newsclips
OCTOBER 2012
R. SAINT LAURENT VS. MARATHON MERCURY
Decision by Ontario Press Council follows hearing Sept. 17. 2012 A complaint by R. Saint Laurent against the Marathon Mercury over the publication of a column which quoted and commented on statements made in an unpublished letter to the editor has been upheld by the Ontario Press Council. The letter was highly critical of the community and contained inappropriate comments about a church and other communitybased facilities and events. The letter was deemed inappropriate for publication by the Mercury’s editor. However, the editor decided instead to write a column based on the unpublished letter, referring directly to some of the criticism levelled in the letter. The Press Council decided it was unfair for the Mercury to comment on some of the criticism contained in the letter without giving readers an opportunity to view the original letter, which would have provided context for the editor’s critical comments. Council noted the editor participated in the hearing and admitted he had made an error in writing the column based on an unpublished letter; but stood by his decision to not publish the letter because it contained highly critical information against the practices of the church and its congregation. In hindsight, the editor said he erred when he decided to write a column criticizing the letter writer after he had decided not to publish the letter. Council agreed it is the discretion of the editor to select, edit and publish letters based on tone, taste and community standards. Council also agreed the editor was correct in deciding that the column criticising the letter writer should not have been published when there was little context provided for the newspaper’s readers. For the paper to prepare and publish a column which may be characterized as a personal attack is inappropriate, particularly in this case where the original letter was unpublished.
WHAT’S INSIDE:
COBDEN SUN REBRANDS Launching the Renfrew County Pulse
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Contact this newspaper or the Ontario Community Newspapers Association at www.ocna.org or 905.639.8720 ext. 239
2012 ONTARIO JUNIOR CITIZEN OF THE YEAR AWARDS The deadline for the 2012 Ontario Junior Citizen Awards is quickly approaching. OCNA would like to thank all of its members for their support thus far. We ask that you continue to help by spreading the word about this program in any way possible continue to run ads, publish editorials (both online and in print) and send e-mails to your list of contacts. Help us recognize special individuals who go above and beyond what is expected of someone their age. Young people between the ages of six and 17 across Ontario are eligible. Nominations will be accepted at your newspaper until Friday November 30, 2012. All nominees will receive a certificate of recognition and twelve final recipients will be recognized at a special ceremony in the Spring of 2013. Nomination forms and further information is available online at www.ocna.org/juniorcitizen . POOR HIRING PRACTICES = LAWSUITS Tips to consider when hiring
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MORE TOOLS IN ADOBE CS6 InDesign Form Creation, Photoshop Content Aware Tool and more!
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MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE ONTARIO1 COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION October 2012 www.ocna.org
INDUSTRY NEWS
LET’S GET IT STRAIGHT BY ANNE LANNAN OCNA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
take your money elsewhere?
You go into the bank to deposit your pay cheque, the teller makes sure she looks you in the eye to tell you that you shouldn’t be putting your money into this bank. Meanwhile, you’ve been banking there all your adult life. You return a few weeks later to make an investment, the financial advisor looks you in the eye and tells you not to put your hard earned money into this bank. You get a great return on your investment regardless. You go back again and get the same message. How long does it take until your confidence in them is shot and you
NEWSCLIPS VOLUME 02, ISSUE 03 3228 South Service Rd. Suite 116 Burlington, ON L7N 3H8 p.905.639.8720 f.905-639.6962 e. info@ocna.org w. www.ocna.org OCNA BOARD PRESIDENT
Mike Mount
FIRST VP INTERIM
Rick Shaver
SECOND VP
Gordon Cameron
SECRETARY/ TRESURER
Dave Harvey
PAST PRESIDENT
Don MacLeod
DIRECTORS
Dave Adsett Andrea DeMeer Abbas Homayed Ray Stanton John Willems
You go into your local grocery store, choose the produce you like and head to the check out. The cashier tells you that you shouldn’t be buying the produce from this store. You go home and cook a fabulous meal. You return to the store a few weeks later and another cashier tells you not to buy the products at the store. How long before your perception of that store is shattered and you make your purchases elsewhere? It’s bad enough that the newspaper industry has to be victim to the ill-will of our competitors, but why are newspapers publishing editorial content that is tainting reader’s and advertiser’s perceptions about our industry? How long would the bank or grocery store, illustrated above, permit people to repeatedly speak to clients like this? So why do newspapers continue to shoot themselves in the foot? Advertisers aren’t going to put their money into your product if this is what you are telling them – even though they continue to get results. How’s that for a self-fulfilling prophecy? In the next issue of Superman, Clark Kent is leaving his job at the Daily Planet. Newspapers are publishing an article – attributed to an online entertainment site no less - with the lead, Apparently, even Clark Kent sees the writing on the wall when it Continued on Page 6 >>>
IN THIS ISSUE... 04 ..........................................................CHANGED AT TC MEDIA
OCNA STAFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Anne Lannan
CONTROLLER
Todd Frees
MEMBER SERVICES
Karen Shardlow Kelly Gorven
NETWORK CLASSIFIEDS
Carol Lebert
ACCOUNTING
Lucia Shepherd
AD*REACH
Ted Brewer Carolyn Press Erica Leyzac
05 ...............................INDEPENDENT PUBLISHER’S GETAWAY 08 .......................................................COBDEN SUN REBRANDS 09 .....................................OCNA’S FALL WEBINAR SCHEDULE 10 ........HOW LOSING A SALE CAN BE GOOD FOR BUSINESS 11 ............................................................IF YOU PLAN TO FAIL... 12 .........POOR HIRING PRACTICES CAN LEAD TO LAWSUITS 14 .........TIPS TO BUILD TRUST IN BUSINESS NEGOTIATIONS
We’ve Moved! Our new address is: 3228 South Service Rd. Suite 116 Burlington, ON L7N 3H8 Please update your records accordingly.
