NewsClips May 2013

May 2013 1 www.ocna.org

newsclipsMAY 2013

WHAT’S INSIDE:

MONTHLY PUBLICATION OF THE ONTARIO COMMUNITY NEWSPAPERS ASSOCIATION

CENTENARY NEWSPAPERS OF CANADA CONFERENCE

Editors of newspapers 100 years or older will gather.

See Page 5

FOUR GREAT SALES QUESTIONS

The best way to get information is to ask the right questions.

See Page 21

THE KEY TO SUCCESS The answer: the right person in the

right job. See Page 18

Adobe Announces Major Update to Creative Cloud Adobe recently announced its shift to the cloud with a major update to Adobe® Creative Cloud™ the company's flagship offering for

creatives. Creative Cloud is a membership-based service that provides users with access to download and install the next generation of Adobe

creative desktop applications including InDesign, Photoshop and Illustrator. This new update will feature enhanced cross-device collaboration and publishing capabilities. Creative files can be stored, synced and shared

via Creative Cloud so customers can showcase work, get feedback and gain exposure. Creative Cloud membership for individuals is US$49.99 per month based on annual membership. Existing customers who own CS3 to CS5.5

will receive their first year of Creative Cloud at a discounted rate of US$29.99 a month. Students and teachers can sign up monthly for US$29.99. A team version of this new product can be purchased for US$69.99 per month per seat and includes 100GB of storage, centralized deployment

and administration capabilities. For existing customers, a team discounted rate of US$39.99 is offered if they sign up before the end of August 2013.

Adobe Creative Cloud includes more than 30 tools and services that enable professional-grade content creation and delivery across print, web, mobile apps, video and photography. Hundreds of new features are included in these latest versions of Adobe's industry-defining desktop tools.

OCNA contacted Adobe to set up a presentation for our members to discuss the changes to the new system, including timing and financial implications. Unfortunately, Adobe respectfully declined the offer.

For more information, visit www.adobe.com

OCNA’s 2013/2014 Board of Directors

Meet the faces of OCNA’s 2013/2014 Board of Directors as elected during the Spring Convention on March 22 in Vaughan. Standing (left to right): Secretary/Treasurer Dave Harvey, Metroland Media Group Halton Region; Director Rick Shaver, Cornwall Seaway News; Second Vice-President Andrea DeMeer, Sun Media, Huron and Oxford Groups; Director John Willems, Metroland Media Group York Region; and Director Abbas Homayed, Sudbury Northern Life.

Seated (Left to right): Executive Director Anne Lannan; First Vice-President Dave Adsett, Fergus Wellington Advertiser; President Gordon Cameron, Town Crier Newspapers; and Past President Mike Mount, Metroland Media Group Ottawa Region.

Not shown: Director Mike Power, Sun Media and Director Ray Stanton, London Publishing.


NEWSCLIPS VOLUME 02, ISSUE 093228 South Service Rd. Suite 116Burlington, ON L7N 3H8p.905.639.8720 f.905-639.6962e. [email protected] w. www.ocna.org

OCNA BOARDPRESIDENT Gordon CameronFIRST VP INTERIM

Dave Adsett

SECOND VP Andrea DeMeerSECRETARY/TREASURER

Dave Harvey

PAST PRESIDENT

Mike Mount

DIRECTORS Abbas HomayedMike PowersRick ShaverRay StantonJohn Willems

OCNA STAFFEXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Anne Lannan

CONTROLLER Todd FreesMEMBER SERVICES

Karen Shardlow Kelly Gorven

NETWORK CLASSIFIEDS

Carol Lebert

ACCOUNTING Lucia ShepherdAD*REACH Ted Brewer

Carolyn PressErica Leyzac

IN THIS ISSUE...05 ........CENTENARY NEWSPAPERS OF CANADA CONFERENCE07 .........................................................ADVERTISING ALERT: TAXES08 .....................................OCNA MEMBERS WIN AT INK+BEYOND10 ...................MILDMAY TOWN CRIER FOUNDER PASSES AWAY11 ....................................TURTLE ISLAND NEWS A CJF FINALIST

