Embed Size (px)
DESCRIPTION
SAPAToday our association newsletter
Citation preview
SAPATodayDistance Yourself from Bad News
The Bi-Monthly Newsletter for the Free Paper Industry March - April | 2009
In this Issue:
visit us at www.sapatoday.com
by John C. Peterson
There are newspapers and there are newspapers in crisis.
It’s a them and us. Th e big guys and then the local and regional papers, be they weekly or daily, free or paid. I include shoppers and niche publications.
Th e big guys are in big trouble and we shouldn’t be, because their problem is our opportunity (I say “we” and “our” because I can’t get the publisher out of the consultant.).
I bet I had that conversation a dozen times in the last few days at the New England Press Association annual convention where I was a speaker. I was reassured to fi nd there are a few publishers out there who are doing just fi ne. Sure, some are hurting, but some are only down a few percentage points from prior year. A handful said they were even up. I believe them because I know they put out good products.
If you’re a good local paper doing
your job, I’m betting you’re going to be stronger when this is over. You just need to keep doing the things that make community papers valuable. Stick to your knitting and mind your P’s and Q’s. And don’t blink.
Th e franchise for the local paper is the collection process, news and advertising. Main Street and town hall and the local high school are our domain. Ask me to describe the formula for the successful local newspaper and I’ll say the same thing I’ve said for 30 years. It ’s the owner’s manual for the community. “If it’s important to them (the reader), then it needs to be important to us,” was the drill for my reporters and editors. Th at means fi nding room for every reasonable press release and staying until the lights are out at the school board meeting. And yes, we may have to upset the mayor by asking hard questions.
Give that concept some thought. If you’re doing your job you’ve covered all the bases in news and advertising. You’ve provided an updated slice of life
Southeastern Adver t is ing Publ ishers Associat ion (931) 490-0400 (931) 490-0488 fax
page 2SAPA Board of Directors & CAN Corner
page 3Little Things in Customer Service
page 4Distance Yourself From Newspapers in Crisis
page 5Persistence Pays
page 8Beat Yesterdays Record
page 10Calendar of Events & Postal Update
Southeastern Advertising Publishers Association
Advancing the free paper industry by providing resources for success and venues for sharing ideas.
continued on page 4
SAPA HAS 2,200,193 PROVEN FURNITURE BUYERS...
The 2008 SAPA circulation audit and readership study from Circulation Verification Council has revealed that 2,200,193 people who read
your publications plan to buy furniture and/or home furnishings in the next 12 months.
That’s real buyers. Buyers your advertisers can reach.
Do you know how many are from your publication? If not, call CVC today to schedule a 30-minute sales training call or webinar.
www.cvcaudit.com (800) 262-6392
2 SAPAToday 11 SAPAToday
SAPA Leadership
Past PresidentMike Woodard
Tuscaloosa Shopper & Reporter
Northport, AL205-333-7525
PresidentRussell
QuattlebaumSoutheast Sun
Enterprise, AL 334-393-2969
Vice PresidentGreg Ledford
Shelby Shopper & Info
Shelby, NC 704-484-1047
TreasurerTony OnellionBargains PlusSlidell, LA
985-649-9515
Executive Director
Douglas FrySAPA Headquarters
Columbia, TN931-490-0400
Board MemberJW Owens
Savannah Pennysaver
Savannah, GA 912-238-2040
Board MemberCaroline
QuattlebaumSoutheast Sun
Enterprise, AL 334-393-2969
SecretaryAlan Lingerfelt
The Piedmont Shopper
Danville, VA434-822-1800
Past PresidentGary Benton
Peddler ADvantageParis, TN
731-644-9595
Administrative Assistant
Vickie BeldenSAPA Headquarters
Columbia, TN931-490-0400
Vice President
CornerEach year I attend lots of association conferences. Many times they ask me to speak about graphics, I really can’t tell you why. What I hear so many times is “Th e color in our publication is terrible. When we work on an ad on the computer it looks beautiful but when we get it back from the printer it looks awful. What can we do?”
First of all, we need to remember that the printing company can mess up
just about anything we send them. However, I’ve found that most of the time the color is off because we believed our computer monitors.
The CMYK Newsprint Color Selector (available free to anyone that asks for it) gives your staff a color guide that will show them exactly what they can expect when combining Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black Inks. Give us a call to receive yours, 1.800.334.0649.
must make our services available at the same price – in both easy to serve locations and locations so remote they can only be reached by mule, by swamp boat, or by bush plane.”
Describing the Postal Service as the “link that connects every American,” the Postmaster General stated he was turning to Congress for help.
First, the PMG asked Congress to remove the requirement that the Postal Service deliver mail six days a week. Potter stated a reduction in delivery service would only be taken “when absolutely warranted by fi nancial circumstances.” But he asked Congress to give the Postal Service and its Board of Governors the fl exibility to take this action. Second, Potter asked for a legislative change to give the USPS relief from the crippling cost burden to prefund the costs of health benefi ts for future retirees at the same time it fully funded health care premiums for current retirees. Th e Postmaster General explained the details of the relief the Postal Service was seeking.
Under current law, the Postal Service must prefund its retiree health care costs over a 10 year period from 2007 through 2006. This prefunding is required at the same time the Postal Service is paying costs for current retirees. In 2008 these combined payments for retiree health benefi ts came to $7.4 billion. Th is represented almost 10% of the
Postal Service’s operating budget. In 2009 it faces higher costs.
Th e Postal Service is supporting a proposal that would keep the aggressive ten year payment schedule but would allow the costs for current retirees to be paid out of the existing Postal Service Retiree Health Benefi ts Fund. Th is would give the Postal Service an additional two billion dollars to off set other costs in 2009.