17 ..................................................MORE TOOLS IN ADOBE CS6 October 2012
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
PRESS COUNCIL UPHOLDS COMPLAINT: NORTH RENFREW TIMES Decision by the Ontario Press Council from the hearing held Sept. 17, 2012
A township clerk filed a complaint to the Ontario Press Council over the publication by the North Renfrew Times of a news story based on a highly critical letter by the reeve targeting the clerk and members of her council. The Press Council was informed that the reeve’s critical letter was part of an ongoing dispute in the united township of Head, Clara and Maria. The letter was highly critical of unnamed members of the township council and specifically singled out the clerk. The Press Council was informed that the editor of the newspaper wrote the story under pressure of deadline, explaining he received the letter and wrote the story without taking the time to seek comment from the clerk or the council members blasted in the reeve’s letter. The Press Council said, in filing her complaint, the clerk was correct in citing one of the Ontario Press Council’s fundamental rules which states that fair treatment should be given. The rule states: “A newspaper has an inescapable obligation to vigorously pursue comment from any person about whom it plans to publish derogatory accusations and if possible to publish it at the same time. It should check, preferably before publication, damaging statements one person attributes to another. When dealing with a sensitive issue, it should endeavour to see that the public is fairly and fully informed, either by giving fair treatment and differing views in either the same article or in two articles published simultaneously.” While the newspaper only had a few hours between receiving the critical letter and its press deadline, it should have made an effort to contact those targeted by the reeve. In fact, no one was contacted and asked for comment. The Press Council said there was an obligation to seek comment due to the nature of the criticism and the ongoing controversy which had received ongoing news coverage. In reaching its decision, Council considered the "responsible communication defense" described by the Supreme Court of Canada in Grant v. Torstar Corp [2009] 3 S.C.R. 640, where it was said that in order for the publisher to invoke the defense in a defamation action, the publication must be a matter of public interest and “that he or she was diligent in trying to verify the allegation(s)...". Later the Court added "the fact that someone else has already published a defamatory statement does not give another person a license to repeat it.” Council said the newspaper erred when it decided to print one side of the controversial story when it should have made every effort to provide balance. While deadlines may make it difficult to produce a balanced report, the consequences of not making the effort may inevitably prove far worse than missing a press deadline or holding a story until comment is sought.
MEMBER NEWS NEW EDITOR FOR METROLAND’S OTTAWA GROUP Metroland East regional managing editor Ryland Coyne announced the appointment of Theresa Fritz as the interim Managing Editor for the Ottawa group which took effect on September 4. Theresa has a wealth of experience with community newspapers starting with the Trentonian in 1989. After working two years as a reporter/photographer with the Almonte Gazette and Carleton Place Canadian, she was named associate editor of both in 1991. She became editor of the Runge-owned newspapers in 1997 and continued in that role to 2004. Theresa joined Performance Printing that year as a freelancer and signed on full-time in 2005 as associate editor of the newlylaunched Kanata, Stittsville/Richmond, West Carleton and Arnprior EMCs. She has been the news editor in West Carleton since January, 2012. Theresa graduated from Carleton University with a Bachelor of Journalism (Honours) in 1989.
NEW ADVERTISING MANAGER FOR BEACH METRO COMMUNITY NEWS Sherri Stelmack recently joined Beach Metro Community News as its advertising manager. Sherri replaces Dianne Marquardt who retired in September after 29 years with the paper.
The Press Council upheld the complaint by Melinda Reith against the North Renfrew Times. October 2012
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
2012/2013 FDSA BOARD OF DIRECTORS ANNOUNCED
CHANGES AT TC MEDIA Marc-Noël Ouellette, Transcontinental’s Senior Vice President, Local Solutions, Atlantic Provinces and Saskatchewan, will be leaving the company October 31, 2012.
The FDSA (Flyer Distribution Standards Association) recently held its Annual General Meeting of Members at the Toronto Sheraton Airport and is pleased to announce the following Board of Directors was elected to serve during the 2012 / 2013 term.
Over the past 16 years, he held key positions within the TC Media organization, first as General Manager for weekly publications, and then as Vice President, Newspaper Group.
RETAILER/ADVERTISERS
Early in this mandate, he directed the launch of the Métro newspaper in Montreal.
