2013 June

V I S I T U S A T W W W . S A P A T O D A Y . C O M

Southeastern Advertising Publishers Association (931) 223-5708 (888)450-8329 fax 1

SAPATodayAdvancing the free paper industry by providing resources for success and venues for sharing ideas.

Board of DirectorsThe leadership of SAPA is in good hands. The board of directors, director, and assistant are listed with contact information.

Page 3

Selling Advertising in a Shiny Object WorldJohn Foust knows that getting and keeping attention in todays intense world is tough. But here’s how to do just that.

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Conference ScheduleIt’s not too early to start planning for a fabulous conference in Washington, DC. 6 associations join together for the biggest and best of everything.

Page 8

Graphics Series Ellen Hanrahan shows how the industry is changing. You probably already noticed that. However, Ellen explains some pretty interesting ideas. Page 5

USPS NewsSaturday delivery is safe for the time being. But there is plenty to work on with the United States Postal Service. We hope to have them at the conference in Washington, DC. Read on to find out why.

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3 Small Business InvestmentsDr. Joey Faucette gives us three great ideas that we can share with our readers and advertisers on keeping small businesses at home.

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CREATE INSTANT RECOGNITION FOR YOUR ADVERTISING

By Bob Berting, Berting Communications

Today there are sequels to movies and many times a 2nd or 3rd sequel is no-where near the creative attraction of the original movie. We see automobile styles that are almost look-alikes. We see shopping malls that look alike. Too many retailer newspaper ads look alike. Maybe it’s a lack of creativity, or maybe it’s a lack of courage to be dif-ferent and the concern of being too different.

Create InstantRecognition Ads

THE OPTICAL WEIGHT OF THE AD

A good rule of creative advertising is to be “instantly recognizable” either by a distinctive layout style, use of type faces, unique style of art, use of a par-ticular color or some other element that is different from the competition. Another important factor is to under-stand the optical weight of the ad, which is the upper left quadrant of the ad. Creativity can start in that quad-rant namely with a newly designed logo, the start of a provocative head-

Southeastern Advertising Publishers Association

THE MONTHLY NEWSLETTER FOR THE FREE PAPER INDUSTRY JUNE 2013

continued on page 2

ing, a dominant eye-catching graphic and possibly spot color.

FOCUS GROUPSWhat’s really interesting is how focus groups look at high profile retailer ad-vertisers and how they perceive one store versus another. A series of full page ads might be presented with the logos covered. The members of the group would be asked to identify which ads belonged to which stores. Surprisingly few made the right iden-



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tification as to store identity.

ENCOURAGE YOUR ADVERTISERS TO IDENTIFY

THEMSELVES MORE CREATIVELYAs part of your consultative process, you must provide guidance on how to accomplish that process. Awaken their creativity. Challenge them to be differ-ent. Here are a few suggestions:

Localize their business: use the name of the city or shopping community in the signature section of their ad or an illustration of an immediately recog-nizable landmark place nearby.

Use testimonials and pictures of ac-tual customers praising their business merchandise, or service (you need a signed release to do this).

Use the business salespeople in the ads—talking to customers or individ-ually talking to the reader.

Use humor, particularly a humorous slogan. Also a campaign can be de-veloped using clever and provocative headlines. Readers will gravitate to that type of advertising because they are intrigued by this approach and want to see what will happen in the next ad

Sometimes getting attention can be as simple as creating a large dominant headline with a lot of white space and very little copy. Never underestimate the power of being unique and differ-ent. Your publication can stand out in the marketplace by constantly taking the creative initiative.

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continued from page 1 Bob Berting is a professional speaker, newspaper sales trainer, and publisher marketing consultant who has conducted over 1500 live seminars, tele-seminars, and webinars for newspaper sales staffs, their customers, print media associations

and trade associations in the US and Canada.

Contact Bob at 800-536-5408 or [email protected]. He is located at 6330 Woburn Drive, Indianapolis, In 46250.



PresidentTony OnellionBargains PlusSlidell, LA

985-649-9515

Vice PresidentCaroline

QuattlebaumSoutheast Sun

Enterprise, AL 334-393-2969

Past PresidentRussell

QuattlebaumSoutheast Sun

Enterprise, AL 334-393-2969

Past PresidentGreg Ledford

Shelby Shopper & Info

Shelby, NC 704-484-1047

TreasurerWill ThomasExchange, Inc.

