newsclips
MAY 2013
Adobe Announces Major Update to Creative Cloud Adobe recently announced its shift to the cloud with a major update to Adobe® Creative Cloud™ the company's flagship offering for creatives. Creative Cloud is a membership-based service that provides users with access to download and install the next generation of Adobe creative desktop applications including InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. This new update will feature enhanced cross-device collaboration and publishing capabilities. Creative files can be stored, synced and shared via Creative Cloud so customers can showcase work, get feedback and gain exposure. Creative Cloud membership for individuals is US$49.99 per month based on annual membership. Existing customers who own CS3 to CS5.5 will receive their first year of Creative Cloud at a discounted rate of US$29.99 a month. Students and teachers can sign up monthly for US$29.99. A team version of this new product can be purchased for US$69.99 per month per seat and includes 100GB of storage, centralized deployment and administration capabilities. For existing customers, a team discounted rate of US$39.99 is offered if they sign up before the end of August 2013. Adobe Creative Cloud includes more than 30 tools and services that enable professional-grade content creation and delivery across print, web, mobile apps, video and photography. Hundreds of new features are included in these latest versions of Adobe's industry-defining desktop tools. OCNA contacted Adobe to set up a presentation for our members to discuss the changes to the new system, including timing and financial implications. Unfortunately, Adobe respectfully declined the offer. For more information, visit www.adobe.com
OCNA’s 2013/2014 Board of Directors Meet the faces of OCNA’s 2013/2014 Board of Directors as elected during the Spring Convention on March 22 in Vaughan. Standing (left to right): Secretary/ Treasurer Dave Harvey, Metroland Media Group Halton Region; Director Rick Shaver, Cornwall Seaway News; Second Vice-President Andrea DeMeer, Sun Media, Huron and Oxford Groups; Director John Willems, Metroland Media Group York Region; and Director Abbas Homayed, Sudbury Northern Life. Seated (Left to right): Executive Director Anne Lannan; First Vice-President Dave Adsett, Fergus Wellington Advertiser; President Gordon Cameron, Town Crier Newspapers; and Past President Mike Mount, Metroland Media Group Ottawa Region. Not shown: Director Mike Power, Sun Media and Director Ray Stanton, London Publishing.
WHAT’S INSIDE:
CENTENARY NEWSPAPERS OF CANADA CONFERENCE Editors of newspapers 100 years or older will gather.
See Page 5
THE KEY TO SUCCESS The answer: the right person in the right job.
See Page 18
FOUR GREAT SALES QUESTIONS The best way to get information is to ask the right questions.
See Page 21
May 2013 MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE ONTARIO1 COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION www.ocna.org
ASSOCIATION NEWS
Here and There, This and That
BY ANNE LANNAN OCNA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR Take advantage of marketing material
Have you and your advertising team checked out all the wonderful material Suzanne Raitt from Newspapers Canada has been posting on their web site lately? You should be using this material in your client presentations, marketing kits, and on your own websites. Frequency: How Often to Advertise in a Newspaper is a Fact Sheet to show your advertisers the impact their brand and message gets with the increase in frequency of ads placed. Raitt is also available to showcase her marketing presentation to your team and local advertisers. It’s a powerful message about our industry and sure to get everyone pumped.
NEWSCLIPS VOLUME 02, ISSUE 09 3228 South Service Rd. Suite 116 Burlington, ON L7N 3H8 p.905.639.8720 f.905-639.6962 e. info@ocna.org w. www.ocna.org OCNA BOARD PRESIDENT
Gordon Cameron
FIRST VP INTERIM
Dave Adsett
SECOND VP
Andrea DeMeer
SECRETARY/ TREASURER
Dave Harvey
PAST PRESIDENT
Mike Mount
DIRECTORS
Abbas Homayed Mike Powers Rick Shaver Ray Stanton John Willems
Measuring your contributions
Looking for another way to toot your own horn and remind your readers and advertisers just how involved and invested your newspaper is in your community? Do a calculation of the number of column inches you’ve provided in editorial space to nonprofits and community groups in the last year. Then calculate the dollar value of the advertising space you have donated to community groups, events and causes in the past year. I’m sure your community will be amazed.
Meetings on the Hill
While in Ottawa in May, I was able to participate in Newspaper Canada’s Lobby Day with individual meetings with six MPs. Unfortunately, the federal government has been ignoring compelling research about the strengths and reach of Canada’s community newspapers. The government’s advertising spend in newspapers (dailies and weeklies) decreased dramatically from 27.5 per cent of its total spend on ad placements in 2009, to just 10 per cent in 2011/12. Despite reassurances over the years, our industry’s share of the spend is not increasing. If any publishers wish to talk to their MPs about this matter, please let me know and I will forward material to you. Also please mark your calendar for OCNA’s Queen’s Park Day on Wednesday, September 25. Continued on page 4 >>>
IN THIS ISSUE... 05 ........CENTENARY NEWSPAPERS OF CANADA CONFERENCE 07 .........................................................ADVERTISING ALERT: TAXES
OCNA STAFF EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Anne Lannan
CONTROLLER
Todd Frees
MEMBER SERVICES
Karen Shardlow Kelly Gorven
NETWORK CLASSIFIEDS
Carol Lebert
ACCOUNTING
Lucia Shepherd
AD*REACH
Ted Brewer Carolyn Press Erica Leyzac
08 .....................................OCNA MEMBERS WIN AT INK+BEYOND 10 ...................MILDMAY TOWN CRIER FOUNDER PASSES AWAY 11 ....................................TURTLE ISLAND NEWS A CJF FINALIST 15 ..............................EFFECTIVE TRIAL CLOSES FOR BUSINESS 18 .................................................................THE KEY TO SUCCESS
We want to hear from you! Please share your news and/or opinions with us: newsclips@ocna.org
21 ..............................................FOUR GREAT SALES QUESTIONS May 2013
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ASSOCIATION NEWS New President for KubasPrimedia
OCNA MEMBER UPDATES
New President for KubasPrimedia will “diversify and strengthen” firm, says Primedia President Ron Clark, CEO of Primedia Sales and Marketing, is pleased to announce the appointment of Tim Daniel as President of KubasPrimedia, international media consultants. “Tim brings extensive experience and practical solutions that help media companies reposition themselves for the future.” KubasPrimedia was formed in 2010 when Primedia acquired Kubas Consultants, a leading media revenue and pricing consulting group founded in 1977 by KubasPrimedia Chair Len Kubas. Tim is an applied behavioral scientist and a gifted platform speaker known throughout the U.S. and Canada for his fresh, nononsense presentations on real, fast and lasting organizational change. Clients count on Tim to create a cathartic, transformative encounter through his fearless and incisive addresses. Tim holds degrees in history, theology, and applied behavioral science. He has built and run corporate leadership academies since 1991, unleashing effective innovators in local, regional and national organizations across big legacy industries including media, manufacturing, energy, defense, mining and forestry. Since 2003 Tim has advised dramatic reversals of fortune in media companies in the U.S. and Canada - at both the site and corporate level. He has worked alongside gifted change agents in sales, news, and operations on both digital and legacy projects. Tim works out of Toronto and our new Denver office, building from our strong core of pricing services into a full suite of strategic transformation services for media clients around the world. Tim is the author of The Pursuit of Nobility: Living a Life that Matters (HCI books, 2010) – which tells the gritty untold story of how real change agents become who they are and do what they do. Publishers in the U.S., Canada, and internationally rely on KubasPrimedia for expert guidance in building revenues and managing the transition from print to digital and other new media applications. KubasPrimedia clients include individual publishers and groups in the U.S., Canada, Central/South America, Europe, Middle East and the Pacific.
