Central Michigan Life
Training Program (Pg 1 of 3)
Our training process begins well in advance of the Student Account Executive’s official beginning day in their sales territory. For the benefit of our customers, and our bottom line, we want to experience as little “downtime” as possible in a sales territory. We keep a running log of the current staff’s graduation dates, and prepare a hiring plan according to the number of openings we will have available in the next two semesters. If we only have one opening, we will hire closer to an actual start date, as we have more one-toone time with that student. When we have more than one opening, (which is usually every semester), we will fill the positions 8-10 weeks out. In a typical Fall Semester, we will begin with help wanted ads in September, interviews in October and hire at the beginning of November.The new hires will be trained for the months of November and December and will start in their territories the first week of January with the start of Spring Semester. In the spring semester, we start the process all over again with employment ads beginning in January, interviews in February and hires made before students leave for Spring break (1st week of March). When the students return from Spring break, they start the training process through March, April and early May. Our first step after hiring, is to set up training dates with each incoming sales person. Each new sales trainee is assigned to one of our 3 Advertising Managers and a Senior Account Executive.The training process is overseen by the advertising manager, and the senior account executive is who they shadow during the process. The training will begin with review of the CM LIFE Advertising Department Handbook. Each section is carefully studied, and practiced, so the new employee will be as familiar with the operation, policies, procedures and paperwork as possible. This is an ongoing process for the rest of the training period. The second step is a complete tour of the facility, with introductions to staff members and their roles in the organization. When possible, we also tour the printer’s facility so the Student can grasp the entire process involved in getting a daily newspaper produced.
436 Moore Hall, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859 PHONE: (989) 774-3493 FAX: (989) 774-7804 EMAIL: advertising@cm-life.com
Central Michigan Life
Training Program
(Pg 2 of 3)
In addition, the new “trainees” are required to attend our weekly sales meeting, to get acquainted with staff rapport, student and professional staff managers,. While job shadowing, the “senior” sales member has the “trainee” handle all procedures related to processing ads and customer service issues.The “trainees” will thumbnail the ads, handle the scheduling of the ads, proof the ads with the customers, and clear the ads for press.They will learn about deadlines, special sections, handling objections, bad credit and collection. During this shadowing process, new account executives are given their official Central Michigan Life notebooks.These notebooks contain everything a rep should need when talking with their customers. (Rate cards, publication schedules, distribution lists, special section calendars, special section flyers, weekly and monthly specials, cheat sheets for pricing, competitive media information, etc.) The new rep learns through the senior rep how to best use this notebook when working daily with customers. When the new representative feels they are ready, they can choose to start making calls on their own.This is usually reviewed upon with the rep, the senior rep and the sales manager. We will have them start with cold calls or new customers.This gives them an opportunity to practice their skills, while waiting for their account lists to become ready. During this time, we will also introduce the NAA Planbook and the Fair Housing Guide to the new account executives. A brief review is done, but it is up to the new rep to review them on their own and utilize them as necessary. About one to two weeks before semester end, the new account executive will begin the process of meeting their new accounts.This is done by face to face introductions from the departing representative.This gives the customer an important adjustment opportunity and can review things directly with the old rep and the new one. The new account reps are then given their team and individual goals for the first month of the new semester. All new account executives are on a probationary period their first semester.Their progress is charted by call sheets, spec ad production, achievement toward goals, teamwork, commitment to the job, peer attitudes and reviews with selected customers. It is a constant monitoring process. The student advertising managers handle every aspect of the training process.This provides continuity to the program, and great leadership experience for the student managers.The adviser oversees the process, and handles questions and offers suggestions.There is constant feedback between the new hires, the senior staff, the professional staff, the student managers and the adviser.
436 Moore Hall, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859 PHONE: (989) 774-3493 FAX: (989) 774-7804 EMAIL: advertising@cm-life.com
Central Michigan Life
Annual Training Schedule
(Pg 3 of 3)
AUGUST Week 3-4 - Determine number of positions to fill for next semester. Design house help wanted ads. SEPTEMBER. Week 1-4 - Ads run in newspaper for Account Executives. Week 3-4 - Classroom presentations in Journalism, Advertising, Marketing Courses for positions at Central Michigan Life
OCTOBER. Week 1-2 - Interviews are conducted with all applicants. Week 3-4 - Second interviews are conducted with top applicants. Hires made. NOVEMBER. Week 1. - Introduction to Central Michigan Life. Week 2 -4 - New Hires are assigned a Senior Account Executive to shadow. Week 3 - New Hires are giventheir own Central Michigan Life sales notebook, NAA Planbook and other marketing aids. Sales representative starts attending weekly sales meetings and are assigned to a “team” and manager. Week 4 - New representative given “test” account list.
DECEMBER. Week 1. - New account lists assigned. January team and individual goals given. Probationary period begins.
END OF SEMESTER. JANUARY Week 1 - Determine number of positions to fill for next semester. Design house help wanted ads. Week 2-4 - Ads run in newspaper for Account Executives. Week 3-4 - Classroom presentations in Journalism, Advertising, Marketing Courses for positions at Central Michigan Life
FEBRUARY. Week 1-2 - Interviews are conducted with all applicants. Week 3-4 - Second interviews are conducted with top applicants. Hires made. SPRING BREAK. MARCH. Week 3 -. - Introduction to Central Michigan Life. Week 4 - New Hires are assigned a Senior Account Executive to shadow. APRIL. Week 1 - New Hires continue to shadow Senior Account Executive. Week 1 - New Hires are giventheir own Central Michigan Life sales notebook, NAA Planbook and other marketing aids. Sales representative starts attending weekly sales meetings and are assigned to a “team” and manager. Week 2 - New representative given “test” account list. Week 3 - New account lists assigned. August/September team and individual goals given. Probationary period begins.
END OF SEMESTER.
436 Moore Hall, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859 PHONE: (989) 774-3493 FAX: (989) 774-7804 EMAIL: advertising@cm-life.com
January 18, 2008
Dear CNBAM: Re: Training Program The Daily Titan prepares students for careers in advertising media sales including newspapers, the Internet, and out of home. As media sales people, our job is to help create a critical connection between marketers and their target markets to help create the right message for the medium – a message that connects marketers with customers. Our “product” is space and time. Then, The Daily Titan serves as an applicable apprenticeship for a career in many fields including Public Relations, Media, Account Management or Creative Services. As employees of the Daily Titan, through our training program, students will many aspects of media sales. Students gain knowledge of the media process including basic terms and concepts used for presenting and closing a sale. They also learn how to confidently deliver “cold call” and “walk-up” sales presentations, work with campus media organization in a sales capacity, and demonstrate oral and written communication skills appropriate for proposal writing and client presentations. Our training program is based on a full week of training with separate training seminars throughout the semester. These seminars include Selling Do’s and Don’ts, Overcoming Objections, Helpful Customer Service, and Making the Most of AdPro. A week following the training seminar the Account Executives are quizzed on their knowledge of given topics. The person with the highest score receives a $25 gift card. The Daily Titan further emphasizes learning throughout the semester to better prepare our employees for a variety of future careers. Best Regards, The Daily Titan Staff P: 714-278-3373 F: 714-278-2702 ads@dailytitan.com
Best Training Program, The State News The Program When most people imagine sales departments, they think of suited yuppies running from appointment to appointment at East Coast pace. Most imagine narrow-minded consumerists that only worry about bringing home the bacon and beating others at the rat race. I suppose these former reasons are why most are baffled to walk into The State News advertising department. A department in which bells are ringing, account executives are hooting and hollering, and their manager is slapping high fives. Most are taken aback when they walk into our sales department and are confronted with buzzing creative energy, drive, and optimistic suspense. It is this kind of energy that has lead to our great success. Encouragement of competition, communication, and teamwork are the engines driving the advertising department at The State News to, well, kick ass. How we do it: Newly hired account executives will quickly find themselves released into a creative escape we call “training.” Here they are encouraged to brainstorm unique selling strategies, develop individual and personal selling skills, and build confidence through consistent practice within the office. In their four weeks of training, account executives will have written a personalized business letter, developed an elevator pitch, publicly confronted objections to advertising, and developed a pure, self-built love for The State News. In accompaniment to training, new account executives are paired up with an L.T.M. (Living Training Manual). An L.T.M. is a more experienced veteran that stands out as a leader within the office. New account executives shadow these L.T.M.s as well as look to them for answers to questions, selling tips, and even stress relief (we promise this does not involve physical contact). The best part of the L.T.M. program is it’s ability to teach old dogs new tricks. New AEs are encouraged to ask as many questions as possible, often challenging their L.T.M’s knowledge. This has forced our veterans to stay on track and make sure they have a grip on the bigger picture. To streamline our communication within the entire department, a weekly staff meeting is held to discuss possible updates, crash training sessions, address issues, and encourage selling among the entire staff. Although account executives are meeting outside of required office hours, they look forward to these staff meetings. To encourage office morale, food is usually provided and games are incorporated. Games usually involve team-building activities that teach problem solving skills, selling strategies, and public speaking. In between these weekly staff meetings, account executives meet in teams of 5-6. Each of which have leaders that encourage sales, progress to the next level in our advancement process, keep track of prospecting progress, and build morale. These teams regularly compete against each other in sales competitions. These competitions allow individual sales to add up to team totals with the winning team usually enjoying a free lunch or meal of their choice. Team competitions are not only popular among the staff, but drive them to individually succeed, work as a team, help others make sales and generate revenue. Every team competition held thus far has resulted in an increase of sales revenue over the previous year. To drive individual progress & sales revenue, we offer advancement programs (as mentioned previously) and goal incentives. By accomplishing tasks related to cold calling, establishing client relationships, and creating sales among other criteria, account executives can increase their commission rates (please see supplementary material titled ‘Advance Card’). Further more, each account executive is met with a monthly sales goal. Surpassing that goal results in a bonus worth up to 3% the difference between their sales goal and actual sales. To encourage teamwork on top of individual sales, we offer departmental bonuses for meeting our total sales goal for the month. Because it takes more than just an initial sale to make the ad department work, this bonus is distributed not only among account executives, but also among graphic artists and traffic managers. Everyone’s job is equally important to the success of the department, be it answering the phone, making the sale, creating the ad or seeing that it get placed in the paper. We place a high value on teamwork and it takes the entire office to generate the positive energy needed to surpass our goals. The results: Our four-week training program has sent rookie account executives into the sales world as account executives with experience already under their belt. By pairing them up with L.T.M.’s we’ve found
Best Training Program, The State News The Program they bust out of the sales door as equals: driven, competitive and comfortable. 11 out of 14 rookies have either recruited a new advertiser or signed a sporadic advertiser to contract within their first 2 months of sales. The introduction of teams has allowed many account executives to step up as role models and leaders in the office. When given the opportunity, they have all eagerly developed individual sales plans, meeting formats, and weekly updates informing management of what their team is up to. It’s also opened up many doors for feedback. We receive 3-4 ideas a week on how to improve things around the office, whether internal communication suggestions or ways to boost sales. In Spring 2006, we introduced a new product, Finals Survival Guide, to be released during finals week. By including a team sales competition & offering free lunch to the winners, we motivated the staff to bring in nearly $14,000 of new revenue. When we repeated this promotion—a tabloid filled with advertising, crosswords and sudoku puzzles—this past fall, we also repeated the competition, resulting in a revenue of $16,350. We sold so much, in fact, that The Finals Survival Guide was 12 pages larger and we had no room for house ads. This past Finals Survival Guide, published December 7, brought in $22,100. Over 30% of the revenue came from rookie sales. Our advancement program has been a consistent success. We currently have 2 account executives at our top commission level, 7 at mid level and 14 working their way up the ladder (11 of which are new employees). Most recently, two account executives made a bet between them to see who could advance first. How’s that for drive? Individual goals are being surpassed on a daily basis. This past year, a rookie account executive asked for a higher goal claiming his current goal would “clearly be blown out of the water.” When challenged with a 250% increase he replied, “Bring it.” Needless to say, he surpassed even the increased goal. Directly after implementing individual bonuses and encouraged departmental goals, we hit seven of the first nine monthly department sales goals. This resulted in a 10% increase in overall revenue. Number and stats aside, The State News has never seen such a strong staff. They take the creatively driven environment they are given and use it to its fullest. Negativity virtually doesn’t exist (okay that’s a lie, but we assure you it’s an extremely rare occasion of missed meals). Above all, I have never seen a group of so many opinionated, driven individuals put their specializations together to create an unstoppable sales force. Each obstacle overcome is a team success and celebrated thus. This past year, I was informed that we might be the first sales team in State News history to surpass $1,000,000 in local display sales within a fiscal year. We sold $1,003,000. Our training program develops some of the most well-rounded and fiercely determined sales staff that this paper has ever seen. I challenge you to find a more closely knit bunch of individuals in any department, anywhere. I also challenge you to find a sales force that has been as successful, in numbers, unity, originality and pizzazz.
