Universitydailykansan

Sales Representative of the Year

Shauna Hoover University of Kansas

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LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

The Kansan Sales Advisor

To Whom It May Concern: It is my great pleasure to write to you today to nominate Shauna Hoover from The University Daily Kansan for CNBAM’s Best Sales Representative Award.

Shauna started as an account executive with The Kansan this past summer and from minute one she proved that she had the drive and work ethic to get the job done. She was the first into the office each day where she worked tirelessly to serve the assigned accounts on her list but to also activate new business as well. Her efforts paid off immediately as she finished the summer at 147% to goal and with a staggering 16 active accounts for our Back to School special section, the single largest issue that our organization produces each year.

But as impressive as Shauna’s numbers were in the summer it was during the Fall semester that she truly separated herself from her fellow account executives when she was forced to deal with challenging adversity. Starting in August Shauna tried unsuccessfully for three straight months to get hold of her largest client; The Spectacle and its owner, Dr. Kevin Lenahan. The Spectacle alone represented over half of her total quota for the Fall semester and for nearly two months would not return Shauna’s calls or meet with her even when she stopped by his office.

This set-back had the potential to cripple Shauna’s semester but rather than throw in the towel she worked on prospecting for new business and contacting churned advertisers all across Lawrence. In the process she activated accounts that hadn’t done business with The Kansan for over three years such as Alvin’s liquor store and Crimson & Brews. At the same time she continued to work on finally getting a meeting with The Spectacle by developing an innovative multi-media campaign that would bring Dr. Lenahan walk-in traffic. When the meeting was finally granted Shauna’s hard work paid off as The Spectacle bought her proposal the day of the meeting and the combination of this and all the new/churned business she had activated quickly made her The Kansan’s top performer for both November and December.

At the end of the day Shauna finished at nearly 110% to goal for the year but also led The Kansan in terms of both special section sales and active accounts for a monthly basis. These were not achievements of either luck or circumstance but were instead the result of Shauna’s creativity and her refusal to accept failure. In my opinion her efforts reflect the best that we should ever hope for in an account executive on either the professional or collegiate level and I hope you’ll see fit to reward them with this prestigious award.

Sincerely,

Jon Schlitt Chief Financial Officer/ Sales and Marketing Adviser The University Daily Kansan 2

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PERSONAL STATEMENT

Dear CNBAM Judges, Thank you for taking the time to read through my materials and consider me for the title of Sales Representative of the Year. It is such an honor to represent the Kansan in this category.

During my time at the Kansan I have learned valuable skills and gained more experience than I could have thought possible. I have realized what it takes to be successful in my work. It’s a simple formula really; just go into every client call with a positive attitude and an overall goal of forming a long-­‐term partnership.

When my business manager pulled me aside this past summer and asked if I would be interested in the position of Majors Account Executive for the fall of 2013, I was excited to continue to grow in my experience and skills as a seller. This position didn’t come without its challenges. I struggled in getting a meeting with my biggest client and worked hard to overcome the obstacle of meeting my large quota each month because of this. I knew that with hard work and dedication I could surpass any obstacles that stood in the way of my success.

I view every missed quota not as an unsuccessful month, but as a learning opportunity.

What do I need to do next month to not only meet my quota but increase it and how do I do it? I realized early on that clients like a friendly face who is confident in the product they are selling. A client can only believe in a product if the seller themselves believe in it. I made sure to take notes at every meeting so I could truly know what the client wanted to improve and what product would be best to get them results. This could only be done through one key skill needed: the ability to listen.

At the Kansan, we believe we are more than just ad salesmen. We are consultants to every business we reach out to. I believe in approaching every client with the willingness to listen and the objective of solving their problems. With confidence in the product and my ability to listen I find this easy to do. Through this job I have gained the ability to form rapport 4

quickly with new clients by everyday conversation. Not only do these new relationships benefit me in my work, but also they will go on to benefit the Kansan and the new account executives to come over the years. I guess you could say that conversation is key in this business.

One of my favorite conversations to have is with a new business. I find excitement through adding these new businesses to my list and consulting with them about their need for advertising. My experience at the Kansan has helped my ability to find new business and approach them at the right time with the right product. To truly be successful in this business, you will always need to find new business.