NEW STAFF MEMBER FOR BLYTH-BRUSSELS CITIZEN Ron Drillen has joined the Blyth-Brussels Citizen as Associate Publisher and Director of Sales for North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Ron has an extensive newspaper background which started in Thunder Bay and includes stops in Guelph, Ottawa, Kingston and St. Thomas. As Director of Sales he will also guide the sales team for the Rural Voice, the company’s farm magazine and Stops Along the Way, its travel guide.
BRANT NEWS CELEBRATES OCNA WINS AND GETS ACTIVE IN COMMUNITY Staff at Brant News recently celebrated their OCNA award wins with a barbecue and movie day. Following a tasty meal at the office prepared by Brant News General Manager Len Offless, Photo by J.P. Antonacci, Brant News staff headed out for a private screening of the film 42, chronicling the story of Major League Baseball player Jackie Robinson. Brant’s community newspaper received four awards and an honourable mention during this year’s OCNA Better Newspaper Awards, including first place in the general excellence category for newspapers with a circulation of 45,000 or more. Eight staff members from Brant News recently participated in the annual Brantford Rotary Classic 5K run. As well as enjoying some physical activity, the Brant News staffers helped raise funds for projects supported by the Rotary Photo by J.P. Antonacci, Brant News Club of Brantford, including the Boys and Girls Club and Lansdowne Children’s Centre, which provides programs and services aimed at meeting the special needs of children up to 19 years old. Pictured are Brant News advertising sales representatives Kori Creighton, left, and Loren Butler preparing to start the race.
For more information contact: Ron Clark, Predient, Primedia Sales and Marketing 416-544-4622; 647-998-2340 rclark@primediasales.com Tim Daniel, Presient, KubasPrimedia 720-625-1310; 416-315-5132 tim@kubasprimedia.com Len Kubas, Chair, KubasPrimedia 416-487-7040 x1088 len@kubasprimedia.com May 2013
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
>>> Continued from Page 2
Updates and Projects from Your Association New on the scene
I had the opportunity to meet with KubasPrimedia’s newly appointed President Tim Daniel who has moved to Canada to take on this role. With degrees in history, theology, and applied behavioral science and extensive experience with change management in various industries, including media, energy and forestry, Tim is quickly immersing his energies in our industry. He is also the author of The Pursuit of Nobility: Living a Life that Matters (HCI books, 2010) – which tells the gritty untold story of how real change agents become who they are and do what they do. If you’d like to introduce yourself to him, he can be reached at tim@kubasprimedia.com
Web site template
OCNA is excited to showcase the new prototype of the web site template we have been working on as part of the Digital Media Acceleration Project during the Independent Publishers’ Retreat in Stratford on June 22. Working with our supplier MediaShaker, the new turn-key offering being made available to all our members is a robust solution to kick start a strong digital presence in your community. It features a comprehensive content management system, e-mail database, revenue solutions, and hands-off maintenance and hosting, to name a few. We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage.
Independent Publishers’ Retreat Coming Soon Friday June 21 evening - Saturday June 22 Festival Inn in Stratford Independent Publishers can look forward to social and networking opportunities, informative sessions, food and fun!
CONNECT WITH US! OCNA and Ad*Reach are now on Twitter! Follow us @OCNAAdreach for frequesnt association updates, industry news, upcoming events and more.
Contact Karen Shardlow at k.shardlow@ocna.org for more information. May 2013
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
Centenary Newspapers of Canada Conference
Happy Birthday to the Manitoulin Expositor
Are you an editor in charge of a newspaper that is 100 years or older? You could qualify for the (almost) free launch of a new professional network called the Centenary Newspapers of Canada (CNC). On June 24-25, CNC will host a special launch event in Winnipeg, MB to bring together editors from across the country to share innovative ideas with some of Canada’s oldest and most successful newspapers. The conference will include editorial workshops, keynote addresses from Mario Girard of La Presse and John Stackhouse of the Globe and Mail, and an exclusive tour of the new Canadian Museum for Human Rights building and a gala celebration. Workshop topics include: the challenges of transitioning an institution from the 19th century to the 21st centry, strategies in the face of political boycott, how to make online newspapers more attractive and increase readership and when information becomes instantaneous. In addition, a free symposium will be held on June 25.It is open to the public and geared to professionals in the newspaper industry. The day-long event is open to Anglophones and Francophones. Registration to join CNC is only $100 and the first 50 qualified editors to sign up will receive a $500 rebate on airfare to Winnipeg to attend the launch event. Visit www.laliberte100ans.ca to register.
NNA Research Reveals U.S. Consumers Rely on Newspaper Media When Making Purchase Decisions More than eight in 10 adults – 81 percent – took action in the past month as a result of seeing a newspaper ad, new research from the Newspaper Association of America shows. More than half made an actual purchase. ‘How America Shops and Spends 2013,’ conducted for NAA by Frank N. Magid Associates, measures patterns of behaviors in U.S. consumers, including advertising media usage for shopping and purchasing, the role of newspaper media in purchase decisions, the use of preprints and coupons, and online shopping actions. “This research reaffirms the power of newspaper advertising to engage consumers, and what’s more, its ability to drive them to take action,” said NAA president and CEO Caroline Little. “Consumers live in an advertising-saturated world and advertisers want to reach consumers who actually see their ads and engage with them. As this research once again confirms, newspaper media do just that. Newspaper media help advertisers cut through the clutter and influence consumer shopping decisions.” ‘How America Shops and Spends 2013’ reveals several key trends in U.S. shopping patterns that are important for advertisers to consider, including: ▄▄
Newspapers ranked first or tied for first place in seven of 12 benefit statements
Photo Courtesy of the Manitoulin Expositor
Pictured above (from left to right): Manitoulin Expositor team members Erin Gordon, Robin Burridge, Michael Erskine, Mitch Harasym, Dave Patterson, Marilyn Harasym, Greg Lloyd and Alicia McCutcheon celebrated the event of the newspaper’s 134th birthday with a cake as they posed for a photo outside of the Expositor office in downtown Little Current on May 24. Missing from photo are publishers Rick and Julia McCutcheon and office manager Kerrene Tilson. The Manitoulin Expositor is Northern Ontario’s oldest newspaper. Rick and Julia McCutcheon have acted as publishers since 1970.
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Continued on page 7 >>>
May 2013
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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: James Hatch, Publicity Assistant Phone: 416.214.5544 ext.222 Email: jhatch@dundurn.com
Bears in the Bird Feeders Cottage Life on Shaman’s Rock by Jim Poling, Sr.