Best Training Program, The State News Training Calendar New Account Executives • Upon hire, employees under go 4 weeks of training in which the following tactics are used o Week 1: 2 sessions, 3 hours in length each Learning to love our product: market survey data, newspaper terminology, responsibilities, expectations, opportunities Classified Liners: How to do it, customer service, guidelines, make good policy, scams • Assignment 1: Classified liner worksheet with computer practice o Week 2: 2 sessions, 3 hours each in length Exercise: Practice taking liners over the phone. 2 teams take turns in the office taking live phone calls from the opposing team in the boardroom. AEs learn how to deal with customers, possible problems and how to look out for scams Test 1: Newspaper terminology, Market Survey Data & classified liner protocol tested to measure progress. Once passed, AEs may take live classifieds during office hours. o Week 3: 10 in-office hours + 2 training sessions 3 hours in length Welcome to retail: terminology, deadlines, advertising options, selling strategy • Assignment 2: Create unique selling point and pitch it at next session Web & Preprint Inserts: terminology, selling strategy, deadlines “The good, the bad and the ugly” of the week + Q&A session on how to deal How to sell: prospecting, persistence, cold calls & dealing with advertisers • What to take on a sales call, how to go about it • How to write a business letter & use it as a selling tool • Assignment 3: Write a business letter to an advertiser by next session o Week 4: 10 in-office hours + 2 training sessions 3 hours in length Exercise: How to overcome objections • Split into teams, each team is confronted with objection. • Teams work together to develop a solution pitched by one team member • Rated on confidence & accuracy of response So you’ve sold an ad, now what?! • Steps in completing the ad process, working with production, controversial ads • Establishing credit & signing clients to contract Test 2: Retail, web and insert terminology, objections, rates, selling strategies • Once passed, AEs begin full AE office hours with full responsibilities Established Employees • Advancement process (See page 3) o Commission levels increase with levels of advancement Associate AE: 4%, Account Executive: 6%, Senior Account Executive: 8% Advancement is made possible by completing the requirements on the advance card • Training Sessions and Staff Meetings o Weekly staff meetings held for crash training sessions and increased communication o Other staff meetings may be scheduled to review in depth topics • Teams o 3-4 teams meet weekly with team leaders to discuss concerns, updates & deadlines o Competitions held between teams for most sales to encourage competition and teamwork • Incentives for sales: o Individual goals: Surpassing individual goal results in following Bonus: If either classified goal or display goal is supassed—2% the difference between monthly sales and goal If both goals are surpassed—3% the difference o Departmental goals: Encourages account executives to operate as a team and encourage each other to accomplish their individual goals 10% difference between monthly revenue and sales goals distributed among account executives, traffic managers and graphic artists
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE ADVANCE CARD Name: Start Date: Sales Calls Complete more than 30 sales calls a week for eight consecutive weeks. Have the Ad Manager view your calls and sign each week. Week1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8
Reliability On time for all office hours and meetings during 8 consecutive weeks. Have the Ad Manager sign each week. Week1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4
Week 5 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8
Ride Alongs Each must include a summary of one thing that you learned or taught. Attach these to the advance card. Complete five quality ride alongs with a Senior AE or Ad Manager Location AE 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Complete five quality ride alongs with an AE 1) 2) 3) 4) 5) Cold Calls Complete at least 50 cold calls. Cold calls are the first contact with a potential new customer or a customer that has not been contacted in at least 4 months. Attach these to the advance card.
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE ADVANCE CARD New Advertisers Recruit three new advertisers, print or online. 123Sales Plans Develop five campaigns or sales plans and present them to a client. You must have Ad Manager approval before presentation. 12345Sales Tip Present a sales tip at a staff meeting. Arrange a topic and meeting time with the Ad Manager and/or Team Leader.
Web Ad Sell at least 1 web ad, 2 featured dining guide listings or 1 poster
Contracts Sign three customers to renewed, new or increased contracts. 123Goal Liner - Month: _____________ Display - Month: _____________ Advertising Manager Approval Yes No
Goal: ___________ Goal: ___________
Best Training Program, The State News The Oh Sh*#% Guidebook People forget, plain and simple. With an advertising staff of more than 20 selling multiple customized products, it’s no surprise that every once in a while an account executive, veteran or rookie, smacks themselves upside the head and says “Duh, self. Real slick.” This is why, even after initial training is over, it’s important for account executives to have a quick reference, or should we be honest and say “savior,” for those times in which our brains seem to fail us In answer to these “brain-fart” moments, we at The State News created a tool that is stocked full of info, *#% organized and to the point. We present to you our “Oh Sh Guidebook, Your State News Companion.” The Oh Shit Guidebook is 20 pages filled with information ranging from a daily checklist to the skinny on each of our products, including liner abbreviations, how to use the phones and even taking care of other people’s poop. Below is a breakdown of our Table Of Contents. Page 1 – The daily checklist, deadline map and phone help o The daily checklist and deadline map allow AEs to prioritize what they’ve got to do before leaving for the day o How to use the phones: Ensures wrong extensions and transfers don’t happen. Page 2 – The Quick Facts Sheet o Addresses, phone numbers, websites, emails, circulation info, sections of the paper, professional staff members Pages 3&4 – Updated schedules and contact sheets for AEs and managers Page 5 – Liners o An updated list of abbreviations, an example greeting, ad checklist and possible problems AEs may run into Page 6-9 – The Cheat Sheets o A quick reference for our range of products from the daily edition to web, inserts and AdRax (aka Posters) o The product nitty-gritty, deadlines, and what to do once a sale is made Page 10 – Changing the Paper Past Deadline o Nobody likes missing deadlines, but it’s happened at least once to everyone. This is a step-by-step process to making changes to the paper after deadlines have passed. Page 11 – Changing An Ad That’s Already Scheduled In The Computer’s Business System o This is for clients that decide to add borders, bold words, add page requests etc. after their ad has already been created in the computer. Every computer business system is finicky about a few things, so this page breaks down what the computer understands and doesn’t so AEs can make sure the ad runs as it’s supposed to. Page 12 – Reserving Special Pages o This page breaks down the rules and walks the AE through scheduling the specific request. Page 13 – Taking Care of Other People’s Poop. o When an AE is handling somebody else’s stuff, it can be nerve racking. This page is dedicated to proper steps in communication and process for the situation. The page is divided into two sections: when people are out of the office at that instance and when people are out of the office for vacation. Page 14-15 – Why You Should Never Be Bored At Work o Our AEs are not paid hourly, they are paid on commission. We’d like to think this keeps them working non-stop but unfortunately, that isn’t always the case. There are times that AEs aren’t sure where to start, feel as if they’re hitting a wall or aren’t sure how to step up in the office. These pages cover all of those things. Pages 16+ - These pages are reserved for any info AEs would like to add. Mostly, promotional materials and selling tips fill these pages. Some managers choose to fill these pages with their additional duties. It provides a perfect customizable outlet for anything AEs feel was not covered. When this guidebook was introduced, account executives sighed with relief. Although it’s been around a short while, mistakes and questions have almost diminished entirely. In fact, an AE entered the ad manager’s office earlier this week, sat down, stood right back up and said, “Oh Shit, I know where to find the answer to that,” before turning around to open their State News Companion.
The Daily Collegian Business Training Program – Penn State University The Collegian Business Division offers students of all majors a chance to explore many different areas of running a business. Training takes place every semester, including summer. We train about 75 students a year in our comprehensive business training program. For Fall Semester 2007, for example, we trained 34 students for Advertising Sales, Customer Service and Creative entry-level positions. We had 80 applications for these 34 training slots. It is competitive to get into our program. (Right now we have about 85 students in the Business Division; about 37 of those are in advertising sales.) We are an independent student newspaper; students do not receive academic credit for their participation. Our goal is to prepare our students for professional business careers when they leave the staff, whatever career path they follow. Through a combination of classroom training and hands-on experience, our semester-long training program is designed to make our trainees comfortable with Collegian operations before they are expected to take responsibility on their own. Trainees are accepted into the training program as either customer service, creative or advertising sales trainees. All groups go through the training together, though they have different requirements out of the classroom. Only after trainees successfully complete the training program are they accepted onto the staff. They are assigned as customer service representatives, creative specialists or advertising account executives. After one semester in these positions, they may apply for management or senior specialist positions. In addition to the Customer Service, Creative and Sales Departments, we have two smaller departments: Layout and Promotions It is competitive to win a specialist position in the smaller departments, and staff members must go through an additional tier of training to become a candidate for specialist positions. Staff members who wish to apply for management positions must complete our Leadership Development Training Program before they are considered for advancement. The Daily Collegian Business Division also offers continuing development for our student staff members. We invite faculty members and community leaders to attend Board of Managers and All Staff meetings to educate, mentor and motivate our staff. We also invite recruiters to address our staff members. Many Collegian alumni come back to recruit from the staff, and they are welcome to participate in staff meetings. We believe that our students give so much of themselves to The Daily Collegian that we owe it to them to give them excellent training and access to as much education and guidance as possible. The Collegian Business Division Training Program offers Penn State students the following: •
A Comprehensive Business Training Program:
Our training program is unique in the college newspaper industry. We take a whole semester to train our staff members before ever asking them to service clients on their own. There is no financial compensation during training. We integrate Collegian institutional knowledge and procedures with a broad range of good basic business practices. We use our Collegian Code of Ethics as a starting point to make sure new staff members are aware that we always strive to be an honest and principled business. We integrate an understanding of how business and news must respect boundaries to operate professionally. Business Division trainees have two evening training classes a week for ten weeks. In addition, they are assigned three class periods a week of hands-on training in our business office. All trainees have a two-hour training session to learn our graphics program. All trainees also must accompany senior account executives on their sales routes. All trainees must produce a specified number of spec ads before finishing training. (see Training Schedule) The training program is extensive and thorough. It is designed to make the trainee feel comfortable and through a mentoring system, we attempt to make all trainees feel like an
The Daily Collegian – Penn State
3-c CNBAM Training Program Entry
important part of the Collegian. Attrition is very low, and we credit our training program with breeding loyalty and confidence into the newest members of our team. By making sure that our trainees are thoroughly prepared for their staff positions, they are eager, not fearful, to accept responsibility. • Measuring progress We measure the trainees’ progress through a point system, which awards points for role playing, quality of spec ads, attendance, attending department meetings, going on sales routes with account executives and extra effort. It is an objective way to assess our trainees and for them to make sure they are staying on target with expectations. Trainees are updated throughout the training on their points. (see Point System example) • Leadership Development Program We developed a Leadership Development tier to our training program in order to give aspiring managers some additional education and experience before they become managers. As Collegian managers, they will be part of the Board of Managers, the group of students who run the Business Division. Part of the Leadership Development Training Program allows the potential manager to spend time with every department to learn what they do. They also spend time with professional staff members to get some background knowledge of Collegian and advice on issues facing our organization. Prospective managers and leaders also attend Management Team meetings to observe how News and Business make decisions that affect the whole organization • Continuing Education We invite professors, visitors and community leaders in to address our staff. Sometimes a guest will just come to a Board of Managers meeting to provide insight into specific issues; sometimes a guest will come to an all-staff meeting to inspire all 100 members of our staff. It is good for the staff to hear from all kinds of people and hear what they have to say from an outside perspective. • Fun We aren’t all business! Trainees are invited to join in all Business Division social activities. During fall 2007, for example, trainees went on a hayride, joined intramural football and volleyball teams and attended the formal. This is a very social place and people like to have fun!
