Cultivating Business Relationships with our Sales Team

Written by Zoe Brock

Local businesses are the heartbeat of society, the comfort and originality they give to a town is undeniable. The McKinley Avenue Agency prides itself on having the opportunity to represent local businesses in Muncie and the Delaware County area and giving them the recognition and support they deserve.

Edna Zheng is Director of Media Sales and Business Development at The McKinley Avenue Agency. She is responsible for reaching out to businesses and asking them for their support and the opportunity for us to assist them with their advertising and strategic communication needs. From speaking with multiple businesses per day, Zheng has been able to grasp an understanding as to how important local businesses are in a commercialized world.

"Economically speaking, small businesses are the backbone of our economy," Zheng said. "They are responsible for creating 2/3rds of jobs in the United States. Supporting them helps our community grow. Ever since COVID-19, our generation has seen the importance of supporting small businesses because it's more ethical and sustainable. It allows Muncie to keep our community unique and enhances our identity."

Small businesses do wonders for the community that go unnoticed. One of our devoted customers, Lowery's, offered us a testimony about how our personality as an agency helps their business flourish.

"We truly enjoy working with McKinley," Charles Joseph from Lowery's said. "Over many years we have worked with many different sales reps and all of them have been the definition of professional. We have never felt pressured on any ad packages and they always take into account our seasonal business and the importance of the holidays. We look forward continuing our partnership for many years to come."

Handing over your business needs to an agency can be a nerve-wracking feeling. At The McKinley Avenue Agency, we offer an experience you can't get anywhere else. With our associates and directors being entirely made up of college students, we know the intricacies of your target audience because we are a part of the demographic. We have the experience needed to fulfill your needs while also gaining insight on who is going to support you the most. Our sales team does an excellent job making us known to the Muncie and Delaware County community and spreading our awareness to those who could benefit.

"Most of the time when our sales executives reach out to businesses in Muncie, they don't know who we are-they've never heard of The McKinley Avenue Agency before," Zheng said. "However, people here can agree on the poverty rates in Muncie, and that Ball State University is the largest employer in Delaware County. Knowing this, we tell them how McKinley plays a role in all of this information: We are a student run, full service, advertising agency. Our purpose is to maintain, develop, and drive traffic back and forth between businesses and students with our advertising options. With over 14,000 students enrolled, it wouldn't make sense for businesses to not take advantage of a marketing opportunity like us. Especially since we are student run, nobody knows which businesses our peers want to see represented better than us."

Each business is different with a unique set of needs. We are equipped to exceed your expectations when it comes to fulfilling your needs and building a personal relationship with you. We genuinely want to see growth in Muncie and the Delaware County community and that starts with businesses like you! Our sales team is always free to talk about the services we offer and are ready to get to know you!

"Since I joined The McKinley Avenue Agency, it's taught me how to be more personable with clients," Zheng said. "Not all businesses want advertising for the same reason. Therefore, when I am selling a specific product, I am intentional with who I reach out to. Most importantly, I help the client understand why this is beneficial for them. Being in sales isn't always about selling, but more so selling myself as a trustworthy person for customers so that in the future, they'll want to invest or invest more into our services. This helps cultivate business relationships!"

One of our loyal clients, The Haven, offered us a statement about how it has been collaborating with us for many years. We hope by hearing others experience with The McKinley Avenue Agency, you are inspired to take the leap and partner with us.

"The sales team at McKinley is extremely professional, but most importantly kind," Rocky from The Haven said. "I'm always impressed with how personable and knowledgeable all the members of the team are. Communication and hospitality are top tier! We love our partnership!"

The sales team is the bridge that connects us to relationships that not only impact us as an agency, but can impact you and the growth of your business. We never know the outcome one phone call from our sales team can make, but we can promise you will have the very best from what we can offer you and will continue to support what is at the heart of Muncie and the Delaware County community.