Th e Postmaster General stressed that this would not change the benefi ts or health premiums paid by current or future Postal Service retirees. Th e exceptionally aggressive prefunding schedule imposed on the Postal Service by the 2006 Reform Act is not directly related to the actual cost of benefi ts or the Postal Service’s future retirement obligations, but were related to budget “scoring issues.” Potter stated, “While we recognize that budget neutrality can be an important public policy goal, we believe, in this case there is an urgent need to balance current responsibilities against future responsibilities. Our proposal creates the needed balance.”
For membership information, contact: Donna Hanbery; Executive Director, SMC; 33 South 6th Street, Suite 4040; Minneapolis, MN 55402; Telephone: 612-340-9855; Fax: 612-340-9446; Email: [email protected]
USPS Begs For HelpCongress Responds Continued
By John Foust, Raleigh, NC
Lynne makes customer service a top priority. “When I read about a big corporation that is starting a customer service initiative, I can’t help but wonder if they’ve had their heads in the sand. It’s almost like they’re saying, ‘Uh oh, business is down, so we’d better start being nice to our customers.’
“My business card says, ‘advertising sales,’ but my real job is customer service,” she said. “If I take good care of my existing advertisers – and if I show my prospective customers that they’ll get top-notch service from me and my paper – selling is a lot easier.”
Lynne understands the power of small gestures. “In my experience,” she said, “little things make a big diff erence. I make notes of things that are important to my clients. When is their business anniversary? How did the business get started? What are their favorite teams? What are their hobbies? What are their kids’ interests? Where do they like to vacation?
“It’s easy to ask about that kind of information,’ she explained, “because people like to talk about their interests. On a business anniversary, I might send a card or an e-mail. When a customer’s favorite team wins a big game – or their kid’s team plays in the city championship – that’s a good opportunity for a congratulatory phone call. When they run a special promotion in our paper, I might show up with extra tear sheets that can be posted in their offi ce or showroom. It’s all about paying attention to the things that are important to my advertisers.
“I can’t build rapport – and I can’t win any degree of loyalty – if I call on them only when I want to sell something. Th is market has a lot of advertising sales people who are trying to reach into my customers’ budgets. It’s good business to show that I care about them and their businesses.”
Lynne’s approach to c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e reminded me of a visit to the historical area of Philadelphia, where I saw Benjamin Franklin’s grave at the Christ Church cemetery. Th e stone slab was covered with pennies, hundreds of pennies. According to the tour guide, it is considered good luck to toss a penny on Franklin’s grave – a salute to Ben’s famous saying, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” Th e guide explained that the money is used for upkeep of the cemetery. “Occasionally, we fi nd quarters or nickels or dimes, but it’s mostly pennies. Last year, we collected $3,800. Th at’s 380,000 pennies.”
Bruce Barton, co-founder of the Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn (BBDO) advertising agency, once wrote, “Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think there are no little things.”
Jan Carlzon, former Chief Executive Offi cer of SAS Airlines, said, “You cannot improve one thing by 1,000 percent, but you can improve 1,000 little things by one percent.”
Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi said, “Inches make champions.”
Little things add up. Pennies make dollars. Minutes make hours. And thoughtful gestures build customer service.
(c) Copyright 2008 by John Foust. All rights reserved.
E-mail John Foust for information about his training videos for ad departments: [email protected]
3 SAPAToday
posTmasTer generaL asks congress For heLp
On January 28, 2009, Postmaster General John Potter appeared before the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Service and International Security of the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Aff airs of the United States Senate. Th e PMG told the subcommittee that the Postal Service “is in acute fi nancial crises.”
Th e PMG’s testimony made a plea to the Postal Service for help in two areas. Potter stated, “I am asking for fl exibility in the number of days we deliver mail and an 8-year adjustment to our funding schedule for retiree health benefi ts.”
The Postmaster’s testimony described the changing communication patterns that were eroding the Postal Service’s business model. Th e impact of electronic communication on fi rst class mail, combined with the economic problems aff ecting the entire U.S. economy, led the Postal Service to see mail volume declines of over 9 billion pieces, or 4.5% of all volume, in 2008. Th e Postmaster General described a business model that assumed the Postal Service could continue to expand its delivery point network based upon increases in volume. Potter stated, “With the rise in electronic communications driving profound and permanent changes in the mail mix as we enter the new century, it became clear that this model was being rendered obsolete.”
Potter described steps the Postal Service has taken to reduce costs, consolidate operations, and achieve productivity gains. He described measures taken to halt the construction of new facilities, a freeze on executive pay, reductions in headquarter staffi ng and eff orts to consolidate duplicative mail processing operations. Th e PMG appealed to Congress for understanding when eff orts to improve postal effi ciency resulted
in a consolidation or closure of operations in a specifi c community. Potter described eff orts to work within the constraints of the Postal Service’s union agreements to achieve an agreement to more rapidly adjust postal delivery routes (to refl ect reductions in mail volumes) and to achieve agreements from postal labor to require employees make greater contributions to the employee’s health benefi ts.
Potter also described the regulatory and business constraints that aff ected the Postal Service as a unique institution. “We must serve every customer in every community equally. Rich or poor, from the biggest cities to the smallest towns, we must provide the same high level of service. We must provide the same access. We
calendar ofevents
10 SAPAToday
Little Things InCustomer Service
Postmaster AsksFor Help
I saw Benjamin Franklin’s grave at the Christ
SAPA Conference 2009: In 2009 we’ll be in Louisville, Kentucky at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Th e hotel is located across the street from 4th Street Live so there will be plenty to do. Mark your calendars now for August 28 & 29, 2009 in Louisville. Please give us a call at 1-800-334-0649 or email: [email protected] if you would like more information.
