FAQ for Publishers-Edge Sales Training & Improving Revenues
· Questions about Business Analysis and Consulting for your
Newspaper and Shopping Guide
· Questions about Sales Training and Improving Revenues
· Questions about Publishers-Edge Special Section Syndicate
Q: How do you conduct the program to increase revenues?
A: This program begins with a study of your paper's
current rates. We will look at competitor's rates to compare the
value of advertising in your paper compared to other local media. We
also gather information on current special sections and promotions
that appear in your paper. We compare your promotions with those of
your local competition.—We also look at your market to find segments
that are ripe for new sections and promotions. We will discuss new
opportunities with your sales team and help select those sections
and promotions that your staff is best suited to sell. This will be
determined by the opportunity and the desire of your staff to work
hard to make these promotions successful.—We will also look at other
revenues stream opportunities. How do these fit with your business
and will they be profitable. The study concludes with a report on
the results and recommendations of how you can increase your
revenues. To have Publishers-Edge help your paper contact us now by
e-mail sales@Publishers-Edge.com
Q: How long does it take to conduct the Increase Revenues
program?
A: We will probably spend 4 days on site. The report may
take another 4-6 weeks to complete. To have Publishers-Edge help
your paper contact us now by e-mail sales@Publishers-Edge.com
Q: How do you implement these promotions and special sections?
A: You and your staff have to decide this in most cases.
You have done enough promotions in the past to create a successful
plan to carry out these suggestions. However, PUBLISHER'S EDGE can
help you design the cost and revenue budget, sales plan, incentives,
target customer list, sales script and promotional material for each
new promotion. Of course, there is a fee for this but it is low
risk. It is a "performance based fee". We will only charge you 15%
of the first year's revenue from these promotions and special
sections. To have Publishers-Edge help your paper contact us now by
e-mail sales@Publishers-Edge.com
Q: How long does it take to implement the new sections and
promotions?
A: We will probably only need to spend 1-2 additional days on site after you receive your report on how to "Increase Revenues". We will need to have access to your creative staff and sales staff when we begin to implement these promotions. However, most of this contact can be done by e-mail. Of course, we will have to fit these new promotions into your current schedule so they don't interfere with what you have already planned. Some are time sensitive so they need to be published to correspond with local events or holidays. We will work with your management team to schedule events. To have Publishers-Edge help your paper contact us now by e-mail sales@Publishers-Edge.com
Q: Tell me about the Group Sales Training program.
A: This is a workshop designed to teach your sales staff
how to sell more advertising. This is workshop, not a lecture. We
will interact with your staff to give them the tools to improve
their energy, education, enthusiasm and effectiveness as they train
to become better advertising consultants. Set aside an entire day
for this program. Your sales staff will learn more about selling
advertising during this single day than they ever dreamed possible.
This is packed with information. This program is designed
specifically for the road salesperson. We go into detail about the
selling process and everything about it (including the way they
dress). This is a comprehensive program that offers your sales staff
some great tools to add to their tool belt to help them construct
larger sales volumes. To have Publishers-Edge help your paper
contact us now by e-mail sales@Publishers-Edge.com
Q: How long is the Group Sales Training program?
A: We will spend 1 day on training. We should start at 8:00 or 8:30 am and we will go until 5:00 pm or longer if the conversation warrants it. Some locations have asked us to stay an extra day just for a follow-up. There is so much information that we cover in one day that some salespeople feel overwhelmed by the information. This second day we can work on implementing some of what we learned in the workshop.
We can also shorten this program to a half day by eliminating some of the topics. The workshop is broken down into four modules so we can adjust the time by addressing just one or two of the modules. To have Publishers-Edge help your paper contact us now by e-mail sales@Publishers-Edge.com
Q: What other sales training can your organization do?
A: We can cover a lot of ground with your sales force. We have a lot of sales training experience and can address just about any sales problem you are experiencing. We currently have just a few other specific sales training programs in place. We can adapt the Group Sales Training program to cover fewer topics and either go into more detail or offer just a half day session if an entire day seems too long. We have designed two other specific sales training programs. They are both unique programs. One is a group program that has an open forum format. The other is an individual one-on-one training. We will define additional specific sales training programs as we discuss what newspaper and shopping guide publishers need the most. If you have any ideas for sales training needs in your publishing business let me know about them. Click here to let me know your ideas now. To have Publishers-Edge help your paper contact us now by e-mail sales@Publishers-Edge.com
Q: That Open Forum format for sales training sounds interesting. Can you describe what you do in more detail?
A: We basically sit around and talk. I know that sounds
crazy but we are amazed at the great sales information and creative
ideas that we hear as we discuss ideas among each other. Most
organizations don't do this within the structure of their regular
training sessions. Most salespeople are reluctant to share their
thoughts in an open discussion. We create an environment for them to
share ideas and discuss specific problems they are having. We learn
together as a group about how to handle specific objections that
your individual salespeople have faced. We also discover some great
ideas from your salespeople. This is a fun event for the sales
staff. The best idea receives a cash prize. The only requirement for
this program is we need a minimum of 20 people to participate. If
your sales staff is less than 20 you might consider inviting a
neighboring paper to join your group and share the cost of the
session. We need a minimum of 4 hours for this program. It works
ideally with a 3 hour session in the morning (9 am - noon) and two
hours in the afternoon (1 pm - 3 pm). To have Publishers-Edge help
your paper contact us now by e-mail
sales@Publishers-Edge.com
Q: What do you do in the one-on-one sales training?
A: We actually hop in the car and go sell advertising. We begin with a meeting with management to discover individual training needs and client objections. This is done prior to arriving on site so we can prepare before hitting the road. Following each sales call we provide helpful counseling to your salesperson. We also help provide expert advice to your customers to help improve advertising results in your paper. We have counseled with some customers to help them create an advertising budget that includes their entire advertising expense for the year. This individual training program is an ideal follow-up session following the group training workshop. We can actually implement and test the information learned the previous day. To have Publishers-Edge help your paper contact us now by e-mail sales@Publishers-Edge.com