Listen carefully and you will hear cottage country whispering lessons that can make our lives less frenetic, less complicated. The mournful call of the loon, the wind sighing in the trees, the hammering of the pileated woodpecker remind us that we are a part of a more natural world too often lost in our urban societies. Reflections from a still lake and a flickering campfire help us to realize that things might go easier for humankind if more issues were examined in softer, reflective light and without heated debate. People gathered at campfires, soothed by nature’s tranquility, tend to listen and be more thoughtful before they speak. This book will bring you on a journey through four seasons of cottaging and show you that nature has a remarkable power to heal — it just needs the human race to give it a helping hand. Along the way it will introduce you to some tips and tricks for making cottage life more comfortable and enjoyable. Jim Poling, Sr. is a lover of the outdoors, and of writing. He spent 35 years as a reporter and editor in daily journalism before retiring to write books and articles for magazines. Recently he published Smoke Signals and Tecumseh. Jim spends more than half his time at St. Nora Lake on Ontario’s Haliburton-Muskoka border. For more information, or to speak with Jim Poling, Sr., please contact: James Hatch, Publicity Assistant Phone: (416) 214-5544 ext 222 Email: jhatch@dundurn.com Bears in the Bird Feeders Cottage Life on Shaman’s Rock by Jim Poling, Sr. 9781459702189 TP; 232 pages 15 B&W Illustrations, Maps, Bibliography, Index $24.99 CANADIAN PUBLICATION DATE: April 6, 2013 AMERICAN PUBLICATION DATE: April 30, 2013 Also available in eBook: ePUB: 9781459701953; $11.99 uPDF: 9781459701991; $24.99
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
ADVERTISING ALERT: Advertising of Taxes Source: Retail Sales Tax Act (pst) and Excise Tax Act (gst) http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_90r31_e.htm#BK26 http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/E-15/ Scope: Ontario for pst and National for gst Last Updated: January 2013 PAY NO TAXES THIS WEEKEND ONLY – CAN’T SAY WE WILL PAY YOUR TAXES THIS WEEKEND ONLY – OKAY The collection of taxes is mandatory for businesses, so they can’t advertise that they are not. Section 223 of the Excise Tax Act requires a supplier to disclose to a purchaser the amount of HST charged on the transaction. This may be more of an accuracy in advertising issue. We aren’t sure how often it is enforced as it could be assumed that the business is paying the tax for the purchaser. http://www.adstandards.com/en/Standards/theCode.aspx This is a link to the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards from Advertising Standards Canada. Helpful resource.
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‘How America Shops & Spends 2013’ Reveals Key Trends related to advertising platforms, with the top three being ‘you check for your regular shopping,’ ‘most valuable in planning shopping’ and ‘most believable and trustworthy.’
‘How America Shops & Spends 2013’ features data culled from 2,000 nationwide interviews with individuals 18 years or older. Learn more about this study at www.naa.org
▄▄
Print newspapers scored highest at 62 percent out of 19 advertising sources used by survey participants to plan shopping or make purchasing decisions in the last seven days. When combined with newspaper websites, the net number totaled 66 percent.
ABOUT NAA:
NAA is a nonprofit organization representing nearly 2,000 newspapers and their multiplatform businesses in the United States and Canada. Members include daily newspapers as well as nondailies, other print publications and online products. Headquartered in Arlington, Va., the association focuses on the major issues that affect today's newspaper industry, such as public policy/legal matters, advertising revenue growth and audience engagement across the medium's broad portfolio of products and digital platforms. More information about NAA and the industry is available at www.naa.org.
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Survey participants who self-identified as nonreaders of newspapers nevertheless reported using them. Three of the top five actions from a list of 13 related specifically to advertising: clipping a coupon (16 percent), checking sales in local stores (16 percent) and comparing prices for items they intended to purchase (12 percent). ▄▄
Nearly 9 out of 10 – 86 percent – of those who used online circulars also took some action as a result of a print newspaper insert in the past 30 days. May 2013
View this and other NAA news releases online at www.naa.org/ press. 7
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
OCNA MEMBERS TAKE HOME AWARDS FROM INK+BEYOND New Hamburg Independent
Congratulations to OCNA members who took home hardware after the 2013 Canadian Community Newspaper Award winners were announced during the INK+BEYOND newspaper conference in Ottawa on May 2.
Fort Frances Times
Aylmer Express
Gravenhurst Banner
• First – Outstanding Community Service, circulation up to 9999 • Third – Best Spot News Photo Coverage, circulation up to 3999
Barrie Advance
• Second – Best Web Site, circulation 12500 and over
Blue Mountains Courier-Herald
• Third – Best Local Editorial, circulation up to 3999
Bracebridge Examiner
• Second – Best All-Round Newspaper, General Excellence, circulation 2000 to 2999 • Third – Best Editorial Page, General Excellence, circulation 2000 to 2999
Burlington Post
• First – Best Photo Essay, circulation 12500 and over • Third – Best Local Editorial, circulation 12500 and over
• Third – Best Editorial Page, General Excellence, circulation 4000 to 6499 • Third – Excellence in Rural Reporting, circulation open
Huntsville Forester
• First – Best All-Round Newspaper, General Excellence, circulation 4000 to 6499 • First – Best Editorial Page, General Excellence, circulation 4000 to 6499 • First – Best Front Page, General Excellence, circulation 4000 to 6499 • First – Best Feature Story, circulation 4000 to 12499 • Second – Best Feature Series, circulation 4000 to 12499
Kawartha Lakes This Week
• Second –Best News Story, circulation 12500 and over
Manitoulin Expositor
• Second – Best West Site, circulation 4000 to 12499
Meaford Express
• Second – Best Photo Essay, circulation 12500 and over
• First – Best Editorial Page, General Excellence, circulation up to 1249 • Third – Best All-Round Newspaper, General Excellence, circulation up to 1249
Dundas Star News
Mississauga News
Clarington This Week
• Second – Best Editorial Page, General Excellence, circulation 12500 to 24999
Elmira-Woolwich Observer
• First – Best All-Round Newspaper, General Excellence, circulation 12500 to 24999 • First – Best Editorial Page, General Excellence, circulation 12500 to 24999 • Second – Best Front Page, General Excellence, circulation 12500 to 24999 • Second – Best Feature Story, circulation 125000 and over May 2013
• Third – Best Photo Essay, circulation 12500 and over
Napanee Guide
• Second – Best Agricultural Edition, circulation 10000 and over • Third – Best Agricultural Story, circulation open
• First – Best Agricultural Edition, circulation up to 9999 • Second – Best Coverage of the Arts, circulation up to 9999 • Third – Best News Feature Photo, circulation up to 3999 • Third – Best Business Writing Award, circulation up to 9999
New Liskeard Temiskaming Speaker
• Second – Best Sports Coverage, circulation up to 3999 • Second – Best Agricultural Edition, circulation up to 9999
Newmarket Era/Aurora Banner
• First – Best Web Site, circulation 12500 and over • Second – Best Local Editorial, circulation 12500 and over
Nunavut News/North
• Third – Best All-Round Newspaper, General Excellence, circulation 4000 to 6499
Oakville Beaver
• Third – Best Multimedia Feature, circulation 10000 and over
Oshawa This Week
• First – Best Sports Coverage, circulation 12500 and over • Third – Best Feature Series, circulation 12500 and over
Ottawa Embassy
• First – Best Web Site, circulation 4000 to 12499
Ottawa Hill Times
• Third – Best Agricultural Edition, circulation 10000 and over
Perth EMC
• Second – Best National Editorial, circulation 10000 and over 8
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
Peterborough This Week
• Second – Outstanding Reporter Initiative, circulation 10000 and over • Second – Best Photo Illustration, circulation open • Third – Best Feature Photo, circulation 12500 and over Port Perry Star • Third – Best Environmental Writing, circulation 10000 and over
Prescott Journal
• First – Best Historical Story, circulation up 3999
Rainy River Record
• First – Best Spot News Photo Coverage, circulation up to 3999
Renfrew Mercury EMC
• Third – Best National Editorial, circulation 10000 and over
Sioux Lookout Wawatay News
• First – Best Feature Series, circulation 4000 to 12499 • Second – Best Feature News, circulation 4000 to 12499
Stoney Creek News
• First – Best Editorial Page, General Excellence, circulation 25000 and over
Sudbury Northern Life
University of Toronto, The Varsity
Timmins Times
The following were Blue Ribbon recipients: • Bracebridge Examiner • Elmira-Woolwich Observer • Gravenhurst Banner • Kincardine Independent • Meaford Express • Northumberland News • North York Mirror • Ottawa Embassy • Ottawa Hill Times • Renfrew Mercury EMC • Stittsville News EMC • Stoney Creek News • Stouffville Sun/Tribune • Sudbury Northern Life • Waterloo Chronicle
• First – Best Front Page, General Excellence, circulation 25000 and over • Third – Best Web Site, circulation 12500 and over • First – Outstanding Reporter Initiative, circulation 10000 and over • First – Best Spot News Photo Coverage, circulation 12500 and over
Waterdown Flamborough Review • First – Best Local Editorial, circulation 12500 and over
Wingham Advance Times
• First – Best National Editorial, circulation up to 9999
Niagara College, Niagara News • Second – Best Campus Photography, circulation open • Third – Best Campus News Story, circulation open
Wilfred Laurier University, The Cord • Second – Outstanding Campus Newspaper, circulation open • Third – Best Campus News Story, circulation open • Third – Best Campus Photography, circulation open
• Second – Best Campus News Story, circulation open • Second – Best Campus Feature Story, circulation open
Newspaper representatives from across the country celebrated the first-place winners of the 2013 Canadian Community Newspaper Awards at a special industry event on May 2 during the INK+BEYOND newspaper conference in Ottawa. For a complete list of the winners of the 2013 Canadian Community Newspaper Awards visit www.newspaperscanada.ca.