Our goals Frequent personnel transitions are inevitable on the staff of any college newspaper. Our training program addresses this issue by making sure our incoming staff members are thoroughly trained before taking on their own clients. They do a lot of shadowing, a lot of role playing and make a lot of spec ads as trainees. They meet their clients by the end of their training semester to allow for a seamless transition. With all trainees and staff members receiving the same training in ethics, selling skills, graphics training and hands-on experiences, our staff is cohesive and we have very little attrition. That builds a strong, dedicated and professional staff. And that’s what The Daily Collegian’s training program is all about!
Daily Collegian Business Division Training Schedule for Fall 2007 Training is on Mondays from 5:30-6:30 p.m. and Wednesdays from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Training begins on Monday, Oct. 9, and goes until Wednesday, Dec. 6. You will also be required to attend some sales meetings, creative department meetings or customer service staff meetings. Part of the mandatory training requires you to schedule three periods a week in the Collegian office for “hands on” training (during the day). All trainees will be required to schedule graphics training sessions and must go out on sales routes with our account executives to get a first hand picture of active selling. You will also be assigned checklists and spec ad assignments. This comprehensive training program ensures that you will be successful as a Collegian staff member. Here is the exact schedule:
The Daily Collegian – Penn State
3-c CNBAM Training Program Entry
Customer Service, Creative and Sales Training September Monday, Sept. 24 – 5:30-6:30 p.m. - All managers - Get Acquainted Night Wednesday, Sept. 26 – 5:30-6:30 p.m. - Introduce our publications, ad sizes & prices October Monday, Oct. 1 - 5:30-6:30 p.m. - Code of Ethics, Legal Issues, In-house policies for staff, defining the working relationship between Business and News. Wednesday, Oct. 3 – 5:30-6:30 p.m. - Creative session - spec ads, house ads, promos Monday, Oct. 8 - 5:30-6:30 p.m. - Brad - Design Seminar - Part 1 Wednesday, Oct. 10 – 5:30-6:30 p.m. - Brad - Design Seminar - Part 2 Monday, Oct. 15 - 5:30-6:30 p.m. - National advertising, Preprints, Credit Issues Wednesday, Oct. 17 - 5:30-6:30 p.m. - Selling Skills - Basics of Selling, using marketing information Monday, Oct. 22 - 5:30-6:30 p.m. - Collegian Specific Selling Skills, Ad Plans Wednesday, Oct. 24 - 5:30-6:30 p.m. - Objections, Closing the Sale, Role Play examples with managers, Introduce mentors to their assigned trainees. Monday, Oct. 29 - 5:30-6:30 p.m. - Customer Service - The Perfect Insertion Order and more Wednesday, Oct. 31 - 5:30-6:30 p.m. - Customer Service, Collegian Jeopardy game! November Monday, Nov. 5 - 5:30-6:30 p.m. – Classified Advertising, pricing, acceptability Wednesday, Nov. 7 - 5:30-6:30 p.m. – Spotting advertising scams. Scams that are making the rounds right now. Cautionary tales from Collegian history regarding classified problems. Monday, Nov. 12 - 5:30-6:30 p.m. - Customer Service - Simulation Session Wednesday, Nov. 14 - 5:30-6:30 p.m. – Workshop: Ad plans, manager role playing using marketing info. Layout & Promotions - what they do Monday, Nov. 26 - 5:30-6:30 p.m. – Split groups into departments for hands-on training tonight. Wednesday, Nov. 28 — 5:30-6:30 p.m. - Odd & Ends - Things we might have skimmed over! December Monday, Dec. 3 - 5:30-6:30 p.m. - Role Play Night - Sales Wednesday, Dec. 5 - 5:30-6:30 p.m. - Role Play Night – Sales (if necessary)
The Daily Collegian Penn State University Sales Trainee Point System Fall 2007 One thing we’ve discovered along the way, is that sales people like competition. The Point System serves two main purposes: ♦ It allows the business adviser, the managers and the student staff to objectively assess the Sales Trainees’ performance during this important phase of training. ♦ It allows the Sales Trainees an opportunity to see how they do when all the motivation has to come from within themselves. The Point System kicks in Monday, Oct. 29, and runs until the last selling day of the semester, Wednesday, Dec. 12. There are several ways to accumulate points, and points must be accumulated in all areas.
Here are all the details: The Daily Collegian – Penn State
3-c CNBAM Training Program Entry
Ways to get points Attending Sales Meetings: There are six sales meeting which the Sales Trainees are expected to attend. Meetings are every Monday at 4:45 p.m. The dates are: Monday, Oct. 29 Monday, Nov. 5 Monday, Nov. 12 Monday, Nov. 26 Monday, Dec. 3 Monday, Dec. 10 There will be a brief training session following each sales meeting. Two points accrued for each sales meeting. Possible total: 12 points. Creating Spec Ads: Sales Trainees MUST produce a minimum of *5 spec ads on the computer, using Corel Draw. One is due each week. Each spec has specific criteria. Training Specialist Brad Mosier will grade your specs. Your last assigned spec is due Friday, Dec. 7. Point range is from 1 (not good) to 5 (excellent). You may certainly turn in more than five spec ads. You may get points for as many as eight specs. 1-5 points each. Possible total: 40 points. * You will be given guidelines for your specs, which must follow the basics of ad design Learning to create Web ads: Training Specialist Brad Mosier, will run a training session on how to create a Web ad. Part of your training is to use this information to create a web ad. You need to turn your ad in to me in a printed version, and post on your account. Points: 10 Must be turned in by Wednesday, Dec. 5. Going out on Routes with Account Executives: You MUST get familiar with going out on the routes. This is critical for all Sales Trainees. Every time you go on a route with an account executive, you will fill out a Daily Activity Report detailing your adventure! Each DAR counts as one point. This where it becomes obvious who are the real “sales people” and who is not particularly self-motivated. Beginning Wednesday, Oct. 31, there are 26 selling days left in the semester, meaning 26 possible Daily Activity Reports. I expect a minimum of 5 DARs from any Sales Trainee who wants a route! The Daily Activity Reports are very detailed and we expect you to go on routes where there will be active selling!! Important point: Plan your time. We only want ONE trainee to go out with a designated account exec at a time. Possible points: 26. Mandatory points: 5. You must go on several routes before your role playing exercise. You must go out with at least four different account execs. HINT: Do NOT cram all your routes into the last week of the semester. This is no way to learn, and does not impress the managers when they are assigning routes. Role Playing Assignment: You will receive your role playing assignment at the sales meeting Monday, Nov. 5. You will have time to prepare for this event. Role plays will be on Monday, Dec. 3, and Wednesday, Dec. 5. You will need spec ads, an ad plan, first hand knowledge of the client’s business and a well-thought-out recommendation for the client. Points will be assigned from 1-10 based on your performance, product knowledge and The Daily Collegian – Penn State
3-c CNBAM Training Program Entry
preparation. Possible points: 10 The advertising manager, the sales managers and the business adviser will decide on points for this. Additional points may be earned by servicing clients when account executives are not available due to job interviews or other unforeseen circumstances. If one of your spec ads is sold and used in the paper, you get an extra point! If you cover a route for an a.e. who is out of town you get an extra point. In addition, the advertising manager may ask you to do tasks which may be used to add points to your total.
The Daily Collegian – Penn State
3-c CNBAM Training Program Entry
The Sales Training Program in Student Media Marketing is a four-day interactive series of sessions that incorporate product knowledge and customer service to enable account executives to offer the best solutions for their clients’ advertising needs. Sessions are held in August for new hires, as well as any time during the year that account executives are hired. The sales manager and marketing director, both of whom provide a wealth of knowledge in the advertising arena, lead the program in a one-on-one setting. The program is intensive, yet the session leaders do not overwhelm attendees. They take the program step-by-step, answering questions that attendees may have and explaining the answers in easy-to-understand detail. The first day is more of a general overview, where session leaders explain Student Media and its departments. They show attendees how the sales department fits into a much bigger picture. Session leaders give a tour of the offices, explaining where the most important tools are located and explain how to use them. The emphasis is on the sales office, as that is where executives spend much of their time, and areas of interest are pointed out. After the tour, attendees are introduced to the staff of professionals and students from other departments. This is when attendees are encouraged to use professional staff as a resource and ask questions as needed. After a short break, attendees review materials that explain our publications, how they are produced and demographics. Roles and responsibilities are outlined clearly at this time, as job descriptions are handed out. Also at this time, attendees fill out employment paperwork. To wrap up the day, attendees are given a rate card to review in their own time in preparation for the next day’s session. Day two, is more intense, as attendees are formally introduced to the rate card as it is discussed in detail. Attendees familiarize themselves with the rate card and how it is laid out, and they also learn the difference between on-campus and local rates. In addition to traditional run of the press display advertising, session leaders explain classified advertising,
inserts, color charges, contract levels, discounts, poster advertising and special sections. A lot of emphasis is placed on deadlines and publication dates. Attendees also learn how to calculate column inches and how to easily explain this to clients using our “fake paper sales tool.� They find samples of sizes in issues and are required to complete tests to familiarize themselves with these calculations. Session leaders give attendees scenarios and have them fill out actual paperwork including insertion orders and production requests. After the paperwork, attendees review it for accuracy. Attendees leave with more materials on hand to review and complete during their own time. Day three, includes role-playing before a pre-arranged sales call where the session leader accompanies the account executive. The advertiser has already been contacted and knows what to ask. The session leader makes the introduction and allows the account executive to take it from there. The session leader only interjects when it is absolutely necessary and gives criticism in private when the sales call is finished. This is the point when the account executive knows if the position is something he or she will find enjoyable. The final day of training, is when the new account executive attends an evening sales meeting. He or she is introduced the sales staff and allowed to see how they interact with each other and with management. This is a great experience for the new executive, as he or she gets to hear about good experiences and concerns of other executives. The sales training program is intense, yet organized and detailed. Attendees are comfortable asking questions and session leaders are always prepared to answer them. Feedback from the program has been positive, and new account executives feel prepared to meet with clients and offer superb customer service with their wealth of product knowledge.
Student Media Marketing Fall Training/New Account Executive Training Schedule It is very important that you attend ALL of the sessions. Please try scheduling other activities for different times for this week of training. We will be moving through the material rather quickly. The information we will be covering will be crucial to your success as an account executive. Every day is a specific session. If for some reason you cannot attend for the entire session, please reschedule with the marketing director at your earliest convenience. We look forward to working with you!
Fall 2007 Schedule Monday, August 20
4:30 - 7:30 pm
SM Conference Room
Tuesday, August 21
4:30 - 7:30 pm
SM Conference Room
Wednesday, August 22
4:30 - 7:30 pm
SM Conference Room
Thursday, August 23
4:30 - 7:30 pm
SM Conference Room
For additional information, feel free to call the Marketing Director at 704.687.3253.