Fayetteville, TN 931-433-9737

Board MemberMike Marlow Rutherford WeeklyForest City, NC828-248-1408

SecretaryAmy

Hollingshead Atlanta Thrifty Nickel

Marrietta, GA 770-971-8333

Executive Director

Douglas FrySAPA Headquarters

Columbia, TN931-223-5708

Board MemberBill Derby

Johnson City News & Neighbor

Johnson City, TN423-979-1300

Administrative Assistant

Vickie BeldenSAPA Headquarters

Columbia, TN931-223-5708SA

PA

Lead

ersh

ip

By John Foust Raleigh, NC

Meet Erica, a veteran of many years of sales presentations. “There’s a lot of talk these days about people who are drawn to Bright Shiny Objects,” she told me. “In most cases, that’s a refer-ence to consumers rushing to purchase

dom – they are always on the lookout for new things. In the business world, they are constantly trying new proce-dures, new initiatives, new vendors – even new employees. If the new thing works, fine. If not, there’s always an-other new thing around the corner.”

Erica explained that she looks for evi-dence of the Bright Shiny Object syn-drome. For example, is an advertiser always considering new themes or me-dia plans? Are marketing proposals re-quested frequently? Has he or she ever tried to shorten a long-term ad con-tract? Does the account seem to have a

Selling Ads In AShiny Object World

continued on page 4

the newest technical gadget, even if their older version works just fine. But in reality, Bright Shiny Objects can re-fer to anything new and different.

“One of the lessons I’ve learned over the years,” she said, “is that some people are restless. For whatever rea-son – desire for novelty, competition with peer groups, or plain old bore-

Southeastern AdvertisingPublishers Association



new ad agency – and a tweaked brand identity – every year?

“These are signs of someone who likes Bright Shiny Objects,” she said. “So I build my presentations around new-ness. Of course, I mention my paper’s stability in being around for a long time, but I put a lot of emphasis on the new things we have to offer.”

That’s a solid sales strategy. Let’s take a closer look:

1. New information. “Like any good sales person, I ask a lot of questions,

Erica said. “There’s a lot of truth in the old saying, ‘knowledge is power.’ The only thing I can learn by talking is that I might be talking too much.”

She is consistently looking for new in-formation about her advertisers. What are their thoughts on their current marketing? What are they considering for the future? What information can she provide that might be of help?

2. New audience. “Our number one product is readership,” Erica said. “When we expand our coverage, that’s

big news. I’ve found it helpful to use a map to show the growth areas. A pic-ture is worth a thousand words, and geographic changes are easy to illus-trate.”

3. New products. According to Erica, this is where you can score big points. A new product – whether it’s a special section, a snazzy addition to your web site, or a social media feature – is an authentic Bright Shiny Object.

4. Improvements in existing products. Does your paper have a new printing process? (That can mean better color and faster turnaround.) Do you have access to new market research? (Better targeting.) Have creative capabilities been improved? (Additional design staff, recent creative awards, etc.) Has your paper opened a new office or re-vamped the old office? Are there new ad discounts? (Save money, get more bang for the buck.)

“It’s all about getting in step with ad-vertisers,” Erica said. “I believe my pa-per can be just as bright and shiny as any other media vehicle.”

(c) Copyright 2013 by John Foust. All rights reserved.

John Foust has conducted training programs for thousands of newspaper advertising professionals. Many ad de-partments are using his training videos to save time and get quick results from in-house training. E-mail for informa-tion: [email protected]

by Dr. Joey Faucette of the Positive Media Network

News reports of the D.C. celebrations this week around small businesses prompted me to remember my grand-father. He was a small business owner who farmed and ran a country store.

He managed risks such as drought-producing weather, commodity price changes of milk and tobacco affected by global markets, and Labor Day weekend hold-up’s. While technology start-up’s longing to be the next Face-book to IPO are all over the news these days, my grandfather was the typical small business owner of his genera-tion…

…and of today as well. While Mark Zuckerberg had the time of his life last

week, most of the business fuel that powers the U.S. economic engine is local, small businesses like my grand-father’s. These owners are the people we sit beside at the school’s PTO meet-ing, sing “Amazing Grace” with on Sundays in an adjacent pew, and will stand in line with come the November elections.

