Practice What I Preach?

It has been some time since I updated this blog for which I have a long list of reasons I can supply: people I can blame, circumstances beyond my control, acts of God, sun spots and more. Fact is there are only one person to blame (moi) and one reason to give: lack of discipline. My wife tells me to stop beating myself up all the time so enough about that. Instead I will focus a paragraph or two on why discipline is more important and more difficult to maintain in your sales career (and elsewhere) than ever before.

My father was in sales, way back in the day. Was in the retail shoe business in the 1950's (and downtown Auburn, NY had a host of locally owned shoe stores) and then sold cars until he passed away in 1974. Professional discipline was required: show up to the store on time (9AM), dress professionally, smile and pretty much go home and forget about it at 5PM. Five days a week, occasionally six. Never on Sunday. Run an ad in the Pennysaver or newspaper and wait for people to come in. Check! It worked.

My son is in sales, very modern day young man. As a youngster he always wanted to play games on the "puter" (a Commodore 128!) and has taken to the Internet, social media and all things digital as a way of life, which it is for almost all young people today. They are constant communicators, welcoming new media and platforms because they have grown up doing so.

That leaves the rest of us, those in the middle. We learned our trades (and many habits) from people of my father's generation and are trying to hire, reach and sell to people of my son's generation. That's not to mention trying to reach, hire and sell to people of our own generation who are just as mixed up about media, communications and demographic habits and trends as we are. At least that is my guess, based on very unscientific research of me and my peeps. We all claim to be users (have a Facebook page and Twitter handle) but can't say that we are totally comfortable with it or good at it.

For the record, an excellent report from Pew Research on social media users today is HERE.

And people still read newspapers (thank God), in fact newspaper readership is healthy and still primarily done in paper and ink. Pew has an excellent report HERE for that information.

So, the discipline factor. We in the middle have to use our expertise to continue to develop great (not just good) print products that attract readers and advertisers and generate profit. At the same time we have to become social media mavens, not just claim to be users.

HERE is a good introduction to using social media...and HERE is a compilation of tips to become a guru (or so they claim).

It takes practice, practice, practice to get good at the ever-changing social media world. It takes time. Time takes discipline. There is no link to click that makes you more disciplined, nor is there a quick fix tutorial that will bless you with the attitude of a lifelong learner.  It is within each of us, we just have to tap it. Daily. I hate to say it but "24-7" because it is.

I never thought I would say this, but I think I am jealous of my father.

Don't forget to do this...

I am writing today to share a link to another blog that was promoted in an email I received this morning. 

CLICK HERE for it, BUT FIRST:

Please note that I do not have a horse in this race:
1. I am not promoting the book that is the subject of the blog.
2. I am not promoting the email subscription they are inviting you to join.

I simply like the message. Focus on less, produce more. 

For some time now I have experienced "memory loss." It's called CRS (Can't Remember Stuff, although another "S" word is often used...but this is a family friendly column). I don't recall if I already put sweetener in my coffee, forget people's names, where I set down the screwdriver I was just using, stuff like that. I referred to it jokingly as Early Onset Dementia. Then I started working part-time as a chaplain in a local nursing home with a population of folks who suffer from real memory loss issues. Without sharing the profound impact some of these folks have had on me it will suffice to say that I have stopped joking about my supposed memory issues. I know now that I don't have them, but I have indeed lost focus. There are both personal and professional ramifications. 

One item in the blog that really struck me was this statement: "The human brain is a processor, not a hard drive." Makes sense when you think of all the processes within our minds and bodies that the brain runs. For most of us we breathe, blood pumps, eyes see, little decisions are made with no conscious effort at all. The problem we have is that we are asking the brain to process so much more, and most of it is not necessary to accomplish what we want that day, that week or in our lifetime. Fact is, most of the non-necessary stuff impedes our brain's ability to focus on what is truly important. 

So before you click the link above to the blog, take a piece of paper, draw a line vertically down the center of it and write "Personal" at the top on one side and "Professional" on the other. Then write down your most important goals. Focus on the ones that will give you what you really want in life: love, happiness, success and so on. Then read the blog and pay attention to suggestions on how to clear your calendar of the stuff that really doesn't help you get where you really want to be. 