AFCP Annual Conference 2009: On April 23 - 25, 2009, AFCP will conduct their annual conference in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. For more information go to their website: www.afcp.org or call 1-877-203-2327.
IFPA Annual Conference 2009: After you attend the SAPA Conference in Louisville consider attending the multi-association IFPA sponsored conference in Chicago at the Westin O’Hare on September 24 - 26, 2009. Contact Joe Duval at 1.888.450.IFPA or check the web at www.freepaperconference.com for more information.
continued on page 11
in the communities you cover. My grandparents would call it a smorgasbord, something for every appetite.
There was further evidence that local publications are healthy in a recent joint study by Suburban Newspapers of America and the Nat ional Newspaper Association. In a survey of papers with a total circulation of 10.5 million, here’s what they reported:
Data collected in 2008 showed a 1.7% decline in advertising for the third quarter, 2.4% in the second quarter and 2.7% in the first quarter (all were measured against the same reporting period from the prior year.) Fourth quarter results will be available in late February. These results compare to industry-wide double-digit declines of 18.1% (third quarter 2008), 15.1% second quarter 2008, and 12.8% (first quarter 2008), as reported by Newspaper Association of America.
The opporTuniTy?Let’s look at what’s happened and what some of the big guys have done. They’ve lost circulation, cut staff and content, some have eliminated early week editions and others have stopped early week home delivery. The new wave is a hybrid e-paper, an early week electronic edition and late week print delivered.
They have finally admitted that all days of the week are not created equal, and maybe
immediacy was not everything they said it was in the past. Some of their web sites are also a confession acknowledging that people do care about the little news in their lives. Groups like Rotary and Lions and the Chamber of Commerce do contribute to the local quality of life; the big guys just can’t justify the news hole in the paper.
Their weakness is the local publication’s strength. Don’t just print that community news, showcase it. They aren’t likely to get it anywhere else. You own it and you become a bigger piece of their information life.
If you’re a weekly, tell advertisers there’s no guesswork about which is the best day to advertise. You create the event and people know when to look for it. You offer shelf life and that’s the same thing as frequency. You likely have affordable zones with strong or saturation coverage. You sell proximity and that’s where the people who find it easiest to do business with them reside.
Don’t say circulation, say effective circulation. There can be a big difference. Big is not always better.
I’m a newspaper junkie so none of this brings me comfort. But local publications need to pay attention to what has gone on, and step up. Yes the industry needs to develop multi-media platforms but let those e-world buzz words also ring for your
paper. Content, engagement and community are what local papers are all about, forever.
The sooner local papers distance themselves from the “newspaper crisis” the better off they’ll be. Create a marketing campaign to differentiate yourselves, script your sales reps to talk about it and arm them with pieces quantifying your strength and value. Tell them to “road test” the paper for accounts and point out the constituencies for news content. Count the number of paid ads in the paper (classifieds too) and tell them these people voted with their checkbooks that this is the place to communicate. Use testimonials.
No one will tell your story if you don’t. If you don’t then people will just think you’re just another one of those papers in crisis.
This is no time to hold back, the stakes are too high.
Next: Know anyone who ever cut their way to success?
John C. Peterson The Peterson Group
Office: 860-447-9198 Cell: 203-530-7171 Fax: 800-903-0256
Email:[email protected]: johncpeterson.com
Blog:communitymediamatters.blogspot.com
24 Robin Lane Oakdale, CT 06370
9 SAPAToday4 SAPAToday
Distance Yourself FromNewspapers in Crisis
March forBabies
continued on page 9
Tight Economy? Revenue Down?What's a newspaper to do?
New revenue sources, solutions & opportunities
Newspapers • Reading • Education Kidsville News! • Internet • Truman, the dragon
tiesppGROW WITH US!
Find out why the Kidsville News! educationalresource and children's newspaper is the fastest
growing publication in NC and the nation.*
Call today: Bill Bowman, [email protected] or 910.391.3859
www.KidsvilleNews.comKidsville News! is not a franchise,
insert or special section.
2005 Kidsville News! CirculationNational: 80,000
2007 Kidsville News! CirculationNational: 806,125
2008 Kidsville News! CirculationNational: 1,282,118
Supported by the
Foundation
the walk starts at marchforbabies.org/oneday
one day...all babies will be born healthy.
The PaperChain committee has adopted the March of Dimes as its favored charitable organization. The March of Dimes is the leading organization for pregnancy and baby health and its mission is to improve the health of all babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality
Spring is the time of year when the March of Dimes conducts its March For Babies campaign. The March of Dimes has requested that members of PaperChain run PSA’s (Public Service Announcements) announcing this important activity. Ads should run during the Spring, when space allows in your publication. Please coordinate your placement of the ads with your local chapter of the March of Dimes. This will help them get the best results for the campaign.
Please download all the ads and forms you will need from www.paperchainnetwork.net Thanks!
Download this and other ads to run in your paper in conjunction with the
March for Babies in your community.www.paperchainneTwork.neT
(a) Yesterday You Did Your Best. Each day is a day by itself, as is each hour and each minute of time. And time is precious. But all the hours of yesterday are worthless to you now, other than as a field of pleasant reflection and remembrance. You look upon yesterday as the day when you did your best, and you are filled with delight and satisfaction. You are happy. Your accomplishments of yesterday are stacked up before you as evidence of the fruits of your labor. “None could have done better,” you say.
(b) Today You Can Do Better Than Yesterday. Today is a new day. As you view it in the beginning, it is worth only as much to you as your prophetic vision of what you can make out of it. Your hope must be lifted up; your ambition must be rekindled; your purpose must be intensified and your faith in your ability to do better than you did yesterday must be strong and unwavering. You have yesterday’s experiences to aid you in today’s work. You have learned of what stuff success is made. You have learned how to utilize your failures from yesterday to your advantage for today. You are a stronger person today than you were yesterday.