So while the Small Business Adminis-tration captures most of the national news this week touting small business-es via sound bytes, what do you say we make some news of our own?

What if we actually do something profitable that creates a Work Posi-tive difference for our friends slogging through the daily mud of running a business?

continued on page 9

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SPRING PLANTS

SPRING FLOWERS

Ellen Hanrahan ©2013 E-mail: [email protected]

ChangesI ENTERED THE FREE PAPER INDUSTRY DURING A TIME OF TRANSITION. THE “OLD” WAY OF COMPOSI-TION WAS ENTERING A DIGITAL STAGE. AND ONCE AGAIN WE FIND OUR INDUSTRY GOING THROUGH…

I usually try to run different articles for IFPA and SAPAToday for reasons that I have previ-ously stated. However, current changes in our industry—from software changes, storage changes, viewer’s changes, etc. have prompt-ed me to address the current situation and my experiences. This article ran last month in The Independent Publisher. This month I will address these issues with you. And note there are some minor differences… Here’s what I mean. Wisconsin Community Papers went to an online judging system this year, and while I was not a judge per se, I reviewed the judges’ picks (in certain catego-ries) to make sure that rules and policies were followed, as well as to make sure that there were no egregious errors. Online judging can be a little tricky, especially for print advertising. Since I have been a part of this process this was not difficult… or tricky. The tricky part comes in looking at adver-tising printed on paper and comparing them to the screen version. “It always looks better on the screen,” because the colors are more vibrant, but good design is good design no matter how you view it. The categories however, may have to be looked at. For instance, we have a category, Best Cover Page of a Special Section, with two divisions. Division #1 is Newsprint Cover, and Division #2 is Coated Stock Cover. In reality, there are definite visual differences, —on the screen they look the same. But this is an easy fix. There are other areas to look at as well, but for a “first time” I think it went well. Now we need to sit down as a group and evaluate the proce-dures and results… and I will keep you posted. If anyone else has gone through this pro-cess, we could certainly use and appreciate your comments and concerns. E-mail address is listed below.

Online AdsThere is one category though that I think needs to be addressed. It’s Best Online Ad and while I was reviewing it, it occurred to me that we have to rethink this category. Most of the ads were just a reproduction of the printed ad, but there was one that had “click-through” capabilities. By that I mean it was interactive! If you are prepar-ing an online ad, engage the viewer. Give them the opportunity to go to the advertiser’s web-site or click to see other specials at the store. In other words, use interactive techniques to benefit the advertiser. You also have to make sure that the viewer can easily return to your publication.

The Industry is ChangingAs designers we are in the midst of change and challenge. Most of the advertising con-tent that we do for our publications can also live beyond print—online, tablets, whatever. More information, different work flows, time-consuming learning curves are now part of our job requirements. The good news—design is design, and software programs are making it easier to bridge the gap between print and digital. The bad news—how do you make it happen? In an attempt to keep my skills up-to-date and prepare for the web experience, I took a Dreamweaver course. Ach! I was in a whole ‘nother world. Hey, thank goodness I didn’t take it for credit, but I do have a better under-standing of how CSS coding works and at least I know how to fix it… minor fixes… very minor fixes…very, very minor fixes. Anyway, I picked up a book “Digital Publishing with Adobe InDesign CS6,” Moving Documents from Print to Digital by Sandee Cohen and Diane Burns. Sandy Cohen has contributed many easy to under-stand articles to InDesign Magazine so I trust the information. This book seems to present a simpler way to this whole print to digital (online) conundrum. So I will also

If you can’t wait, you can always

e-mail to find out a little more

about live text and images!

The above image did NOT show up well in the IFPA article so this also gives me a chance to get a “do over.” I think somewhere along the line my RGB Transparency changed to CMYK with not so good results… very washed out! Remember that you always should learn from your mistakes!

