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     The media order is the start of the accounting process. So whether you buy media with Clients & Profits or import them from a media buying system, it must be billed to the client then reconciled with the vendor's invoices. Media invoices are self-reconciling with insertion and broadcast orders, so it's easy to see if the ads you ordered actually ran.

... from start to finish

     Make goods can be added as needed, which are reflected on the clients' media billings. Since media orders are integrated with the accounting system there's no double-entry anywhere, including billing. Insertion orders can be prebilled instantly, or billed together in batches on the same invoice. Each media invoice shows clients clearly and concisely how they spent their media dollars were spent.

Insider knowledge

     The benefits are greater than better communication between media, production, and accounting or a faster billing cycle. The media spending reports provided by Clients & Profits give the media department the facts they need to make their accounts as profitable as possible. Media spending and performance reports are based on up-to-the-minute media orders and billings, so they are always current. And they can be printed by media buyers and account managers whenever they're needed.

Inside information

     Media reports look at media traffic, spending, and performance from every angle. The Client Media Calendar is the first place to see which ads are running by month (see pages 4-5). It's a great report to print each Monday. The Space Closing and Materials Due reports list critical upcoming deadlines from broadcast and insertion orders.

     They're ideal reports for both the production department and the media department. The Unbilled Media report lists insertion and broadcast orders that have not been billed to clients, grouped together by client and sorted by order number. It's a terrific checklist for the accounting department during billing time.

     Account managers and media buyers can instantly see how clients spend their media dollars with the Recap, Reconciliation, and Monthly Media Spending reports. These reports can be printed for one client or for all clients with media orders for a selected time frame. The Monthly Media Analysis totals media spending for each month of the year by client and for each station/publication. The Mix Analysis report compares quarterly media spending by type of media (i.e., cable, radio, web, etc.) And the Media Vendor Volume Analysis ranks stations and publications by order volume to show media buyers who gets the highest dollars from the agency (and how they could possibly make a better deal next year). Together, they keep the shop focused on how clients are spending their media dollars.

     You'll find examples of these media reports on the Report-o-matic.

The only way to handle volume

     In the ad business, it's not unheard of for a large media account to seemingly fall from the sky -- and double your shop's media billing almost overnight. Your agency's ability to handle a media-spawned surge in billings can mean the difference between keeping the account profitable or losing it completely. And you'll find no better tool to help manage media than Clients & Profits.