(c) Progress Is Made By Beating Your Records. Always work in competition with yourself. Make each day a day for beating your own records. Get into the habit of setting standards to achieve for yourself. Raise these standards and never lower them. Keep climbing up the ladder. As you go up, you will find the places that are less crowded by outside competition. Pull
yourself up by your own efforts, to places where you can have plenty of elbowroom.
(d) The Fun In Work Is In Record-Breaking. You can never afford to work only for the pay you get. You cheat yourself when you look for full compensation in your pay envelope. The greater part of the compensation that comes from successful effort will be found in the fun we get out of work. The fun we get comes out of accomplishments. Breaking the record of our previous accomplishments brings full satisfaction.
(e) Your Salary Will “Go Up” As You “Grow Up” In Accomplishment. You are rated according to the results you produce. Your salary will climb the ladder as fast as you climb. It will grow as big as you show it ought to be. Compensation is a just law that never fails.“right now!” to get revenue into the paper, and maintain our market share during these tough times. When times get better, we keep calling.
The original cores of these lessons were first espoused by Basil Smith in 1912. Current version © Copyright 2007 by
Richard Clark -- Classified Development.
Richard Clark offers great low-cost online ad-taking solutions, as well as sales and management training that pay for themselves, guaranteed. Find out more and see the demo at www.classifieddevelopment.com
5 SAPAToday8 SAPAToday
Lesson 6: BeatYesterday’s Record by Joe Bonura
Third Time is a charmTwice I walked by the shoeshine stand, and on both occasions, the person manning the stand enthusiastically asked me if I wanted a shine. It was on my third pass that he smiled and asked again. I don’t usually have my black leather tennis shoes shined, but I relinquished and had them shined. He was so persistent that I did not have the heart to turn him down again.
persisTence speaks Louder Than words
Often, when on a speaking engagement, the meeting planner revealed that I received the book ing bec ause o f persistence. If there is a need for your product or service, it is a compliment to keep in touch. Persistence tells the customer that you want their business.
Be The BesT pesTYou don’t want to be a PEST, but you do want to let them know you are the BEST. Your persistence, in getting the business, will demonstrate to them how you will treat them after you have the business.
is anyBody There? does anyBody care?
In the past few months, my house has needed some repairs in order to get it ready to sell. It has been frustrating to get people to respond to our requests to do the work that needs to be done. Several suppliers made appointments, and then did not show up, and they did not have the courtesy to call to let us know that they were not
interested in the work.
a moving experienceWe have called three moving companies to get quotes for moving our smaller things, and only one of three gave us a quote, after we called them several times. I told one of them that either he is very successful or he did not care about serving potential customers. He said that our business was important to him, and that he would respond with a quote the next day. We have not heard from him.
iT is noT The economyHow sad it is that these same people will go to an industry convention with their peers and tell them how bad the economy is! It is not the economy - it is their attitude toward being persistent that needs some work.
same day serviceWe have an office policy that if someone inquires about our services, we send the information to them in overnight mail. Our prompt responsiveness has gotten us many a booking.
iT pays To FoLLow upI have worked in the field with many sales people. I go in the field and make an initial call with the sales person and get the client seriously interested in looking at a proposal. In some cases, I will check to see how the proposal went, only to find that there was no follow-up with a proposal. When the follow-up was carried out, they usually received the business.
They wiLL show you The money
There are people with money in their pockets, just waiting to put that money in your pocket. The question is, “Do you want it badly enough to make the effort to show up when they call, and then follow-up with a proposal?” Before my field experience with real sales people in the real world, I would have said that the answer is an obvious yes. Now I know that, in many cases, it is a resounding no.
common courTesy counTsChallenge yourself to get back to your customers ASAP. If you are too busy to help them, let them know and recommend another supplier that you can depend on to follow through. If you are going to be late for an appointment, give them a call and let them know you are running late. My wife has changed appointments and stayed home, only to be disappointed too many times in the last few weeks.
LeT The good Times roLLIf you don’t take care of business when times are good, don’t be surprised if the customer won’t be there waiting for you when times are bad.
Be ThereMake a commitment today to follow through with your customers. Be there for them, and they will be there for you.© 2007-2008 Joe Bonura & Associates, Inc.
Persistence Pays
Display & Classified Ad Sales & BillingCirculation Direct Mail Payroll Accounting
Integrated Management Software designed by publishers for publishers
MERRIMAC SOFTWARE ASSOCIATES INC.TAMWORTH, NH 603 323 8811 WWW.MERRSOFT.COM
Justin Gerena, President, Director of Salesp: 888.592.3212 x710e: [email protected]
JB Multimedia, Inc. P.O. Box 704 N. Bellmore, NY 11710 888.592.3212 phone/fax www.jbmultimedia.net
M a k i n g p u b l i c a t i o n s i n t e r a c t i v e.
IPC CHARLIE HENCYE
800-243-7659 [email protected] FAX: 941-484-0828
140 Triple Diamond Blvd * Suite C * N. Venice, FL 34275www.ipcpoly.com
PRESIDENT
International Poly&
Promotions
Plastic BagsPromotional Items
Advertising Specialties
300 North DriveSuite 100
Melbourne, FL 32934
321.242.5000 x2214321.242.4074727.492.3562
phonefax
mobile
John Pourtlessdirector of sales - southeast
p d
c
PALIGODATACONSULTING
Ryan PaligoPresident
200 Kimberly DriveColumbia, TN 38401
931.334.1757
Display & Classified Ad Sales & BillingCirculation Direct Mail Payroll Accounting
Integrated Management Software designed by publishers for publishers
MERRIMAC SOFTWARE ASSOCIATES INC.TAMWORTH, NH 603 323 8811 WWW.MERRSOFT.COM
Justin Gerena, President, Director of Salesp: 888.592.3212 x710e: [email protected]
JB Multimedia, Inc. P.O. Box 704 N. Bellmore, NY 11710 888.592.3212 phone/fax www.jbmultimedia.net
M a k i n g p u b l i c a t i o n s i n t e r a c t i v e.
