Inside the RMN Sales Playbook with Melissa Tauer

By Ana Laura Zain for the Women in Retail Media Collective

Selling success takes more than a strong pitch, it takes strategic partnerships, deep internal collaboration, and a sharp understanding of what buyers truly value. 

Melissa has built her career inside some of the most recognizable names in retail. At Best Buy, she helped launch and scale Best Buy Ads, bringing a strategic, business-first mindset to how media is sold and represented across the organization.  She brought similar approaches to her leadership at Lowe’s Media Network and RedMedia. 

In this conversation, Melissa shares her perspective on what it really takes to sell effectively in RMNs, from internal alignment to buyer trust, and everything in between.

1. Tell us about your journey into retail media. How did you get started, and what drew you to the space?

Melissa: I grew up in retail marketing across digital, brand & category marketing teams. Building success in category marketing specifically included developing deep, collaborative partnerships with merchants & their top vendors. That became second nature to me. When Megan [Stevens] was building out the Best Buy Ads Sales team, she saw the value in bringing in a leader from the business side who already knew how to work strategically with important brands like Samsung, Sony, and LG, and who could teach others how to position media in a way that truly aligns with both the brand’s & retailer’s goals.

We needed to teach our team how to sell media, but always with the business strategy as the North Star. You can’t just go out and sell ad units in isolation. That’s how you lose trust with your merchant partners. We truly launched something great, and I was excited & honored to help shape it from the ground up.

2. You’ve worked across multiple sides of the retail ecosystem. How has that shaped your perspective on what it takes to sell effectively in this space?

I always think of building a team like creating a quilt. Each person brings a different patch—whether that’s media experience, retail know-how, client services, or technical acumen. There’s no one-size-fits-all background for success in RMNs.

That said, I do think there’s huge value in understanding how retailers operate internally, and see value in potential candidates who have worked with or at retailers, or with retail brands. Internal workings of a retailer can be layered and heavily structured.  For example – most traditional media sellers don’t have to navigate a “second book of business” with internal clients. But in RMNs, often your merchants are just as critical as your external vendors. If you build those relationships right, everything accelerates—your visibility, your seat at the table, and ultimately, your sales impact.

3. How do you approach internal relationships to help the overall sales pipeline grow?

I coach every seller I hire to understand they have two books of business: external vendors and internal merchants. And those merchants can become your best advocates. The moment a merchant sees a media campaign drive real business results—a successful launch, a category lift, or a compelling case study—they get invested. Many will start to sell on your behalf in rooms you’re not even in.

That internal trust doesn’t just help with campaigns—it fuels internal momentum. Merchants share success stories up the chain, and that creates a ripple effect across the org. Suddenly, senior leaders are encouraging more teams to engage with retail media because they’re hearing how it’s working. That internal advocacy is priceless.

4. What are some of the key elements to building strong relationships with your buyers?

It starts with understanding where they are in their retail media journey. Some brands are sophisticated and know exactly what they want—ROAS, attribution, optimization. Others are newer to the space and need more guidance.

The key is strategic partnership. It’s not just about selling media—it’s about showing them where they fit in the larger retail story. What are the big seasonal moments? Where does their brand show up today, and where could it go? That kind of insight, especially when backed by merchant collaboration, becomes incredibly valuable.

You also need to tailor your service. Not every partner can get the same level of white-glove treatment, but everyone should feel supported and guided. It’s about smart resource allocation with a high-touch, strategic mindset.

5. From your experience, what metrics or outcomes do buyers value most from sellers?

Most brands will start with ROAS—it’s the baseline expectation. But we all know that a multichannel, more full-funnel campaign can & should do more than drive ROAS. And just delivering a report isn’t enough. It’s about helping them interpret the data, adjust expectations, and plan smarter for the next campaign together. If you show your investment in their success, and help them test & learn in a more iterative fashion, they’ll see you more as a strategic business partner, and less as somebody trying to “sell” to them.

Where RMNs can really shine is in offering that hybrid of performance and strategic advisory. We have a view into their place in the category, what their competitors are doing, and where they might be missing out—say, a Memorial Day campaign they haven’t tapped into yet. We create new opportunities, and FOMO, in a good way, by positioning them where their brand can shine.

It’s always a mix: hard metrics and soft guidance. And both are critical.

6. Who are some of the women in retail media you admire—and why?

Two women I really admire are Kristi Argyilan and Melanie Zimmerman. I’ve followed Kristi’s career for over a decade—she’s done incredible work across the industry. Melanie, too, is a strong leader driving real impact.

What I love about both of them is that they haven’t stayed in one lane. They’ve explored different corners of the industry, and that makes them even stronger leaders. They bring a depth of experience that’s really powerful.

And personally, I have so much respect for Megan Stevens. She brought me into this space, and her blend of strategic acumen and positive leadership is something the industry truly needs.