15 ..............................EFFECTIVE TRIAL CLOSES FOR BUSINESS18 .................................................................THE KEY TO SUCCESS21 ..............................................FOUR GREAT SALES QUESTIONS

ASSOCIATION NEWS

We want to hear from you! Please share your

news and/or opinions with us: [email protected]

Here and There, This and ThatBY ANNE LANNAN OCNA EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Take advantage of marketing materialHave you and your advertising team checked

out all the wonderful material Suzanne Raitt from Newspapers Canada has been posting on their web site lately? You should be using this material in your client presentations, marketing kits, and on your own websites. Frequency: How Often to Advertise in a Newspaper is a Fact Sheet to show your advertisers the impact their brand and message gets with the increase in frequency of ads placed. Raitt is also available to

showcase her marketing presentation to your team and local advertisers. It’s a powerful message about our industry and sure to get everyone pumped.

Measuring your contributionsLooking for another way to toot your own horn and remind your readers and

advertisers just how involved and invested your newspaper is in your community? Do a calculation of the number of column inches you’ve provided in editorial space to non-profits and community groups in the last year. Then calculate the dollar value of the advertising space you have donated to community groups, events and causes in the past year. I’m sure your community will be amazed.

Meetings on the HillWhile in Ottawa in May, I was able to participate in Newspaper Canada’s Lobby Day

with individual meetings with six MPs. Unfortunately, the federal government has been ignoring compelling research about the strengths and reach of Canada’s community newspapers. The government’s advertising spend in newspapers (dailies and weeklies) decreased dramatically from 27.5 per cent of its total spend on ad placements in 2009, to just 10 per cent in 2011/12. Despite reassurances over the years, our industry’s share of the spend is not increasing. If any publishers wish to talk to their MPs about this matter, please let me know and I will forward material to you. Also please mark your calendar for OCNA’s Queen’s Park Day on Wednesday, September 25.

Continued on page 4 >>>


Staff at Brant News recently celebrated their OCNA award wins with a barbecue and movie day. Following a tasty meal at the office prepared by Brant News General Manager Len Offless, staff headed out for a private screening of the film 42, chronicling the story of Major League Baseball player Jackie Robinson. Brant’s community newspaper received four awards and an honourable mention during this year’s OCNA Better Newspaper Awards, including first place in the general excellence category for newspapers with a circulation of 45,000 or more.

ASSOCIATION NEWS

OCNA MEMBER UPDATES

NEW STAFF MEMBER FOR BLYTH-BRUSSELS CITIZENRon Drillen has joined the Blyth-Brussels Citizen as Associate Publisher and Director of Sales for North Huron Publishing Company Inc. Ron has an extensive newspaper background which started in Thunder Bay and includes stops in Guelph, Ottawa, Kingston and St. Thomas. As Director of Sales he will also guide the sales team for the Rural Voice, the company’s farm magazine and Stops Along the Way, its travel guide.

Eight staff members from Brant News recently participated in the annual Brantford Rotary Classic 5K run. As well as enjoying some physical activity, the Brant News staffers helped raise funds for projects supported by the Rotary Club of Brantford, including

the Boys and Girls Club and Lansdowne Children’s Centre, which provides programs and services aimed at meeting the special needs of children up to 19 years old. Pictured are Brant News advertising sales representatives Kori Creighton, left, and Loren Butler preparing to start the race.

Photo by J.P. Antonacci, Brant News

Photo by J.P. Antonacci, Brant News

BRANT NEWS CELEBRATES OCNA WINS AND GETS ACTIVE IN COMMUNITY

New President for KubasPrimedia

New President for KubasPrimedia will “diversify and strengthen” firm, says Primedia President

Ron Clark, CEO of Primedia Sales and Marketing, is pleased to announce the appointment of Tim Daniel as President of KubasPrimedia, international media consultants. “Tim brings extensive experience and practical solutions that help media companies reposition themselves for the future.”