IPC CHARLIE HENCYE
800-243-7659 [email protected] FAX: 941-484-0828
140 Triple Diamond Blvd * Suite C * N. Venice, FL 34275www.ipcpoly.com
PRESIDENT
International Poly&
Promotions
Plastic BagsPromotional Items
Advertising Specialties
300 North DriveSuite 100
Melbourne, FL 32934
321.242.5000 x2214321.242.4074727.492.3562
phonefax
mobile
John Pourtlessdirector of sales - southeast
p d
c
PALIGODATACONSULTING
Ryan PaligoPresident
200 Kimberly DriveColumbia, TN 38401
931.334.1757
(a) Yesterday You Did Your Best. Each day is a day by itself, as is each hour and each minute of time. And time is precious. But all the hours of yesterday are worthless to you now, other than as a field of pleasant reflection and remembrance. You look upon yesterday as the day when you did your best, and you are filled with delight and satisfaction. You are happy. Your accomplishments of yesterday are stacked up before you as evidence of the fruits of your labor. “None could have done better,” you say.
(b) Today You Can Do Better Than Yesterday. Today is a new day. As you view it in the beginning, it is worth only as much to you as your prophetic vision of what you can make out of it. Your hope must be lifted up; your ambition must be rekindled; your purpose must be intensified and your faith in your ability to do better than you did yesterday must be strong and unwavering. You have yesterday’s experiences to aid you in today’s work. You have learned of what stuff success is made. You have learned how to utilize your failures from yesterday to your advantage for today. You are a stronger person today than you were yesterday.
(c) Progress Is Made By Beating Your Records. Always work in competition with yourself. Make each day a day for beating your own records. Get into the habit of setting standards to achieve for yourself. Raise these standards and never lower them. Keep climbing up the ladder. As you go up, you will find the places that are less crowded by outside competition. Pull
yourself up by your own efforts, to places where you can have plenty of elbowroom.
(d) The Fun In Work Is In Record-Breaking. You can never afford to work only for the pay you get. You cheat yourself when you look for full compensation in your pay envelope. The greater part of the compensation that comes from successful effort will be found in the fun we get out of work. The fun we get comes out of accomplishments. Breaking the record of our previous accomplishments brings full satisfaction.
(e) Your Salary Will “Go Up” As You “Grow Up” In Accomplishment. You are rated according to the results you produce. Your salary will climb the ladder as fast as you climb. It will grow as big as you show it ought to be. Compensation is a just law that never fails.“right now!” to get revenue into the paper, and maintain our market share during these tough times. When times get better, we keep calling.
The original cores of these lessons were first espoused by Basil Smith in 1912. Current version © Copyright 2007 by
Richard Clark -- Classified Development.
Richard Clark offers great low-cost online ad-taking solutions, as well as sales and management training that pay for themselves, guaranteed. Find out more and see the demo at www.classifieddevelopment.com
5 SAPAToday8 SAPAToday
Lesson 6: BeatYesterday’s Record by Joe Bonura
Third Time is a charmTwice I walked by the shoeshine stand, and on both occasions, the person manning the stand enthusiastically asked me if I wanted a shine. It was on my third pass that he smiled and asked again. I don’t usually have my black leather tennis shoes shined, but I relinquished and had them shined. He was so persistent that I did not have the heart to turn him down again.
persisTence speaks Louder Than words
Often, when on a speaking engagement, the meeting planner revealed that I received the book ing bec ause o f persistence. If there is a need for your product or service, it is a compliment to keep in touch. Persistence tells the customer that you want their business.
Be The BesT pesTYou don’t want to be a PEST, but you do want to let them know you are the BEST. Your persistence, in getting the business, will demonstrate to them how you will treat them after you have the business.
is anyBody There? does anyBody care?
In the past few months, my house has needed some repairs in order to get it ready to sell. It has been frustrating to get people to respond to our requests to do the work that needs to be done. Several suppliers made appointments, and then did not show up, and they did not have the courtesy to call to let us know that they were not
interested in the work.
a moving experienceWe have called three moving companies to get quotes for moving our smaller things, and only one of three gave us a quote, after we called them several times. I told one of them that either he is very successful or he did not care about serving potential customers. He said that our business was important to him, and that he would respond with a quote the next day. We have not heard from him.
iT is noT The economyHow sad it is that these same people will go to an industry convention with their peers and tell them how bad the economy is! It is not the economy - it is their attitude toward being persistent that needs some work.
same day serviceWe have an office policy that if someone inquires about our services, we send the information to them in overnight mail. Our prompt responsiveness has gotten us many a booking.
iT pays To FoLLow upI have worked in the field with many sales people. I go in the field and make an initial call with the sales person and get the client seriously interested in looking at a proposal. In some cases, I will check to see how the proposal went, only to find that there was no follow-up with a proposal. When the follow-up was carried out, they usually received the business.
They wiLL show you The money
There are people with money in their pockets, just waiting to put that money in your pocket. The question is, “Do you want it badly enough to make the effort to show up when they call, and then follow-up with a proposal?” Before my field experience with real sales people in the real world, I would have said that the answer is an obvious yes. Now I know that, in many cases, it is a resounding no.
common courTesy counTsChallenge yourself to get back to your customers ASAP. If you are too busy to help them, let them know and recommend another supplier that you can depend on to follow through. If you are going to be late for an appointment, give them a call and let them know you are running late. My wife has changed appointments and stayed home, only to be disappointed too many times in the last few weeks.