John Burns, Canadian Tire (CHAIR) Karen Hudson, Shoppers Drug Mart (VICE-CHAIR) Ali Hosny, IKEA Canada Diana Simpson, Loblaw Christine Olijnyk, Lowe’s Canada Enza Marrella, Sears Canada Inc Stu McCracken, Sobeys (Ontario) Division Danielle Bussières, Toys 'R' Us Limited Rick Smith, Metro (Ontario) Inc. Carol Antcliffe, Wal-mart Canada
In 2006, Marc was promoted to Senior Vice President, Local Solutions Group. Throughout the years, he led his team with great energy, driving growth through several acquisitions and product launches to win new markets, bringing our total publications to over 180 titles across Canada. He also played a pivotal role in the launch and development of websites, including Weblocal.ca and InMemoriam.ca. Marc thus made an indelible contribution to the expansion of TC Media’s local offering for advertisers and for consumers, always keeping a special connection with the communities served. Lastly, he was always a very active lobbyist in the various bodies and agencies in our industry.
DISTRIBUTORS
Randy Blair, Black Press Group Limited Greg Baxter, Postmedia Network Inc. (TREASURER) Kathie Braid, Metroland Media Group Inc. Kelly Madden, New Brunswick Distributors John Querques, Quebecor / QMI Sales Ronald Roy, Transcontinental Media Peter Kvarnstrom, Glacier Media Group
OTHER
Clement Messere, Pro Distribution Services Michelle MacLeod, Geomedia Inc.
AMHERSTBURG ECHO CEASES The one constant in our lives is change and business of media is no exception. October 25 marked the final edition of the Amherstburg Echo. When Windsor This Week was launched earlier this year, its acceptance in the community exceeded hopes. It has become a very well-read free print product in Windsor and Essex County each Thursday. Unfortunately, it means that Amherstburg was being served with two weekly products from Sun Media - a duplication which, in today’s world, cannot continue. Windsor This Week is committed to serve Amherstburg as they do all of the greater Windsor area with a newspaper containing stories about people within the community and supported by supported advertisers. For inquiries concerning news or advertising, please call Windsor This Week at 519-966-4500. October 2012
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Independent Publisher’s Getaway Friday evening Nov. 16 and Saturday Nov. 17 Hockley Valley Resort in Orangeville Lots of opportunity for social time. Sessions include human resource issues, learning the results of OCNA’s Industry Study on Digital Media, advertising sales, and production sessions. Registration: $145 per person, single or double occupancy. This fee includes Friday overnight accommodation, three meals and all sessions. OCNA will make accommodation arrangements for you. Friday:
• 6:30 pm Welcome Reception • Dinner • Social evening with late night bonfire
Saturday:
• Breakfast • Sessions • Lunch • Guided Energy Walk in the hills of Hockley
For more information, contact Anne Lannan at 905-639-8720 x 228
We are grateful for the generous support from McLaren Press Graphics, allowing us to provide such a reasonable rate for this event.
Sponsored by:
October 2012
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
>>> Continued from Page 2
COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ARE READ AND VALUED comes to the future of the newspaper industry.
is going to die because some customers aren’t going into the store to purchase their clothes.
For the record, the Community Newspaper business remains healthy and continues to provide a vital service to their communities.
But with all the negative publicity as we deal with changing reader preference, our industry is getting a bad reputation.
Circulation: The first edition circulation of Ontario’s
Revenue: Media Digest stats show revenue into
community newspapers is 5.8 million, while the total weekly circulation is 7.9 million. One of the reasons these numbers remain so strong is that 95% of the community newspapers distributed each week are free circulation newspapers, mainly in urban and suburban markets of the province. The paid circulation newspapers are traditionally located in rural areas of the province and have continued their success because they are the main communication vehicle providing hyper local content their readers can’t get elsewhere.
community newspapers across Canada has risen from $854 million in 2002 to $1.17 billion in 2011.
Number of newspapers: In 2002, the Ontario
Community Newspapers Association had a membership base of 272 newspapers. Today, we have 313. Our industry keeps growing.
Readership: A number of different sources with different methodologies all say the same thing. Readers want us and readers like us. The last ComBase study produced readership stats of 74 per cent of adults read any of the last four editions. The Millions of Readers study by Kubas shows that 68% of adults read the last issue of their community newspaper. And QMI Sales recent Small Communities Study also shows a readership number of 68%.
That is the hardest part to swallow for our daily newspaper counterparts. Their circulation numbers are declining because their business model is based, in part, on paid subscriptions. It’s not because people don’t want to read them; they just don’t want to pay to read them in the printed form. Online newspaper readership continues to grow. That’s the good news story. Thirst for quality journalism in this province is very strong. The problem is the business model hasn’t yet evolved.
Community newspapers are read, are valued by readers and advertisers, and are growing. Take that to the bank!
It’s like a retailer who is now gaining extra customers through online sales. No one is continually screaming that this business
QUEEN’S PARK DAY POSTPONED BY ANNE LANNAN OCNA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Thank you to all our members from across the province who had planned to attend the Publisher’s Reception and Meetings at our Queen’s Park Day, originally scheduled for October 17. Your support of industry initiatives is always appreciated. Unfortunately we had to postpone Queen’s Park Day the day prior, when Premier McGuinty announced his resignation as Premier of Ontario. He also prorogued the House so we were concerned for the success of both the many meetings arranged between our publishers and MPPs/Minister as well as attendance at our Publisher’s Reception that evening. Many of the MPPs were cancelling meetings to head to their home ridings early. It was important that we had an audience that day that was a) present, and b) in a positive environment where they would be receptive to our message. The Ontario Liberal Party has scheduled a Leadership Convention the weekend of January 25, so the business of government will not resume until after this date. OCNA and Newspapers Canada will reschedule the event at that time, barring an election being called. Publishers are encouraged to continue to meet with their local MPPs in the interim and the association will continue to make our case for better representation of government advertising dollars. October 2012
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
INDUSTRY AD CAMPAIGN Dear OCNA members: The Ontario Community Newspapers Association is pleased to provide its members with an industry advertising campaign – fully adaptable to include newspaper flags. The campaign includes a series of seven ads and an editorial and has been designed to remind readers and advertisers that Community Newspapers are the original Local Social Network. With the tagline ‘Did you see in the paper…’, the series reflects that articles and ads get people connecting with one another and calls them to action, and this is what builds community.
