Daily Titan California State University, Fullerton
Best Training Program Training is one of the most important aspects about having a new staff. This past Fall 2013 semester, the management team made it a point to create hands-on training that incorporated a lot of learning while also staying interactive and enjoyable. When revising our training for our new staff, the combination of functionality and fun was of utmost importance. We knew that no one would retain information from a training program that was bland and robotic. Our training schedule was one week of training five new faces in the summer and two new members prior to the start of the Spring 2014 semester. Knowing that new staff members can get lost in the difficulties of juggling Account Executive roles and their schoolwork, we emphasized getting the newcomers comfortable and well situated in the office, as this would eventually become their second home. On their first day of training, we wanted everyone to really get to know each other and break the ice. We brought in homemade foods and drinks and played a few games to get everyone to loosen up. We explained the Daily Titan ground rules to the staff and what is expected of them while being at the paper. A brief introduction to all the media platforms we offer was essential, as we would go in depth the next few days. From there, the next three days focused on the ins and outs of the job such as cold calls, meeting with clients, getting a feel for the media kit, and keeping up with daily office tasks. Rather than merely explain what a cold call is, we held mock coldcalls. Rather than just explaining what to do when meeting with a client, we had mock walk-ups. We wanted to give our staff that hands-on experience that was lacking in the past. It was a great learning experience for us to understand the different types of personalities we were coaching. We figured out who was least confident in their abilities or who was shy when meeting new people and through this realization, could spend quality time teaching them the ropes. We wanted the staff to not only be the best sales people they could be, but we wanted to better them as citizens of this society.
Daily Titan California State University, Fullerton
We introduced the staff to editorial and established a healthy relationship. We respect and value each other and acknowledge that without the other, we would not exist. This is just one component of the whole, as we also teach our staff to aspire to be the best person they can be. We keep them on track with monthly reviews and when someone is slacking behind, we pick them back up and help them to stay standing tall.
The mock calls & mock walk-ups were one of the most useful and practical tools we used. One by one, we sent a new staff member to a different room acting as the Account Executive for a business. They would then call either the Director or Assistant Director (acting as the client) and as the objections were thrown their way, the stumbling and the panicked voices came out. But you could hear confidence in their tone and their ability to improvise proved to be one of their most valued traits. They were nervous and some were mildly shaking at the new experience but after the first round of mock calls, everyone had a better understanding of their sales persona. We wanted to show the trainees real world experience and through these mock calls & walk-ups, a level of comfort and confidence in their abilities was established. We moved on to discuss how AdPro worked including all its kinks. Once assigned their desks and given the opportunity to call their own clients, we wanted to emphasize that they could come to us with any questions and shouldn’t be afraid to not to know anything. Open communication between management and the new employees was one of the most crucial necessities for optimal retention. At our weekly Friday meetings, we encouraged open discussion about any concerns or problems they were encountering. Although the initial training was complete, it never truly ended at the Daily Titan.
Daily Titan California State University, Fullerton
Training Calendar Day 1: 10AM – 10:30AM: Tour of office, breakfast, attain AE training materials, icebreaker 10:30AM – 11AM: AE expectations, payment/commission 11AM – 11:30AM: DT basic need-to-know facts 11:30 – 1PM: Get to know the DT products: paper, adrax, online, social media, mobile app, inserts, media kit DAY 2: 10AM – 10:30AM: Review, Quiz 10:30AM – 11AM: The Call, Hunters & Farmers 11AM – 11:30AM: Objections 11:30 – 12PM: Attaining an Appointment & Ad Campaign 12PM – 1PM: Mock Calls 1PM-3PM: LUNCH Day 3: 10am-10:30: Quiz & Questions 10:30-10:45: Communications & Call Sheet 10:45-11:15: Contracts 11:15-11:20: Social Media & Online Ads Calendar 11:20-11:30: Reprint Directions on the Card Machine 11:30-11:45: Deadlines & Processing Ads Through Production 11:45-12: Paperwork 12-12:30: Dummies and Tearsheets 12:30-1: Mock Contracts (CIOs) DAY 4: 10am-10:15: Quiz & Questions 10:15-10:35: Overview and Discussion 10:35-10:50: Promotions Manager Presentation 10:50-11am: Printer 101 11am-11:30: Basics of AdPro 11:30-12pm: Mock sell-offs 12pm-1pm Staff lunch