LeT The good Times roLLIf you don’t take care of business when times are good, don’t be surprised if the customer won’t be there waiting for you when times are bad.
Be ThereMake a commitment today to follow through with your customers. Be there for them, and they will be there for you.© 2007-2008 Joe Bonura & Associates, Inc.
Persistence Pays
in the communities you cover. My grandparents would call it a smorgasbord, something for every appetite.
There was further evidence that local publications are healthy in a recent joint study by Suburban Newspapers of America and the Nat ional Newspaper Association. In a survey of papers with a total circulation of 10.5 million, here’s what they reported:
Data collected in 2008 showed a 1.7% decline in advertising for the third quarter, 2.4% in the second quarter and 2.7% in the first quarter (all were measured against the same reporting period from the prior year.) Fourth quarter results will be available in late February. These results compare to industry-wide double-digit declines of 18.1% (third quarter 2008), 15.1% second quarter 2008, and 12.8% (first quarter 2008), as reported by Newspaper Association of America.
The opporTuniTy?Let’s look at what’s happened and what some of the big guys have done. They’ve lost circulation, cut staff and content, some have eliminated early week editions and others have stopped early week home delivery. The new wave is a hybrid e-paper, an early week electronic edition and late week print delivered.
They have finally admitted that all days of the week are not created equal, and maybe
immediacy was not everything they said it was in the past. Some of their web sites are also a confession acknowledging that people do care about the little news in their lives. Groups like Rotary and Lions and the Chamber of Commerce do contribute to the local quality of life; the big guys just can’t justify the news hole in the paper.
Their weakness is the local publication’s strength. Don’t just print that community news, showcase it. They aren’t likely to get it anywhere else. You own it and you become a bigger piece of their information life.
If you’re a weekly, tell advertisers there’s no guesswork about which is the best day to advertise. You create the event and people know when to look for it. You offer shelf life and that’s the same thing as frequency. You likely have affordable zones with strong or saturation coverage. You sell proximity and that’s where the people who find it easiest to do business with them reside.
Don’t say circulation, say effective circulation. There can be a big difference. Big is not always better.
I’m a newspaper junkie so none of this brings me comfort. But local publications need to pay attention to what has gone on, and step up. Yes the industry needs to develop multi-media platforms but let those e-world buzz words also ring for your
paper. Content, engagement and community are what local papers are all about, forever.
The sooner local papers distance themselves from the “newspaper crisis” the better off they’ll be. Create a marketing campaign to differentiate yourselves, script your sales reps to talk about it and arm them with pieces quantifying your strength and value. Tell them to “road test” the paper for accounts and point out the constituencies for news content. Count the number of paid ads in the paper (classifieds too) and tell them these people voted with their checkbooks that this is the place to communicate. Use testimonials.
No one will tell your story if you don’t. If you don’t then people will just think you’re just another one of those papers in crisis.
This is no time to hold back, the stakes are too high.
Next: Know anyone who ever cut their way to success?
John C. Peterson The Peterson Group
Office: 860-447-9198 Cell: 203-530-7171 Fax: 800-903-0256
Email:[email protected]: johncpeterson.com
Blog:communitymediamatters.blogspot.com
24 Robin Lane Oakdale, CT 06370
9 SAPAToday4 SAPAToday
Distance Yourself FromNewspapers in Crisis
March forBabies
continued on page 9
Tight Economy? Revenue Down?What's a newspaper to do?
New revenue sources, solutions & opportunities
Newspapers • Reading • Education Kidsville News! • Internet • Truman, the dragon
tiesppGROW WITH US!
Find out why the Kidsville News! educationalresource and children's newspaper is the fastest
growing publication in NC and the nation.*
Call today: Bill Bowman, [email protected] or 910.391.3859
www.KidsvilleNews.comKidsville News! is not a franchise,
insert or special section.
2005 Kidsville News! CirculationNational: 80,000
2007 Kidsville News! CirculationNational: 806,125
2008 Kidsville News! CirculationNational: 1,282,118
Supported by the
Foundation
the walk starts at marchforbabies.org/oneday
one day...all babies will be born healthy.
The PaperChain committee has adopted the March of Dimes as its favored charitable organization. The March of Dimes is the leading organization for pregnancy and baby health and its mission is to improve the health of all babies by preventing birth defects, premature birth and infant mortality
Spring is the time of year when the March of Dimes conducts its March For Babies campaign. The March of Dimes has requested that members of PaperChain run PSA’s (Public Service Announcements) announcing this important activity. Ads should run during the Spring, when space allows in your publication. Please coordinate your placement of the ads with your local chapter of the March of Dimes. This will help them get the best results for the campaign.
Please download all the ads and forms you will need from www.paperchainnetwork.net Thanks!
Download this and other ads to run in your paper in conjunction with the
March for Babies in your community.www.paperchainneTwork.neT
By John Foust, Raleigh, NC
Lynne makes customer service a top priority. “When I read about a big corporation that is starting a customer service initiative, I can’t help but wonder if they’ve had their heads in the sand. It’s almost like they’re saying, ‘Uh oh, business is down, so we’d better start being nice to our customers.’
“My business card says, ‘advertising sales,’ but my real job is customer service,” she said. “If I take good care of my existing advertisers – and if I show my prospective customers that they’ll get top-notch service from me and my paper – selling is a lot easier.”
Lynne understands the power of small gestures. “In my experience,” she said, “little things make a big diff erence. I make notes of things that are important to my clients. When is their business anniversary? How did the business get started? What are their favorite teams? What are their hobbies? What are their kids’ interests? Where do they like to vacation?