QUEEN’S PARK DAY September 25, 2013
Publishers and General Managers will be invited to meet with MPPs, senior civil servants and fellow publishers at Queen’s Park to discuss issues concerning the industry and show the provincial government how important newspapers are as a viable source of information. Meetings will be arranged with MPPs throughout the day. A Publishers’ Reception will take place in the afternoon. May 2013
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
OCNF Student Distance Placement Program Another round of the OCNF Student Distance Placement Program has come and gone. This year saw two undergraduate journalism students complete co-op placements at OCNA member newspapers. Alanna Rice of Niagara College spent four weeks with the Kincardine News and Jessica Brousseau of Cambrian College travelled to the Elliot Lake Standard for six weeks. The OCNF Student Distance Placement Program was created in 2010 with the intent to show students that community newspapers are great career options. Funding was provided to students to help cover the cost of transportation, meals and rent during their placement program. This program not only aids students financially, it also introduces journalists to the industry and provides them with a valuable educational experience – one they may not be able to obtain on their own without adequate funding. Each student was selected based on their academic performance, evidence of financial need and distance to their placement location.
no way for me to accept my placement which led to this position.”
Jessica Brousseau
“I am proud of the fact that after my six weeks, I had more confidence while looking for my own stories. I went in to the news room very quiet and shy, looking for stories to be given to me, and came out not afraid to speak up when I thought there was potential in a story.” “I went in thinking Journalism was just about writing the facts. However, I have learned there is passion that goes with it. The daily learning, multitasking, the fast paced environment and the people you meet along the way is the fuel that keeps you going.” With the help of OCNA members, these two students had their first glimpse at life in the community newspaper industry as they covered various local events, City Council meetings, fundraisers and built relationships with community members. For more information on the OCNF Student Distance Placement Program, contact Kelly Gorven at k.gorven@ocna.org or 905-639-8720 x 239.
Alanna Rice
“I was hired on a one-year contract to fill a maternity leave position. Without receiving the OCNA grant, there would have been
Mildmay Town Crier Founder and Publisher John Hafermehl Passes Away Courtesy of the Mildmay Town Crier
John Hafermehl printed the first issue of the Town Crier over 48 years ago. He printed his last issue on May 8, 2013. It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of the Mildmay Town Crier’s Founder and Publisher on Friday May 10, 2013. From linotypes in early years to computer and the Internet and technology of today, he worked away at bringing the local news to his readers each week. Simply put, he gave his heart and soul to his profession. John, who was also known as ‘Snoopy’, had a huge heart and a huge love for his town. He promoted his community to the best of his abilities and was always proud of its accomplishments. John was born and raised in Mildmay. He got his start in the printingnewspaper business at the Mildmay Gazette. In those days of handset type and linotype machines, one had to apprentice which meant spending three years training. John was offered a job at the Port Elgin Times as Sports Editor. Shortly after moving to Port Elgin he married Ethel Koenig (also a Mildmaynite) May 2013
and they spent eight years in the lakeside community. During those years they welcomes a daughter, Susan, who worked alongside her father at the paper. With the passing of the Times’ Editor and Publisher Ken Pettis, John took on the job of manager for the Estate. The business was sold to J.H. Stafford and John continued to be the Managing Editor. Despite carrying out the duties for the Times, he was a news correspondent for five daily newspapers - Owen Sound Sun Times, Toronto Star, Toronto Telegram, London Free Press and KitchenerWaterloo Record. The Hafermehls moved to Mildmay in 1964 after purchasing the Mildmay Printery (former Gazette) from Harold Whittaker. One year later, the first issue of the Town Crier was produced - the first newspaper in the area to provide free blanket coverage. The Crier remained a free paper for thirty years, and at one point distributed 11,700 copies on a bi-weekly basis. Today the paper is a weekly publication with 2,000 copies printed on a subscription basis. John was proud of his independent publication and worked hard to bring the local news and happenings to his readers. He will be missed by everyone within his community and those who were touched by him. His funeral was held on Monday May 13, 2013 at St. Paul’s United Church in Mildmay. 10
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
Turtle Island News One of Five Finalists for the CJF’s Excellence in Journalism Award Courtesy of the Turtle Island News
Turtle Island News has been nominated "At a time of unprecedented change and Turtle Island News Publications produces an for the Canadian Journalism Foundation’s uncertainty in the media, we were impressed international online daily and website, national excellence in journalism national award. award winning weekly newspaper, The Canadian Journalism Foundation regional newspaper and several (CJF) announced Turtle Island News magazines including Aboriginal Business. had made the shortlist for its annual The Excellence in Journalism Award, We are in a category of Excellence in Journalism Award last week. now in its 17th year, was established by journalistic excellence that just by simply Dr. F.L.R. (Eric) Jackman, chairman of the Turtle Island News will be competing being nominated in is in itself recognition for Jackman Foundation and founder of The in small-media category against a lot of hard work by our wonderful staff at CJF. competitors like the CBC CP24 and others. Turtle Island News. The CJF says, “unlike other awards The members of the jury include: honouring specific journalistic Christopher Waddell, Director, School of achievements, the CJF celebrates news Journalism and Communication Carleton organizations that embrace ideals of University; Murray Campbell, Director, journalistic excellence - accuracy, independence, with the range of creative ideas that news Corporate Communications, Ontario Power accountability to the audience, courage and organizations across the country are exploring to Authority; Catherine Cano, Managing Partner, originality - with its annual Excellence in address the economic and coverage challenges National Public Relations; Hon. Jim Munson, Journalism Award. they face, while at the same time maintaining Senator, Ottawa-Rideau Canal The Senate of their focus on excellence in journalism," says Canada; Kelly Toughill, Director and Associate The finalists in the large-media Christopher Waddell, chair of the jury. Professor, School of Journalism, University of category are: The winners will be announced at the 16th King's College. CBC News: Special Investigations Unit Annual CJF Awards to be held at The Fairmont Founded in 1990, the CJF is a not-forThe Current - CBC Radio One Royal York on June 13 in Toronto. profit organization that promotes excellence Postmedia News Turtle Island News Publisher/Editor Lynda in journalism by celebrating outstanding Toronto Star Powless said she is honoured to see Turtle journalistic achievement through an annual Winnipeg Free Press Island News nominated. awards program; by operating journalism “We are in a category of journalistic websites, J-Source.ca (English) and ProjetJ. The finalists in the small-media excellence that just by simply being nominated ca (French), in cooperation with the country's category are: in is itself recognition for a lot of hard work by leading journalism schools; and by organizing CBC New Brunswick our wonderful staff at Turtle Island News. We events that facilitate dialogue among CP24 are both excited and humbled to be in such a journalists, business people, government Turtle Island News competition with organizations like the CBC, officials, academics and students about the role The Tyee Toronto Star, CP 24, Vancouver Observer and of the media in Canadian society; and fostering Vancouver Observer others. It is wonderful and honourable company opportunities for journalism education, training to be in.” and research.