I am going to do the same right now. Before I forget to do it. 

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Be sure to join us for the FCPNY Leadership Summit in Syracuse on October 5 & 6 and note that your graphic artists can attend the Tuesday session with Ed Henninger and the Graphic Awards luncheon at no charge. Details are HERE

The cure for what ails you may be closer than you think

I have discovered a benefit to aging: you get to take more time off from work for medical reasons. Hahahahaha. I jest of course, but there is a personal track record of the increasing occurrence of medical aches, pains and doctor visits one endures as they over-ripen.

Case in point: had to have some x-rays taken this week. The woman taking the "photos" made small talk while waiting in between shots. "What do you do for a living?" she queried. "I work for a free paper publishing trade association," was my proud reply. "What are you gonna do when that goes under?" was her quick (and cold) retort. After a nano-second of reconsideration, she added "I mean I hope you'll be able to retire before they stop making newspapers."

So I work in a dying industry...and I look old, too? X-rays are something, aren't they?

It was not the first time someone offered such best wishes to me, and you have heard them, too, if you are a print industry person. Public opinion of what is printed on newsprint and delivered daily or weekly to area homes and newsstands really isn't bad, but the vast majority of readers probably agree with the impression that our days are numbered. I say probably because I don't have a stat on public impression of our anticipated longevity. I looked for some research on it, but found none. What I did find was a lot of surface gloom and doom articles but many that also showed a more realistic vision (if one took the time to read all the way through).

Here is a quick summary synopsis of what I learned:

1. Paid circulation continues to fall.

2. Local and national retail display sales dropped again in 2014, as they have done since the recession was born in mid-2008. 

3. Numbers of free standing inserts delivered by newsprint media are holding steady, producing profits but always in play.

4. Successful print media must have an interactive online presence that delivers strong, local content.

5. There are people who still like the feel and experience of a paper and experts believe there always will be, but the numbers are smaller. 

Nothing surprising there. What caught my attention in my searching is the clock that is running, toward the next economic tightening. Experts talk about recessions coming in six or seven year cycles, and that means the next one is closer than the last. A lot closer. The exact date and the depth are unknown, of course, but as long as experts predict it will happen, most consumers will catch the Chicken Little bug, stop spending and help bring it to fruition.

That said, what have you done to not just survive but thrive in the next slump? FCPNY will help provide ideas on two fronts this October, both in the same venue: the Leadership Summit. First, we have an excellent lineup of speakers and presenters who will talk trends and the immediate future of print and digital venues. They have ideas to use now. Second, your peers in this industry, association members and associates,  will be talking and sharing, both informally and at structured idea exchange sessions we have scheduled. 

We urge you to take advantage of this opportunity, right in your backyard at the Genesee Grande Hotel here in Syracuse. CLICK HERE for more information, and thank you. 

Find Answers and Feel Good at our Leadership Summit

I decided not to shave during my early July vacation and now have a closely trimmed beard. I also was fitted with new glasses recently. I took advantage of the opportunity to really change up the style I usually wear. Finally, I have started a new nutritional program (I refuse to call it a diet) in which I am building improved eating habits and utilizing additional vitamins and supplements to build energy. To sum it up, I am really trying to come up with a new, fresh look.

Unfortunately, I still look like crap. Photo proof included. I feel better, though.

You may remember Billy Crystal's Fernando Lamas impression on Saturday Night Live some years back. "Remember, it's not how you feel but how you look," he would say in 'Nando-style, "and you loook mahvelous!" It was very funny, mainly because of Billy Crystal but also because of the absurdity of it all. At least it was absurd then, but today it may very well be closer to the truth and beliefs of many folks and companies we deal with. Good looks and outward appearances are a must for success it seems.

If you are a publisher or salesperson with a print publication you are constantly evaluated by the amount of content -- paid advertising and editorial -- that you deliver to readers. The "look" of your publication. Given the costs of producing and delivering a newspaper, shopping publication or magazine today it can get very expensive to include a higher imbalance of unpaid content to give your pub a look of success when you are struggling. But success breeds success; new advertisers are more likely to invest in a campaign in your product if you appear to have the ads (and confidence) of other businesses in the market. That's why so many digital-only publications have popped up; there is little overhead and including extra content is cheap. The problem -- and you know this already -- is the lack of value, investment, margin and profit that digital and online-only products typically produce. 