An Image in Live TextI’m thinking that most of us have had the oppor-tunity to place an image within the confines of a text box. Convert the text to outlines and then place the image into the text—it’s a graphic frame after all. But what if the font is wrong for the image, or there’s a misspelling or you need to change the text…well, you just start over. There is an easier, more efficient way using live text! It’s pretty cool… and I learned it in the April/May edition of InDesign Magazine!

This is really a great use of the RGB Transparency Blend Space. I made the sim-ple change from “Flowers” to “Plants” just by changing the text—no boxes, no outlines! And unfortunately, I don’t have enough space to explain effectively what needs to be done. So call it a “teaser, or “cliff hanger,“ but next month I will give more details and samples so you will be able to use this technique in your advertising!

share my journey with you… although I’m only in Chapter 1: Introduction. Stay tuned!

InDesign MagazineThis digital magazine is a really valuable tool for any InDesign user. April/May edition arti-cles include: InDesign to HTML; Filling Out Preprinted Forms; InStep: Filling Live text with Images; InType: How to Be a Better Designer. I love books and magazines, so when I see a good thing I get excited! The 6-issue-per-year PDF subscription is $59. Or get two years for just $69 (only $10 more!) and receive 12 issues of the magazine plus all back issues (for both subscrip-tions) for free! PLUS they have a special discount price! Get $20 off a one-year subscription (code: friend) or get $15 off a two-year subscription (code: friend2) (This is for a 1-user license). Discounts at www.indesignmag.com/purchase.php The first issue was July/August 2004 and they were working in InDesign CS. So you would be able to find information no matter what version of InDesign you are using. OK, enough commercial space!

I welcome your input and suggestions. I taught art, entered the free paper publishing business in the 80s and now write articles for The Independent Publisher, Community Papers of Michigan…and still learning.



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Saturday Delivery SafeFOR NOW

SATURDAY DELIVERY SAFE – FOR NOW

by Donna Hanbery

In February 2013, the Postal Service announced that it was adopting a new modified delivery schedule with 6-day package and 5-day mail delivery ef-fective August 2013. After outcries from Congress, and the passage of a continuing resolution by the Congress that continued the mandate for 6-day service, the Postal Service pulled the plan in an announcement released in mid-April. In a statement issued from the US Postal Board of Governors, The Board referenced the restrictive language in the continuing resolution and the action of Congress to prohibit the new delivery schedule. The Board stated: “Although disappointed with this congressional action, the Board will follow the law and has directed the Postal Service to delay implemen-tation of its new delivery schedule un-

til legislation is passed that provides the Postal Service with the authority to implement financially appropriate and responsible delivery schedule.”

The Board made it clear that it still thought 5-day was needed – “some-day” - sooner rather than later. The Board’s announcement continued: “The Board continues to support the transition to a new national delivery schedule. Such a transition will gen-erate approximately $2 billion in an-nual cost savings and is a necessary part of a larger 5-year business plan to restore the Postal Service to long term financial stability.”

The Board’s announcement – and the commentary and testimony that fol-lowed – showed that the Postal Ser-vice felt this restriction could force it to pursue other, perhaps extreme, measures. The Board announced that it was directing Management to seek reopening of negotiations with the

postal unions and to evaluate “further options to increase revenue, including an exigent rate increase to raise rev-enues across current postal categories and products not currently covering their costs.” The Board made it clear that everything was on the table.

Meanwhile, Congress has done noth-ing to advance a comprehensive bill that would address or correct the Postal Service’s financial woes and the many government mandates that have created the Postal Service’s financial crises.

For mailers that value Saturday deliv-ery service, or fear that a reduction in days of delivery will have an adverse ripple effect on other delivery days, the news was greeted as a welcome re-prieve. Meanwhile, a number of SMC members and free paper publishers are working to explore the feasibility of switching from a Saturday in-home date to deliveries on Thursday and



USPS News continued from page 6Friday. Several publishers have raised questions and concerns about the Postal Service’s ability to transition pa-pers that currently have a Saturday in-home date to a pre-weekend delivery timeframe. This is particularly true in areas where some postal stations may already be delivering another satura-tion mail program with a Thursday or Friday delivery window.