Student Media Marketing Fall Training/New Account Executive Training Session I: General Overview 1. Tour of Student Media All Offices and Personnel and how they all fit into the big picture NinerOnline Sanskrit Literary Arts Magazine University Times Media Marketing including Production Area Main Office Paper Morgue 2. Overview of Student Media Marketing and Student Media as a Whole 3. Question and Answer 4. Completion of paperwork for employment BREAK 5. Discussion about our publication, how it is produced and demographics 6. Discussion about the Advertising Account Executive Job Description (attached)
Session II: Rate Card 1. Rate Card Overview Have trainee review rate card Discuss in detail with special attention to deadlines, and publication dates 2. Rates Difference between on-campus and local open rates Contract levels Color Charges Discounts Special Section rates Inserts Classifieds Nineronline AdRax 3. Column inches using Fake Paper Sales Tool and Rate Card What are column inches? How calculations are done 4. Paperwork Filling out an insertion order calculating column inches Filling out a production request using mock client visit Quiz on both of the above using scenarios
Session III: Role-Playing and actual sales call 1. In-depth role playing where new employee is account executive and marketing director is client 2. Actual sales call with a current client
Session IV: Sales Meeting - Formal introduction to other account executives with refreshments
JOB DESCRIPTION ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Student Media Marketing The Account Executive shall call on and meet with clients to sell advertisements for the publications and service such accounts on a regular basis. Distinguishing Features of the Job: Each Account Executive is hired on a permanent basis and is required to meet all standards and goals. Each Account Executive shall have specified monthly sales quotas to meet. Responsibilities and Duties: • Keeps at least 10 office hours a week between the hours of 8:00 and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday; these office hours will be posted in the office. If, for some reason, he/she cannot be in the office, he/she must inform the Advertising Sales Manager; • Daily phone calls should be made to his or her voice mailbox in order to check phone messages from their clients. • Must maintain weekly and monthly sales quotas established by Advertising Sales Manager; • Attends sales workshops when advised. These workshops will be held upon notice of the Advertising Sales Manager and will be conducted by the Advertising Sales Manager and Marketing Adviser; • Attends all sales meetings; • Logs all calls in account log binder. Each Account Executive will have an account log binder to record all phone conversations with their clients. Under any circumstances the account log binder shall never leave the office; • At the end of employment, he/she must return his/her copy of the Student Media Marketing Handbook and his/her account log binder. The Office Manager will hold the last paycheck; • Proofs his/her ads before the set deadline. Once the ad is proofed he/she should fill out an ad revision/correction form and turn in for the Creative Director. All correct ads, upon proofing, shall be placed in the bin in the Creative Director’s office; • Dresses in a professional manner when meeting with clients or when an occasion deems it necessary and proper; • Maintains open communication between client accounts to insure proper service; • Helps with any walk-in or call-in clients; • Sell a complete line of UTimes products (Special Sections, U-Times, and NinerOnline) • Keep clients informed of any special issues or promotions; • Correctly complete all necessary paperwork; • Adheres to department deadlines; • Monitor contract status of accounts to stay on target; • Adhere to billing and credit policies as posted by the Business Manager; • Provide support and help to other Account Executives • Does related work as needed. Required Knowledge and Skills: •Must be a student currently enrolled at UNC Charlotte; •Must possess and maintain a minimum GPA of 2.0; •Must be in good disciplinary and academic standing with UNC Charlotte •Must work well with others; •Must have good communication skills and project professional image. The Account Executive reports to the Student Media Marketing Advertising Sales Manager and /or Marketing Director. Questions about this position and its responsibilities should be directed to your supervisor. Grievances may be taken to the Student Media Board and/or Student Media Adviser. For further information, contact: Kelly Lusco, Marketing Adviser, Cone University Center, UNC Charlotte, Charlotte, NC 28223-0001 Phone 704/687-2663 The University of North Carolina is composed of the 16 public senior institutions in North Carolina. An equal opportunity employer
The University Daily Kansan--2007 The University Daily Kansan’s extensive and progressive training program is based around two central ideas: instilling personality awareness and Kansan pride. These elements (along with four days of highly detailed sales and product training) are what make The Kansan’s training program a unique experience that seems new and exciting for even the sixth semester salesperson. True Colors Activity: Facilitating Personality Awareness Something we always heavily emphasize during our training at The Kansan is building effective relationships with our clients. In order to do so, we have to understand that no client is exactly alike, and that we must be able to mold ourselves to work with any personality type. To better understand our clients and their needs, we feel it is important to for our representatives to discover essential elements of their own personalities to help them better analyze how to approach other personality types. This activity ultimately leads to increased sales and achieved advertising and personal goals. To help build an understanding of relating one’s own personality traits to working and interacting with clients and coworkers, we implemented the “personality color assessment" activity. This activity helped our representatives identify themselves with a certain sales strategy that best fits their personality type and more quickly identify that of each of their clients. Though this is done at other companies, we put our own Kansan spin on the activity to better fit our environment at our organization. The activity is based on the notion that every person has a personality "color spectrum" consisting of four colors: blue, orange, green and gold. Each person has qualities that these colors represent, though certain colors shine through stronger than the others in each individual. A full description of how the activity is conducted is included in the appendix. Again, the overall goal of this activity is for our representatives to gain a better, clearer understanding of their personalities, while at the same time learning how to more effectively communicate with their clients by understanding their personality traits. We began this activity in training this fall and The Kansan saw an immense growth in revenue on our staff. We have previously had an award-winning training program, and we are confident that this activity will continue to increase The Kansan’s success. Instilling Kansan Pride: The Kansan prides itself on the fact that it is made for students, by students. As KU students, The Kansan’s employees have the ability to give valuable insight to advertisers on how to effectively reach more students. Our employee’s pride and belief in the product shines throughout all client interactions, and this pride is first instilled during The Kansan’s training week. The Kansan’s hiring and recruitment advertisements feature the value of working for an awardwinning college newspaper. Managers visit introductory journalism courses, and emphasize how successful individuals can be if they are hired for the advertising staff. Students can then visualize themselves working in the “real world,” and many are intrigued that they too can gain
valuable experience creating campaigns, working through client objections and learning how to develop their professionalism. Beginning the first day of The Kansan’s training, managers and returning representatives introduce themselves to the new staff members. Immediately, the new employees realize that some individuals have worked for The Kansan for four or five semesters, and these new employees can visualize themselves gaining similar experiences. Managers also share personal success stories, which further adds to the new employees understanding the impact they can have on The Kansan and their clients’ businesses. Throughout training, our returning employees stress the importance of commitment and determination to achieve and surpass one’s monetary and personal goals. During training, new employees are paired with returning representatives, and they further learn about the benefits and advantages of advertising in The Kansan. Although readers of the paper, the new employees do not initially realize The Kansan’s direct and indirect effects on both students and advertisers. Managers lead various training sessions, including: competitive media, marketing, promotions, objection handling, etc. which further contributes to the employee’s growing knowledge of The Kansan’s ability to connect with students. At the end of the week, new employees understand the true value of reaching the KU student market through a strong partnership with The Kansan. The Kansan’s account executives, classified account executives, graphic designers and managers daily decisions prove that the staff is proud to represent the newspaper to the community. Never settling for the ordinary, The Kansan’s continued success derives from instilling Kansan pride on an employee’s first day.
I. II.
APPENDIX True Colors Activity Description Abbreviated Fall 2007 Training Schedule
The following is the process by which we conduct the Personality Color Assessment activity. 1. We have a series of questions in a survey form that require each person to rate, on a scale of one through four, what most applies to them. Each statement is related to a different color that is unknown to the person at the time. After each question is answered, each person adds up their point total for each color column. 2. Each person organize four colored cards that each describe differing personality qualities in the order it relates to them. Based on the order they are organized, each color is given a point value of one through four (four being the highest, or most like the person), and those points are added to the point totals from the columns in the first step. 3. Now, each person, having added up their point totals know their personality color spectrum. For example, someone might have 17 points attributed to gold, 15 to blue, 13 to green, and 10 to orange, and that would be their spectrum. In this example we observe that gold would be this person's strongest personality trait, and orange would be the least. We then have each person on staff divide into groups based on their strongest colors and explain to each group what each color means. When we tell the golds, for example, what it means to be gold, they are shocked by how accurate the results are pertaing to their own personalities. 4. We then ask each group to solve a series of problems within their groups. The purpose of this is to display how people of the same colors have tendencies to solve problems in very similar ways, while they differ greatly from how other colors solve their problems. 5. We then have each group come up with a list of the most effective way to communicate with others of their color. We also have them make lists of how NOT to interact with them, or ways that would result in inefficient communication. Groups are surprised by how much people in their color group have in common with them in regards to the best way to communicate or interact. By understanding these lists, each group can better understand how to interact with others of different color groups. 6. Lastly, we have each person glance over their list of clients and try to identify what strong colors they would possess. Based on that knowledge, our reps should have a better understanding of how to approach and communicate with those clients. If a client can be identified as a gold, for example, their rep can take the necessary steps toward communicating and managing the account to better fit the mindset and personality of the gold client. This, in most cases, should lead to a better client/rep relationship, thus generating more sales.
Fall 2007 Training The University Daily Kansan Advertising Monday, August 6, 2007 8:30
Managers and returners meet in the ad office
9:00
All meet in Room 100 St-F • Welcome! • Staff introductions
9:30
Zones meet • General job expectations • Manager’s expectations for zone • Commission structure and bonuses
11:00 General Introduction to Kansan products ! Rate Card Overview Pt. 1 ! Broadsheet ! Classified ! Jayplay ! Kansan.com ! Hawkchalk.com ! Special Sections 12:30 Lunch with zone/department 1:45
Meet your buddy • Rate Card Overview Pt. 2 • Contract Basics • How to size and price an ad
3:00
True Colors: Personality Awareness Activity with Ari
4:00
Meet with buddy • Additional sizing/pricing practice • Rate Card Quiz
4:30: Rate Card War 5:00 Wrap-Up
NT Daily Fall 2007 Getting you up to PAR! By Adam R. Reese
NT Daily @ UNT Welcome to Fall Training Introductions….
Breakfast Complete New-Hire Packet!
Adam R. Reese Nineteen years sales experience Ten years management experience Proven skills in strategic planning, advertising, promotions, publicity, public relations and consulting Ability to multi-task projects Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
NORTH TEXAS DAILY, Denton, TX 2006-Present Advertising Manager/Coordinator Requested to return and serve as coordinator and advertising manager Maintain revenues each semester in upwards of $185,000 Recruit, retain, train and mentor staff 6 outside sales reps Work with advisor, editor, business manager, production manager and director Ensure the success of the paper working with the above individuals Serve on Publications committee for selection of editor each semester Maintain all on-campus accounts and non-profit accounts Maintain all national advertising accounts and international accounts Total Sales to date: $130,227.52 TOTAL OFFICE SALES: $357,134.84 Reese Marketing, Oklahoma and Texas 1999-Present Owner/Marketing Executive Self-employed, self-motivated Sales and Marketing of various products and services Contracted with various organizations and businesses Auction Services – Live auction and online sales North Texas Daily, Denton, TX 2003-2004 Advertising Manager (May 2004 – December 2004) Served as Advertising Coordinator and Sales Manager during Summer Managed staff of ten students Maintained motivation through weekly sales meetings and continuous training Organized layout of paper Assisted committee in hiring an Advertising Coordinator Sales/Assistant Manager (Aug. 2003 – May 2004) Maintained approximately 100 clients in Denton and DFW regions Exceeded sales goals by up selling clients and establishing new clients Assisted Manager with daily operations of office and motivation of sales staff Attended College Newspapers, Advertising and Business Managers National Convention (CNBAM) Lead two national round-table discussions Nominated for National Student Representative, lost by one vote
Sunny’ Sunny’s Cellular, Hobart, OK 1999-2001 Co-Dealer Established new customer base in Southwest Oklahoma Maintained and up sold customers utilizing excellent customer service Developed advertising and marketing of new products and services Provided technical support and management of customer accounts Oak Creek Village, Granbury, TX 1999 Housing Consultant Established new sales through cold-calls and appointment setting Provided customer needs through extensive interview and presentation Spec and show homes through feature/benefit presentation NTS Communications, Weatherford, OK 1997 Established new accounts with business to business sales and cold calling. Maintained accounts throughout Southwest Oklahoma Increased revenues each month with enhanced client base 54 Motor Sales, Gotebo-Mt.View-Hobart, OK 1987-1998 Inspect, appraise and purchase automobiles at area auto auctions Buy, sell, trade and repossess automobiles Advertising and display of vehicles Maintain profit, loss, and bank transactions for partnership
Humanmetrics.com Adam R. Reese The Supervisor and ESTJ 100% Extroverted, 12% sensing, 12% Thinking, 1% judging The human metrics test nailed me almost exactly. I have taken many different tests of this type and always come out with the same results. Within “The Portrait of the Supervisor” Supervisor” states that I am on the side of rules and procedures… procedures…I do believe that rules and procedures are important, however I also believe there is more than one way to skin a cat. When it comes to my sales team, I am strict on the procedure of the paperwork and ad copy etc… etc…however I am not strict on “this is how you have to sell.” sell.” I am very civic-minded and a key player in many organizations within UNT and the community. This is something I have done since I was very young. Always came natural to me to step up and volunteer for a task or for a group. I have no trouble vocalizing my role within any organization as well. I love to give my time, talent, energy and gifts to organizations that I serve… serve…in return I am the one that is rewarded most. The print out of Extraverted Sensing Thinking Judging by Joe Butt identifies off the bat that I thrive on order and continuity… continuity… I guess in some ways I do, however I love change and seek it out. If the organization or job is the same day in and day out… out… I become stagnant and actively seek new challenges. The part speaking about joiners is absolutely true. I moved to Denton and within the first 3 weeks joined FUMC and three choirs. From that, my involvement in the Denton community has snowballed over the past four years. I am very connected with civic, religious, non-profit, and social organizations in north Texas. Tradition is also important to me. I prefer the traditional religious service over the non-traditional. I do my best to remember birthdays etc… etc… and with the help of the electronic world, I have gotten a lot better at it. Even if I just send an email to a friend on their birthday, it is important to me that I have at least made the effort to contact them on their special day. Provide and receive good service… service… yes that is essential in my work and personal life. Advertising is a people to people business; you have to take care of the client to keep them coming back and buying more. Personal life… life… I demand great service in restaurants and expect nothing but perfection. In return they are rewarded and/or reprimanded. My work ethic is about power and position and my team succeeding. I do not put up with laziness and generally do not accept any excuses for a job not completed correctly. I continue to preach “this is not rocket science, my nephew can do just as well as you.” you.” I am extremely outspoken and speak my mind no matter the results. Sometimes this gets me in trouble, but in general it is better to speak up and be heard than not be heard at all. I will never back down on something that I truly believe is right. I like the Harry S. Truman quote, “If you can’ can’t stand the heat, get out of the kitchen.” kitchen.” That is exactly my philosophy in the professional world.