KubasPrimedia was formed in 2010 when Primedia acquired Kubas Consultants, a leading media revenue and pricing consulting group founded in 1977 by KubasPrimedia Chair Len Kubas.

Tim is an applied behavioral scientist and a gifted platform speaker known throughout the U.S. and Canada for his fresh, no-nonsense presentations on real, fast and lasting organizational change. Clients count on Tim to create a cathartic, transformative encounter through his fearless and incisive addresses. Tim holds degrees in history, theology, and applied behavioral science. He has built and run corporate leadership academies since 1991, unleashing effective innovators in local, regional and national organizations across big legacy industries including media, manufacturing, energy, defense, mining and forestry.

Since 2003 Tim has advised dramatic reversals of fortune in media companies in the U.S. and Canada - at both the site and corporate level. He has worked alongside gifted change agents in sales, news, and operations on both digital and legacy projects. Tim works out of Toronto and our new Denver office, building from our strong core of pricing services into a full suite of strategic transformation services for media clients around the world.

Tim is the author of The Pursuit of Nobility: Living a Life that Matters (HCI books, 2010) – which tells the gritty untold story of how real change agents become who they are and do what they do.

Publishers in the U.S., Canada, and internationally rely on KubasPrimedia for expert guidance in building revenues and managing the transition from print to digital and other new media applications. KubasPrimedia clients include individual publishers and groups in the U.S., Canada, Central/South America, Europe, Middle East and the Pacific.

For more information contact:

Ron Clark, Predient, Primedia Sales and Marketing416-544-4622; [email protected]

Tim Daniel, Presient, KubasPrimedia720-625-1310; [email protected]

Len Kubas, Chair, KubasPrimedia416-487-7040 [email protected]


New on the sceneI had the opportunity to meet with KubasPrimedia’s newly appointed President Tim Daniel who has moved to Canada to take on this

role. With degrees in history, theology, and applied behavioral science and extensive experience with change management in various industries, including media, energy and forestry, Tim is quickly immersing his energies in our industry. He is also the author of The Pursuit of Nobility: Living a Life that Matters (HCI books, 2010) – which tells the gritty untold story of how real change agents become who they are and do what they do. If you’d like to introduce yourself to him, he can be reached at [email protected]

Web site templateOCNA is excited to showcase the new prototype of the web site template we have been working on as part of the Digital Media

Acceleration Project during the Independent Publishers’ Retreat in Stratford on June 22. Working with our supplier MediaShaker, the new turn-key offering being made available to all our members is a robust solution to kick start a strong digital presence in your community. It features a comprehensive content management system, e-mail database, revenue solutions, and hands-off maintenance and hosting, to name a few.

We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the

Canada Periodical Fund of the Department of Canadian Heritage.

ASSOCIATION NEWS

>>> Continued from Page 2

Updates and Projects from Your Association

Independent Publishers’ Retreat Coming Soon

Friday June 21 evening - Saturday June 22 Festival Inn in Stratford

Independent Publishers can look forward to social and

networking opportunities, informative sessions,

food and fun!

Contact Karen Shardlow at [email protected] for more information.

CONNECT WITH US!

OCNA and Ad*Reach are now on Twitter!

Follow us @OCNAAdreach for

frequesnt association updates, industry

news, upcoming events and more.


Like us on Facebook!

Frequent updates on our Facebook page.

Upcoming events,

association changes,

industry news and more!

ASSOCIATION NEWS

Centenary Newspapers of Canada Conference

Are you an editor in charge of a newspaper that is 100 years or older? You could qualify for the (almost) free launch of a new professional network called the Centenary Newspapers of Canada (CNC). On June 24-25, CNC will host a special launch event in Winnipeg, MB to bring together editors from across the country to share innovative ideas with some of Canada’s oldest and most successful newspapers.

