AOL has announced a series of internal changes to its sales organization, including the elimination of its “property” and “category” sales teams, according to sources.In a memo issued to staffers by AOL’s recently installed sales chief Greg Coleman (president of Platform-A), the company appears to be moving towards a more regional-based selling approach—rather than tasking sales executives with handling specific ad categories or having them oversee sales for individual AOL channels or properties. “We will be disbanding the property and category sales teams and realigning many of the talented individuals from those teams into regional sales and other parts of the organization,” wrote Coleman. “Both teams were instrumental in providing vertical focus and sales pressure over the past year, but there is a more urgent need now to drive direct advertiser demand and relationships.”Coleman also emphasized a need for AOL to have “more people on the street selling” in the memo. As part of that endeavor, the company has elevated Chris Maccaro, vp property sales, to lead regional sales in New York, a group that will soon be expanding, per Coleman’s memo. Meanwhile, Brent Spitzer, Platform-A’s regional vp, is leaving the company.AOL’s “product” sales team will also undergo several organizational changes, according to Coleman’s memo, including the formation of a a small team of specialists that will work in conjunction with the regional sales teams. Also, AOL is planning to build a new sales support group, i.e “marketing solutions” which combine the company’s existing strategy, marketing and property sales development teams.“I realize that these are widespread changes, but they are necessary for us to succeed,” wrote Coleman.Coleman’s announcement comes just as the analyst community appears to be warming to AOL’s new management structure. In a note issued on Mar. 26 J.P. Morgan analyst Imran Khan said that AOL has opportunities to improve its business by focusing on search share growth and premium brand ad selling. “We are encouraged by the appointment of Tim Armstrong to the position of AOL’s Chairman and CEO as we believe his experience in building relationships with advertisers and driving revenue should help the company work through the challenges it is facing,” wrote Khan. “We think Mr. Armstrong’s experience in building relationships with advertisers will prove to be an asset in fixing AOL’s display business.

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AOL Makes Changes to Sales; Eliminates Two Teams

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