Identify your team! Online Personality Quiz Humanmetrics.com
Review personalities! Discussion
Shape of your Personality! Choose a shape! Doesn’t matter – no right or wrong.
Rectangle Square Triangle Circle Squiggly
Some basic Expectations Make your Goal This is your number one duty!
Attend Weekly Sales Meeting In office a minimum of 1 1/2 hours per day Make calls, turn in ad copy, check dummies Meet with me – Weekly Sales Reports
Attitude Always positive, pro-active, professional
Seattle Pikes Fish Market http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nlk28JWuGs • PLAY • MAKE THEIR DAY • BE THERE • CHOOSE YOUR ATTITUDE
FISH!!! THE PHILOSOPHY What ideas do you have to make work more FUN? What do you think will make others SMILE? What do you already do to put people in a BETTER MOOD? How can you make your Positive energy CONTAGIOUS? What should you do to truly BE THERE?
FISH! THE PHILOSOPHY PLAY! We put more energy into what we enjoy, and finding ways to “play” can lead to greater productivity and creativity. Play is NOT about acting irresponsibly. Play IS about finding ways to have more fun accomplishing SERIOUS GOALS! How do we want to PLAY?
FISH! THE PHILOSOPHY MAKE THEIR DAY! When you “make someone’s day” (or even moment) through a small kindness or a memorable engagement, you can turn even routine encounters into special memories. Few things are as rewarding and infectious as lifting another person’s spirits and the act of serving others.
When did someone last “Make your day?”
FISH! THE PHILOSOPHY BE THERE The glue in our humanity is in being FULLY present for one another. BEING THERE also is a great way to practice wholeheartedness and fight burnout. It is those halfhearted tasks you perform while juggling other things that wear you out!
What does it mean to BE THERE?
FISH! THE PHILOSOPHY CHOOSE YOUR ATTITUDE When you look for the worst you WILL FIND IT everywhere! When you look for the best YOU WILL FIND opportunities you never imagined possible. YOU have the power to choose your attitude. Find yourself with an attitude you don’t want, you can choose another!!
WHAT ATTITUDE DO YOU CHOOSE?
ATTITUDE The longer I live, the more I realize the impact of attitude on life. Attitude to me is more important than facts. It is more important than the past, than education, than money, than circumstances, than failures, than success, than what other people say or do. It is more important than appearance, gift or skill. It will make or break a company, a church, a home. The remarkable thing is we have a choice every day regarding the attitude we will embrace for that day. We cannot change our past… we cannot change the fact that people will act in a certain way… we cannot change the inevitable. The only thing we can do is play on the string we have, and that is our attitude. I am convinced that life is 10 percent what happens to me and 90 percent how I react to it. And so it is with you… we are in charge of our attitudes. - Dr. Charles Swindoll, author and radio speaker
Break Time!!  Take 7 minutes
PRINT SELLING SECRET Winning A T T I T U D E S
A lways make today your best day T ake pride in a job well done T reat others with respect I solate your negative thoughts T reat every new task as an opportunity U tilize your talents daily D o the job right the first time E xpect positive outcomes daily S peak well of others every day
Intro to Paperwork!!
Rate card Insertion Order Adjustment Memo Ad Copy Sheet Weekly Sales Reports Commission Sheets
Advertising Sales NT Daily Insertion Order Complete an insertion order No blanks left empty!
All clients must sign insertion orders PRE-PAYMENT Do not sell ‘credit’ we accept all major credit cards, checks, cash and money order
Receipt What goes where? What time?
Advertising Sales NT Daily Ad Layout Sheet All ad copy must be on an ad layout sheet
Account Name (as listed) Run Date Ad size Color or no color If color, highlight what part of ad is in color
Full printout of ad is required (shrink to fit) Ad copy change – highlight what changed
When/Where/Why/How?
Advertising Sales NT Daily Manifest Daily list of ads to run Your duty to check or have checked daily at 2:30
Verify: Size, price, name, copy reference No copy reference, CHANGE immediately
Ad not listed
Check original insertion order Add to manifest following procedure Business manager must sign new manifest Give copy of new manifest to ad manager
Advertising Sales NT Daily COMMISSION SHEETS! Daily record of your sales Keep in folder on your desk Organize by date
Take time to complete all for the entire semester Use rate card to compute run dates.
Advertising Sales NT Daily SELLING AN INSERT Complete insertion order Label as Insert
MINIMUM 10,000 copies Shipped to DFW Printing
All inserts must be approved by manager Copy left in client folder Copy given to production (ad copy box)
Insertion order Where/Why/How Many?
Advertising Sales NT Daily WWW.NTDAILY.COM Insertion order Completed with client name Dates circled to run i.e. Month of February
Ad Copy Turn into proof box as “online ad” on Ad copy sheet
Where/Why/How?
Advertising Sales NT Daily DUMMIES Copy of layout of paper Check Daily Verify: Correct ad, size, date, placement (if special section)
Initial
Black BOX Attach ad copy immediately to dummies
Return dummies to proof box in ad office If last to initial – take to production office door inbox
Advertising Sales NT Daily ADVERTISING PROOFS Ad to be built, re-designed etc… DUE: 48 hours prior to scheduled deadline for insertion Place on Ad Copy sheet Put in proof box (24 hour turnaround)
Final approved Keep original in client folder (dated)
Advertising Sales NT Daily Inter-Office Communications Phone Messages Desks – leave on clip next to name plate Use the “While you were out” tablets Included: Name, Date, Time, purpose of call, and your signature
Ad Manager – leave on small cork board on office door
Dry Erase board Check daily for updates
Bulletin Board – Ad Manager’s door Posted memo’s, messages, and information Check Daily
Email and Facebook! Utilize electronic communication and networking.
Advertising Sales NT Daily Office Communication Phone Answer all calls regardless by 3rd ring Assist caller if possible, otherwise take message
To answer extension other than your own Press *17
To transfer to another extension Press “flash” dial last four digits, hang up receiver when ringing
PRACTICE THIS NOW!
Advertising Sales NT Daily External Office Communications Mail (office use only) Proposals, RFP’s etc… mailed to clients Customer service will mail for you When available – utilize email
Tear sheets Customer service handles tear sheets
Clients within Denton YOU take copy of paper to them, DO NOT MAIL
Advertising Sales NT Daily Client List Master list maintained in office Any changes, notify Ad Manager immediately
Your list List of your assigned clients All clients must be called by end of 2nd week These clients belong to you for one semester Client changes and rotation may be done at anytime
Can I call on someone else other than what is listed on my client list?
Advertising Sales NT Daily HOT LIST Any potential client not on the master client list – Place on HOT LIST i.e. new prospects
You have one month to close the client After one month, client may be re-assigned
HOT LIST is updated each month What happens if I call on another AE’s client?
Advertising Sales NT Daily Time and Consistency A great rep spends 40% of time in person-to-person contact. 64% of calls made are made on the wrong people 80% of all sales are made after five calls 46% of sales people call once and quit 25% of sales people call twice and quit 12% of sales people call three times and quit ONLY 10 % keep on calling
10% of sales people make 80% of sales! BE THE TOP 10
Break Time Any questions? Get ready for a quiz! Take 6 minutes
Daily Jeopardy Who? What? When? Where? How?
Advertising Sales 101 Time Management Your time is valuable, treat it that way. Prioritize your clients into lists.
A. Customers who will buy B. Customers who might buy. C. Customers who with a push – might buy.
Spend the majority of your time with A and B customers Everyone will eventually buy – may have to change approach! Schedule appointments – Do not just drop in!!
Advertising Sales 101 Schedule your appointments in the same geographical area Cold call on other clients in the same area after researching their potential and after all appointments have been visited Keep all appointments and office hours in a date book/scheduler to keep organized Make a to do list daily, weekly and monthly utilizing daily sales report document
Advertising Sales 101 Prospecting Always be prospecting!! Everyone is a potential client Keep business and rate cards with you always!!
Keep an open eye for new business and/or businesses that are not advertising Verify they are not on client list
Set the meeting and take spec ads with you
Advertising Sales 101 PROSPECT WHO?
Referrals New businesses Facebook
Current advertisers’ Competitors. Yellow pages
Denton Scrambler College Guide Val-Pak
Seasonal Business Former Advertiser
DRC Other area papers Everywhere
Chamber Bill boards Flyers
Advertising Sales 101 Set the appointment! Determine who the decision maker is Know the client/learn all you can Create Interest and Value
Once accomplished – the appointment will be in the palm of your hand – ASK FOR IT and you will RECEIVE!
Advertising Sales 101 To set the appointment Introduce yourself and state who you work for – Make sure you are speaking with the decision maker Tell the person why you are calling Give them a choice of two different days Day is set – give option of time Set a precise time Most effective are un-even times 2:10, 3:40 etc..
Have another AE call to confirm – 24 hours prior
Advertising Sales 101 Appointment setting verbiage! May I speak to the owner or manager? May I speak to the person who handles the Yellow Pages? May I speak to the person in charge of advertising? I’d like to speak to someone about reaching the UNT community!
Most effective – Know who you should speak with prior to making the call!!!
Advertising Sales 101
Set the appointment ROLL PLAY!!!
End of the Day! Review Questions?
Pot – Luck? Two Snack-Trays provided I’ll cook something – Any suggestions?
Advertising Sales 101 Why Clients Should Advertise?
Reach new customers Keep pace with competition Be fresh in the buyers’ minds IT WORKS Increase traffic Keep a positive image Reach 32,000 plus with one publication
Advertising Sales 101 Why should they buy from you?
