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“Newspapers are the backbone of educating Americans,” members of the National Newspaper Association were told Friday at the 125th annual convention of the organization in Albuquerque.

Dean Lowell Catlett of New Mexico State University was the keynote speaker for the opening session of the convention.

“The demand for what you do has never been higher,” Catlett said.

More than two dozen Texas newspaper men and women are at the convention.

Chad Ferguson of Columbus is the president of the Texas Press Association and carried the state flag during the opening ceremonies.

Postal issues top the convention agenda followed closely by digital programs.

Max Heath of Shelbyville, Kentucky, chairman of NNA’s postal committee had a session on problems related to USPS plans to close many more post offices in the near future.

Two Texas newspaper men are past presidents of the national organization including Jerry Tidwell, publisher of the Hood County News in Granbury and Roy J. Eaton, retired publisher of the Wise County Messenger in Decatur.

Another program set for Friday was “Beyond Libel”, which covered legal pitfalls in the digital age and how to avoid them. The convention ends Saturday afternoon.

An exhibit currently at the Texas State History Museum chronicles the impact of high school football on Texas. But if you’re a Texas journalist, you don’t need this exhibit to remind you that football is king in Texas, and the king holds court every Friday night.

And that’s why football gives community newspapers one of their best opportunities to establish themselves as the go-to source for the latest news in town. Since almost nothing is bigger than the week’s game, community papers should make sure that they are the definitive source of news and information on that game. Nobody should beat us. We should have more news, more pictures, more features, more stats … and have it quicker than anyone. If your readers can find photos of the game, and reactions to the game, on Facebook before they can find them on your site, you’re missing a great opportunity.

Maybe there was a time when people would wait until next week when your paper came out for game news. No longer. But the same digital media that make everyone a publisher also give us some great opportunities to take the lead in covering high school football.

Here are some resources that will help you re-think what you’re doing to cover games:

Take time to read Steve Buttry’s great piece on Tweeting and liveblogging high school football. And even if Twitter isn’t that big in your town, you can use your game coverage to build your Twitter audience – and then use Twitter to promote everything from your website to your upcoming editions. Run house ads to say you’ll be Tweeting the game, and remind anyone with a computer that Twitter is free and starting an account takes only minutes. And as Steve shares in this blog, you’re not just Tweeting the game yourself – you will “curate” the Tweets of others by establishing a hashtag where everyone in the stands with a smartphone can comment on what’s going on in the game itself. Check out Steve’s blogpost – it’ll get you started. And if you already have a “Twitter presence” at your high school games, or if you’re liveblogging them, let us know at the Center by emailing [email protected]. We’d like to share your story.

Looking to improve your photos of the games? The Center is publishing a series on sports photography by Texas photojournalist Jason Fochtman. Check out his first blog on photography in poorly lit stadiums – if you haven’t seen it already – and watch for Jason’s future pieces.

And take time to re-evaluate your coverage in general to make sure you’re getting everything possible out of the games, and attracting as many readers – and advertisers – as you can. A good way to do that is by looking at Andrew Chavez’ blog post on football coverage that ran earlier on the TCCJ website.

You won’t want to do everything in this grab-bag of ideas – but if you find only one or two that will work at your paper, you’ll be attracting more high school football fans to your website and your newspaper.

Editor’s note: This is the first of two blogposts on improving football photography at high school games.

If there is anything I’ve learned going into my third year photographing sports in the world of community journalism, it’s assume your stadium/gym lighting will be that of a bat cave, and that you’ll be expected to come away with a good photo with company gear that’s far from top of the line.

We’re going to look into ways you can cover a football game given those two constraints.

First, we need to get some general understanding about football stadium lighting out of the way.

If you were high in the stands, you would see that not all parts of the field get the same amount of light.

The less light you have, the harder it will be to have properly exposed photos.

Football fields have the most light directed at around the middle of the field, specifically the 50 yard line.

The light drops off as you get further away from midfield and as you go closer to the sidelines.

There is also a light dropoff around the 10-to-15 yard line and typically a significant lack of light in the end zone (that fact has always amazed me given the focus of the sport).

That might seem as one more strike against you, but understanding stadium lighting can help you maximize not only your efforts, but also your effectiveness as a photographer.