The conference will include editorial workshops, keynote addresses from Mario Girard of La Presse and John Stackhouse of the Globe and Mail, and an exclusive tour of the new Canadian Museum for Human Rights building and a gala celebration.

Workshop topics include: the challenges of transitioning an institution from the 19th century to the 21st centry, strategies in the face of political boycott, how to make online newspapers more attractive and increase readership and when information becomes instantaneous.

In addition, a free symposium will be held on June 25.It is open to the public and geared to professionals in the newspaper industry. The day-long event is open to Anglophones and Francophones.

Registration to join CNC is only $100 and the first 50 qualified editors to sign up will receive a $500 rebate on airfare to Winnipeg to attend the launch event.

Visit www.laliberte100ans.ca to register.

More than eight in 10 adults – 81 percent – took action in the past month as a result of seeing a newspaper ad, new research from the Newspaper Association of America shows. More than half made an actual purchase.

‘How America Shops and Spends 2013,’ conducted for NAA by Frank N. Magid Associates, measures patterns of behaviors in U.S. consumers, including advertising media usage for shopping and purchasing, the role of newspaper media in purchase decisions, the use of preprints and coupons, and online shopping actions.

“This research reaffirms the power of newspaper advertising to engage consumers, and what’s more, its ability to drive them to take action,” said NAA president and CEO Caroline Little. “Consumers live in an advertising-saturated world and advertisers want to reach consumers who actually see their ads and engage with them. As this research once again confirms, newspaper media do just that. Newspaper media help advertisers cut through the clutter and influence consumer shopping decisions.”

‘How America Shops and Spends 2013’ reveals several key trends in U.S. shopping patterns that are important for advertisers to consider, including:

▄ Newspapers ranked first or tied for first place in seven of 12 benefit statements

NNA Research Reveals U.S. Consumers Rely on Newspaper Media When Making Purchase Decisions

Continued on page 7 >>>

Happy Birthday to the Manitoulin Expositor

Pictured above (from left to right): Manitoulin Expositor team members Erin Gordon, Robin Burridge, Michael Erskine, Mitch Harasym, Dave Patterson, Marilyn Harasym, Greg Lloyd and Alicia McCutcheon celebrated the event of the newspaper’s 134th birthday with a cake as they posed for a photo outside of the Expositor office in downtown Little Current on May 24. Missing from photo are publishers Rick and Julia McCutcheon and office manager Kerrene Tilson. The Manitoulin Expositor is Northern Ontario’s oldest newspaper. Rick and Julia McCutcheon have acted as publishers since 1970.

Photo Courtesy of the Manitoulin Expositor


FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: James Hatch, Publicity Assistant

Phone: 416.214.5544 ext.222 Email: [email protected]

Bears in the Bird Feeders Cottage Life on Shaman’s Rock

by Jim Poling, Sr.

Listen carefully and you will hear cottage country whispering lessons that can make our lives less frenetic, less complicated. The mournful call of the loon, the wind sighing in the trees, the hammering of the pileated woodpecker remind us that we are a part of a more natural world too often lost in our urban societies. Reflections from a still lake and a flickering campfire help us to realize that things might go easier for humankind if more issues were examined in softer, reflective light and without heated debate. People gathered at campfires, soothed by nature’s tranquility, tend to listen and be more thoughtful before they speak. This book will bring you on a journey through four seasons of cottaging and show you that nature has a remarkable power to heal — it just needs the human race to give it a helping hand. Along the way it will introduce you to some tips and tricks for making cottage life more comfortable and enjoyable.

Jim Poling, Sr. is a lover of the outdoors, and of writing. He spent 35 years as a reporter and editor in daily journalism before retiring to write books and articles for magazines. Recently he published Smoke Signals and Tecumseh. Jim spends more than half his time at St. Nora Lake on Ontario’s Haliburton-Muskoka border.