You have provided a solution You listened to their needs You gave them sound advice You provided excellent customer service You make them feel important You created enough value in the product You established a great relationship
Advertising Sales 101 Handling Objections Do not OVERREACT or get defensive Do not react – Respond Reacting comes when being defensive Responding occurs when you acknowledge the objection, agree, then diffuse it by suggesting a solution and help change the client’s feelings
Turn the situation around by focusing on the positive
Advertising Sales 101 Better than the best Customer Service Who is Your Customer? To find out – Exam the industry and the industry needs of each client you have!
Who is your customers’ customer? Age range, Income, Education, Unique preference, Hobbies and Interest?
The better you know your customer, the easier you are able to service their needs
Advertising Sales 101 Male – Female (Mars and Venus) Males – usually respond to facts, figures, strategies and a bottom line dollar of How they will be more successful if they follow your advise! THEY SEEK STATUS!
Females – Usually respond to feelings of trust, value and empathy regarding business challenges. They too are interested in the bottom line dollar, however the emphasis on providing visuals to correspond with your facts and figures will improve your chances of closing the sale! THEY SEEK UNDERTANDING!
Advertising Sales 101 Use of Visuals All prospects enjoy being shown visuals and your chances of presentation retention is 55% greater than if you had no visuals at all. Show them the paper – use a flip chart with specials – establish your own presentation!
Prospects often get actively involved in selling themselves your product or service just by seeing, hearing or feeling good about the features and benefits that you present!
It is the “Dog and Pony show” Roll Play!! What is your Presentation?
Advertising Sales 101 How do you meet their needs? Take on the role of consumer to your prospect and discover the everyday challenges and opportunities of that company. Research the prospect’s needs by examining their strengths and weaknesses. Location, quality, service standards, uniqueness, products and services.
Advertising Sales 101 Why buy from you?
You possess a winning attitude that is contagious! They can trust you! You are a professional problem solver. You are a good will ambassador.
Zig Zigglar – “If you can’t sell your personality, then you have nothing to sell!” When you want to remember how to sell – simply recall how you like to buy!
Advertising Sales 101 Professional Sales Make you Better than the best! Are you a Peddler or a Pro? When you are only interested in personal gain, you are a peddler – When you are interested in servicing your customer, you are a professional! Don’t shoot from the hip – do your research! Establish Rapport Shop with your client Do the visual Presentation
Advertising Sales 101 Do you believe in NT Daily?
What is great about it? Why is it so Special? What can it do for the client? How can it improve the client’s success? How dependable are the results? Why advertise in NT Daily?
Advertising Sales 101 Dress the part! The way a person walks, talks and looks influences how they are perceived. Clothing gives a strong and immediate impression of its’ wearer and is enormously important to nonverbal communication. Grammar, attitude, mannerisms and enthusiasm affects your ability to persuade.
“What you are speaks so loudly that I cannot hear what you are saying!” – Ralph Waldo Emerson
Advertising Sales 101 Selling a Product or a Feeling? You are selling both!
T rust R eliable service U nparalleled growth S uccessful feelings T raditional value
When I am successful I know I have chosen, consciously or unconsciously, to use the positive thoughts that created my success!
Advertising Sales 101 Can you Close that sale? Choose your words carefully! Do use the LET’S when working with a decision Do NOT use words that suggest a negative ‘or else’ approach – Don’t back your client in a corner Under promise and over deliver! Use power words – full of energy! Ask open ended questions Reinforce positive responses with praise and ignore the negative responses by repeating your positive reinforcements. Don’t vomit at the mouth – know when to shut up and Listen!
Advertising Sales 101 The Follow Up! Why should you?
Provide client with updated information Information about specials etc… Continue good will and support Gain knowledge of client’s level of satisfaction and interest in further service Future growth depends on their satisfaction. Repeat clientele are the life blood of any organization!
Promote and feed the personal rapport – they know you care Healthy rapport promotes referrals of new clients
Sell with a purpose and people feel good about what they bought from you and about themselves!
Advertising Sales 101 Good to Great? What will it be? The difference between good and great is you must work towards greatness everyday!
Plan your goals daily Be flexible to deal with obstacles Persevere with confidence Establish goals using SMART Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, and Time bound
Delete “IF” out of your vocabulary Be Prepared for the unexpected Make a commitment to yourself and achieve! Utilize “I CAN” and “I WILL” – to exceed!
What qualities do you have? List them now…
Advertising Sales 101 TOUGH TIMES DON’T LAST – TOUGH SALES PROFESSIONALS DO!! Be Positive!! If you want to be seen as a doer who gets the job done, respond with “I Will” as frequently as possible. Phrases such as “I’ll try” make you appear like a wimp!! Example: Remember all the people who say, “I’ll try to get back to you tomorrow.” They seldom do. Those, however, who say, “I’ll have an answer to you by five,” usually follow through.
This attitude and choice of words will influence others, but it will also influence you to get the job done!
Advertising Sales 101  Take a moment to write your personal goals down!  What are the goals in the office?
NT Daily Spring 2007 Break Time! Questions?
The Successful Rep! Persistent The single most valuable trait of successful ad sales reps is persistence. Not the nagging, badgering, high-pressure type, but rather the kind of persistence that means making regular calls on potential accounts despite the fact they keep saying “No.” The kind of persistence that enables reps to find some new reason to visit the account each week to share some information about the market or the paper that will help them see how valuable it is as means of reaching their target audience!
15 Calls per day – minimum with 5 face-to-face visits per week!
The Successful Rep! Punctual Another important trait of successful sales reps is promptness, making certain to be on time for meetings – with the staff, with the client or with anyone else. Punctuality enables ad reps to gain the confidence of accounts by letting them know they are reliable and will get the job done on time!
Deadlines and Deadlines – Be on time!
The Successful Rep! Polite Successful ad reps are polite to co-workers, accounts and nearly everyone else. They are kind and considerate of the feelings of others and slow to take offense or to “snap back” when someone is irritable or abrupt. They treat others with courtesy and respect.
Do unto others as you would have them do unto you!! Who commanded this?
The Successful Rep! Patient Successful sales reps are patient and willing to spend time listening without interrupting so they can learn as much as possible about eh needs of their accounts and find ways to help gill those needs. They are willing to take time to explain their own points of view clearly rather than get irritated when others disagree with them or appear to miss the point they are trying to make.
Don’t talk yourself out of the sale! Shut-Up and actively listen – that’s when you discover the solutions!
The Successful Rep! Productive (proactive) Successful sales reps are productive. They don’t waste time. They stay on top of changes in the market and use the information to generate new ideas that will help their accounts cope with these changes in a positive manner. Proactive – Acting in anticipation of future problems, needs or changes!
The Successful Rep! Procrastinate They do not! Successful sales reps have learned that putting off doing things that may seem unpleasant or difficult only makes them more so. They have learned to do these things first to get them out of the way while they are still fresh because they know if they do not, they will simply nag at the back of their mind, taking the pleasure out of other activities. For example, if an error occurs in one of their ads, they don’t avoid seeing the account or wait for the client to calla and complain. Instead they make it a point to see that person as early as possible and let him or her know they are aware of the problem and are working to correct it.
The Successful Rep! Positive Attitude They do have. They look on the bright side of things instead of the down side. They approach situations as opportunities instead of obstacles and look for a way to make lemonade out of what others would see only as lemons. Did you wake up on the wrong side of the bed this morning? – Get back in and fix it!
The Successful Rep! Provide information They communicate effectively with their accounts, which will continue to help them see the advantage of advertising in the newspaper and to find new ways to improve their advertising in order to make it more productive. Shop all NT Daily clients – use the coupons – show them that advertising works!! YOU are the PR/Marketing person for them… share your knowledge with your friends!
The Successful Rep! Position the Product By showing accounts the role that the newspaper can play in their marketing mix and by helping accounts clearly position their products or services in the minds of their target markets, the sales rep is providing valuable service. Think of yourself as your clients public relations director – push their product/service.
The Successful Rep! Plans Promotions This proactive approach will help their accounts present a consistent image to their target market in an environment that will make their offer attractive and appealing. You are the marketing executive for your client – let them know what will and will not work!
The Successful Rep! Prospecting They seek out new accounts who are not presently advertising in the newspaper but should be. Always be prospecting!! Everyone is a potential client!
Build value in the product – our product is the captive market we reach!
The Successful Rep! Presentations They make presentations to potential accounts that clearly show the advantages to be gained by advertising in the paper and include recommended ad schedules that will provide desired levels of reach and frequency into the accounts’ target markets. Spec Ads – Professionalism – Visual!
The Successful Rep! Team Players They work well with other members of the staff and with management in order to accomplish the goals and objectives of the newspaper and include recommended ad schedules that will provide desired levels of reach and frequency into the account’ target markets!
The Successful Rep! Proud of Paper They are genuinely proud of the newspaper and take every opportunity to point out its strengths to their accounts Who is the number one source of information at UNT? What are we selling?
The Successful Rep!  Plans Ahead  They manage time well and make the best use of it by planning ahead. These ad reps are not caught short of time to meet deadlines for major promotions and other long-range objectives.
The Successful Rep common Sales Mistakes!
Not being obsessed Not listening to the prospect Not empathizing with the prospect Getting distracted Not taking notes Failing to follow up Not keeping in contact with past clients Not planning the day efficiently Not looking your best Not keeping sales tools organized Not taking the prospect’s point of view Not taking pride in your work Trying to convince rather than convey
The Successful Rep common Sales Mistakes!
Underestimating the prospect’s intelligence Not keeping up to date Rushing the sale Not using people proof Humbling yourself Being fooled by “sure things” Taking rejection personally Not assuming responsibility Underestimating the importance of prospecting Focusing on negatives Not showing competitive spirit Not being excited Not being enthusiastic
The Successful Rep! Communication! Persuasive Communicators A communicator whose objective is to influence the decision of the client, based on the client’s criteria.
In order to be a persuasive communicator you need to know that: 90% of persuasive communication is credibility!
The Successful Rep! Credibility! Competence (more detail follows) Composure – Never get upset or play attack games. Wear a Teflon suit and do not get defensive. Reliability – Always do what you say you will do and under promise and over deliver! Likeability – Come across as an empathetic, warm individual. Show that you care by being a great listener. Dynamism – Present a positive enthusiastic personality to your customers. People are attracted to “Positive Energy.”
The Successful Rep! Stages of Competence Unconsciously Incompetence: This person does not know what they are doing, but the don’t know that they don’t know what they are doing!
In this stage, the person is in denial and are NOT teachable! DO NOT shoot from the hip!
The Successful Rep! Stages of Competence Consciously Incompetent: This person does not know what they are doing but the know that they do not know what they are doing!
This stage, the person realizes the need for training!
The Successful Rep! Stages of Competence Consciously Competent: This person knows what they are doing but the must think through each step as they are doing it.
This stage, the person has been trained but they need practice Most of you are at this stage!!
The Successful Rep! Stages of Competence Unconsciously Competent: This person knows what they are doing and they do not need to think about it, they are functioning on automatic pilot.
In this stage the person has been trained and has had lots of practice. Caution!!! To much Auto pilot and you will not hear the buying signals – therefore loosing the sale!
The Successful Rep! Stages of Competence Each of us need to: Strive to be Unconsciously Competent Keep in mind to not just go through the actions
Continue a proactive approach to sales Always be closing, always be prospecting Knowing when to close is half the battle
Keep up your energy and enthusiasm Takes 5 – 7 “No's” to make the sale! Identify what approach works best!
The Successful Rep! Correct your Verbiage! Instead of this:
Cost or Price Contract Sign Deal Pitch Problem Objections Cheaper Prospect Appointment
Use this:
Total investment Agreement Approve, OK, or Endorse Opportunity, Transaction Presentation Challenge or Opportunity Areas of Concern More Economical Future Client Visit
Spring 2007 Team! A team is a group of individuals who have an explicit reason for working together (that is a common goal and purpose) and are in need of each other’s skills and abilities to achieve that goal. What is your idea of a TEAM?