I don't have the answer but there is one out there.

Join us at the Genesee Grande Hotel in Syracuse, NY in October (5th and 6th) for FCPNY's Leadership Summit. We will be seeking answers to these challenges and more. We have put together a great group of print and digital experts (and the digital people all have print backgrounds!). Best yet, your peers from around the state will be there to share what they have tried, what they do and what they are thinking about doing. It is a very small investment with a tremendous opportunity at hand. 

Conferences are for our members but we welcome guests who meet our membership criteria to join us and see what Free Community Papers of New York is all about. 

Our conference brochure is HERE and you can reach me at 877-275-2726 or tcuskey@fcpny.com.

Thank you!

Zig Lives On Even If Cold-Calls Haven't

"Cold Calling Is Dead - Thanks to Social Networking. Get Your Free eBook. Download Yours Now!"

This headline is at the top of my LinkedIn page this morning. What has happened in our profession? Google "cold call" and results return more references to the demise of this sales staple as well as a couple of 2012 links explaining the finer points of the technique ("7 steps to a perfect cold call - CBS News", "Seven Secrets to Cold Calling Success - Entrepreneur").  Contradiction in the search engine! I am confused. When did cold calling die? Must have passed away when Zig Ziglar did, in November of 2012. I still love Zig, and miss his wisdom, captured in this Top Ten Ziglar Quote List, courtesy of Forbes.com:

10) “Remember that failure is an event, not a person.”

9) “You will get all you want in life, if you help enough other people get what they want.”

8) “People often say motivation doesn’t last. Neither does bathing—that’s why we recommend it daily.”

7) “There has never been a statue erected to honor a critic.”

6) “People don’t buy for logical reasons. They buy for emotional reasons.”

5) “Expect the best. Prepare for the worst. Capitalize on what comes.”

4) “If you go looking for a friend, you’re going to find they’re scarce. If you go out to be a friend, you’ll find them everywhere.”

3) “A goal properly set is halfway reached.”

2) “Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude.”

1) “If you can dream it, you can achieve it.”

Funny, but the term "cold call" isn't in Zig's list, be they dead or alive. As much as some folks want us to think that selling has changed (and we all need reprogramming with a fee payable to the trainer claiming to be the cold-call undertaker), the fact is that selling always has been and always will be about relationships, helping people and being sincere in everything you do. Successful advertising works the same way. So, if you're selling successful advertising, you'd better be twice as nice and twice as sincere.

Aside from learning how to write up an order and using some helpful tools, there really isn't too much else you need to know.

If you need help with the tools that FCPNY provides as member benefits-- AdMall, CVC Audits and more -- contact Tom at tcuskey@fcpny.com or call 877-275-2726.

IOT -- It's not short for "IDIOT", at least not yet.

God speaks to me. Often, unfortunately. It's not that He has a lot to say to me; He has to repeat Himself several times before I actually listen. I am working on that and I am getting better at listening.

Case in point: IOT. I have heard the term twice now in the past three days from very legit sources. Repetition merits listening to. If you are new to the term, as I was, it stands for Internet Of Things. My first exposure to the phrase came from a friend who owns a fast growing, high-tech lighting company. You'll see an example of his work if you watch this year's Super Bowl (they lit the Phoenix stadium where the 2015 game will be held). He was talking about LED lights they design that have built-in transmitters that communicate constantly with a central station that monitors the status and condition of the lights. Keeps everyone on top of maintenance. He said "this is the next big thing you're going to start hearing about: the Internet of Things!" He was right. I heard about it again, this morning, on a news report about the huge high-tech product showcase that is going on in Las Vegas this week. The Internet of Things is all over it. Not only are people connected through our enabled devices, the devices themselves communicate with each other and take care of their business, if you will, without our direct assistance. The Internet of Things. 