What to do: 1. Go to www.ocna.org and log into the Member’s site (user: member,
password: ocmb2010) Under the left hand navigation bar under ‘member’, go to the OCNA Programs & Services folder. Here you will find the folder ‘2011 Social Media Ads’ which contains a subfolder for each of the ads and contains the necessary fonts and graphics.
2. Download the files. Ads have been created in CS2 – InDesign. If you do not have InDesign at your newspaper, please contact OCNA Member Services Coordinator Kelly Gorven at k.gorven@ocna.org and send her your newspaper flag. She can then send you PDFs of the ads customized for you. 3. The seven ads reflect – news, entertainment, advertising, sports, seniors, community events. Respecting copyright, trademarks, and libelous material, you may change the text and images to better reflect something in your own community, without having them look like an ad for a specific local advertiser or event. 4. Translation – member newspapers publishing in other languages may translate the ads. 5. The bubble ‘Did you see in the paper…’ can be used as an online icon on your web site if you would like to have it link
directly to your ad material or editorial.
A special note of appreciation to the Marketing Task Force for their input in this campaign.
Better Newspaper Competition Awards Gala Mark your calendars:
Friday March 22, 2012 Hilton Garden Inn, Vaughan, Ontario OCNA has been busy accepting entries for one of its most popular member programs - the Better Newspaper Competition. The top three winners of each category will be announced on our website in alphabetical order on February 14. First, second and third place will be announced at the OCNA Awards Gala. October 2012
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
COBDEN SUN REBRANDS
Serving the Heart of Renfrew County PRESS RELEASE FROM COBDEN SUN For 117 years the Cobden Sun has served its community with pride and continues to do so today under present Publisher Howard Winters.
Whitewater, but our staff also work from Eganville, Pembroke, Petawawa and Laurentian Valley. “We travel to the news, we don't wait for it to come to us,” explained Debbie Robinson, editor. “I see massive gaps in the quality and quantity of local news and sports being covered by other newspapers and we intend to fill that void.”
While much has changed in the world since those early days, the mission of this newspaper remains the same. We tell the stories of local people, their triumphs and their disappointments with the highest standard of journalist integrity.
The former assistant news editor of The Daily Observer for more than 10 years, Robinson knows the impact of The Pulse's launch will be felt throughout the county. She was the first editor of the Advertiser News in 1980 when it went head-tohead with the Pembroke Observer with a staff of two reporters and two advertising salesmen.
Two years ago The Sun was destined to close. Building on its historical foundation we launch The Pulse, your community newspaper serving the heart of Renfrew County. Immediately following the change of ownership in February 2011, the journey began towards today's transformation. Subtle changes, coupled with the hiring of staff highly regarded throughout the county, were the first signs of renewed life for The Sun.
“Those were crazy times, long days and lots of hard work, but it was exhilarating,” Robinson said. “And that is exactly what we are going to do again.” There will be differences, however, The Pulse won't be confined to one or even two communities.
Prior to the change in ownership The Sun had lost significant advertising revenue and circulation figures were dismal.
Stories within the pages of The Pulse will come from Renfrew, Admaston-Bromley, Whitewater Region, Laurentian Valley and Pembroke. Local politics and sports will be covered and so too will the unique never-before-told stories about people who make up the tapestry of Renfrew County.
It took courage for Clem and Trish Dupuis along with Winters to sink money into a community newspaper, especially when some media outlets were downsizing or closing up shop. There were also a few hardy souls who were just getting by, holding onto the hope of better times ahead. This latter group is the independently-owned media, of which Renfrew County has several.
“The county is rich in people, their stories should be told and we will tell them, every week,” Robinson promised. The expansion of the newspaper was essential to its sustainability, according to Winters. The viability of the print media depends on its advertising revenue and the only way for it to increase was to expand the paper's reach outside of Whitewater Region.
The status quo, however, was never an option for The Sun, because it was going to be ceased. Instead these three people, who lived just around the corner from the newspaper office, discovered they shared a vision, to ensure the future of their community newspaper.
The Pulse is The Sun but with attitude.
“Whitewater, and especially Cobden, have been faithful supporters of The Sun and we would not be where we are today if the business community had not shown its belief in what we were doing,” Winters said. “Slowly we began the process of moving outside Whitewater with our sales and it became evident that there were major gaps in service that we could fill.”
We are a community newspaper without borders, serving the greater community of Renfrew County. Our main office is in
He's encouraged by the welcome he has received when meeting new clients, and quickly identifying areas where The
Against the odds they were successful. Today, solely owned by Winters, the newspaper takes another giant leap forward as it begins its rebranding.