NT Daily – Master salespeople! Fall 2007
Persistence – Different than insistence. One wins respect, the other annoys. Creativity – Master salespeople use creative methods to develop practical plans and overcome obstacles. Vision – Master salespeople get excited about the possibilities of the future and make the most our of their opportunities Integrity – People buy only from people they can trust! Sincerity – Master salespeople are sincere in their interest in the other person and get excited over the chance to be of service to that person. Conviction – The successful salesperson can talk to anyone and everyone with confidence. Positive attitude – They do not let past failures influence their current attitude. They learn from their mistakes and do not dwell on the past. Common sense – The old saying “Common sense is very uncommon” uncommon” does not hold true for master salespeople Initiative – Master salespeople enjoy going after the tough prospects. They take the initiative to pursue the projects or challenges most people shy away from.
Are you a Master Salesperson? What initiative will you take? Are you Committed to success? Can we succeed as a team?
Questions – Comments
Any questions? Comments? Concerns? What can I do to make your job easier?
Pittsburgh’s advertising community to host our sales meeting and present some aspect of the sales industry to our business staff. Management from the Pittsburgh Post Gazette, the Pittsburgh Tribune Review, Pittsburgh City Paper, Pittsburgh Business Times and Pittsburgh Magazine speak to us about objections, prospecting for new business, presentation skills and general sales skills. Students get to hear first hand how the business world operates outside of our academic confines, and since several of our speakers are alumni of The Pitt News’ business division, students have the opportunity to see how their current jobs might carry them into sales careers after graduation. Training is a continual process at The Pitt News. Every week in our sales meeting, our professional staff and our student managers lead sessions on sales, the newspaper industry and our own operations so that by the end of a full year, account executives have a complete understanding of our business. Most weekly sessions are extensions of formal training; once sales reps have been on the job for a while, they are able to apply lessons from formal training, but they are also more likely to have reality-based questions and situations which are better addressed in the sales meeting forum. Comprehensive training programs include a balanced blend of formal classroom sessions and field experience. The Pitt News’ training program incorporates weekly training on issues that have directly affected our reps during the previous week, and supplements those sessions with reading materials, videos, audio tapes and management assistance. Sales reps that plan to stay on for another year become senior account executives and are expected to contribute to the training process that begins once again in the spring. Those who are promoted to management are placed immediately into the shadows of current managers, who train them in the office and in off-site meetings for the duration of second semester. The Business Manager, Sales Manager and Inside Sales Manager have individual meetings throughout the spring and summer with both the Advertising Adviser and the General Manager. These meetings serve as the foundation for management training. Sessions include discussions on interview/recruiting skills, time management, delegation, strategizing, training the staff, compensation plans, budget, setting quotas and goals, new product launches, creating a new media kit, and marketing plans. As a result of our training program and team atmosphere, advertising revenue has consistently increased over the past five years, and our team has been complimented by several of our advertisers as being “extremely professional compared to other local media sales reps”. Reps themselves express their satisfaction in our program when given an opportunity to evaluate the formal training session. Analysis of the training survey results in our annual redesign of the training program according to students’ suggestions and comments. We are proud to watch the growth of a new sales employee, and prouder still to see them accept job offers from prominent companies after their careers here…and we hope they’ll someday come back to speak, to be part of the ongoing training process here at The Pitt News.
THE PITT NEWS’ WEEKLY SALES MEETINGS--TRAINING SESSIONS January August Role Play: Knowing Your Market Managing the Welcome Back The Value of Teamwork Training the New Staff Objections and Open-ended Questions Transitioning Accounts to New Staff Guest Speaker: Bill Cotter, (V.P.Advertising Pgh Trib Review) September
February Contract Policy Creating a Proposal The Formal Presentation Guest Speaker: Natalie McMurtrie, (Acct Exec, Pgh Business Times)
Role Play with All Kinds of Customers Guest Speaker: Paul Klatzkin, (Ad Director, City Paper) Review Contract/Payment Policies Learning your ProductThe Paper, The Media Kit, The Market
March Personal Integrity Keeping the Momentum Going Summer Discount Packages Selling into the New Student Guide
October Production-Review of Technical Requirements. PhotoShop Overview Our Bottom Line- In-Depth Look at our Billing/Slow Pay/Collections policies Guest Speaker: Amanda Johnson, (Acct. Exec. Virginia Pilot) Online Advertising Review and Sales Techniques
April Wrapping up your Relationships Your Resume Training the Summer/New Reps May Selling the New Student Guide Saturating your Territory The Value of Summer Issues Account Management June When your Customer Just Says No Prospecting, and the Sales Funnel Communicating-Verbal, Written, Body Common Objections July Leaving Voice Mails/ Gatekeepers When you Hit a Sales Slump Production Training Selling the Welcome Back Issue
DAY 1
November Role Play: the semester’s worst calls Radio: How to approach heavy radio advertisers Being a Consultant Voice Mail and Gatekeepers December Getting organized for next semester Guest Speaker: Randall Brant, (VP Advertising, Pittsburgh Post Gazette)
THE PITT NEWS ABBREVIATED VERSION OF FALL FORMAL TRAINING Introductions History Organization Chart-Job Expectations and Descriptions Understanding Newspapers (Video on Advertising) Icebreaker Exercise Tour of Office-The Departments of The Pitt News Our Product Line: Print/Online/Special Sections/Inserts/Classified Our Market-Our Readers Our Rate Card-How to read it and explain it to your customers Production and Insertion Vocabulary Forms you need to know: Insertion Orders/Commission Reports/Kills/Design Orders/Daily Logs
Who Wants to Win $25-Trivia game on stuff that’s really not Trivia‌ Reports: Monthly Contract/Sales Update/Account Master/Commission How to Make Money: Compensation Plan/Incentives/Bonuses Q&A
DAY 2 Office Basics: The Copier, passwords to email, the fax, payroll sign-up, your files in our system, letterhead, templates for proposals. Open production lab hour: playing with Macs and finding the essentials in the system Your Territory: Managing it/Saturating it/Spending time in it/The typical work day Building Rapport with your Customers: Asking the right questions/Finding out what your customer really wants/Delivering the paper on a regular basis/Up-selling and Cross-selling your customers Prospecting The Sales Funnel, and how to keep it full Our internal Prospecting system: how to claim a new prospect Basic requirements on monthly prospecting/reporting Time in the Field with Veterans and Managers: Scoping out your territory for the first time What to take with you when you go into your territory Meeting your biggest customers
The Pitt News Training Survey Please let us know what you think of our Formal Training Sessions. Rate each session with 1 being not effective and 5 being very effective. Production Overview 1 How The Pitt News Works (editorial/production/advertising flow)1 Paperwork (Insertion Orders etc.) 1 Account Management 1 Sales:Objections/Presentations/ Proposals/Prospecting 1 Games: Bingo/Family Feud/ 1 Minute Self-Talk /Who wants to win $25 1
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Time spent in your territory with Management/veteran sales reps
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What was your favorite part of formal training sessions? Why? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ ____________ What was your least favorite part of formal training and why? __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ ____________
TRAINING PROGRAM Training within the business division at The Pitt News begins in the spring, long before our seniors have graduated. New sales representatives are introduced to the paper’s big picture: our history, our mission, what responsibilities rest with each department, who our customers are, how we market ourselves to our readers and our advertisers. The combined experience of our current business manager, sales manager and senior account executives serves as our initial springboard into a new year. For two full days in April, newly hired reps shadow current employees in the field and receive an additional day’s classroom training to familiarize themselves with the newspaper’s vocabulary and our product line. Veteran reps lend insight and perspective to incoming reps, and when fall comes, new reps have a higher comfort level because of time spent with experienced students. After getting a good solid look at our organization, new employees have all summer to review our comprehensive training manual. We find that after spring training and reading through the manual, reps who might have been blindsided by the responsibilities of their jobs in the fall have a chance to change their minds about joining us, while we still have the opportunity to hire replacements; although we may lose one or two reps over the summer, we save time and money by investing in people who are willing to invest the necessary time and energy that the job requires. Formal training commences well before the fall term begins. After a review of the newspaper’s big picture, we begin breaking it down into manageable pieces. Sessions revolve around the sales cycle. In both classroom lecture style and interactive exercises, reps follow an account from prospecting through closing the sale and from original ad design through billing and collection. Reps practice filling out insertion orders, compete for prizes in trivia contests and participate in team-building sessions. Every aspect of the business is covered within three business days, with the understanding that each session presented will be featured again in a future sales meeting or in a one-on-one environment with management. Reps receive territory assignments during fall formal training. Managers and professional staff members spend time with sales representatives individually, analyzing accounts’ histories and profiles and getting out into territories to meet advertisers. We begin on an account management level, meeting our active advertisers and establishing rapport with them, before moving into the development of new business. Reps who were with us over the summer months help in the hands-on training as well, which creates a smooth transition for our clients.
The Daily Pennsylvanian Business Training Program
T
he Daily Pennsylvanian’s Business Training Program is based on the concept of continual education. The program focuses on educating by providing broad-based general training, detailed hands-on training, and ongoing continuing training — all designed to provide students the realworld business experience of running a professional newspaper while developing their business skills and providing our customers with exceptional customer service. The unique aspect about our program compared to most others is the wide range of newspaper operational areas covered. We pride ourselves in our diverse placement of student staff and student managers in six business departments: finance, credit, advertising, ad production, front office (counter sales and ad traffic), and marketing. This specialization in each department provides an opportunity for students with interests in areas other than sales to gain valuable experience. Yet each staff member is also integrated into the newspaper’s operations by being introduced to all aspects of the business. The training program is accomplished in three stages. The first consists of a general training session. Here, all new staff members go through General Business Training together in order to establish a common background, an understanding of our business, and a network of fellow staff members. During this session, we familiarize the new staff with the fundamental principles and operations of our paper, our history, and their role in the organization. We cover the tools of survival at the paper, from the mechanics of using our phones and copiers to accessing the various computer systems. We carefully trace all the steps in the “life” of an ad, from inception through payment, and how each department participates in pieces of that operation. The sessions mix lecture-style presentations with interactive topics, since we have found that active participation strengthens retention of the training material. The second stage of training is specialized Departmental Training, where each student department manager establishes an individualized training program tailored to that particular department. New staff members participate in two weeks of sessions with the managers and professional staff advisers of their department. During this time, the new staff members gain the specific skills required for productive work in their departments, plus a detailed picture of their role and the department’s role within the paper. Once they are able to understand their position and responsibilities, they are able to work independently of direct supervision as full-fledged and productive staff members. The sales department incorporates competition into the training program. The new staff is informed at the beginning of the training that the most qualified reps at the end of the program will receive the best customer lists. This is accomplished by testing the reps at the end of the initial training program. The reps that test the highest receive the best customers. This serves to motivate the reps during training and gives us a chance to monitor the results of the training by seeing how much information has been retained.
The final phase — which is never-ending — is the ongoing education and cross-training that is dispersed throughout each student’s career at The Daily Pennsylvanian. Training of additional skills, techniques, and procedures is provided through weekly or biweekly department meetings. Cross-training is especially important for departments which are directly interrelated; this type of training increases communication and understanding, resulting in more efficient operations and a more cohesive business staff. During the course of the semester, the staff is evaluated by the managers and given the opportunity to provide feedback on their experiences at the newspaper. By evaluating their performance, we are able to assess the effectiveness of their training. In addition to this staff-level training, we also have a Management Training Program, which is designed to go beyond the one-on-one assistance our professional advisers provide. This program gives student managers the knowledge and expertise they need to run their departments, and enhances the managerial experience they get at the newspaper. Two all-day off-site retreats presented by the professional advisers and the student Business Manager anchor this training program. One takes place before classes begin in January as an orientation to newly-elected managers. The second takes place in August before fall term classes begin, and focuses on reinforcing and building their staff management skills, and planning for their second semester. The program aims to give an in-depth understanding of every department, as well as teach and hone skills necessary to be an outstanding manager. It includes role-playing, game take-offs (“Daily Pennsylvanian Survivor”), and brainstorming sessions. Additionally, 10 to 20 minutes of most weekly Business Board meetings are devoted to ongoing training. Topics include interviewing skills, presentation skills, how to successfully delegate, staff coaching skills, time management, goal-setting, motivation and morale, and planning effective meetings. As managers of The Daily Pennsylvanian, we feel that the Business Training Program combines all elements that develop top-notch staff members. The success of our newspaper comes from the commitment to excellence and service that we convey to all our new staff members — largely through our training program. A solid and concrete knowledge of the basic operations of business functions, coupled with real-life practical experience, creates staff members who are familiar with our business, knowledgeable about our market, and sensitive to our customer’s needs. The end result is that when our training succeeds, we end up with staff members who are well informed about the company they work for and the product they produce every day. They know their role at the newspaper, contribute to a reputable and successful independent college newspaper, and are positioned to greet new challenges at The Daily Pennsylvanian with enthusiasm.
