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We've all got new jobs! Subscription sales!

Discussion in 'Journalism topics only' started by doggieseatdoggies, Sep 10, 2009.

  1. doggieseatdoggies

    doggieseatdoggies New Member

    So, our unnamed newspaper company is having this football-themed circulation push contest between member papers. So our publisher and ad executives gather everyone for a meeting (hell,when they announced it, the look on most of the newsroom was 'oh hell, we're fixing to get bad news'). Not exactly. We've all been hired - as 24-hour circulation sales people...while we're on our jobs, we're to solicit subscribers. We're told that circulation is the lifeblood of the paper - got no problem comprehending that except that a month ago when hit with furloughs we were told that advertising revenue is our lifeblood. Of course we all know that content isn't the lifeblood of the newspaper because it's been hammered into our heads how irrelevant we are.

    Now ad sales people didn't suffer the furloughs, even though ad sales were why we were getting them. And yet yesterday, all the sales people with smiling faces are jointly urging the entire facility to help them sell ads.

    It felt like another kick to the groin to the newsroom and the press operators and mailroom, many of whom just get by anyway.

    Have any of you suffered this kind of "strategy"?
     
  2. golfnut8924

    golfnut8924 Guest

    You should tell them you'd be happy to sell subscriptions but the next time you fall behind with your work the circulation department can pitch in to help you catch up with your stories. Or even better, you'd be happy to sell subscriptions and would expect commision from every one you sell.
     
  3. Colton

    Colton Active Member

    smells like a CNHI concept!
     
  4. littlehurt98

    littlehurt98 Member

    My old shop tried something similar to this and it failed horribly. Basically they tried to make it a contest where every person in the newsroom had two months to sell as many subscriptions as possible. The contest was not mandatory, but you were "highly" encouraged to participate.

    I believe the grand prize was a big screen tv and second place was a day-off with pay (seems like that should have been the big prize) and third place won movie tickets or something. However, they threw in a few kickers.

    To qualify for the prizes you had to sell at least 10 subscriptions and as a whole the newsroom had to sell at least 200 subscriptions to what I guess recoup the loss of buying the television. Anyway it didn't work at all. If I recall I think about 6 people out of 25 person newsroom (news, sports, paginators and all that) plus some people I think in advertising here and there.) I think somewhere around 25 subscriptions were sold and I'm not sure if they gave away the tv or not. I do recall the publishers having the most subscriptions sold toward the end when they would send out a weekly leaderboard and try to encourage you to get involved.
     
  5. Fredrick

    Fredrick Well-Known Member

    Typical bullshit where the newsroom people have to do extra work, but no other departments ever have to do extra work.
    I love the new trend in smaller under 25,000 circ papers. Hiring people who do nothing but "supervise." Oh that's real smart on small papers like that. Hiring know it alls who sit in the office all day and act like they are important. Newspapers ... the worst run businesses in America bar none. None.
     
  6. ScribePharisee

    ScribePharisee New Member

    Friend of mine said he talked to a circ. guy about an idea he had...putting a table display in a neighboring city where he was amping the coverage of their basketball tournament. Hundreds of people there, how about single-copy sales AND a subscription.

    What he said the ad manager said floored me.

    "I'll give you the slips...can you guys do that tonight?" he said to the sports department.

    He asked him why they couldn't do their own jobs and it was something like the manager couldn't put a contracted worker over there unless he sold a lot which would make his time worthwhile. Not that he himself could spare a couple of hours...he's a 9-to-5 and see ya guy.

    And an asshole to boot.
    Real team player.
     
  7. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    Just tell them that you would be happy to sell the subcriptions (and get the commission) if they are willing to type in youth swimming results.
     
  8. RickStain

    RickStain Well-Known Member

    That would be lying. I'm not willing or happy to do that, even if they want to type in youth swimming results.

    I'm willing to pretend like I'm going along with it only to mysteriously never actually sell any subscriptions, rather than yell at them right there, but that's as far as I'll go.
     
  9. Baron Scicluna

    Baron Scicluna Well-Known Member

    Well, to each his own. I figured that if the ad people would get a taste of their own medicine, then they would concentrate more on trying to do the work themselves rather than pushing it off onto their fellow employees.
     
  10. SixToe

    SixToe Well-Known Member

    When will the Advertising, Composing and Press Room employees come in to help report on the street or answer phones, take game results and call for statistics for sports events?

    Tit for tat.

    When it's truly "one for all and all for one" then come on back and ask reporters to sell subscriptions.
     
  11. Stitch

    Stitch Active Member

    Just throw out ethics and have everyone do everything. Sell ads for a few hours and then cover a game. Ad people can type in agate.
     
  12. tapintoamerica

    tapintoamerica Well-Known Member

    Question for doggieseatdoggies: Will reporters were rewarded/punished based on their sales performance?
     
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