Now that we have an understanding of stadium light and its limitations, how can we use that to our advantage?

The best way is not to rely solely on it in the first place.

High school football games typically start with about an hour of decent evening sunlight left, giving you an hour to capture the best-lit images you might get all game.

That’s an hour you and your camera won’t be handicapped by the quality of the stadium’s lights.

The tradeoff is that you have to be aware of the location of the sun, which might mean having to shoot photos on the other team’s sidelines (Gasp!).

I find too many photographers have the mindset that they’re shooting for “their team” and therefore stay within the confines of “their team’s” side of the field, even if that means shooting a backlit player resulting in washed-out photos.

General rule: You want your back to be turned to the sun, not facing it. The result will be photos where the player has the most amount of light on him as he comes toward you, giving you the best-exposed photo.

That brings me to another point, positioning yourself to get the best photo you can with the equipment you have.

If you’re trying to get a shot of the offense, either a running back or a wide receiver, you’ll want to be ahead of the ball (probably 10 to 15 yards if you have a wide-angle lens, possibly more if you have a telephoto lens).

If you only have a wide-angle lens, you have to come to grips that you won’t get every shot, and that you can’t shoot a photo of something that happened at midfield and expect you’ll be able to crop later.

Patience is key.

You’ll have to wait for the action to come to you. The closer they are, the better.

I always think of it as wanting to fill your frame with as much action as you can.

Using a telephoto lens, you have more reach to get photos from further away, but my earlier point remains the same – fill your frame.

If you are looking for a defensive shot, you’ll want to be behind the offensive line typically 5 to 10 yards.

Basically you’ll want to be as close as possible to the action you want to capture.

In my next post, we’ll look into what camera settings you could use for a football game and what kind of images you can capture.

To recap basic ideas:

1. Stadium light stinks; don’t rely on it. Make the most of the evening light.
2. Pay attention to where the light is falling. Don’t be afraid to move around the field.
3. Fill the frame and wait for the action to come to you.

Benjamin Franklin was the original American advertising salesperson. Like many of the people in our industry today, Ben started his newspaper on a shoestring and used his entrepreneurial skills to build it one reader and one advertiser at a time.

As a good salesman, Franklin was tuned into what his readers and advertisers wanted. He had an intuitive understanding of the psychology of sales. In his popular Poor Richard’s Almanac, he offered the following advice: “If you would persuade, you must appeal to interest rather than to intellect.”

Ben knew what customers wanted to know: “What’s in it for me.” He understood the power of self-interest, that people buy for their own selfish reasons. Successful salespeople must demonstrate how their product satisfies these needs.

What we sell

As advertising salespeople, our job is to help our customers grow their businesses. We do not sell paper and ink — customers can get a much better deal on these commodities at Staples or Office Depot. What we really sell are customers.

We are in the eyeball business.

At its core, our business is all about helping people who have something to sell, connect with the people who want or need to buy that “something.” Our papers and websites are simply the packaging that our real product comes in. If I go to Best Buy and buy a new flat-screen TV, it comes in a big cardboard box carefully padded with oddly shaped blocks of white Styrofoam. I don’t really want the box, but I want the TV to make it safely to my living room.

Our product is the “box” that delivers what advertisers really want — customers, safely to their business. It is our job to help our advertisers understand this. No one wants to buy advertising; everyone wants to buy paying customers.

Why people buy

People don’t buy a sandwich because they want to help out the restaurant; they buy a sandwich because they are hungry. Most buying motives are not quite that simple — people don’t choose to buy a BMW simply because they need transportation. A Hyundai can move them from point A to point B just as effectively. The BMW also fills a need for comfort and an ego boost as well. Most decisions are made with the emotions and justified with facts.

“Feeling” that they are making the right decisions is more important to them than “thinking” they are doing the right thing. This means you need to position your product in a way that allows the customer to imagine how they will rewarded for buying an ad from you. If you can get them to visualize what your program will do for them, you will tap into the emotions that drive decision making.

New improved FAB

Most sales people have been taught to talk about features and benefits. Tell the customer about your product and what if can do. FAB selling takes this one step further. FAB is an acronym for Features-Advantages-Benefits. FAB is essentially a process of process of customizing your offering to the customer’s situation and needs.

FAB selling requires the salesperson to use good probing skills to uncover a customer’s problems and needs before attempting to recommend a solution.