Fall, 2007 Business Training Schedule DAY
DEPARTMENT
TIME
Business Manager Retreat
9:30 a.m. — 5:00 p.m.
ALL 3 Departments
6:00 p.m. — 7:30 p.m.
Wednesday, September 19
Finance 2
4:00 p.m. — 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, September 19
Production 2
5:00 p.m. — 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, September 19
Marketing 2
6:00 p.m. — 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 20
Credit 2
4:00 p.m. — 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 20
Advertising 2
6:00 p.m. — 8:00 p.m.
Monday, September 24
Finance 3
4:00 p.m. — 6:00 p.m.
Monday, September 24
Production 3
5:00 p.m. — 7:00 p.m.
Monday, September 24
Marketing 3
6:00 p.m. — 8:00 p.m.
Tuesday, September 25
Credit 3
4:00 p.m. — 6:00 p.m.
Tuesday, September 25
Advertising 3
6:00 p.m. — 8:00 p.m.
Wednesday, September 26
Finance 4
4:00 p.m. — 6:00 p.m.
Wednesday, September 26
Production 4
5:00 p.m. — 7:00 p.m.
Wednesday, September 26
Marketing 4
6:00 p.m. — 8:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 27
Credit 4
4:00 p.m. — 6:00 p.m.
Thursday, September 27
Advertising 4
6:00 p.m. — 8:00 p.m.
Saturday, September 29
Advertising 5
10:30 a.m. — 1:00 p.m.
Thursday, August 30 Tuesday, September 18
Sales Call Role-Play Skit REP:
Hi MARIA, I’m Alex from The Daily Pennsylvanian. I appreciate you giving me some time today to talk to you .
CUSTOMER: Well, I'm very busy, but I did tell you that you could come in. REP:
Is there somewhere we can sit down in quiet and discuss this?
CUSTOMER: Sure, let’s go to my office. [GO TO “OFFICE” AND SIT DOWN] REP:
[TELL MARIA THE REASON FOR YOUR CALL AND ASK HER AGAIN IF THIS IS A GOOD TIME TO TALK]
CUSTOMER: You're okay, as long as this doesn't take all day. REP:
Great, I'd like to start by asking you a few questions about MARIA’s Designs. [TAKE NOTES]
CUSTOMER: [TELL REP ABOUT YOUR STORE] REP:
[ASK MORE QUESTIONS, INCLUDING HOW HE ADVERTISES]
CUSTOMER: [ANSWER ALEX’S QUESTIONS, AND TELL HIM THAT YOU CREATE FLYERS AND PUT THEM AROUND TO PROMOTE YOUR STORE] REP:
Have you ever tried focusing on the student market, especially since you’re so close to campus?
CUSTOMER: 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. REP:
Hmmm, seems like you haven’t had great success with the student market, despite your location.
CUSTOMER: That’s about right. REP:
MARIA, if you knew that Penn students had the money to spend, were spending their money on dresses and casual wear everyday — 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?
CUSTOMER: And I suppose your paper is the best way to reach them? REP:
Well, let me give you some facts about The Daily Pennsylvanian [PUT THE PAPER IN HIS HANDS AND TALK ABOUT IT]
Management Training Each manager takes a turn reading the scenario aloud and role-playing the scenario with a fellow manager. The manager that is playing the role of the staff member should read his/her instructions silently. 1: MANAGER A friend of yours is a member of the staff. He/she is not taking you seriously, and has not listened to you or taken direction from you. He/she is not performing well and you believe this is because of your personal relationship with this person. You are sitting down with this person now, for the first time, to talk about his/her performance. 1: STAFF MEMBER You’re a friend of the manager/editor, but you believe he/she is taking his/her job a little too seriously. Since you’re friends, you can’t understand why this person is coming down so hard on you. He/she should know you by now and know you’ll get the job done. Your attitude is “Hey, this is me you’re talking to — stop acting like a boss.” 2: MANAGER A staff member has not done their job, not shown up for meetings and has had a bad attitude. You’ve met with him/her several times before, and he/she has either promised to change or denied there’s a problem. Now you’ve made the decision to fire this person, and you’re ready to do it. 2: STAFF MEMBER The manager/editor has told you before that he/she is not happy with your performance. Even though you agree you could do better, you think he/she is overreacting. Now some tough school projects are over with and you’re ready to make a new commitment. Don’t accept being fired — plead with the manager/editor for your job and promise you’ll change. 3: MANAGER A staff member is enthusiastic and always shows up for work. The problem is that his/her work is consistently poor. The problem’s not commitment, it’s talent. You’re meeting with that person now to: (1) tell him/her that the current job they did must be redone (2) from now on, unless they find a way to get better, they'll have to work with someone else on stories, projects, or accounts. 3: STAFF MEMBER Whatever work your manager is criticizing you about be defensive. It’s yours and you’re proud of it. Be resistant to change and getting any help. 4: MANAGER As an outgoing, friendly and enthusiastic person, you’re finding it hard to deal with this staff member who is shy and introverted. The work this person does is okay, but he/she is overly sensitive and does not take criticism well. You are doing an informal evaluation of the person. 4: STAFF MEMBER Act shy and be sensitive to criticism. Say as little as possible. Give the attitude that this manager/editor is singling you out or picking on you.
Washington University in Saint Louis Student Life Training Program Description The Student Life account executive training program is an interactive program that actually begins with the interview, followed by three days of training in the office and continues as long as the account executive continues working in the advertising department. The program provides the knowledge, tools, and customer service skills necessary to successfully meet clients’ needs. The current student sales manager and account executives are present throughout the process to give a reliable first hand view of what the position entails and what is expected as well as to answer questions about the daily tasks of an account executive. The advertising manager and the student sales manager are both present during the interview. The advertising manager goes over the candidate’s resume, the job description and goals, pay structure and a brief history of the paper. The student sales manager is there to answer any specific questions that the candidate might have about what the position involves. The student sales manager serves as a more reliable source for exploring the position and makes the interview less intimidating. A favorable candidate for the position leaves with a training manual and is asked to read the manual and set up three different days that they are able to come into the office for hands-on interactive training. The training manual is very comprehensive. The first section details the structure of the paper and how the business office fits into that structure. It includes information on revenue generation, goals, distribution, readership, and newspaper terminology. It then moves into units of measure, rates, deadlines, frequency packages, non-profit discounts, and university discounts. The last section of the manual covers the sales approach including: preparing for a sales call, determining a client’s needs, developing a solution, tips for phone calls, closing the sale, overcoming objections, and follow ups. On the first day of account executive training, the student sales manager gives an office tour and introductions, and goes over typical office procedures. The new account executive is encouraged to ask the professional staff as well as their peer student staff any necessary questions along the way. The last part of day one is becoming formally acquainted with the rate card, learning the open and non-profit rates as well as the special discounted incentives offered to local customers who do frequency packages. They are given a newspaper, blank insertion orders and a quiz to take home. The quiz asks them to fill out the insertion orders accordingly using certain ads from the paper and different scenarios for the rate (open, frequency package discount, spot color, full color, etc.).
On the second day, upcoming special sections and inserts rates are covered. Next, the training manual that they have already read is referred to in order to cover the best way that they can be prepared to meet with a client and help them with their needs. This is where they are taught to look up a client’s history on the ad entry software. There is also a quick overview of how to overcome the most common objections. The last part of the day is spent learning the deadlines and the procedures of submitting an ad to the graphic designer so that the proper amount of time is given to allow for design and proofing before the ad is set to begin. They are given another quiz to take home that covers creative ways to overcome objections, details to know about a client before visiting with them, and deadlines. The first part of day three is spent shadowing current account executives on phone calls. This allows them to hear different styles of phone conversations. On the second part of the day they do mock sales calls to the advertising manager by phone. The first call is contacting a “current” client and the second call is contacting a “prospect” client who gives them objections. Following the mock calls, the candidate meets with the advertising manager and student sales manager to be evaluated on their completion of the training program. The candidate is asked if they feel that the position is right for them and if they are comfortable enough to begin making calls on their own. The training is intense and we try to eliminate a candidate from becoming discouraged or overwhelmed by involving current account executives and the student sales manager to encourage and reassure them throughout the training. This interactive training also allows for the development of office camaraderie as we try to keep the office atmosphere light and fun. Training continues throughout their employment with Student Life with the weekly sales meetings where new ideas and activities are introduced and questions and concerns are shared.
Washington University in St. Louis Student Life Training Program Program Completion Evaluation
Understands Student Life business structure: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Notes: Knows basic newspaper advertising terminology: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Notes: Familiarity with the rate card: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Notes: Can fill out an insertion order correctly: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Notes: Is familiar with client meeting preparation: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Notes: Is familiar with Student Life readership statistics: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Notes: Is comfortable with phone conversations: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Notes: Remains collected when overcoming objections: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Notes: Knows the deadlines: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Notes: Knows the procedure for submitting an ad for design: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Notes:
Washington University in St. Louis Student Life Training Program Take Home Quiz #1
1. What days is Student Life published?
2. Student Life is a (circle one) tabloid or broadsheet. 3.
Display ads are sold by what unit of measurement?
4. How many inches wide is one column? 5. What are the following rates: Open: University: Non-profit: 6. Frequency packages are extended to what type of customers? 7. What are the discounts for the following frequency packages? Fabulous Frequency (1/2 Semester): Fabulous Frequency (Full Semester): Fabulous Frequency (Full Year): Business Advantage:
Using today’s paper, fill out an insertion order for each scenario: #1 The bookstore ad on page 3: university rate, spot color #2 The Papa John’s ad on page 2: frequency package Wednesdays for a half semester #3 The crossword sponsorship on the classifieds page: for a full semester
Washington University in St. Louis Student Life Training Program Take Home Quiz #2
1. What are some ways to gather research about a potential client's business?
2. What are some questions to ask a client to uncover their needs or wants?
3. If a client says that they already advertise with the River Front Times what might you tell them? 4. If a client says that our rates are too high, how would you respond? 5. List the correct deadlines for the following issues: Monday Issue: Wednesday Issue: Friday Issue: 6. If a client needs an ad designed what information and materials should you collect from them for the ad copy?
7. How many days should you allow for design and proofing prior to the first scheduled run date?
Washington University in Saint Louis Student Life Training Program Schedule The Interview Candidate meets with advertising manager and student sales manager -Advertising manager reviews resume & qualifications, job description & goals, pay structure -Overview of Student Life -Overview of the advertising department -Student sales manager provides input about the position and answers any questions specific to the daily tasks and expectations A favorable candidate is given a training manual to read and asked to schedule three days to come in for training. Day 1 of Training First part of day -Office tour and introductions -Typical office procedures Second part of day -Rate Card -open rates -non-profit & university rates -frequency packages Take home quiz on figuring rates and filling out insertion orders Day 2 of Training First part of day -Upcoming special sections -Insert rates Second part of day -Meeting with a client preparation -Overcoming objections -Deadlines and submitting an ad for design Take home quiz on client preparation, overcoming objections, deadlines Day 3 of Training First part of day -Shadow current account executives on phone calls Second part of day -Mock sales calls to a “current” client and to a “prospect” client -Evaluation of completion of training program -Make sure the candidate is comfortable with the position