For more information, or to speak with Jim Poling, Sr., please contact: James Hatch, Publicity Assistant Phone: (416) 214-5544 ext 222 Email: [email protected]

Bears in the Bird Feeders

Cottage Life on Shaman’s Rock by Jim Poling, Sr. 9781459702189

TP; 232 pages 15 B&W Illustrations, Maps, Bibliography, Index

$24.99 CANADIAN PUBLICATION DATE: April 6, 2013

AMERICAN PUBLICATION DATE: April 30, 2013

Also available in eBook: ePUB: 9781459701953; $11.99 uPDF: 9781459701991; $24.99


ASSOCIATION NEWS

ADVERTISING ALERT:

related to advertising platforms, with the top three being ‘you check for your regular shopping,’ ‘most valuable in planning shopping’ and ‘most believable and trustworthy.’

▄ Print newspapers scored highest at 62 percent out of 19 advertising sources used by survey participants to plan shopping or make purchasing decisions in the last seven days. When combined with newspaper websites, the net number totaled 66 percent.

▄ Survey participants who self-identified as nonreaders of newspapers nevertheless reported using them. Three of the top five actions from a list of 13 related specifically to advertising: clipping a coupon (16 percent), checking sales in local stores (16 percent) and comparing prices for items they intended to purchase (12 percent).

▄ Nearly 9 out of 10 – 86 percent – of those who used online circulars also took some action as a result of a print newspaper insert in the past 30 days.

‘How America Shops & Spends 2013’ features data culled from 2,000 nationwide interviews with individuals 18 years or older. Learn more about this study at www.naa.org

ABOUT NAA:NAA is a nonprofit organization representing nearly 2,000 newspapers and their multiplatform businesses in the United States and Canada. Members include daily newspapers as well as nondailies, other print publications and online products. Headquartered in Arlington, Va., the association focuses on the major issues that affect today's newspaper industry, such as public policy/legal matters, advertising revenue growth and audience engagement across the medium's broad portfolio of products and digital platforms. More information about NAA and the industry is available at www.naa.org.

View this and other NAA news releases online at www.naa.org/press.

>>> Continued from Page 5

‘How America Shops & Spends 2013’ Reveals Key Trends

Advertising of Taxes

Source: Retail Sales Tax Act (pst) and Excise Tax Act (gst)http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_90r31_e.htm#BK26http://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/E-15/Scope: Ontario for pst and National for gstLast Updated: January 2013

PAY NO TAXES THIS WEEKEND ONLY – CAN’T SAYWE WILL PAY YOUR TAXES THIS WEEKEND ONLY – OKAY

The collection of taxes is mandatory for businesses, so they can’t advertise that they are not.

Section 223 of the Excise Tax Act requires a supplier to disclose to a purchaser the amount of HST charged onthe transaction.

This may be more of an accuracy in advertising issue. We aren’t sure how often it is enforced as it could beassumed that the business is paying the tax for the purchaser.

http://www.adstandards.com/en/Standards/theCode.aspx

This is a link to the Canadian Code of Advertising Standards from Advertising Standards Canada. Helpful resource.


Congratulations to OCNA members who took home hardware after the 2013 Canadian Community Newspaper Award winners were

announced during the INK+BEYOND newspaper conference in Ottawa on May 2.

Aylmer Express• First – Outstanding Community Service, circulation up to 9999• Third – Best Spot News Photo Coverage, circulation up to 3999 Barrie Advance• Second – Best Web Site, circulation 12500 and over Blue Mountains Courier-Herald• Third – Best Local Editorial, circulation up to 3999 Bracebridge Examiner• Second – Best All-Round Newspaper, General Excellence, circulation 2000 to 2999• Third – Best Editorial Page, General Excellence, circulation 2000 to 2999 Burlington Post• First – Best Photo Essay, circulation 12500 and over• Third – Best Local Editorial, circulation 12500 and over Clarington This Week• Second – Best Photo Essay, circulation 12500 and over Dundas Star News• Second – Best Editorial Page, General Excellence, circulation 12500 to 24999 Elmira-Woolwich Observer• First – Best All-Round Newspaper, General Excellence, circulation 12500 to 24999• First – Best Editorial Page, General Excellence, circulation 12500 to 24999• Second – Best Front Page, General Excellence, circulation 12500 to 24999• Second – Best Feature Story, circulation 125000 and over