Defining FAB:

• Feature-A physical characteristic or attribute of the product or service.
• Advantage-How the feature can help the customer.
• Benefit-How the feature and corresponding advantage solves a customer’s problem or addresses a customer’s specific need.

Features describe the product. Advantages help the customer understand the product. Benefits make the customer see how the product can help them. Benefits make the customer want to buy from us.

Let say I was a car salesperson and I told a customer that a feature of the vehicle they were considering had a “turbo.” The “turbo” is a feature. Unless the customer is a real car nut, he or she is likely to think “So what!” The feature is meaningless to them.

Since I am a clever car salesperson, I decide to hit them with an advantage of the turbo. “A turbo significantly improves the acceleration of this vehicle.” Many customers will think, “I’m no drag racer. Why do I need that kind of pickup?”

Now it’s time to seal the deal with a benefit: “What this means to you is that when you are pulling on to the freeway with your kids in the back seat, you’ll have the power to merge in before a truck kills you.” The customer thinks back to a few close calls on the on ramp and taps into the emotional stress of a close call and thinks, “I need that turbo.”

I have seen this happen when I am out with our sales people. A rep will say “Our product is direct mailed.” When the customer doesn’t respond they may say “This means it reaches every home in the area.” Sometimes this will “click” with the prospect, but often it does not. The most successful reps drive home the feature and advantage with a benefit. “Ms. Customer, we are direct mailed so your ad will reach every home in the area so more people will see and respond to your ad, making your more money.”

“Making money” is ultimately what the customer wants to accomplish. By tying your feature to this need, you heighten the value of the feature to the prospect.     

Never assume customers “get it.”  You have to tell them why they should buy. Customers have a lot on their mind. Don’t make them have to figure out why they should buy an ad.

One FAB doesn’t fit all

Advertisers are as unique as fingerprints. No two prospects have the same needs. This is why you must ask good questions to reveal the customer’s needs and situation.

One customer may want to blanket the entire market with his message while another may be more interested in a targeted ad to a limited area. Some people may be interested in a coupon vehicle while other never discount. As the old saying goes, “You’ll never know, unless you ask!”

Being FABulously well prepared

You have a lot to think about during a sales call. When you are with a customer, ideally you should be thinking about their business and their needs. Since this doesn’t leave a lot of time to think about FAB, it makes good sense to do this ahead of time. Take the time to list all of the features of every product your sell along with the accompanying advantages and benefits. Many features will be offer multiple advantages and benefits. Here is an example for a racked product:

• Feature—Demand distribution (Racked)
• Advantage 1—people only pick up the paper when they want to read it
• Benefit 1—no wasted circulation, so everyone who picks up a paper will see your ad so you will generate a better response and make more money
• Advantage 2—Readers know where to find the paper when they have a buying need and will seek it out.
• Benefit 2—Your paper is available to potential customers whenever they need it so you will reach customers when they are in the market and ready to buy so you will make more money.

Taking the time to write out the “FAB” for your products in advance means you will be prepared to respond when you discover a customer need. This exercise also helps you to think in terms of FAB. By writing out the advantages and benefits associated with each benefit, will help you to “connect the dots” for your customers on a call.

Conclusion

As sales professionals we get what we want by helping other people get what they want.

As we have seen, customers aren’t interested in the features of our publications, and advantages alone will not motivate them to advertise. Features and advantages are only effective when the customer see them in the light of a desirable benefit.

Resolve to never offer a prospect a feature or a benefit without including a meaningful, customer specific benefit and you will be FABulously successful.

I have had many teachers and mentors in more than three decades in in sales. One of my favorites was Cecil “Ceese” Heyman. Ceese grew up in the “hollers” of West Virginia. He looked a bit like Boss Hog and sounded a bit like Jed Clampett, but he was one of the best advertising salespeople I’ve ever known. One of the wisest things Ceese ever told me was: “Don’t forget to remind your customers – Your ad is you in print!”

Cecil would tell his customers: “You put a lot of effort into making your place of business attractive and inviting to potential customers, Does it really make sense to send a different message to the people looking at your ad? People who have never visited your business might get the wrong impression if the ad doesn’t accurately reflect your business. If you have a small, dingy cluttered ad, they may think that’s what your store is like. You have a great business; you need a great ad to tell people about what you’ve built here.  Wouldn’t you agree?”

