Are You Stuck in The Middle?

Every sales team I’ve ever worked with generally had three levels:

• Top Performers – experienced, hitting goals, growing
• Average Performers – Those who are doing enough to make it
• Developing Performers – Those new to the business and learning

These are designed to be descriptive rather than “judgmental,” but every manager has some internal grading system for their team. And if you’re on the team, you do it by grading your peers and your managers.

Here’s the scary part…

In almost every industry right now, the average is being squeezed out. Think about retail. The strong brands are either premium and differentiated… or ultra-efficient and low-cost—the middle — the forgettable, undifferentiated option — struggles.

Broadcast sales is no different.

Average sellers — the ones who:

• Lead with rates
• Send generic proposals
• Wait for RFPs
• Follow up with “just checking in” emails

These types of sellers across industries are competing directly with automation. Sadly, automation will win because automation is faster, cheaper, and doesn’t require sick days.

But here’s the good news: we were never meant to win at average.

As management thinker Jim Collins wrote in Good to Great,
“The enemy of great is good.”

In our business, the enemy of extraordinary is ordinary. I’ve always believed that success is the best mask for poor performance.  When things are going well, we tend not to look under the hood.

Self-serve ad platforms are great at transactions. They are terrible at transformation.

• They can place an ad.
• They cannot build a brand.
• They cannot read a room.
• They cannot look a business owner in the eye and say, “Here’s what I’m seeing in your market.”

That’s our lane.

The question isn’t whether the industry is changing. It is. The question is: Which side of the line are you choosing?

Are you a rate card? Or are you a revenue partner?
Are you an order taker? Or are you a market advisor?

The middle — the comfortable, low-effort, “I’ve always done it this way” space — is evaporating.

The sellers who will thrive over the next five years will do three things differently

1. They diagnose before they prescribe. They ask deeper questions than “What’s your budget?” They understand margin, staffing, seasonality, and lifetime customer value.

2. They bring insight, not inventory. Anyone can talk about reach and frequency. Great sellers talk about growth strategy and profitability.

3. They own outcomes. They don’t disappear after the contract is signed. They measure. They adjust. They communicate. They become trusted partners.

That’s no longer “going the extra mile.” That’s the job. The irony is this: the fundamentals matter more than ever.

• Preparation.
• Curiosity.
• Follow-through.
• Courage to have real conversations.

That’s not flashy. But greatness rarely is.

If you feel pressure in the marketplace right now, it may not be because the business is dying. It may be because the middle is.

And that’s actually an opportunity.

Because average is being automated. But exceptional? Exceptional is being amplified.

Choose your side.

Think Big, Make Big Things Happen!

Jeff Schmidt is the SVP of Professional Development. You can reach him at Jeff.Schmidt@RAB.com . You can also connect with him on X , YouTube, and LinkedIn .