“It’s easy to ask about that kind of information,’ she explained, “because people like to talk about their interests. On a business anniversary, I might send a card or an e-mail. When a customer’s favorite team wins a big game – or their kid’s team plays in the city championship – that’s a good opportunity for a congratulatory phone call. When they run a special promotion in our paper, I might show up with extra tear sheets that can be posted in their offi ce or showroom. It’s all about paying attention to the things that are important to my advertisers.
“I can’t build rapport – and I can’t win any degree of loyalty – if I call on them only when I want to sell something. Th is market has a lot of advertising sales people who are trying to reach into my customers’ budgets. It’s good business to show that I care about them and their businesses.”
Lynne’s approach to c u s t o m e r s e r v i c e reminded me of a visit to the historical area of Philadelphia, where I saw Benjamin Franklin’s grave at the Christ Church cemetery. Th e stone slab was covered with pennies, hundreds of pennies. According to the tour guide, it is considered good luck to toss a penny on Franklin’s grave – a salute to Ben’s famous saying, “A penny saved is a penny earned.” Th e guide explained that the money is used for upkeep of the cemetery. “Occasionally, we fi nd quarters or nickels or dimes, but it’s mostly pennies. Last year, we collected $3,800. Th at’s 380,000 pennies.”
Bruce Barton, co-founder of the Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn (BBDO) advertising agency, once wrote, “Sometimes when I consider what tremendous consequences come from little things, I am tempted to think there are no little things.”
Jan Carlzon, former Chief Executive Offi cer of SAS Airlines, said, “You cannot improve one thing by 1,000 percent, but you can improve 1,000 little things by one percent.”
Legendary football coach Vince Lombardi said, “Inches make champions.”
Little things add up. Pennies make dollars. Minutes make hours. And thoughtful gestures build customer service.
(c) Copyright 2008 by John Foust. All rights reserved.
E-mail John Foust for information about his training videos for ad departments: [email protected]
3 SAPAToday
posTmasTer generaL asks congress For heLp
On January 28, 2009, Postmaster General John Potter appeared before the Subcommittee on Federal Financial Management, Government Information, Federal Service and International Security of the Committee on Homeland Security and Government Aff airs of the United States Senate. Th e PMG told the subcommittee that the Postal Service “is in acute fi nancial crises.”
Th e PMG’s testimony made a plea to the Postal Service for help in two areas. Potter stated, “I am asking for fl exibility in the number of days we deliver mail and an 8-year adjustment to our funding schedule for retiree health benefi ts.”
The Postmaster’s testimony described the changing communication patterns that were eroding the Postal Service’s business model. Th e impact of electronic communication on fi rst class mail, combined with the economic problems aff ecting the entire U.S. economy, led the Postal Service to see mail volume declines of over 9 billion pieces, or 4.5% of all volume, in 2008. Th e Postmaster General described a business model that assumed the Postal Service could continue to expand its delivery point network based upon increases in volume. Potter stated, “With the rise in electronic communications driving profound and permanent changes in the mail mix as we enter the new century, it became clear that this model was being rendered obsolete.”
Potter described steps the Postal Service has taken to reduce costs, consolidate operations, and achieve productivity gains. He described measures taken to halt the construction of new facilities, a freeze on executive pay, reductions in headquarter staffi ng and eff orts to consolidate duplicative mail processing operations. Th e PMG appealed to Congress for understanding when eff orts to improve postal effi ciency resulted
in a consolidation or closure of operations in a specifi c community. Potter described eff orts to work within the constraints of the Postal Service’s union agreements to achieve an agreement to more rapidly adjust postal delivery routes (to refl ect reductions in mail volumes) and to achieve agreements from postal labor to require employees make greater contributions to the employee’s health benefi ts.
Potter also described the regulatory and business constraints that aff ected the Postal Service as a unique institution. “We must serve every customer in every community equally. Rich or poor, from the biggest cities to the smallest towns, we must provide the same high level of service. We must provide the same access. We
calendar ofevents
10 SAPAToday
Little Things InCustomer Service
Postmaster AsksFor Help
I saw Benjamin Franklin’s grave at the Christ
SAPA Conference 2009: In 2009 we’ll be in Louisville, Kentucky at the Hyatt Regency Hotel. Th e hotel is located across the street from 4th Street Live so there will be plenty to do. Mark your calendars now for August 28 & 29, 2009 in Louisville. Please give us a call at 1-800-334-0649 or email: [email protected] if you would like more information.
AFCP Annual Conference 2009: On April 23 - 25, 2009, AFCP will conduct their annual conference in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. For more information go to their website: www.afcp.org or call 1-877-203-2327.
IFPA Annual Conference 2009: After you attend the SAPA Conference in Louisville consider attending the multi-association IFPA sponsored conference in Chicago at the Westin O’Hare on September 24 - 26, 2009. Contact Joe Duval at 1.888.450.IFPA or check the web at www.freepaperconference.com for more information.
continued on page 11
2 SAPAToday 11 SAPAToday
SAPA Leadership
Past PresidentMike Woodard
Tuscaloosa Shopper & Reporter
Northport, AL205-333-7525
PresidentRussell
QuattlebaumSoutheast SunEnterprise, AL 334-393-2969
Vice PresidentGreg Ledford
Shelby Shopper & Info
Shelby, NC 704-484-1047
TreasurerTony OnellionBargains PlusSlidell, LA
985-649-9515
Executive Director
Douglas FrySAPA Headquarters
Columbia, TN931-490-0400
Board MemberJW Owens
Savannah Pennysaver
Savannah, GA 912-238-2040
Board MemberCaroline
QuattlebaumSoutheast SunEnterprise, AL 334-393-2969
SecretaryAlan Lingerfelt
The Piedmont Shopper
Danville, VA434-822-1800
Past PresidentGary Benton
Peddler ADvantageParis, TN
731-644-9595
Administrative Assistant
Vickie BeldenSAPA Headquarters
Columbia, TN931-490-0400
Vice President
CornerEach year I attend lots of association conferences. Many times they ask me to speak about graphics, I really can’t tell you why. What I hear so many times is “Th e color in our publication is terrible. When we work on an ad on the computer it looks beautiful but when we get it back from the printer it looks awful. What can we do?”