Ceese’s strategy was to use prospects’ pride in their business and their desire to project a positive image to sell a good-looking ad. He reminded customers of the effect the ad would have on readers. Ceese understood that an ad is a tool to communicate information about a business that will entice potential customers to call or stop in.

An ad should paint a picture of the customer’s business. The more complete the picture, the more likely someone will be motivated to do business with the advertiser (as long as the ad doesn’t become cluttered).

Here are five types of information shoppers look for in an ad:

1) Information about products and services

This is the most basic information in an ad. It tells what the client sells. Are they a jewelry shop or a plumber? The problem is that many advertisers’ ads read like a laundry list of products. Their ads are cluttered and difficult to read and frequently this information displaces other information which consumers need to make a buying decision.

Generally it is better to focus on one or two product categories in an ad and present them attractively. If a client sells many products, they can run a rotation of ads featuring various products.      

2) Why buy this product:  value factors

If the product information is the “what,” value factors are the “why.” They tell readers why they should purchase the product/service presented in the ad. People want to know what sets the advertiser apart from the competition and what makes the product worth the purchase price.

This is Selling 101 — people buy benefits, not features, but this information is missing in many ads. I see many restaurant ads that list every single topping available on the pizza and all the salad dressings available but fail to tell me one thing: Does the food taste good?

3) Can I trust this business?

Other value factors are reasonable prices (“Half off this week only”), advantages over competition (“Longest Warranty Available”), or other advantages such as safety (“Health Department’s highest rating”). Value factors are copy points that offer benefits to buyers and convince them that spending their hard-earned money with the advertiser is the smart thing to do.

We have talked about the "what and why.” Trust factors are about the “who.” Specifically, “who” am I thinking of doing business with? Can I trust this person, this company? Trust factors in an ad are statements like “since 1972” (They’re not a fly-by-night company), bonded and insured (“I’m safe to do business with”) or references available (“I can check them out”). 

This type of information becomes more and more important as the investment required to purchase the product/service increases. Businesses in industries that have a bad reputation (like used car dealerships or contractors) will reap significant rewards by establishing their trustworthiness in the mind of the consumer.

One of the best ways to establish a positive image is to use local testimonials, preferably using a photo of the satisfied customer. Readers can identify with the person pictured and this will mean more to most people than a ream of professional certifications.

4) Is this shopping experience convenient?

Convenience factors include features like free parking, delivery, evening hours, financing available, credit cards accepted or three-locations-to-serve-you. These are copy points that tell potential clients “Come on down…we’re easy to deal with!”

Consumers are stressed and busy today. Anything you can do to save readers time or to make their life just a little bit easier will make them much more likely to do business with your advertiser. Consumers often will even bypass a business that offers lower prices to visit a store which offers more convenience.

5) Now what?

This information tells the reader how to take the next step. This includes the advertiser’s business name, their address, their phone number and their web address. Here again the easier you make it for the consumer, the better response the ad will generate.

A simple map is better than an address alone and a reference point (“Across the street from city hall”) will help consumers find your client’s location. There is some research that indicates that saying something like “Call today” in front of a phone number actually causes more people to pick up the phone.

Using the five factors

As an advertising consultant, you should discuss these factors with your advertisers. When you talk to people about what goes into their ad, you get away from discussions centered on the price of the ad.

One technique that I like to use is an analysis of an ad using the factors listed above. I copy an ad and divide it into a grid. Using this grid I calculate what percentage of the ad is dedicated to each of the factors. Often when I do this I’ll find ads that completely lack trust and value factors. These ads tell customers the what and who but not the why. This process often opens a customer’s eyes and convinces them to expand their program to tell a more complete story.

You can use this analysis technique to take business away from the competition. I will review a prospect’s ad in a competitive publication before calling on them. If they say “No thanks, I’m already in the daily competitor,” you can say, “Yes, I’ve seen your ad. In fact, I did a content analysis of your copy. I’d be happy to leave it with you so you can discuss it with your rep if you’d like.”

This piques the prospect’s curiosity and keeps the discussion going. Review the analysis with the prospect to demonstrate your expertise and your willingness to work for the client. You are positioning yourself as a true consultant. More often than not, you will wind up with a slice of the client’s budget.