October 2012
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
Pulse could be of greater service to the business community in Renfrew County. “To be successful you have to have the right team,” Winters said. “And I believe that is precisely what The Pulse has created. “Customer service is number one with me and that has been instilled in our sales team,” he added. “Hilary Robinson and Linda Harvey are providing face-to-face contact with our clients, a service that seems to have been discarded by some in recent years.” Advertising design and newspaper layout are both done at The Pulse. Nothing is outsourced. Every advertiser has access to The Pulse's graphic designer Tara Yourth, whose work within the pages of today's newspaper speaks for itself. “The visual transformation of the newspaper, from The Cobden Sun to Whitewater Cobden Sun to The Pulse, was led by Tara, her imagination and attention to detail are extraordinary,” Winters said. “Our advertisers get to tap into her talent every time they place an ad in our paper. “If they choose, they can consult with Tara right at our office in Cobden,” he added. “We believe in getting it right the first time so our advertisers can keep attracting customers, and Tara knows how to make sure that happens.” These well-designed ads also reach people who want to read their community newspaper. Businesses can be confident that their advertisements are being seen and not thrown into bushes or ditches. The Pulse is and will remain a paid circulation newspaper. It is delivered weekly via Canada Post to subscriber mailboxes or can be emailed from our office every Wednesday morning. It is also available in retail outlets throughout Renfrew County, including most grocery and convenience stores.
TRAINING OCNA’S FALL WEBINAR SCHEDULE: November 14th – Selling Online Advertising – John Young, JCY Associates John Young, JCY Associates, will address the ever-growing need to offer and sell ads online. Get your customers to augment their ROP advertising with an online presence. Learn the advantages and benefits as well as the language of web-based advertising. To register go to: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/295250960
November 21st - Word Usage Woes and Myths - Frances Peck, West Coast Editorial Associates For anyone intent on preventing (not avoiding) word errors and avoiding (not preventing) usage myths, this webinar will help. We’ll look at common errors in Canadian publications and count down the top five usage myths. To register go to: https://www1.gotomeeting.com/register/750474793
October 2012
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ADVERTISING
HOW LOSING A SALE CAN BE GOOD FOR BUSINESS BY JOHN FOUST RALEIGH, NC
Step 2: Keep in touch on a regular basis. “Okay, now that
“As crazy as it sounds, losing a sale can be good for business,” Gerald told me. “It offers a unique chance to build rapport over a long period of time. And when they conduct another advertising review, I’ll be in a better position than before.”
I’ve told them I’m going to stay in touch, I actually stay in touch,” Gerald explained. “Top-of-mind-awareness is just as important in selling as it is in advertising. People like to do business with people they know.”
To put it simply, a sales presentation has three possible outcomes: (1) yes, (2) no, or (3) not yet. The good news – for Gerald and other optimistic sales people – is that ‘no’ can be interpreted as ‘not yet,’ instead of ‘never.’ This means there is hope for a future sale, even when the last attempt wasn’t successful. Rapport is a huge element in turning today’s ‘not yet’ into next month’s or next year’s ‘yes.’
Because Gerald is genuinely interested in people, it is easy to learn about their interests. He sends occasional links to articles about favourite teams and hobbies. And he makes sure to chat with them at various networking events around town.
Step 3: Monitor the advertising. “Because I want
“Selling advertising is all about relationships,” he said. “When there’s not good rapport, even an existing advertiser will find it easier to drop out of the paper if there’s a bump in the road ahead.”
another shot at their business in the future, I follow their marketing,” Gerald said. “At some point along the way, they may ask for feedback on a particular aspect of their ads. The faster I respond, the better my chances of being heard.
Dale Carnegie wrote, “If you have a lemon, make a lemonade.” With those words in mind, here are some tips to strengthen rapport after a lost sale:
“That’s an open door to another sales presentation – and maybe a bigger sale than I would have made if they had said ‘yes’ the first time. The difference is that now we know each other pretty well.”
Step 1: Thank sincerely. Gerald’s strategy is to thank a prospect immediately after a presentation. And if they decide not to buy, he thanks them again – with a handwritten note or an e-mail.
Gerald has found another benefit. “I’ve gotten some unexpected referrals,” he said. “People not only like to buy from people they know. They like to refer friends to people they know.”
“Unless it is a rare circumstance, I drop the must-buy-fromme persona. Some sales people say, ‘Thank you, and by the way, you should reconsider this list of selling points,’ but I disagree. That not-so-subtle message is, ‘You made a bad decision, and here’s your chance to correct it.’ That’s no way to build rapport.
(c) Copyright 2012 by John Foust. All rights reserved. JOHN FOUST has conducted training programs for thousands of newspaper advertising professionals. Many ad departments are using his training videos to save time and get quick results from in-house training. E-mail for information: jfoust@mindspring.com
“I simply thank them for their consideration, wish them success – and tell them that I am looking forward to staying in touch.”
