National Newspaper Association
Protecting, Promoting and Enhancing Community Newspapers Since 1885
Ad Libs by John Foust
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. Email John at john@johnfoust.com.
Don’t sell your clients short
Gene’s story applies to anyone in sales. Just about all of us have undersold our products and services at times. When you’re upselling, here are some points to keep in mind ...
What makes an ad campaign?
Does this sound familiar? Are there advertisers in your market who are stuck on the same ad, week after week after week? As you work with them, keep in mind that campaigns share some common traits.
Do you know where your fire extinguishers are?
We all want to take care of our advertisers and coworkers. Well, there’s no better way to do that than to help them stay safe in the workplace. There are some simple things we can do to accomplish ...
If it’s 10:08, it must be a watch ad
Legendary UCLA basketball coach John Wooden once said, “It’s the little details that are vital. Little things make big things happen.”
What are they selling?
Rick discovered an excellent way to teach the basics of advertising, and the students learned a lot about how businesses promote themselves.
The power of enthusiasm
While some people are naturally animated in their enthusiasm, genuine enthusiasm is an inner sense of optimism, excitement and joyful anticipation.
We’ve got some explaining to do
People usually say “no” to things they don’t understand. It’s a salesperson’s job to help prospects understand what he or she is selling.
Advertising’s Bill of Rights
In the advertising business, there are things which must be done in order to create an effective campaign. Think of it as Advertising’s Bill of Rights.
Oboes and leadership
This means that the oboe sets the pace for the entire orchestra. It’s easy to see a direct comparison to a leader’s role in the business world.
Say it and do it, or renegotiate
“As a manager,” Joe explained, “this approach helps me stay up to speed with what is happening with our advertising department. Plus, it shows the team that this kind of situation does ...
A key question: What’s next?
Gregory talked to me about a lesson he learned in his early days of selling advertising. “In one of my first presentations, the prospect rejected my ideas for a new campaign. Back at the office, ...
Two advertising goals: attention and retention
A number of factors influence attention and retention, including ...
A good idea is worth the wait
It takes patience to defer judgment. We’ve all been in meetings where ideas bounce around the room. Somebody mentions the first glimmer of an ad idea, and before you know it, someone else says, “No, ...
The importance of proofreading
Proofreading is one of the most important skills in the advertising world. While anybody with a sense of humor can appreciate a harmless blooper (one of my favorites is the sign that read, “Ears ...
Advertising’s blast from the past
In order to look ahead to a new advertising idea, sometimes it helps to take a look at the past. When an advertiser has been in business for a number of years, there are plenty of possibilities. Let’s ...
One way to make presentations more memorable
Samuel, the ad manager at a community paper, told me about a simple technique his sales team uses at the end of meetings with prospects and clients.
Would you mind showing me around?
Think about it. When you have a conversation in a client’s office, you get a filtered version of that person’s business. There’s a good chance that many of his or her comments have been ...
Do you have an eight-inch frying pan?
We may laugh at this silly example, but there’s a bit of that old fisherman in all of us. It’s human nature to resist change.
Cut down on exclamation marks
Not long ago, I saw a half-page, four-color ad for a home remodeling company. Of the 18 phrases and sentences in the ad, 14 of them ended with exclamation marks. That had to be some kind of record.