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OCNA’s Board of Directors is pleased to welcome the following newspaper as probationary Active Member: Newspaper Vaughan Weekly
May 2013
Circulation 9,900
Ownership London Publishing Corp.
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
Tembec Supports Guidelines for Sustainable Paper
CLASSIFIEDS
Tembec supports the Guidelines of Sustainable Paper Products released April 24 by GreenBlue, which provide the common language and framework the paper products industry needs to take practical and profitable steps toward sustainability. The Guidelines of Sustainable Paper Products is a joint effort of GreenBlue, a non-profit organization that equips business with the science and resources to make products more sustainable, and its Forest Products Working Group, made up of ten leading companies including Tembec. The Guidelines provide definitions of sustainable paper products and outlines what sustainability means for the paper products industry, its customers and the community at large. The Guidelines envision a paper products industry in which every product is designed to be safe and healthy for individuals and communities throughout its life cycle; sourced responsibly; manufactured, transported, and recycled using clean technology and renewable energy, and, after use, effectively recovered and recycled to provide a valuable resource for the next generation of products. “Tembec worked with GreenBlue and other industry partners on the Guidelines for Sustainable Paper Products because we believe adopting a common language and shared values about sustainability will help our industry embrace sustainable development,” said Chris Black, Tembec Executive Vice President and President, Paper and Paper Pulp Group. “This continues Tembec’s long history of working with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure responsible stewardship of resources and sustainable operations.” The Guidelines provide the information companies need to evaluate the sustainability of operations, identify opportunities for profitable improvement, and integrate life cycle thinking and sustainable criteria into business strategies. The Guidelines will evolve over time, and Tembec will continue contributing to GreenBlue’s Forest Products Working Group, whose other members are: Avery Dennison, Aven Products, Bank of America, Catalyst Paper, Domtar, HAVI Global Solutions, RR Donnelley, Sappi Fine Paper North American, and Staples. For more information on the Guidelines for Sustainable Paper Prodcuts, visit www.greenblue.org/activities/forest-products/ Tembec is a manufacturer of forest products - lumber, pulp, paper and specialty cellulose - and a global leader in sustainable forest management practices. Principal operations are in Canada and France. Tembec has some 3,700 employees and annual sales of approximately $2 billion. Tembec is listed on the TSX (TMB). For more information please contact: Linda Coates, Vice President, Human Resources and Corporate Affairs Tel: 416-775-2819 linda.coates@tembec.com
Mike Donachie Versatile journalist with more than 17 years’ experience. Strong background in leadership and project management. Unhesitatingly embraces change in a fast-paced industry. Superb communicator with a focus on business goals. Resourceful, energetic and seeking a challenge. Professional experience includes: (please note not all experience has been listed) Columnist, The Courier, DC Thomson & Co. Ltd, Scotland 2012-present Blogger, the courier.co.uk April 2013-present Light-hearted blog as paper’s ‘expatriate blogger’ Deputy Production Editor, The Courier 2012-13 Supervised production of regional newspaper, six editions per night, six days per week. Online writer/copy editor, thecourier.co.uk 2012-11 – Wrote/built online articles. – Search Engine Optimisation IT skills: InDeisng, InCopy, Quark, Photoshop, Content Management software including WCM Nstein, Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, Powerpoint Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Wordpress. Education and Training: – Bachelor’s Degree in Law (Honours in International Law), Glasgow University, 1994 – DC Thomas journalism training course, 1995/6 – Continuing Education: Search Engine Optimisation, ethics, page design, legal. To access Mike’s complete resume, please visit the ‘Careers’ section of the OCNA website (www.ocna.org) Any inquires can be forwarded to Mike at: mikedonachie@gmail.com
Patrick Lyn, Manager, Paper Pulp Marketing and Market Research Tel: 416-775-2814 patrick.lyn@tembec.com May 2013
EMPLOYMENT WANTED
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GET YOUR PRESS IDENTIFICATION CARDS OCNA can provide you with laminated, business card-sized Press Cards. Cost is $10 each for the first three, and $5 for each one thereafter.
Managing Editor
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GORDON CAMERON Town Crier Newspapers 416-785-4311 101 Wingold Ave Toronto, ON M6B 1P8
April 23, 2013 Date
Contact Kelly Gorven at k.gorven@ocna.org or call 906-639-8720 x239 for a Publisher’s Authorization Form and instructions on how to send photos.
May 2013
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ASSOCIATION NEWS
TRAINING
David Zilstra Communications
OCNA is pleased to announce a partnership with Online Media Campus to help the association fulfill its mission of providing affordable and relevant training to members.
Invigorate your ad planning calendar… to Increase sales and your bottom line! Let David Zilstra help you….battle your competition (print or broadcast), revamp your ad plan, add proven vertical and sustained features, help you generate new business, and steer your ad team in the right direction.
ONLINE MEDIA CAMPUS WEBINARS: June 27th - Top Strategies and Tactics for Sales Success
David has over 20 years of print sales and management experience, and is ready to help provide your operation with the boost it may need during these challenging times.
The old way of selling has changed, but prospecting for new business continues to be the foundation of all successful salespeople and organizations.
For a confidential discussion please feel free to call or email David at any time. 705-770-0232 David.Zilstra@gmail.com
During this power-packed webinar, learn top strategy tactics that have proven successful for more than 1,000,000 prospecting and sales calls.
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The deadline to register for the $35 fee is Monday, June 24th. A $10 late fee will be applied on Tuesday June 25th. To register for this webinar and for more information about the Online Media Campus Webinars please visit www. onlinemediacampus.com
NEWSPAPERS CANADA WEBINAR SERIES:
can you capture more advertisers and audience?