Conclusion

We are in the communication business. We try to communicate the value of our publications to our customers and we try to communicate the value our advertisers offer to their customers. It is important that we look at what our customers are saying in their ads.

Remember: The ads we create for our customers tell a story about their business. We must make sure we are telling their complete story. If we tell their story right, everyone involved, the shoppers, our advertisers and sales person, will get the happy ending they want.

One of our most dangerous temptations in community journalism is to emphasize the “community” part of our name and not the “journalism.”

We’re not metros (thank God). But neither should we think that we are somehow insulated from their pressures and problems, or that the issues they face will be a long time in coming to us – if ever.  The old “that’s a city problem, not our problem” idea died when mass communications and then social media knit the nation into one 311-million-person village.

Case in point:  the news of Bin Laden’s death.  Now what could be further from the news coverage issues we face in Texas community journalism?

But we’ve got to pay attention to what we learned in that coverage.  Like the fact that Twitter dictated the news, not the White House.  The president may be able to order the execution of the leader of Al Qaeda, but he can’t determine how news will break.

One site, analyzing the coverage, included this important observation, one we should all consider: 

“As notions, ‘edition’ and deadline are dead.A newspaper editor’s worst nightmare is breaking news landing on a Sunday night at closing time. Such conjunction of content and timing carries a high risk of irrelevancy — if missed, or of good-faith false information hitting the streets the next day — if inaccurate. We all have memories of too-close-to-call elections, rumors of a personality’s death, etc.

“Newspapers took time to make their mind up on the question of deadlines and editions (and many have yet to cross that Rubicon). But the leaders of the pack took the straightforward option: dump everything on the internet, as fast as you can and without regard for closing deadlines.

“For the Bin Laden story, most big news organizations produced vast amounts of articles as their physical papers were being re-edited. By the time the updated edition hit the street, its content had been posted on the net, but every story had also been continuously updated and augmented.  Did it affect newsstand sales? Early data show this isn’t the case. Sales always rise, no matter how more up-to-date the publication website is. With high impact news, analyzing reader reactions shows people still enjoy the physical paper’s broad view — and, for those special occasions, there is the ‘collector’s item’ feeling.”

Note the first sentence – “edition” and “deadline” are dead.  That’s the idea that the production of the news (reporting, writing, editing, design, production, distribution) somehow determine when the news is ready for consumption by readers.  That’s a concept straight out of the 20^th century.  And the 19^th, 18^th, 17^th, and so forth.

Right now, we see that playing out in major international and national news stories – the death of Bin Laden, the William and Kate wedding, the death of Michael Jackson.  But social media especially are making significant inroads in all our communities.  And we saw in the recent Texas fires that many people in the state were turning to Facebook and websites because they wanted to know right then – not when the paper came out later – what the news was.

Read also what the quote above said about what happened when the print editions of the newspapers came out.  Did the fact that people heard about it on Twitter and discussed it on Facebook and saw it on the news stop them from buying newspapers?  Not at all.  The next day’s papers were selling out because people want to read more about high-interest items.  After all, do people who watched Friday night’s football game and talked about it in church Sunday avoid the coverage in your newspaper because they already know so much, or are they eager to read more and see the photos and stats you publish?

We are part of a revolution in how people get their information.  It hit the West and East coasts first, then the cities, then the suburbs … and now we’re all affected. 

And what does it mean for community papers? Mainly that we’re not community papers any more.  We are community news sources that publish a paper, in addition to the other ways we disseminate the news.  The paper is our centerpiece, our flagship, our most important product – but more and more, breaking news will be found on Twitter and Facebook and our websites.

It may not be the way we thought we would be practicing journalism, but remember that journalism isn’t newspapers – newspapers contain journalism.  Journalism is what our readers want to know, and we’ve got to be about the business of giving it to them.

When will local newspaper websites and hyper local blogs start making money with video? Short answer: When they start sharing their video equipment with the sales department.

For now, the big money in online video is in promotion, demonstration and advertorial-based video content — not in editorial and news content. Watch short clip to the left to see how some production companies like TurnHere and AOL’s StudioNow are taking advantage of this fact.