We want to hear from you! Please share your news and/or opinions with us: newsclips@ocna.org October 2012
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DESIGN
IF YOU PLAN TO FAIL... BY ED HENNINGER HENNINGER CONSULTING I FIRST HEARD IT YEARS AGO…and I’ve remembered ever since: ‘If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.’ Some say it originated with Benjamin Franklin. Others aren’t so sure. Regardless, the quote is memorable—and it’s a sure reminder to editors that they need to work on their planning. For every issue. During a recent conversation with some editors, I pointed out that the jump on a page 1 lead story was (to put it nicely) ‘text heavy.’ I offered some ideas for improving the design: ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄
More photos. Breaking the one long story into multiple shorter pieces. Use of pull quotes.
The problem with those suggestions is that they just couldn’t be worked out at 9:30 p.m., a half-hour before deadline. The layout person was swimming upstream and doing his best just to get the pages done on time: ▄▄ ▄▄ ▄▄
‘The Scream,’ by Edvard Munch. Does it remind you of you?
No one knew how long the story would be.
▄▄
There were lots of good photos, but no space.
▄▄
No one had permission to move ads to create more room for the package. ▄▄
▄▄
It was just too late to think of all that.
Apparently no one in the newsroom had given such planning a thought. It never happened. So, the one long story was written, with only a one column photo running with the 30-inch jump. No pullouts, no display photos… nothing to encourage those readers who followed the story.
An editor, knowing this was going to be an important story (remember: it was the page 1 lead), should have been working on a design plan much earlier in the day: ▄▄ ▄▄
Another quote applies: ‘If you keep doin’ what you’ve always done…then you’ll keep gettin’ what you’ve always got.’
How can we segment this story into shorter pieces? How long do these pieces have to be?
How disappointing is that?
How about quotes for pullouts? With such an emotional story, surely there will be some compelling quotes. ▄▄ ▄▄
Who’s going to edit the story?
ED HENNINGER is an independent newspaper consultant and the Directorof Henninger Consulting, offering comprehensive newspaper design services and design evaluations at www.henningerconsulting.com.
Who’s shooting the photos? How many? What subjects? What angles? ▄▄
How do we create extra space for the jump?
October 2012
Whom do we ask to get the ads moved?
What do we do to help Bob get this all designed on deadline?
That last point was all too true: It was just too late to think of all that.
▄▄
Can we move ads from that page?
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HUMAN RESOURCES
POOR HIRING PRACTICES CAN LEAD TO LAWSUITS A TWOGREYSUITS ARTICLE
As the economy slowly improves, and with the expected upturn in hiring volume it is a good time to take stock of your hiring practices in an effort to avoid costly lawsuits. Our strong advice is to leave your hiring to proven & trusted professionals such as TwoGreySuits. However, if you choose to go it alone, here are some things to consider when you are again hiring.
we have gained new clients from the people we are calling for references. Most people giving references (the glowing ones) don’t realize they open themselves up to lawsuits if they are found to be giving an inaccurate reference. In the US, many states now have something such as Fair Reference legislation, whereby a person will not be held liable for giving an accurate employment reference.
Review Your Application Form
Listening Skills in the Interview
Many companies have outdated application forms which can really work against them. You could be open to a human rights claim with harsh penalties applied to you. Any questions that relate to a prohibited ground under human rights legislation, such as a history of workplace injuries, a history of attendance, even asking the name of the secondary school attended could invite external scrutiny into your business or organization.
Listening skills in an interview are critical and often not up to speed in the interviewer’s case. Careful attention is required for words like, ‘we’, or ‘contributed’ or ‘mutual agreement for termination’, etc. You must drill down and find out exactly what the person’s responsibilities and contributions were, not the group or department. When you tell a candidate in advance that all claims of accomplishments are required to be verified by a former manager, the interview landscape often changes. In fact, candidates that are embellishing their past accomplishments can be easily detected by a skilled interviewer.
Study the Resume in Detail – Ask Probing Interview Questions
Clearly State your Expectations in Writing and in the Interview
We often see employers who always take the resume at face value. Studies have shown people tend to embellish their previous levels of responsibility and also their skill sets in their resumes. In our interviews we ask very exact questions about the candidate’s claim. We want to know exactly what their involvement was in an accomplishment, and we also ask for verification of this with contact information of people they worked with. (and we follow up on this) We are always leary of claims such as ‘increased sales 250%’ or ‘rated in the top 5% of employees in the company’. If we cannot get a contact person or two to verify a claim, we simply ignore it. This is not to say the person is lying, but if they are making substantive claims and cannot back them up in any way, we will likely move to a candidate who can in fact back up their claims of previous successes. In fact, it is a learned skill to be able to form an opinion in an interview that the person is actually misrepresenting themselves, and frankly, we see this often.
Always provide the candidate with a detailed job description (no exceptions). Clearly outline what is expected in the job in regard to productivity and meeting certain goals or timelines. Many candidates will over promise and under deliver. Your case for a just cause dismissal is much stronger when you clearly spell out the expectations in advance or as a condition of hire. Avoid at all costs oral promises. In fact, an offer letter should clearly state that there are no other employment provisions or compensation which is not specifically included in the offer of employment.
