Training CNBAM Training Your Staff Staff training goes a long way in determining the success of your advertising sales. You can’t expect success from your staff if you don’t teach them how to do the job. Training sessions are concentrated at the beginning of the semester, but training is a continuous process. Weekly meetings, speakers, reading materials, and joint sales calls all contribute to the on-going training of ad reps.
Sample Ad Rep Training Schedule Day 1 9:00 – 4:00 9:00 – Arrive on time, share breakfast, introductions 9:30 – Introduction to the paper, newspaper advertising terminology 10:00 - Rate Card Ad sizes Ad types Display Classified Inserts Religion directory Special sections Add-ons Spot color Process color Policies Payment Acceptance policies 12:00 – Lunch 1:00 – The ad office and how it works Meetings Office hours The account list Paperwork and organization Production request and the creative team 2:00 – Ad rates and options – discounts, etc. 2:45 – Practice contracts 3:30 – Summary and questions
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Training CNBAM Day 2 9:00-4:00 9:00 – Arrive on time, share breakfast, questions from yesterday 9:30 – Selling Techniques Sell ad campaigns and business solutions Objections and handling them Closing the sale Calendar approach, planning ahead 11:30 – Practice contracts 12:00 – Lunch 1:00 – Mock sales calls, role-play 2:00 – Brainstorming session 2:30 – Practice contracts 3:00 – Practice face-to-face calls: start to finish 3:45 – Summary and questions, go over account list with ad manager Day 3 9:00-4:00 9:00 – Breakfast and questions 9:30 – Start selling!
Source: TCU Daily Skiff
“I find that the harder I work the more luck I seem to have.” Thomas Jefferson 82
Training CNBAM Sales Call Role -Play Skit RACHEL: Hi MARIA, I’m RACHEL from The Daily Pennsylvanian. I appreciate you giving me some time today to talk to you. MARIA:
Well, I’m very busy, but I did tell you that you could come in. What have you got?
RACHEL: Is there somewhere we can sit down in quiet and discuss this? MARIA:
Sure, let’s go to my office. [GO TO “OFFICE” AND SIT DOWN]
RACHEL: [TELL MARIA THE REASON FOR YOUR CALL AND ASK HER AGAIN IF THIS IS A GOOD TIME TO TALK] MARIA:
You’re okay, as long as this doesn’t take all day.
RACHEL: Great, I’d like to start by asking you a few questions about MARIA’S Designs. [TAKE NOTES] MARIA:
[TELL RACHEL ABOUT YOUR STORE]
RACHEL: [ASK MORE QUESTIONS, INCLUDING HOW SHE ADVERTISES] MARIA:
[ANSWER RACHEL’S QUESTIONS, AND TELL HER THAT YOU CREATE FLYERS AND PUT THEM AROUND TO PROMOTE YOUR STORE]
RACHEL: Have you ever tried focusing on the student market, especially since you’re so close to campus? MARIA:
The students I do get usually don’t buy. College students, I find, do most of their shopping with a tight budget, and they’re looking for bargains, and that’s it.
RACHEL: Hmmm, seems like you haven’t had great success with the student market, despite your location. MARIA:
That’s about right.
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Training CNBAM RACHEL: MARIA, if you knew that Penn students had the money to spend, were spending their money on dresses and casual wear every day — sometimes traveling downtown to do so — and they were willing to spend higher than bargain prices to get the perfect outfit for them — would you consider focusing some of your advertising budget on getting this group to buy from MARIA’S Designs? MARIA:
And I suppose your paper is the best way to reach them?
RACHEL: Well, let me give you some facts about The Daily Pennsylvanian [PUT THE PAPER IN HER HANDS AND TALK ABOUT IT] MARIA:
Tell me about the students..
RACHEL: [TALK ABOUT THE PENN COMMUNITY, HOW MUCH THEY TRAVEL AND SPEND, ETC.] MARIA:
It sounds good, but my budget’s tight right now.
RACHEL: So what you’re saying is that you see the advantage of reaching Penn — the DP is the way to go — but money is a problem at this time? MARIA:
I guess.
RACHEL: I understand how you feel. Mind if I ask you a question about your advertising budget? About how much are you spending for a flyer you have created and mailed to your current customer? MARIA:
At least two hundered bucks each time.
RACHEL: You’re investing money to keep your customers coming back, and that’s fine. But for about the same investment you’re currently budgeting for advertising, you can now attract a whole new group of customers. Here’s my idea: Let’s put together a series of ads, small — about 7”— and run them over a two week period. The ads will showcase one of your unique items each time, as well as your logo and your convenient location. If we run four ads, two a week for two weeks, we’ll begin attracting the Penn market for around the same price you’re paying for a direct mail campaign. All I need from you right now is your logo and the items you’d like to highlight, and I can get some proofs made up for you to take a look at. How does that sound? MARIA: Well, I’ll look at the ads you made up, and if they’re okay I’ll try it for one week. Let me get my logo and the last ad I ran... The Daily Pennsylvanian, University of Pennsylvania
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Training CNBAM
Daily Tar Heel - University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill
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Training CNBAM Quiz Your Staff To verify that ad reps have sufďŹ cient knowledge of your advertising information, do what their professors do - give them a quiz!
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Training CNBAM
University Daily Kansan, Univeristy of Kansas
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