It’s insane that newspapers and independent websites aren’t paying more attention to this trend. Instead, newspaper is still primarily focused on editorial and news video where journalists mimic the old-school techniques of TV reporters. Investment in digital video cameras for the staff, Final Cut Pro editing software and training are good things. But who decided these smart investments were for newsrooms only?

Producing video-based editorial or enhancing text-based stories with video is powerful and compelling. Unfortunately, it’s been a money pit.

TV-like video ‘packages’ might work in a linear 30-minute newscast, but they usually fall flat when online. A well-produced 3.5 minute report on the 11 p.m. news looks sweet with footage of a fire, quick sound bites and an attractive field reporter. Place that same clip online and on-demand — and it usually gets limited viewership. I’ve seen it first hand in my work with TV. Even if you could get a $50 cpm, the limited video views will make it difficult to adequately monetize.

TIP: If you MUST find a way to sell your editorial-based video, offer advertisers a share of voice (SOV) in the pre-roll position. Bundle it with banners and other digital sponsorships for now.

“My newspaper tried to make money with video, but it didn’t work.” Boy, do we hear that a lot. But the truth is, online video DOES make money…..just not in the way local news sites have been doing it.

Lately, we’re seeing more anecdotal evidence that the enthusiasm for online news video is waning. Not from the video journalists, but from high-level newsrooms and sales execs. These bottom-line focused executives echo a common refrain in their weekly meetings: even the best production value and subject matter doesn’t always translate into journalistic and revenue success.

Some culprits that contribute to this issue

Does the video on left bring anything of value to the piece? While the journalist is comfortable in front of a camera, this is just placing a camera in front of a radio talk show. It’s not helpful to the viewer at all, and advertisers wonder why they want to be associated with this content. While the basic production quality is solid, it cries out for still image overlays or video b-roll of the hockey game being discussed.

Sound like too much work? Then don’t do this type of video. Especially if you can’t attract viewers and a sponsor.

When to Consider Editorial Video?

We recommend that video should only be used if the story can be made better by sound and motion, otherwise it’s just ‘shooting video for video sake’.

Editorial video can be done in three basic ways

1. Story Teller: A TV-like, fully produced ‘package’ that includes editing, stand-up reporter, graphics and narration. Typically 3.5 minutes in length.
2. Story Extender: Raw footage that works as a complement and provides greater understanding to a text-based story. Footage can be embedded within or adjacent to the body of the online text story.
3. Have to See It, to Believe It :Example: by monitoring police/fire scanners, you may be able to capture some exciting fire footage, a 20 car pile-up, or a perp walk, etc. This type of video could go viral.

Examples of online video for sales:

See how Yellow Pages created a video profile for a Fort Worth Dentist here.
See how Patch does it for a restaurant in the Philadelphia area here.

Knowledge is power.

This is true for anyone, but especially for salespeople. To be successful, salespeople have to be very knowledgeable about their products and expert at asking good questions that uncover their customer’s business needs. While these are basic requirements for selling advertising, master salespeople take the time to educate themselves fully about their market, their competition and industry trends.

This “intelligence” gives them an edge over their competition and enhances their ability to help their customers. Here are a few ways you can increase your store of knowledge and sell with more “intelligence.”

Market intelligence

Athorough knowledge of the territory allows a salesperson to maximize current opportunities and anticipate upcoming ones. Salespeople should make a point of reading the business section of the local paper and any other local business publications to keep abreast of changes in their territory. You should pay particular attention to announcements of new businesses coming into the market.

Doing this allows you to contact the new business before the competition, often before they even break ground. Perhaps even more importantly, this information can be used to open a discussion with your current advertisers and prospects.

For example: If you hear a major chain is opening a new pharmacy in your area, you should ask the local drug store owner: “How do you think the new chain store will affect your business?

What steps do you plan to take to protect your customer base?” Remind your clients the best way to protect their business is to start advertising aggressively long before the national chain launches their marketing for the new location.

Other important points to discuss with your clients include new housing developments, highway construction, retail developments in adjoining communities and population shifts. Any kind of change, especially something that potentially affects their business, can be used to disturb advertisers’ complacency and get them thinking about advertising. If you are the first one to approach the advertiser with the news, or at least the first one to get them thinking about the challenges/opportunities presented by the changes, the client will begin to think of you as a resource for their business and as a consultant.