First of all, we need to remember that the printing company can mess up
just about anything we send them. However, I’ve found that most of the time the color is off because we believed our computer monitors.
The CMYK Newsprint Color Selector (available free to anyone that asks for it) gives your staff a color guide that will show them exactly what they can expect when combining Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, and Black Inks. Give us a call to receive yours, 1.800.334.0649.
must make our services available at the same price – in both easy to serve locations and locations so remote they can only be reached by mule, by swamp boat, or by bush plane.”
Describing the Postal Service as the “link that connects every American,” the Postmaster General stated he was turning to Congress for help.
First, the PMG asked Congress to remove the requirement that the Postal Service deliver mail six days a week. Potter stated a reduction in delivery service would only be taken “when absolutely warranted by fi nancial circumstances.” But he asked Congress to give the Postal Service and its Board of Governors the fl exibility to take this action. Second, Potter asked for a legislative change to give the USPS relief from the crippling cost burden to prefund the costs of health benefi ts for future retirees at the same time it fully funded health care premiums for current retirees. Th e Postmaster General explained the details of the relief the Postal Service was seeking.
Under current law, the Postal Service must prefund its retiree health care costs over a 10 year period from 2007 through 2006. This prefunding is required at the same time the Postal Service is paying costs for current retirees. In 2008 these combined payments for retiree health benefi ts came to $7.4 billion. Th is represented almost 10% of the
Postal Service’s operating budget. In 2009 it faces higher costs.
Th e Postal Service is supporting a proposal that would keep the aggressive ten year payment schedule but would allow the costs for current retirees to be paid out of the existing Postal Service Retiree Health Benefi ts Fund. Th is would give the Postal Service an additional two billion dollars to off set other costs in 2009.
Th e Postmaster General stressed that this would not change the benefi ts or health premiums paid by current or future Postal Service retirees. Th e exceptionally aggressive prefunding schedule imposed on the Postal Service by the 2006 Reform Act is not directly related to the actual cost of benefi ts or the Postal Service’s future retirement obligations, but were related to budget “scoring issues.” Potter stated, “While we recognize that budget neutrality can be an important public policy goal, we believe, in this case there is an urgent need to balance current responsibilities against future responsibilities. Our proposal creates the needed balance.”
For membership information, contact: Donna Hanbery; Executive Director, SMC; 33 South 6th Street, Suite 4040; Minneapolis, MN 55402; Telephone: 612-340-9855; Fax: 612-340-9446; Email: [email protected]
USPS Begs For HelpCongress Responds Continued
SAPATodayDistance Yourself from Bad News
The Bi-Monthly Newsletter for the Free Paper Industry March - April | 2009
In this Issue:
visit us at www.sapatoday.com
by John C. Peterson
There are newspapers and there are newspapers in crisis.
It’s a them and us. Th e big guys and then the local and regional papers, be they weekly or daily, free or paid. I include shoppers and niche publications.
Th e big guys are in big trouble and we shouldn’t be, because their problem is our opportunity (I say “we” and “our” because I can’t get the publisher out of the consultant.).
I bet I had that conversation a dozen times in the last few days at the New England Press Association annual convention where I was a speaker. I was reassured to fi nd there are a few publishers out there who are doing just fi ne. Sure, some are hurting, but some are only down a few percentage points from prior year. A handful said they were even up. I believe them because I know they put out good products.
If you’re a good local paper doing
your job, I’m betting you’re going to be stronger when this is over. You just need to keep doing the things that make community papers valuable. Stick to your knitting and mind your P’s and Q’s. And don’t blink.
Th e franchise for the local paper is the collection process, news and advertising. Main Street and town hall and the local high school are our domain. Ask me to describe the formula for the successful local newspaper and I’ll say the same thing I’ve said for 30 years. It ’s the owner’s manual for the community. “If it’s important to them (the reader), then it needs to be important to us,” was the drill for my reporters and editors. Th at means fi nding room for every reasonable press release and staying until the lights are out at the school board meeting. And yes, we may have to upset the mayor by asking hard questions.
Give that concept some thought. If you’re doing your job you’ve covered all the bases in news and advertising. You’ve provided an updated slice of life
Southeastern Adver t is ing Publ ishers Associat ion (931) 490-0400 (931) 490-0488 fax
page 2SAPA Board of Directors & CAN Corner
page 3Little Things in Customer Service
page 4Distance Yourself From Newspapers in Crisis
page 5Persistence Pays
page 8Beat Yesterdays Record
page 10Calendar of Events & Postal Update
Southeastern Advertising Publishers Association
Advancing the free paper industry by providing resources for success and venues for sharing ideas.
continued on page 4
SAPA HAS 2,200,193 PROVEN FURNITURE BUYERS...
The 2008 SAPA circulation audit and readership study from Circulation Verification Council has revealed that 2,200,193 people who read
your publications plan to buy furniture and/or home furnishings in the next 12 months.
That’s real buyers. Buyers your advertisers can reach.
Do you know how many are from your publication? If not, call CVC today to schedule a 30-minute sales training call or webinar.
www.cvcaudit.com (800) 262-6392