June 4th - Great Idea Awards Newspaper Marketing Winners (FREE)
With Metro e-Connect, you have what you need to take the lead with multimedia advertising. This integrated, flexible, cost-effective, multiplatform program is also easy to launch and easy to manage. Providing your ad team with the resources it needs to deliver real solutions for your advertisers’ evolving needs, while expanding audience engagement, Metro e-Connect translates into a win-win for all.
Finalists in the Newspaper Marketing and Promotion category of the Great Idea Awards to lead a webinar on exciting ways to promote newspapers.
June 25th - Newspapers 101: Cross-Media Studies (FREE)
Find out more now! Go online to metrocreativeconnection.com/e-connect, call 800-223-1600, email service@metro-email.com or scan the QR code to see how you can immediately implement and benefit from Metro e-Connect.
In this annual offering, free to members, Newspapers Canada’s Suzanne Raitt offers a masterclass in newspapers across all platforms, providing an A+ overview of the latest research and innovative ads from Canada and around the world.
Metro e-Connect
Visit www.newspaperscanada.ca/programs/webinars to register and learn more about each webinar register.
The new multimedia ad program that is changing the way we connect. OCNAHOW2013
May 2013
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BUSINESS
Effective Trial Closes for Business By Patrick Tinney, Managing Partner Centroid Training & Marketing At a gathering I asked a relative of my wife’s who once owned a large car dealership what the best piece of negotiation advice he had received over his storied career. He took his time to respond and said “yes I remember it well. A giant in the auto industry once told me that to be successful in car sales/negotiations I had to visualize that I was always standing in a round room”. He had passed along a gem that remains with me today and a quote that I often use in our Centroid Training Sessions. Metaphorically, he was saying take the corners out of the room so you have room to back up and regroup. Now back to our topic of Effective Trial Closes. One of the themes I like to leave our grads with is that nicely crafted questions delivered politely are innocuous. We can ask tons of carefully crafted questions in our pursuit of a “yes”. An example of a Trial Close question is “What would it take to get this deal done?” The alternative is to ask a question in a hard, closed ended fashion. An example of a closed question is…. “Do we have a deal?” This small question might seem like a risk free question in a business negotiation but it isn’t! By asking this direct question we have initiated a “coin toss” result. The answer will ultimately lead to a “yes or no”. This means by questioning in this direct manner I’ve opened up a 50% chance of a “no” in the overarching negotiation!! I have inadvertently backed myself into a corner by asking this question so directly. Back to visualizing we are operating in a round room in a negotiation. By asking a direct question I have senselessly built a corner where there was none. I am boxing myself in! Question? Is there an appropriate time to ask directly for the deal? Yes there is. The time to ask directly for the deal is when you have exhausted all lower risk questions and or when you are running out of time. The Trial Close example above sounds very similar to a “High Gain” Question. High Gain questions are questions that begin with specific words such as; “Who, Where, When, Which, Where and How”. So what is the difference between a High Gain Question and a Trial Close? The answer is it has to do with tightening the scope of our query toward the end of a bargaining session. Trial Close questions are used to surgically expose blockages or impediments to the deal closing. Trial Closes are also used to trigger spontaneous closure by the customer. Trial close questions also tend to steer toward opportunities in Timing, Place, Utility, Profitability, Success, May 2013
Approval and Authority. Questions that look like this;
1. Where would you like to begin our proposal? 2. When is the best time to initiate this proposal? 3. What about this proposal do you like and which of
your stakeholders would like it too?
4. Which group in your organization would benefit most from our proposal? 5. How do you visualize closing out this deal? Trial Closes are a thing of beauty because they do all of the heavy lifting that a Direct Close does without boxing us in! And, if you are in collaboration mode with your customer, the customer may actually offer up valuable information. In the better case scenario they actually share creative approaches they have on the potential deal and start to sell us on their ideas to get final closure of the deal. In the best case scenario they may even say “You know we’ve really discussed the opportunities and exposed the risk in this proposal and I think there are more positives than negatives. Let’s sign this deal and get going!!” Centroid Training participants learn that Trial Close questions are money questions and I sincerely believe this. When heading into an important negotiation rank your Trial Close Questions for dollar value and effect. Think about how much time you have in large account negotiations with senior executive buyers? The answer is not much. So, craft your trial close questions carefully. Rank them. Practice them. Role play with them. The better you get at delivering Trial Close questions in pressure cooker negotiations, the more deals you will close with the lowest amount of risk.
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A prudent question is one-half of wisdom. - Francis Bacon
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PATRICK TINNEY is the founder of Centroid Training and Marketing, a consulting firm helping organizations make and save money through consultative selling, sales prospecting and business negotiation training. 15
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HUMOUR How to Tell a Real Senior at the Cinema Box Office By William Thomas
Lying about your age – it’s almost a cradle to grave phenomena in this country. When you’re 9 ½ years old and dying to be ten, you’re ten. When you’re 17 years old and dying to drink with your buddies at the bar, you’re 19. The day you signed on to the online dating service you shaved a full five years off your birth certificate. The vanity of women has those in their mid-50s admitting to being ‘forty something.’ The vanity of men saw venerable comedian Jack Benny die at age 80 but was still only 39 years old. And now, according to a CBC-Radio documentary aired on Sunday Morning, Canadian men and women in their 50s and early 60s are lying about their ages. But they’re not subtracting years to appear younger, they’re adding years to their correct age in order to cash in on senior discounts. Apparently, it’s become a widespread problem in a country where the only thing faster than the aging of Baby Boomers is the race between retailers to grab a piece of their pensions. Apparently senior discounts – not that I would know anything about it – are available at drug stores, department stores, art galleries and casinos where women over 60 sit for hours on end dropping quarters into slot machines. Thank goodness for Depends. The biggest bonus for seniors is at the cinema where they can save five or six dollars on the price of admission. The problem of underage seniors scamming this sizable discount is made worse by the age of the people who work at the cinema. They’re teenagers. Teenagers think anybody over 30 should be sprayed with Lemon Pledge and placed in a museum. If you don’t start your sentences with “Omigod” or “It’s so surreal” they don’t want to hear from you. If teenagers ruled the world senior citizens wouldn’t be visiting their doctors every week, they’d be reporting to a taxidermist once, at age 40. Listeners responding to the CBC-Radio documentary titled ‘Don’t Act Your Age’ claimed it was immoral for people to falsify their age in order to get a discount on a movie ticket. Perhaps, but you know what is really immoral? Charging $10 for a tub of popcorn that costs at the most, 20 cents work of kernels to make. Some listeners thought faking your age for the movie discount was a matter of theft – taking money you are not entitled to. Maybe, but if you want to see theft at the movies rent Inglorious Bastards, keeping in mind Brad Pitt made millions impersonating a military statue. So the issue of seniors scamming unwarranted price cuts at movie theatres – “What we have here is a failure to communicate” – is a multigenerational gap. The kids can’t tell a 50-year-old wearing reading glasses from a genuine 65-year-old senior who actually needs them. Here then are sure ways in which cinema staff can verify that the person they’re giving a discount to is in fact a senior citizen.