The web can be a good source of market intelligence. The U.S. Census Bureau and a number of other organizations collect a great deal of information on communities. A good source of information is the free lookup section of melissadata.com, which gives information such as the population demographics, or IRS adjusted income for every ZIP code in the U.S. If you are calling on a retirement community, they are more likely to listen to you, if you start the conversation with “Did you know more than 12,000 people over the age of 55 live in the area served by my publication?”

Market intelligence can also be gained by attending local business association and Chamber of Commerce meetings. Identify and cultivate a relationship with community leaders who can provide you with valuable information. These relationships will not only give you invaluable knowledge but also can be a source of introductions to potential clients. As always, your best source of information is asking good questions. When you notice something new in the market, make it your business to ask everyone you meet about it. Just asking questions will get the clients (and you) thinking about how it will affect their business.

Competitive intelligence

Themore you know about your competition, the more effectively you can compete. Read competitive publications; listen to local radio and watch/record local TV and cable stations. Pay attention to who is advertising, and the copy in their ads. Keep copies of the ads run by prospects and record the date the ads appeared. This will allow you to track trends and patterns in the prospects advertising.

If an advertiser runs the same ad for a long time, he or she may be open to someone who offers a new concept. Advertisers who stop advertising may be dissatisfied with the competitor and looking for an alternative. Keep a tickler file for seasonal advertisers — an advertiser’s funds may be already committed by the time you see their ads this summer, but your file will remind you to call on them the following spring.

Whenever possible, collect copies of your competitor’s media kit and collateral material. If your competitor has a website, bookmark it and look at it frequently. This material will tell you how competitors position their firm and what they see as competitive strengths.

This information will be very helpful in developing your plan to overcome the competition. One of the best sources of competitive intelligence is your current advertisers; ask them to save any competitive literature for you. Be sure to share the information you collect with other sales people within your company and ask them to do the same.

Recently I approached a prospect that advertised in a local coupon magazine. From talking to other advertisers I knew this magazine was very flexible with their rates, charging a wide range of prices for similar ads (From $100 to $1,000). When the advertiser said he liked the competitor, I agreed with him and said as someone who had been in advertising for years, I didn’t know how they can produce that type of ad for a $100. When the customer looked surprised and challenged my statement, I suggested he not “take my word for it” but just call some of the other advertisers and compare notes. He doubted me, but did as I suggested and is now an advertiser in our publication. My knowledge of the competitor’s practices allowed me to turn this account around.

Industry intelligence

Knowing something about a prospect’s or advertiser’s industry is an excellent way to differentiate yourself from the run of the mill advertising sales person. Most industries have association websites that can be a wealth of information about trends and issues of interest to your clients. Google their business and look for facts that you can use. Once while waiting for a chiropractor to see me, I picked up an industry magazine in his waiting room. The cover article was about new techniques used to adjust the spinal columns of infants. When I got in to see the client, I asked him about this trend. He was very interested in this subject and gave me an impassioned description of this aspect of his practice. I asked him if most people were aware of this subject and when he agreed they were not, it was a simple matter to sell him on a series of ads “educating” the public about his profession.

One of the best sources of information on industries is other advertising. Look at what national advertisers are promoting, look at what other local firms have in their ads and use these as conversation starters. Use your conversations with advertisers/prospects as opportunities to collect information that you can share on future calls.

Taking the time to research a client’s industry makes engaging them in conversation much easier. It shows the client that you are willing to go the extra mile to understand his/her business and to help their business.

Conclusion

Gathering intelligence takes some forethought and can be time-consuming, but it pays big dividends in sales results. One of the benefits of a career in sales is the opportunity we get to learn and grow as individuals. The commissions and salaries we earn from our jobs are soon spent on the necessities of life, but the knowledge we gain is ours to keep forever. Another thing we get to keep is the sense of accomplishment that comes from being a knowledgeable professional.

Mel Taylor shares a smart strategy Google is now using, one that could easily be adapted by Texas community newspaper. Instead of cold-calling, Google offering local business a chance to schedule free photo shoot.

Google sends a professional photographer to take shots of business, then uploads them into Google Places and Google Maps. Mel notes: “GREAT way to start relationship with small business operator (then upsell them later).” Sounds like a good way to start a relationship with businesses that haven’t advertised before.