Here is a spreadsheet that I used while working as an advertising consultant (okay, “sales rep”) for WJMA FM in Orange, Virginia.

Since we had to use Microsoft ® Word to build our proposals, I decided to minimize calculation errors and speed up the creation process by importing a Microsoft ® Excel worksheet.

I shared this with my colleagues, although only one of them really used it. They were always sharing their Word templates with me, so I was glad to be able to contribute something.

The most important part of the proposal is the schedule for airing spots. This is where we promoted the idea that “you’ve got to get your name out there” – preferably five times a day.

I designed the sheet so that we only had to paste as many rows as we needed.

We sold advertising on three different radio stations. This worksheet was based on the Proposal worksheet. This time, I suggested that the entire range needed to be pasted into the Word document.

In the preceding image, note the 0%, below the total. If the Sales Manager approved a discount for a large buy, we could type in the discount rate on the Proposal worksheet and our sheet would display the new information.

I was a busy sales rep! No time to bother with documentation! But I knew that, if I didn’t, I would have forgotten how to use it within three months. Trust me, I never sold that many ads. In fact, I left after four months, taking my updated spreadsheet skills to Comcast.

Using a variable worksheet makes cell references a whole lot easier. Plus, when the rates changed in early 2007, I only had to update them in one place.