the washrooms highlighted in yellow. ▄▄
You know the woman’s a senior if you correctly guess her age and she whacks you in the head with her purse. ▄▄
You know the man’s a senior if you ask him for I.D. and he hands you his membership card to ListenUP! Free Battery Club. ▄▄
You know the woman’s a senior if she has more than a pound of balled up Kleenex in her coat pocket. ▄▄
You know the man’s a senior if you ask how old he is and in turn, he asks his wife how old he is. ▄▄
You know the woman’s a senior if she takes six minutes to fish a ten dollar bill out of her wallet and accidentally shows you photos of the grandkids. ▄▄
You know the man’s a senior if you recognize him as your next door neighbour and he tells you to stay the hell off of his lawn. ▄▄
You know the woman’s a senior if when the theatre lights go down, she claps her hands to get them back on. ▄▄
You know the man’s a senior if you ask him for photo I.D. and he hands you a driver’s license that lapsed in 1994. ▄▄
You know the woman’s a senior if you ask her why she’s twiddling her thumbs and she tells you it’s part of her 30-minute power pack workout. ▄▄
You know the man’s a senior citizen if he’s still got the blood pressure test tube wrapped around his arm and there’s a nozzle from the gas pumps sticking out of his pocket. ▄▄
You know the woman’s a senior if she’s wearing her reading glasses on her head and using a magnifying glass to examine the ticket stub. ▄▄
You know the man’s a senior if you mention the fact he’s not wearing pants and his response is: “I don’t give a damn!” ▄▄
You know they’re both seniors if after receiving their discounted tickets they get distracted and leave the theatre. ▄▄
You know they’re both seniors if they walk in wearing 3-D cataract sunglasses. ▄▄
You know they’re both seniors and married if she uses that big ball of Kleenex to take care of his dripping nose. William is an author, a scriptwriter and a nationally syndicated humour columnist. In addition to the 50 newspapers that carry his weekly column, William is the senior writer for Forever Young.
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You know the man’s a senior if instead of asking you what the movie’s about, he requests a floor plan of the theatre with May 2013
For more information visit www.williamthomas.ca 16
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SUPPLIER SHOWCASE
OCNA’S SUPPLIER SHOWCASE AdWorks – All the Tools for Efficient Print and Digital Ad Sales AdWorks® is a full featured advertising management system designed for daily and weekly publications. It provides all of the tools necessary for efficient print and digital ad sales, accounts receivables, powerful live reporting, messaging and built-in integration with many ad layout and classified pagination systems, including Adobe InDesign, Quark, AdForce, Classforce, ALS, CLS - all in one complete system. A few powerful, time and money saving features:
Email Invoices and Statements
- Give your customers the option to receive invoices and statements by email. While posting invoices & statements, let AdWorks automatically PDF invoices and batch email elected customers. AdWorks will notify you of undelivered and discontinued emails prompting for printed copies.
Real Time Credit Authorization
- AdWorks gives you the option to authorize credit cards in real time, either per transaction from the ad entry window with the customer on the phone or in a batch at the end of the day. No phone lines, modems or exporting to third party applications required. Consolidate Your Newspapers to Save Money and Maximize Revenue - AdWorks is designed to leverage your group strengths by sharing resources, and reducing costs by linking multiple ad databases together across your newspaper group. This enables cross-selling and group reporting. AdWorks is built to handle hundreds of remote ad reps, newspaper branches and office connections.
About News-Net Inc.
News-Net Inc (www.news-net.ca) provides first-class software solutions, programming, integration and development to over 1,500 newspapers throughout North America. A trusted supplier to the publishing industry since its inception over 25 years ago, News-Net has continually grown market share and develops affordable cost-cutting and leading-edge technologies for the publishing industry.
OCNA acts as a gateway to over 300 community newspapers in all areas of the province. Promote your information to our members here. Send your updates to newsclips@ocna.org.
May 2013
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HUMAN RESOURCES
The Key to Success
A TwoGreySuits Article by Ron Guest The right person in the right job is the key to success for both the employer and employee. When employees are motivated to do excellent work, the organization reaps the rewards. When employees are provided feedback on their work, they will strive to continue excellent performance or improve current performance. In the absence of feedback, employees may think you don't appreciate or care about them or their work, or worse, perhaps their poor performance gets unofficially endorsed. Recruiting quality employees is just the first step in building a great team. The bigger challenge is keeping them on board. Here are four steps you can take to recruit and retain top performers.
did this; we did that.” An experienced interviewer will ask what their specific role was in the accomplishment. If a person cannot describe in detail how they accomplished something, they may be overstating their involvement in the accomplishment. By using the right interviewing techniques, you can uncover the best fit for your company.
3. Ask Your Top Candidates What They Want
If you are genuinely interested in hiring an individual, communicate that interest by asking the candidate what they seek in their next role. Ask questions related to the candidate’s background before you tell the candidate exactly what you are looking for in skills and behavior. Take the time to ask questions that will help you learn about the person’s goals and desires. Listen very carefully to the answers and ask follow-up questions. What you learn may even help you shape the job description for the people you ultimately hire. You’ll also convey a genuine interest in these people, and few managers do that during the interview process. As a result, you will stand out in their minds. If your interest is sincere, this is one of the most effective recruiting tools at your disposal.
HIRING AND KEEPING THE BEST
Of course, you want to attract and keep great people. The hiring process can be costly and time-consuming, so once you’ve selected your top candidate, you want them to stay with you! Here are four steps you can take to recruit and retain the best:
4. You Are the Key to Keeping the Best
The best people want opportunities to work on the best projects and with the best clients or customers. They also want to develop personally and professionally. These people can always get a job (even in a down economy), but they often have a hard time finding an organization (and a boss) that takes an interest in helping them develop and achieve. Simply put, good people want good bosses. The number one reason, supported by significant and varied research, of why employees leave their job is directly related to their immediate manager. So, if you want good people to stay, ensure your managers are properly trained, that they know how to give feedback (positive and constructive) and that they are capable of helping people become more competent in their jobs. This is the key. To prove the point…write down the name of the best boss you ever had. Why did you enjoy working for this person? Chances are it wasn’t their intelligence or technical ability. More likely, the key was their confidence in themselves and you. The best bosses believe in themselves and their people, and this translates into a work environment that entices a talented person to take a job and stay with it.
1. Define What Your New Hire Needs To Do
Before you start the hiring process, take the time to define what you need the person to accomplish. Surprisingly, this critical step is often overlooked. By first defining exactly what you need accomplished and then hiring to those requirements, you may well discover an ideal candidate you would not have considered otherwise. To illustrate, a client we worked with typically hired salespeople from within their industry. But the company’s two top salespeople previously sold in completely unrelated industries. We defined what made these two successful -- their ability to open doors and be hands-on in the delivery of solutions – as the key requirement to hire more similar salespeople. Industry experience was helpful, but not as important as these two fundamental skills.
