Editor's Note: Don’t Be Afraid To Look

Enjoy a preview of April's Creative selling.

Working as a sales professional, you cannot be afraid to look for prospects, ideas and help in unusual places. You’ll never know what’s out there unless you search for it and ask for help.
As a college student on the verge of graduating, I’ve been forced to exhaust all avenues that could lead to a job. I have been through the usual suspects – career fairs, internships and online job searches. I even went as far as creating a digital portfolio hosted on its own Web site. But the one resource I did not think to access before now is my family and friends. One of the top ways to find a job is through someone you know. I didn’t think this would really work until I tried it.
While you are out looking for prospects, do not forget about your friends and family. The more people who know what you need to find, the more help you’ll receive in getting referrals.
Also, do not be afraid to go out a limb. At the beginning of my college career, I worked as a reporter, and the biggest challenge was finding stories to write about. After a while, I caught on to the fact that you have to be observant and ask many questions. One of the best stories I wrote was about a guitar-playing, master of archery professor who teaches in the Technology department. However, I would not have known that he would make a good story if I hadn’t asked him about the mangled pop cans sitting on the shelf behind his desk.
In other words, brainstorm where you can look for prospects. If your usual resources are not producing results, then go find new ones. It can’t hurt, and you never know what you might find.

Happy searching,

Kaye Maloney
Editorial Intern

Connect to Customers

As a sales manager, you and your co-workers should constantly be looking for new ways to better serve your customers. And one place to start is with understanding them.

In the businessknow.com article, “Connect to Your Customers On Their Terms,” smart companies are focusing on how to give a better customer experience. The article says concentrating your efforts in this area will increase customer loyalty, which can lead to higher revenue, more profits and a healthier company. But, the only way to do this is to understand your customers by finding ways to reach them. You also have to make it easy for them to reach out to you.

A simple way to do this, according to article, is to simply answer the phone. Have a person answer the phone instead of an automated answering machine. But remember, the customer calling doesn’t want to wait on hold forever or talk to multiple people who ask them for the same information.

And before you make any major changes to your company, take the time to determine what your customers really want. Then, design your company to do that well. Don’t assume your customers want something because you hear about other people doing it.

Make sure you are able to help your customers in a way that is effective and friendly. Thriving companies are putting people on the phone and using social media if that’s where their customers are. Figure out what works for you!

Editor's Note: Step Out of Bounds To Move Ahead

Enjoy a preview of the Creative Selling editor's note from the March issue of MacDonald.

Newspaper advertising today requires sales professionals to take on tasks that they may never had to deal with before, such as selling print and online ads or working both inside and outside sales. Most professionals are very proficient at one skill rather than both, which can cause problems when the newspaper industry is changing.
As an English major on the brink of graduating, I have focused my efforts on mastering multiple skills to make myself a more flexible job candidate. One of the challenges I took on was a minor in Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences. I have enjoyed the coursework because it involves subjects I enjoy; however, my professors ask me to solve problems that would never come up in writing classes.
To overcome the difficulty of subjects like Environmental Hydrology, I have to spend time going to help sessions to ask questions and work with classmates on assignments. Even though I might not become a hydrologist in the near future, I’m learning new ways to deal with any kind of situation.
Likewise, while you are working on ways to improve advertising rates and hone your selling skills, do not be afraid to ask for help. Collaborate with your coworkers and your sales manager to meet goals for the paper. Learn how to incorporate ideas into multiple situations.
And remember, the most difficult part of this challenge is dealing with trial and error. It took failing a few environmental questions before I fully understood how to apply the concepts in various problems. You will make advertising and marketing mistakes along the way as well, but if you keep an open mind and do not get overwhelmed it will all work out.

To problem solving,

Kaye Maloney
Editorial Intern