In meetings with Postal Service offi-cials, Donna Hanbery has expressed the worries of publishers and the im-portance of papers serving advertis-ers and retailers with a weekend sales break of having a mail program that can get into the home on Saturday or “pre-weekend.”

This issue has been discussed with Maura Robinson, Vice President of Consumer and Industry Affairs. Re-cently it was raised at a meeting with the Postmaster General, his executives and other trade association leaders. Postmaster General Donahoe urged papers with a weekend delivery date to start working with the Postal Ser-vice, and their printers and advertis-ers, now to look at moving deadlines, copy deadlines, and mail entry dates back to allow for a Thursday or Fri-day in-home date. Although Friday is a very busy day for the Postal Service to receive flats for processing for deliv-ery on Saturday or the following week, Friday is not a heavy delivery day for the Postal Service. Postmaster Gen-

eral Pat Donahoe stated the Postal Ser-vice and its officials should work with publishers that currently have Satur-day in-home dates to try and advance the delivery of their papers.

The Saturday discussions are far from over; but at least, for now, advertisers and consumers valuing Saturday mail delivery will still enjoy 6-day service.

POSTAL PRESENCE AT AFCP CON-FERENCE

For the first time ever, the United States Postal Service appeared as not only a sponsor, but the principal sponsor, of the Association of Free Community Papers (AFCP) Annual Meeting and Conference. The Postal Service sent two representatives to meet and greet customers throughout the trade show, and in a mailer’s breakout section, along with Donna Hanbery, Executive Director of the Saturation Mailer’s Co-alition.

The conference began with remarks by Pat Reynolds, a 26-year postal veteran with experience in major accounts and sales strategy. Pat was warm and enthusiastic. He told the full assembly that today’s Postal Service “is not your father’s post office.” He told publish-ers that the Postal Service was striving to be more proactive, not just reactive. Describing himself as a proponent of out-of-the-box thinking, Pat encour-aged publishers to come and speak to him about challenges, ideas, and ways

the Postal Service could be a better partner to publishers. Pat also intro-duced his colleague, Steven Booker, from postal headquarters. He prom-ised that the two of them would listen, engage with customers, and take pub-lishers’ concerns back to headquarters.

The reaction to Pat Reynolds’ remarks was positive. Many publishers and conference participants applauded the Postal Service for coming to the con-ference and taking a major role as the principal conference sponsor.

In true AFCP fashion, there were sev-eral social and networking events throughout the conference that en-couraged participants to visit all of the vendors’ booths. The Postal Ser-vice booth, with a prominent location on the conference floor, had a steady stream of publishers stopping by to ask questions, discuss concerns, and learn more about the mail and what the Postal Service was willing to try and pursue in today’s regulatory and competitive environment.

On the second day of the conference, a mailer’s breakout session was held as an open round table and forum for publisher and postal service dialogue. Donna Hanbery served as moderator to make sure that every publisher with a question or concern got a chance to be heard.

It was a lively session, with a lot of interest and dialogue. Even before the session began, Pat and Steven im-pressed the group with their grasp of

continued on page 8



SAPA Annua l Con fe ren ce : Washington D.C.: SAPA, IFPA, CPF, CPNE, MACPA, CPOWV, and a whole bunch of other letters will be joining together at the Ritz-Carlton in Pentagon City on September 19 - 21, 2013. This will be one of the largest assemblies of free community papers to ever come together. Plan now on

Conference Schedulesjoining your friends from across the Eastern United States in what will be an unforgettable conference. Top-notch speakers, exciting activities, friendships, and time to network will be some of the things you will remember most about the conference. Call Douglas Fry at 931.223.5708 for more information.

N E W S P A P E R P R I N T I N G C O M P A N Y




A c c o u n t E xe c u t i ve

5 2 1 0 S O U T H LO I S AV E N U E / TA M PA , F LO R I DA 3 3 6 1 1( 8 1 3 ) 9 0 2 - 1 1 9 6 / C E L L ( 5 6 1 ) 2 3 9 - 2 4 9 5P ro d u c t i o n : ( 8 1 3 ) 8 3 9 - 0 0 3 5 / FA X : ( 8 1 3 ) 8 3 9 - 7 2 9 5E M A I L : d o u g s @ N P C p r i n t i n g . c o mw w w. N P C p r i n t i n g . c o m

Doug Schwenk

The challenge of leadership is to be strong, but not rude. Be kind, but not weak. Be bold, but not a bully. Be thoughtful, but not lazy. Be humble, but not timid. Be proud, but not arrogant. Have humor, but without folly.