The Kansan has taught me skills I will carry on into future career environments. I am so proud to be a part of an organization that can truly call themselves the best in the nation.

The Kansan has provided me with more practice and hands-­‐on experience than I ever could have imagined. I know that because of the Kansan and all it has taught me, I can accomplish anything I work at and believe in. I am honored to represent this organization at CNBAM 2013.

Thank you again for your time and consideration.

Shauna Hoover The University Daily Kansan Major Account Executive University of Kansas

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APPENDIX

Résumé…………………………………………………..7 Job Description……………………….…………………8 Sales Numbers……………………………………....9-11 Personal & Team New Business & Special Sections Examples of Work………………………………….12-14 The Spectacle Tuckaway and Tower Properties

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Shauna Hoover

1724 Kentucky St. Lawrence, KS 66044 314. 952.

8313 sfhoover25@gmail.com

EXPERIENCE The University Daily Kansan, Lawrence, Kansas Major Account Executive, August 2013-December 2013 • • • •

Managed some of the Kansan’s largest accounts and created campaigns for clients Finished at 102% for the semester Generated 20% of all Kansan special sections revenue Had 12 active clients in the month of November

Account Executive, June 2013-July 2013 •

Finished at 135% for Back to School

• Had 16 active clients in Back to School special section Marketing Specialist, January 2013-May 2013 • Assisted in planning a fashion show sponsoring clients’ apparel • Marketed promotions on campus for local businesses • Distributed newspapers to hotels and apartments OTHER EXPERIENCE Campaigns, September 2013- December 2013 • Worked with a group of five other students to develop and create a plans book for an assigned client • Used primary and secondary research • Created promotional ideas, slogan, logo and print and digital advertising ideas ACTIVITIES Delta Delta Delta sorority, Theta Omega Chapter, Lawrence, KS Matching Chair, 2013 • Used Microsoft Excel to organize and assign potential new members with similar current members during recruitment Assistant House Manager, November 2011-2012 • Assisted in keeping order throughout the house • Communicated with staff to relay messages to the chapter

SHF EDUCATION The University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS William Allen White School of Journalism and Mass Communications Bachelor of Science in Journalism, strategic communications emphasis Minor in Sociology Graduation date: May 2014 • Received certification in Service Learning SKILLS • Strong time management • Strong customer service experience • Proven ability to work with a team • Familiar in social media • Ability to write proposals and form campaigns OTHER ACTIVITIES/VOLUNTEER • Rock Chalk Revue, 2014 • The Big Event, 2013 • Up ‘Til Dawn Committee Member, 2012 • Lawrence Humane Society

Assistant Philanthropy Chair, October 2010-November 2011 • Assisted in coordinating annual philanthropy events benefitting St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital • Helped organize house participation in other philanthropy events on campus • Promoted events through social media and word-­‐of-­‐mouth • Represented Theta Omega chapter at Collegiate Leadership Seminar in Memphis, TN 7

JOB DESCRIPTION

Basic Description As a Majors Account Executive I managed some of the Kansan’s largest clients. My list consisted of 15-20 clients including both local and national who have run with the Kansan in the previous year. Along with the quota of these clients was a quota specifically for new business. This is a separate quota from the previous year.

Time Commitment Monday – Friday 9 am to 4 pm outside of class time.

Every week The Kansan staff would met for an all staff meeting. The Kansan staff also met after several special sections were printed to bag and distribute them to local apartments and dorms.

Pay Commission pay with opportunities for bonuses and incentives.

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SALES NUMBERS

My Personal Numbers Since the start of my selling at the Kansan in June of 2013 I brought in a total of $41,694, exceeding my overall quota of $38,029 by 110%. I achieved this by consistently striving for new business, activating zero quota clients and keeping current clients active.

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New Business Finding and securing new business is one of the most important goals at the Kansan. Activating these businesses is always an exciting moment for me. I made a point to get into the office early and to consistently build my list even after securing larger clients for long-term campaigns. New business has helped me in not only increasing revenue for print, but digital sales as well. For example, Counseling and

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SALES NUMBERS

Psychological Services ran multi media campaigns with me in both summer and fall semesters. To keep occupied in the office I would search for businesses in competing newspapers and see what businesses were advertising with them and if so, why should they run with the Kansan. This proved to be a successful way in sparking ideas of similar businesses around town. I sought out upcoming events that would appeal to students and consistently kept my eyes out for possible new business when driving around. Over the past seven months of selling at the Kansan I have activated thirteen new business accounts, bringing in $6,726.54.