Probationary Periods
Most people think that the first three months of employment are probationary and that the employer can dismiss an employee during this time period for any reason and without any costs involved. Probationary periods which allow the employer to terminate without termination pay should be clearly stated in the employment agreement or letter of offer
Reference Checking
This is an area which is very misunderstood in recruitment. References should be done to verify resume claims and interview responses. Equally important is finding out exactly why an employee left or was terminated from an organization. Recording reference information is critical. We use a 10 page document and follow a prescribed set of probing questions. In fact, our references are so thorough, October 2012
Employment Termination Provisions
It is a good idea to spell out the terms of employment termination at the time of employment acceptance. TwoGreySuits can help you with this too. Unprecedented damage awards are being awarded by the courts in amounts and areas that have never been seen before. A legal review sometimes is a good idea here. 12
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HUMAN RESOURCES
ELIMINATE HIRING MISTAKES FOR GOOD Hiring decisions are among the most important you will make for your business. Why leave it to chance? All the information and guidance you need to interview effectively and select top performing candidates is yours when you sign up for the TwoGreySuits HR service that OCNA is offering to our members. It’s absolutely free! Have a look at the video and then explore the HR Power Centre at www.twogreysuits.com. It contains everything you need for effective people management. And, when you need answers fast, you can talk to a senior HR Professional 24/7 through the HR Hot Line. Signing up is hassle free. Just click on the URL below and you will be taken to OCNA’s customized sign up page. Fill in the information and you will receive immediate access to the HR Power Centre. Sign up here Hassle-free, effortless HR solutions for your business ...because HR happens. For more information, call us at 905 639 8720
CLASSIFIED AD PUBLISHER Blyth/Brussels Citizen Have the freedom to be your own boss. Our communityowned publishing company, located in southwestern Ontario, 20 minutes from the sands of Lake Huron, is seeking a creative, energetic individual to succeed the founding publisher. We operate a weekly community newspaper serving two villages of 1,000 each, a monthly farm magazine of 13,000 circulation and a 3-times-a yeartourist publication. For an information package write to: Keith Roulston, President, North Huron Publishing Company Inc. P.O. Box 429 Blyth, ON N0M 1H0 Call: 519-523-4792 or E-mail editor@stopsalonglakehuron.com
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BUSINESS
TIPS TO BUILD TRUST IN BUSINESS NEGOTIATIONS BY PATRICK TINNEY MANAGING PARTNER CENTROID TRAINING & MARKETING “…. you can't connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backwards. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever. This approach has never let me down, and it has made all the difference in my life.” - Steve Jobs Trust enters into so many facets of business negotiation that at times it can make your brain hurt. Trust is the heart of most negotiations. If you don’t trust the parties you are negotiating with, chances are, you will take extra steps to limit your risk exposure. These extra risk insurance steps can actually get in the way of exposing great mutual negotiation opportunities.
in the customer’s building and we had nowhere to go. We found a quiet corner and discussed our options/BATNA (Best alternative to a negotiated agreement). There is also a catch when you are the one who calls for a break at an impasse in a negotiation. You must return to the negotiation table with a new and more valuable offer to the other side otherwise you look arrogant and in a word ‘dumb’. This is a trust killer!
Conversely, if we are open to trusting the party we are negotiating with the possibility of collaboration gets brighter. Both parties may actually positively nudge each to take greater positive risk in cementing new accretive agreements benefiting both parties.
We returned to the bargaining table with our customer with a few new ideas to enhance our proposal. We got the deal done. We all got what we wanted. Everyone trusted. Everyone won! Below are five tips to build trust in business negotiations. Remember…trusted people get more deals done!!
While working in for a Canadian National magazine I found myself in the middle of an $800,000 sales negotiation where I asked my Sales Director, David Titcombe to trust me at the same moment I was asking an important customer to trust me.
1. Listen To Them: If you want to build trust with a negotiation partner you have to treat them as a unique person. Everyone has objectives, goals and aspirations. We have angst. We all have a story. We have worries. Bills to pay. And, most importantly loved ones to care for. If we thoughtfully listen to our negotiation partners and ask the right questions they will take notice. They will trust you more and more often.
I had just presented what I thought was a very strong proposal to secure the $800,000 with lots of value added and great guaranteed advertising positions in the magazine becoming of a marquis advertiser. Our customer carefully looked over our proposal. There was a thoughtful short pause and the lead negotiator for the customer team looked over at us and told us our offering was ‘just not good enough’. I listened to the customer and reaffirmed her concern and then did something that gave my Sales Director ‘The Willies’. I asked the team for a ‘time out’. I wanted to think about our proposal and discuss options privately with my boss. My gut told me we were close and I really wanted this deal!!
2. Succeed With Deeds: Trust doesn’t just happen. Someone has to start to build a foundation of trust. Someone has to take a positive risk and initiate the trust process. Take the leap of faith. Be the negotiation partner who says…”Here is something we value that I know will enhance our negotiation discussions.”
The customer smiled and agreed to the short break. As we walked out of the room, David looked me in the eyes and said “Tinney….I hope you know what you are doing.” The funny part of this story is that I had called for a timeout in the heat of the moment but had forgotten that we were October 2012
3. Creative Solutions: Sharing creative ideas is definitely a way to build trust. Customers buy ideas…they only buy stuff when 14
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BUSINESS
they have no other choice. What new ideas are you bringing to your next negotiation??