2. Let the Candidate Talk about Themselves
Here is a simple but powerful rule that will reduce your hiring mistakes: Focus on understanding the candidate’s individual accomplishments. Ask all candidates to give details in the first person (“I did this”) on what they have accomplished in past roles and jobs. Specifically look for person, place and time; specifically, who else worked with them on the accomplishment, where was this done and what time was this in (month and year). Their answers will also be easier to verify in a detailed reference check. Many people want to describe things in the plural, saying, “We May 2013
This article is part of the TwoGreySuits ‘Employee Performance Management’ Series and is offered by our partner, the TwoGreySuits HR Power Centre as a service to our members. 18
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HUMAN RESOURCES
TO COACH OR TO TERMINATE. THAT IS THE QUESTION. Managers should try to coach a poor performing employee back to an acceptable level of performance first and make the decision to terminate only as a last resort. Unfortunately that doesn’t happen as often as it should, primarily because managers have not developed effective coaching skills. The TwoGreySuits HR service that OCNA is offering our members absolutely free contains all the direction and tools managers require to effectively deal with poor performers. And they can improve their people management skills as well. Have a look at the video and then explore the HR Power Centre at www. twogreysuits.com. It contains everything you need for effective people management. And, when you need answers fast, you can talk to a senior HR Professional 24/7 through the HR Hot Line. Hassle-free, effortless HR solutions for your business ...because HR happens. For more information, call us at 905 639 8720
Make Money with Network Classifieds OCNA’s Network Classified Advertising is an easy way for you to earn additional revenue. Upsell your retail and classified advertisers and earn a 35% commission. An All Ontario 25-word ad is $475. You earn $166.25 each time you upsell your client into the program. You already know that advertisers in community newspapers get results. Help your advertisers extend their reach into a region of the province, across Ontario, or right across the country. They Win – You Win. The possibilities are endless: »Online revenue – any retailer with a web site. Let the Networks drive traffic to their site for increased sales »Real estate – any agent with vacation properties, commercial properties, and luxury homes. Buyers from outside your newspaper distribution area need to know »Events – Fairs, Markets, Shows, Theatre, Concerts, Sports. Spread the word to draw more people »Help Wanted – Trades and other positions that individuals would relocate or commute to should be advertised here
Contact OCNA Network Classified Coordinator Lucia Shepherd for full details at l.shepherd@ocna.org or 1-800-387-7982 ext 223. May 2013
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DESIGN
Those Who Work at Small Newspapers are a Gift to Us All By Ed Henninger Henninger Consulting It’s amazing what we can learn over the course of a career. So many people have taught me so much. And then, there are the many things I’ve learned by observing newspaper people at work. In more than 45 years in newspapering, one of the most important things I’ve learned: Small newspapers are a gift. But the real gift is the people who work at those newspapers. Here’s why: The folks who work at small newspapers live in the town. Many of them grew up there. They go to church there. They shop there. Their kids go to school there. They know who’s who and who would-like-to-bebut-isn’t. You’ll not find harder workers than those who work at small newspapers. They put in long hours and rarely (if ever) complain, they’ll visit an advertiser before sunrise and they’ll report on those high school football games that run into double-overtime…at an opponent’s stadium 28 miles away. They try to improve with every issue. If they hear about a better way to do things, whether it’s new software, digital photography, the web—whatever—most are willing to give the new technology a shot. Granted, some are old dogs. But even they are willing to learn new tricks.
May 2013
They have the best interests of the newspaper—and the town—at heart. They want to see both succeed and flourish and they are willing to go the extra mile to make that happen. They are boosters. They will offer a balanced report on how things are going in town. They’ll tell the bad along with the good, but they look for the good and they focus on that because they firmly believe the town itself is a good place to live and work. They are courageous. When that difficult story comes along, the one where they must hold up a mirror to the town and point out an ugly spot, they’re not afraid to tell the unvarnished truth. And they do that because they know that the truth is what makes the town and its people stronger. They lead. Perhaps the town needs a nudge in the right direction. There’s a chance for growth—if the people are willing to take it. The publisher and editor will take up the cause and help to generate the momentum needed for positive change. They appreciate core values. They’re too busy for office politics and they really don’t care for the gossip and back-biting that goes on at larger newspapers. They have no desire to go write for The New York Times or The Washington Post because they realize they are making a positive difference right
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where they are. They treat each other like family. From the publisher on down, everyone on the staff at a small newspaper is “family.” They know each other’s kids. They talk about the things that bring them together. They trust each other. And when one of them is hurting, they care for each other. Small newspapers are part of the lifeblood of their town. Whether it’s a report on a hotly-argued county tax increase or a few sentences about a party for a bride-tobe, the people at a small newspaper take the time to get all the facts and figures correct, and all the names of the partygoers right. And…they work hard to give advertisers the service and support they need to be successful. A town without the bright, dedicated people who work at a small newspaper is a town that struggles.
ED HENNINGER is an independent newspaper consultant and the Director of Henninger Consulting, offering comprehensive newspaper design services at www.henningerconsulting.com.
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ADVERTISING
Four Great Sales Questions By John Foust Raleigh, NC
3. What would you like to do differently in your marketing?
As the old saying goes, ‘Knowledge is power.’ In a sales context, the more you know about your prospects, the better you will be able to tailor your product – in this case, advertising – to their needs. The best way to get information is to ask the right questions. Openended questions (which invite longer responses) are better than closedended questions (which invite yes/no or short answers). Let’s take a look at four of the most effective sales questions, listed here in no particular order.
This is where you help your prospect visualize a desired future state. Along the way, she might voluntarily mention some things she would like to change. If not, this question will help you shift the conversation. (After all, if things are going perfectly right now, there’s no need for her to consider any changes.) Note that it is phrased in a positive way. Instead of saying, “What do you not like?” ask, “What would you do differently?”
1. What do you do that your competitors don’t do?
4. How would you describe your ideal customer?
Differentiation is at the heart of marketing. What makes your prospect’s business different? What makes it stand out? What services or products can she provide that others can’t? A clearly defined answer will result in targeted messaging. A vague answer will result in equally vague advertising – with weak response rates. One of the key objectives in a sales dialogue is to help the advertiser identify relevant and specific reasons to buy (I call that RTB). Look for uniqueness that is relevant to the target audience.
This is an area where many advertisers – especially the Mom and Pop businesses – try to cast a net that is too wide. I once used a shoe store as an example in an ad seminar. When I asked, “What is your target audience?” someone suggested, “People who buy shoes.” Certainly, that is true. But the focus needs to be tighter, in order to bring customers to the store. The purpose of this question is to identify a specific target audience. If you try to appeal to everybody, you’re appealing to nobody. Help your advertisers think in specifics. You’ll sell more. And their ads will work better.
2. What do you like best about your current marketing? The purpose of this question is to learn what your prospect likes best. The emphasis is on the positive. Does he like photos? Does he like weekly specials? What about web links? Or testimonials from happy customers? Or big sales events? Of course, studying the current advertising will make it easy for you to sharpen the focus of this question. (“I notice that you use a lot of coupons. How does that work for you?”) This information will give you some guidelines in preparing spec ads. As long as his ‘Want List’ follows principles of effective advertising, you’ll be able to include many of his ideas in spec ad presentations.
(c) Copyright 2013 by John Foust. All rights reserved. JOHN FOUST has conducted training programs for thousands of newspaper advertising professionals. Many ad departments are using his training videos to save time and get quick results from in-house training. E-mail for information: jfoust@mindspring.com
Service includes: Libel, Invasion of Privacy, Plagiarism, Piracy, Infringement of Copyright, Pre-Publication Hotline Contact us for a quote: Todd Frees, General Manager 905-639-8720 ext. 234 t.frees@ocna.org
Affordable media insurance for Canadian Community Newspapers
May 2013
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