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Hagadone Newspapers' Coeur d'Alene (ID) Press Achieves Over 75,000 of New Online Business in Just 4-Days!

The Challenge
Hagadone Newspapers' Coeur d'Alene (ID) Press is the company's flagship newspaper and the dominant media outlet of this resort community. As many U.S. newspapers experience, even though their Web site traffic continues to geometrically grow, the associated online revenue from the platform remained not as impressive. The Blinder Group met with senior management from both the print and online divisions to help craft a program that would assist the newspaper with making more money from their site without having to deploy additional sales resources. A new program was developed that would not only meet the newspaper's financial goals, but also assist in training the traditional ad reps in adapting to a more multimedia approach to their sales effort.

Program Overview
The newspaper created a new "in-story" ad position for exclusive sale by the traditional advertising sales department. Ad positions appeared "run-of-site," on all available pages of the Web site.

The actual online ads being offered for sale were to be designed and developed by the newspaper's traditional production department. All ads were developed as a means to augment an advertiser's newspaper campaign, using "copy" from their current ad. Only newspaper advertisers were able to participate in this program. The ads once placed on the Web page were programmed to offer a link to the advertiser's Web site or to the advertiser's current newspaper ad.

The "package" offered each advertiser a minimum number of 15,000 monthly ad impressions for a fee of $299/ month. Only advertisers with a weekly traditional newspaper ad could participate in the program. The content of the online ad would be changed each time the advertiser placed a new newspaper ad in the newspaper. The program was offered for a full year's commitment.

Specific lists of advertisers to be called on, were developed by the newspaper's sales managers targeting:
· Current larger newspaper advertisers with high levels of spending on competing media who should be targeted for" up-sell" into this program, as a means to acquire more "market share."
· Non-weekly newspaper advertisers who advertise on competing media who would benefit from a new ongoing, weekly bundled print/online program.

While on site at the newspaper, The Blinder Group conducted a proven, highly effective initial training session with the traditional newspaper ad reps entitled "Multimedia Sales 101." The focus of this training session is to assist in shifting the paradigm of conventional sales people to break down their fears of the internet and help them increase their understanding of the role interactive media can play as a viable marketing solution for their advertisers. This training is also designed to educate traditional sales people on how to easily and effectively sell multimedia products and services. These training sessions have proven to be an effective way to educate sales and sales support people in the value of online products in the local advertiser's media mix. "Multimedia Sales 101" takes no more than one and one half-hours. The meeting was conducted prior to The Blinder Group's return visit, in which 4-legged sales training/closing calls were be performed to re enforce the training. Sales people were urged and encouraged during the training, to set up a large amount of appointments, with qualified "decision-makers" of area businesses, so the new sales program developed during the planning session, could be "taken to market" effectively. A customized appointment setting script, along with re-enforcing support information was given to the sales people in the form of the "Blinder Group Success Kit" to help them set up the pending calls.

The Blinder Group also crafted an easy to use "PowerPoint" sales support presentation for the traditional ad reps to use in explaining the program to advertisers. Too often, media companies do not understand the need for high impact, easy to present, sales support materials as a means for showing interactive marketing elements to potential advertisers. The Blinder Group believes that traditional ad reps can offer online products and services WITHOUT the need for computers, as long as they are "armed" with effective sales collaterals.

One of the key elements in ensuring sales success of this initiative was garnering advertiser approval of meeting attendance as well as the validity of the concept in general. Too often sales reps set up appointments with "non-decision makers," without meeting with the person who can offer a final decision. Also, some advertisers are wary of trying new ideas. One of the most effective means of accomplishing attendance and acceptance is to introduce the advertiser to an industry respected "outside" consultant who has had success with similar programs, with similar businesses, in similar markets, all across North America. That is why many media companies contract with the Blinder Group to perform "4-legged" sales training/closing calls with traditional ad reps, to assist in the launch of programs like the one defined in this document. It also proven that as a direct result of these "4-legged" sales calls, where the sales rep witnesses the most effective way to present the product from an experienced trainer, the traditional ad rep adopts a more stronger belief in the concept.

Results

The Blinder Group returned to the market with for four full days of assisted sales training/ closing calls, on targeted advertisers, with the Times sales reps. After each day of the training calls, the Blinder Group consultant issued newspaper senior managers a daily update on the progress of the program. This detailed daily report offers information about every meeting, the result of the call, along with useful information about each advertiser.

The result of the entire training program was over $75,000 of new online business generated in the 4-days, with an additional $40,000 likely to close in the weeks to come. In many cases these new dollars came as a direct result of the advertiser reallocating their spending levels from competing media. "Our mission was to leverage our Web site as a means to generate more local revenue, said Paul Burke, Advertising Director of Press. "We asked the Blinder Group to help. Mike's initial training really helped the sales team see the benefit of online sales. When Frank returned to the market, our staff enjoyed making the calls with him to see how the sales process works. Mike and Frank were awesome. We still have staff reveling in their personal sales experience gained from the visit!"

Contact Information
For more information about the sales strategy and program deployment of this product, contact:
· Paul Burke, Ad Director,
Coeur d'Alene Press - Hagadone Newspapers
208-664-0226, pburke@cdapress.com

Lead consultant for The Blinder Group:
· Mike Blinder
(917) 865-4827, mike@blindergroup.com

The Blinder Group
Tampa Offices: 6139 Fjord Way
New Port Richey, FL 34652 USA
(727) 847-2464 ~ (727) 847-5959 (fax)
profit@blindergroup.com

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CONSULTING/TRAINING: Strategic Planning ~ Basic Sales Training
Multimedia Sales Training ~ Assisted 4-Legged Closing Calls

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