4. Offer Value: In a ‘Seller’s Market’ we used to say ‘Build it and they will come’. The problem with this thinking is that we have been in a ‘Buyer’s Market’ for many years and those who are buying want two dollars of value for every dollar they spend. This puts extra pressure on our point of difference and our value equation. If you offer true value…. they will trust you more! 5. Show Up: We trust personal brands not corporate brands in business negotiations. This means that we trust people not company names and titles. It also means that our personal brand is really a summation of our reliable, positive, repeatable promises. When I engage business partners with Centroid Training and Marketing, I ask them one simple question, ‘Will you show up?’ If there is the slightest bit of hesitation in my business partner’s reply I will ask for an explanation. Trust is owed to no one. Trust is earned. Trust cannot be expected. Trust is given in good faith. How do you build trust in important business negotiations?
Affordable media insurance for Canadian Community Newspapers Service includes: •Libel • Invasion of Privacy • Plagiarism • Piracy • Infringement of Copyright • Pre-Publication Hotline Contact us for a quote: Todd Frees, General Manager 905-639-8720 ext. 234 t.frees@ocna.org
“The best way to find out if you can trust somebody is to trust them.” - Ernest Hemmingway
Copyright Centroid Marketing 2012
Do you have exciting news? Share your updates and photos with us! Send all information to newsclips@ocna.org
PATRICK TINNEY is the founder of Centroid Training and Marketing, a consulting firm helping organizations make and save money through consultative selling, sales prospecting and business negotiation training. Prior to Centroid, Patrick held various corporate sales and management positions at The Southam Newspaper Group, CanWest Media and more. Over his 30 year career Patrick has concluded multi-million dollar media sales and negotiation solutions. For more on Patrick visit centroidmarketing.com October 2012
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GET YOUR PRESS IDENTIFICATION CARDS OCNA can provide you with laminated, business card-sized Press Cards. Cost is $10 each for the first three, and $5 for each one thereafter.
Contact Kelly Gorven at k.gorven@ocna.org or call 906-639-8720 x239 for a Publisher’s Authorization Form and instructions on how to send photos.
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TECHNOLOGY
MORE TOOLS IN ADOBE CREATIVE SUITE 6
BY KEVIN SLIMP INSTITUTE OF NEWSPAPER TECHNOLOGY One of our instructors backed out of the October session of the Institute of Newspaper Technology, meaning I was left to cover his class.
location in the photo. In Photoshop CS5, we were able to use Content Aware to remove something, like a car in front of a house in a real estate advertisement. In CS6, we can actually move items in a photo.
The bad side was that I spent more than 50 hours learning all the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ of the various applications that make up Adobe Creative Suite 6. The good side was I learned the ‘ins’ and ‘outs’ of these new versions.
Don’t start an e-mail campaign. I know we won’t use this in news photos. But it holds real promise for ad design.
In my most recent column, I mentioned a few of my favourite new tools in CS6. Let me share a few more:
InDesign Form Creation:
Prior to CS6, if I wanted to create an interactive form to e-mail to a group, I’d open InDesign, design the form, then export the file to Acrobat. In Acrobat, I’d go through the tedious steps to create a form that could be completed online and sent back. InDesign CS6 includes a wonderful tool for creating forms entirely in InDesign which can be sent directly back to the creator by clicking a button. Moving the fisherman to make room for words in an ad is a snap with Photoshop CS6.
I recently saw an opportunity to use this feature. Someone e-mailed me to see if there was an easy way to find out when Institute attendees were arriving at the Knoxville airport. Within minutes, I had created an interactive form in InDesign, exported it as a PDF file and e-mailed it to all the attendees.
Creating Patterns in Illustrator: It’s now incredibly
easy to create intricate vector patterns, meaning patterns that will print perfectly clear, in just seconds in Illustrator.
Within minutes, I was getting completed forms back in my e-mail.
I needed to design some direction signs for students arriving at the University for classes. In the past, I used a plain black arrow in the sign, but I thought about how fun it would be to fill an arrow with a pattern of the Institute logo instead.
In-line Graphics in InDesign: Suppose you are creating a full page ad featuring text about a local college. Wouldn’t it be nice if, instead of the college name, you could include the college logo within the text in place of the name?
Yes, we could create patterns in Photoshop, but a pattern big enough to fill an arrow on one of these signs would be a huge file. So I whisked over to Illustrator, created a pattern using a JPG of our logo, and within a minute had arrows filled with Institute logos. It was just the effect I was hoping for.
We’ve always had ‘anchored’ graphics, photos and artwork that traveled with the text, usually below a paragraph. In-line graphics become a part of the text, meaning they can be placed within a line of text. I’m not sure how often you will use in-line text in your newspaper, but it’s one of those features that holds real potential.
I’m beginning to like Creative Suite 6 more and more as I use it. For more information concerning CS6 or to download a free demo, visit adobe.com.
Photoshop’s Content Aware Move Tool: In one
example, I had a photo of a fisherman standing in the middle of a creek. Let’s say I like the fisherman and the creek, but I wish he was over to the side so I could place words in the ad next to him.
KEVIN SLIMP serves as the director of the Institute of Newspaper Technology. He is a faculty member of the University of Tennessee College of Communication and Information and makes his home in Knoxville, Tennessee. Kevin’s insight on technology is highly sought after at various industry events across North America. www.kevinslimp.com
That’s exactly what the Content Aware Move Tool does in Photoshop CS6. It picks something up and moves it to another October 2012
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