Like everything new it is part exciting and part scary. I know I have seen sci-fi movies where smart machines take over the Earth. That's not the scary part, it's the exciting part. Here is scary...

Our clients would like to automate their marketing and advertising. There are programs that put a social media message out on multiple platforms at the stroke of a key. Reports come in that tell what kind of web traffic they are getting and where it comes from. Digital equals measurable, and measurable is good. Where are you in this mix? Hopefully, you're out in front of it. Digital changes so quickly that you have to become an everyday student of it…and then you can help your customers, your PRINT customers, make the most of it. Don't wait for your company or your boss to tell you to do this. It's up to you. You see, print isn't dead, it's alive and kicking in many forms. And it won’t die unless you kill it by not efficiently and intelligently attaching it to the new technologies that will always be coming our way. 

So don't become an I-di-OT. Get out in front of the wave. Learn a little bit more about new and existing products every day. Your advertisers have businesses to run -- they are looking for someone like you to take their hands and guide them through all of this, today and going forward. That becomes the exciting part. In spite of the looming Internet of Things, people still make ad decisions and pay the bills. And your job is to help people make their futures brighter. That makes yours brighter, too. Thank God!

Need training or assistance from FCPNY? Contact Tom at tcuskey@fcpny.com or call 877-275-2726.

Political ad spending -- looking forward to 2016?

I don't know if anything could have been done to stop the death of the dinosaurs. Lava flowing from the Kilauea volcano in Hawaii is going to make its way downhill to the sea, and man will not deter its course. There are some things in which we are powerless. Changes in media spending habits may be one more fine example, but I am betting, and hoping, that we still have a hand in our future. 

I live in the 24th Congressional District. Incumbent Democrat Dan Maffei is fighting off a strong challenge from Republican John Katko. This means nothing to you if you live outside the district, unless your home district is touched by the Syracuse TV market. Estimates of ad spending in this race have topped $5-million, and the great majority of those dollars have come from outside the district. Both parties have seen this race as a volatile swing zone so the outside money has flowed. And the winner is...local television. As we approach Election Day (tomorrow as I write) 30-second local spots have been almost entirely swept up by political messages, most of them by this Congressional battle. TV execs are whooping it up right now (and probably already sweating the "curse of media success": going up against these sales numbers next year). Still, TV's future seems bright, or brighter than most, except for you know what.

According to an article on emarketer.com (http://www.emarketer.com/Article/Total-US-Ad-Spending-See-Largest-Increase-Since-2004/1010982), 2014 will wind up seeing the biggest jump in ad dollars since 2004. TV is king at 38.1% of the mix while print grabs 17.7% of the ad dollars. Between now and 2018, it's estimated that TV will lose 6% of it's share while print will lose almost 21% of its claim. Every category is losing except digital. 28.2% of dollars are there right now, expecting to grow to a share of 37.3% by 2018, a 32% increase. The web is full of stories documenting the challenges newspapers/print media have had building digital services that provide revenue. As an industry, as a state association and as individual publishers, we have to overcome that or continue to lose. Why not make the 2016 elections our target to do so?

It all comes down to having an audience or readership, as always, but knowing who they are and how to segment them for successful targeting has become the key to new revenue. Our collective past attempts have relied on packaging digital with print, but that's because we desperately want our print products to survive. Like Tarzan, we have to let go of one vine before we can grab another if we want to keep moving forward. Otherwise we are just hanging there, gradually losing our grip. 

Continue to build audience with diverse print products, and tie them to exciting websites that build different demographic groups. Learn how to integrate video in your sites with interactive platforms that advertisers (or candidates) can take advantage of. The goal: have it up and running by this time next year and be ready to market it to the candidates. Let your associations (like FCPNY) bundle it for access to national and statewide political action groups. 

It's different, yes. The margins are different, too. Historically, that's too bad, but it is what is. Given a second chance, the dinosaurs would probably have settled for change with new possibilities for growth rather than extinction. But they didn't have a choice. 

Don't make people guess who you are.