Jim Rohn

USPS News continued from page 7

publishers’ concerns. Pat said he and Steven were putting together a list of topics to present to headquarters. He made it plain that he had already heard – loud and clear – that the audience was concerned about postal rates and costing. He said, “I understand that some of you are not postal customers. I want to help figure out ways we can get more of your business.” Pat sum-marized the issues he was hearing as issues relating to costing and consis-tency, worries about Saturday delivery and getting papers in the home on time, and having someone at the Post-al Service who would understand and learn about the free paper business. Pat said he know they were squeezed by advertisers and raising costs and that leaving the mail or going out of business was a real concern.

Pat and Steven both encouraged the group that they were enthusiastic

about the opportunities for the USPS and the free paper industry and want-ed to explore solutions. One idea they suggested was the potential for form-ing a committee where representatives of the industry, and a USPS Business Alliance Manager, could get creative in developing a pricing strategy that would attract more business.

Several publishers in the session ex-pressed questions about postal rules and the need to get papers in the home on time. They echoed concerns that the daily newspapers would “own the weekends” if Saturday delivery was stopped and the Postal Service could not help papers get in the homes be-fore the weekend.

Carol Toomey, AFCP President and a mail publisher, stressed that post-al rates and increases were always a concern. Carol said many publishers would like to try the mail or would

stay in the mail if prices were lower or there was some protection against increases.

Pat Reynolds said the Postal Service was open to exploring ways to look at its pricing so as to retain and increase this business. With more than 50% of all audited free papers delivered outside the mail, Pat stated he could see the Postal Service opportunity. He said he would stress the opportunities to headquarters.

There were a number of questions about Postal Service processes and op-erations. Steven Booker helped par-ticipants understand the rules that ap-ply to how the Postal Service handles mail and that often other advertisers – that seemed to be getting better de-livery – had standing appointments where their pieces were brought into the Postal Service and were delivered

continued on page 10



Here are 3 small business investments you can make this week that pay im-mediate dividends:

INVEST IN LOCAL FOOD PRODUCTS

One of the better government initia-tives comes from the USDA’s support of locally grown food products. This direct-to-market approach is an an-cient-future strategy as my grandfather sold garden-grown tomatoes in his country store. Also, he sold his milk to a regional cooperative that produced dairy products like ice cream and milk. Of course, their products tasted better to me because I knew the cows personally…

Who grows blueberries in your neck of the woods? Or, raises grass-fed, an-tibiotic-free beef? Or, free-range chick-ens and eggs? Or, honey?

In addition to a host of benefits like freshness, you receive the satisfaction of knowing that as you invest in these local food products, you support small business owners in your local commu-

nity.

INVEST IN LOCAL HOME PRODUCTS

When I renovated an apartment for renting, I could have installed pre-fab cabinets made in a factory somewhere far away. But I remembered my grand-father doing business with a local craftsman who built everything from knotty pine cabinets to pole barns. This small business owner, like my grandfather, employed local citizens from the community, did good work, and that’s why he was the go-to guy.

Installing new cabinets? Find a local craftsman. He can probably build fur-niture, also. Discover work by local ar-tisans whether it’s paintings or pottery to decorate your home. Oftentimes, they accept commissioned work.

Besides excellence in craftsmanship, you develop a relationship with the small business owner as you invest in unique, local home products. Hand out business cards when your friends compliment your décor.

INVEST IN LOCAL ENTERTAINMENT

That local band playing for the Relay for Life fundraiser in your community all have day jobs. They play to support the community, laced with dreams of the big-stage. Buy a CD from them. Maroon 5 or Carrie Underwood won’t miss it.

Those kids in the Summer Theater have rehearsed for weeks to perform. Sure, you can drive to an off-Broadway production of Wicked. Invest in the future stardom of a potential Tony-award winner from your hometown.