Special Sections One of my favorite products to sell at the Kansan is special sections because clients love to buy into them and students love to read them. Special sections get double the exposure that the daily ROP receives, making it appealing to clients all over.

Actually, many of my new business sales came from special sections. For example, Crimson & Brews had not ran with the Kansan in five years until I suggested they 10

SALES NUMBERS run in the Fall Back to School section. Since then, Crimson & Brews has purchased ad space in several special sections as well as Homecoming and KU vs. Duke. The Kansan’s various special sections have allowed me to not only activate new businesses but increase revenue from active clients as well. I consistently kept clients up to date with the approaching special section deadlines and encourage their investment in these products to gain an increased exposure and distribution.

13%

My special section sales The Kansan's special section sales

87%

Digital Sales The Kansan has taught me to believe in creating multi media campaigns for clients.

Digital is becoming more and more popular because of the digital age we live in, so I saw it necessary to incorporate digital in client campaigns. This allowed clients to reach not only students, but also parents and alumni who are anywhere in the world.

18%

My digital sales The Kansan's digital sales

82%

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EXAMPLES OF WORK

The Spectacle: Dr. Kevin Lenahan I was handed my first obstacle of the semester when I found The Spectacle on my list of clients. I had been told that Dr. Lenahan, the owner of The Spectacle, was a difficult client to reach and liked to be a part of big, exclusive campaigns. After two and a half months of failed attempts to reach Dr. Lenahan, I sat down with my sales manager and my creative and we devised a plan to grab his attention. I created a proposal for Dr. Lenahan introducing him to an exclusive and interactive campaign called ‘Find Your Frame’. I went into his office with the proposal and set up a time to go over it with him. The Find Your Frame campaign was everything that the client was looking for. He wanted to increase foot traffic into the store while also branding his image through interacting with the students. To Find Your Frame with The Spectacle, students had to first follow the Twitter handle that was created or ‘Like’ The Spectacle Facebook page. Students were then encouraged to retweet or share posts about the contest. This would allow for a stronger social media presence while also allowing students to interact with The Spectacle. To increase foot traffic a contest was created for students who participated. Over the span of five weeks a total of four inserts were designed featuring a one-word word search.

Students who retweeted or shared posts from The Spectacle’s social media and then solved the word search insert from the paper were told to go into The Spectacle to claim their prize. The first student to do these steps received a free pair of Ray Bans, and

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EXAMPLES OF WORK all students that followed on Twitter received a 50% discount in the store. All participants were entered into a cash prize giveaway that will take place in March. To kick off this campaign Dr. Lenahan sponsored the Kansan’s KU vs. Duke watch party at a local venue. During halftime, Dr. Lenahan took the floor and explained the campaign. Students were very excited about the opportunity to win a free pair of Ray Bans. To bring attention to the campaign after the Ku vs Duke watch party a print ad featuring the rules of the contest was created. After each insert, a print ad would run to remind students of the prizes, rules and of the contest in general.

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EXAMPLES OF WORK

Tuckaway Apartments and Tower Properties I acquired Tuckaway Apartments in the summer of 2013 when I first began selling. In the fall of 2013 Tuckaway Apartments was splitting ownership and needed to rebrand their new name with students.

Tower Properties took ownership of several complexes that were previously under Tuckaway. My client was worried that students would not understand the change, and was unsure of how to market Tower Properties. With the help of my creative we designed new ads to represent their new image, which Paulette was very satisfied with. It was difficult for Tuckaway to make the switch to Tower Properties websites and telephone numbers, but I made sure to be available for Paulette so we could quickly make the changes to the ads. I encouraged Tower Properties to start branding their new ownership to students right away and reserved spots for their ads on the remaining basketball poster series, which students hold up during home basketball games. They ran these ads in several special sections including Basketball Preview, Basketball Schedule, KU vs. Duke and Finals Guide. Paulette also invested in digital advertising to have a broader reach to students as well as parents.

Recognitions • Voted “Best Sales Rep” by staff in Summer of 2013 • Voted “Best Majors Account Executive” by staff in Fall 2013

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