Over the past month or so I have been involved with our own FCPNY annual Super Conference and the Association of Free Community Papers (AFCP) conference, held this year at Disney in Orlando. At each event I had the opportunity to meet people face-to-face that previously I had known only through email or phone contact. With many folks today hiding behind their digital communications means, this is becoming a more common occurrence. What's more, none of these people looked like I imagined they would.

Two reasons:

1. I am quickly becoming one of the older people in the conference room. I am in that narrowing group of business people nearing retirement age while most of the other folks in the room are 59 and under. I tend to imagine people as being in my own demographic stratum but most turn out to be younger. Duh. Much younger in some cases. I met one salesperson that looked like she could have been the high school aged daughter of the woman I imagined her to be.

2. No one ever looks like you imagine them -- we are all non-psychic, lousy guessers.

Which leads to the selling point: prospects use the same electronic gatekeepers as our colleagues, only they have them running at DEFCON 1. On top of that, prospects are trying to do more with less (just like our companies) so they have less time to spend chatting with salespeople. Thus, we often don't know what they look like, sound like, what they need, want or fear. How do we overcome?

Honestly, if I knew the hard, fast answer I wouldn't be here writing a blog, I'd be cashing checks in Palm Springs. The wires are full of suggestions on how to break through and get conversations started. Boil down most of what you read and you're left with two basic realities:

1. You haven't shown or aroused potential value in your brief opening.

2. You don't stand out from the rest of the selling crowd.

If your product doesn't have value, fix it. If it does and you haven't conveyed it, practice. Be sincere and be supportive. Don't sell. And practice, practice, practice what you say or do.

If you don't stand apart, work on branding your product and yourself. Yes, you need a personal brand that you convey so people remember you and what you do. Unless you’re the product owner, your personal brand may be the only brand you have total control of. Make sure everyone knows what you look and sound like, and what you stand for. 

We at FCPNY can help you with all of these sales needs as well as other selling issues you may be facing. Give us a call at 877-275-2726 or email me at tcuskey@fcpny.com.

Thanks so much for your time!

One Naughty List To Really Avoid

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all!

Referring to the latter, one of the many end-of-year reports and predictions in the news caught my eye this morning. You can click HERE to see the whole story about one online expert's predictions of ten brands that will not survive 2014. Remember: it's not scientific and it's only one opinion but it is interesting.

In summary, the list includes:

a. Two automakers

b. Two magazines

c. One sports league

d. A camera maker

e. Three companies that I will group as "technology" (the list doesn't discriminate; even tech can fail today)

The big surprise...at least I am surprised...is the number one on the list: retail giant J.C. Penney. I know what you're thinking, that this prediction shouldn't be a surprise given the well-documented story of Penney's decline. The shock I see in this is the huge impact that effectively one marketing direction decision had on a company that has stood and prospered for many years. Things weren't great when Ron Johnson, one of the brains behind Apple's retail success, came in to get JCP back on track. That was 2012. A year and a half later, though, Johnson is gone along with any hope for the company's survival. He made marketing decisions that quickly spelled disaster. "This is not a turn-around situation," George Bradt, managing director of executive consulting firm PrimeGenesis told Business Insider recently about JCP. "This is a 'turn off the lights' situation."

Let this be a valuable lesson to advertising salespeople, ad buyers and retailers everywhere, especially small retailers who don't have big cash reserves. STOP the next time you as an ad rep or you as an SMB retailer buying ads find yourself in this conversation: "Yeah, I'm busy -- just keep running that same ad and we'll catch up soon" or "I threw this together. I'm not sure it will work but let's try it and see how it goes." No, don't do it.

Every marketing and advertising decision you do or don't make is going to impact your business, and could be the one that takes you down the dead end if you're not careful. Think, take time to review your options and plan out campaigns that make sense for you. Advertising is your business oxygen; it helps bring in fresh dollars to keep you breathing. Monitor results and don't stick with a plan that isn't working just because it's your plan.

All of us at FCPNY are here to support our member sales staffs with training and sales tools to help you help your clients. And if you are a retailer or business looking for help, we can connect you to local experts who can assist you. In short, we are here to try to make 2014 the year that your business grows and prospers. Contact us at 877-275-2726 or email me at tcuskey@fcpny.com. Best wishes for a great New Year!