I love watching my nephew, Dan Ug-gla, start at second base for the Braves when I travel to Atlanta. But I also love watching the Rookie League Braves

3 Business Investmentscontinued from page 4

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JB Multimedia, Inc. P.O. Box 704 N. Bellmore, NY 11710 888.592.3212 phone/fax www.jbmultimedia.net

M a k i n g p u b l i c a t i o n s i n t e r a c t i v e.

play in my hometown. The hot dogs are just as good as I support Wayne who runs the concessions that my daughter’s friend, Jennifer, serves as one of her summer jobs.

As you invest in local entertainment, you give a big-thumbs up to small business owners.

So while the SBA captures the Wash-ington headlines this week, let’s you and I invest in small businesses in these 3 ways that pay immediate divi-dends to the benefit of our friends and neighbors.

Dr. Joey Faucette is the #1 Amazon best-selling author of Work Positive in a Nega-tive World (Entrepreneur Press), Work Positive coach, & speaker who helps business professionals increase sales with greater productivity so they leave the of-fice earlier to do what they love with those they love. Discover more at www.Listen-toLife.org.

GET YOUR CUSTOMER’S ATTENTION!Bring your message to life by advertising in over 4 million homes

each week. Call us today to speak to one of our advertising professionals about making a splash!




USPS Newswithin the Postal Service’s delivery standards. Booker explained that the Postal Service delivery standards for standard mail gave the Postal Service up to three days to move the mail from one postal station to the next. If mail went to the DDU, it should be on the street within three days. If the mail was entered further upstream, the timing for delivery could be five or six days. Booker and Reynolds both encouraged participants to meet with local postal stations, to find out the procedures for setting up appointments, and to work to coordinate times and expectations for weekly papers.

As the session was coming to a close, Steve Harrison, publisher of the Gen-esee Valley Pennysaver, spoke for all. Steve thanked the Postal Service for taking a leadership role as a principal sponsor, for taking the time to send two people who were good listeners and clearly knowledgeable about Post-al Service rules, rates and processes, to come and meet with existing and po-tential customers. Harrison said, “It really means a lot to me and to oth-ers to see the Postal Service making this effort.” Harrison explained that he was one of the publishers that were working to transition from a Satur-day in-home date to a Friday in-home date. Although he had encountered some problems and resistance with some postal stations, he was apprecia-tive that the Postal Service appeared to be working to meet his needs and that of his advertising customers.

At the end of the meeting, I sat down with Steven and Pat to work on our list of action items and “to dos.” The industry concerns that Pat and Steve pledged to take back to headquarters included the following:

Concerns about costing, pricing, and consistency. We agreed that the Postal

Service should develop some loyalty program or incentive that would re-tain and attract free papers and pro-gram mailers.

Appoint an industry Business Alli-ance Manager. A BAM is an account manager that could have an industry-relationship and serve as a liaison to different departments of the Postal Service existing and potential publish-ers advertising program mailers.

Share the concern about loss of Satur-day service. Publishers with weekend programs need certainty for Thursday or Friday delivery.

Recognize the importance of the de-tached address label to publishers of papers and magazine-type coupon publications.

Address problems with inconsisten-cies and what different USPS stations and offices require.

We urged the Postal Service to contin-ue to be a principal sponsor of AFCP. Throughout the conference, I had the opportunity to introduce Pat and Ste-ven to other Association executives. I explained that there were other state, regional – and one other national as-

sociation – that would welcome op-portunities to dialogue with the Postal Service at meetings and conferences. I urged the Postal Service to make an effort to participate in the upcoming Joint Conference of IFPA, and several regional and state conferences taking place in the Postal Service’s “backyard” at the Pentagon City Ritz Carlton in Washington D.C. on September 19-21, 2013.

Stealing from a comment made by sev-eral participants at the AFCP meeting, Pat and Steve were certainly the right people to present the Postal Service in the best light to publishers. It is hoped that Steve and Pat are equally effective in getting the powers-that-be at Postal Service headquarters to carry this good communication, action items and sug-gestions forward into action items.

Donna E. Hanbery, Executive DirectorSaturation Mailers Coalition

33 South Sixth Street, Suite 4160Minneapolis, MN 55402

(612) 340-9350 Direct Line(612) 340-9446 Fax

[email protected]



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