Fort Frances Times• Third – Best Editorial Page, General Excellence, circulation 4000 to 6499 Gravenhurst Banner• Third – Excellence in Rural Reporting, circulation open Huntsville Forester• First – Best All-Round Newspaper, General Excellence, circulation 4000 to 6499• First – Best Editorial Page, General Excellence, circulation 4000 to 6499• First – Best Front Page, General Excellence, circulation 4000 to 6499• First – Best Feature Story, circulation 4000 to 12499• Second – Best Feature Series, circulation 4000 to 12499 Kawartha Lakes This Week• Second –Best News Story, circulation 12500 and over Manitoulin Expositor• Second – Best West Site, circulation 4000 to 12499 Meaford Express • First – Best Editorial Page, General Excellence, circulation up to 1249• Third – Best All-Round Newspaper, General Excellence, circulation up to 1249 Mississauga News• Third – Best Photo Essay, circulation 12500 and over Napanee Guide• Second – Best Agricultural Edition, circulation 10000 and over• Third – Best Agricultural Story, circulation open

New Hamburg Independent• First – Best Agricultural Edition, circulation up to 9999• Second – Best Coverage of the Arts, circulation up to 9999• Third – Best News Feature Photo, circulation up to 3999• Third – Best Business Writing Award, circulation up to 9999 New Liskeard Temiskaming Speaker• Second – Best Sports Coverage, circulation up to 3999• Second – Best Agricultural Edition, circulation up to 9999 Newmarket Era/Aurora Banner• First – Best Web Site, circulation 12500 and over• Second – Best Local Editorial, circulation 12500 and over Nunavut News/North• Third – Best All-Round Newspaper, General Excellence, circulation 4000 to 6499 Oakville Beaver• Third – Best Multimedia Feature, circulation 10000 and over Oshawa This Week• First – Best Sports Coverage, circulation 12500 and over• Third – Best Feature Series, circulation 12500 and over Ottawa Embassy• First – Best Web Site, circulation 4000 to 12499 Ottawa Hill Times• Third – Best Agricultural Edition, circulation 10000 and over Perth EMC• Second – Best National Editorial, circulation 10000 and over

ASSOCIATION NEWS

OCNA MEMBERS TAKE HOME AWARDS FROM INK+BEYOND


QUEEN’S PARK DAYSeptember 25, 2013

Publishers and General Managers will be invited to meet with MPPs, senior civil servants and fellow publishers at Queen’s Park to discuss issues concerning the industry and show

the provincial government how important newspapers are as a viable source of information.

Meetings will be arranged with MPPs throughout the day. A Publishers’ Reception will take place in the afternoon.

ASSOCIATION NEWS

Peterborough This Week• Second – Outstanding Reporter Initiative, circulation 10000 and over• Second – Best Photo Illustration, circulation open• Third – Best Feature Photo, circulation 12500 and overPort Perry Star• Third – Best Environmental Writing, circulation 10000 and over Prescott Journal• First – Best Historical Story, circulation up 3999 Rainy River Record • First – Best Spot News Photo Coverage, circulation up to 3999 Renfrew Mercury EMC• Third – Best National Editorial, circulation 10000 and over Sioux Lookout Wawatay News• First – Best Feature Series, circulation 4000 to 12499• Second – Best Feature News, circulation 4000 to 12499 Stoney Creek News• First – Best Editorial Page, General Excellence, circulation 25000 and over

Sudbury Northern Life• First – Best Front Page, General Excellence, circulation 25000 and over• Third – Best Web Site, circulation 12500 and over Timmins Times• First – Outstanding Reporter Initiative, circulation 10000 and over• First – Best Spot News Photo Coverage, circulation 12500 and over Waterdown Flamborough Review• First – Best Local Editorial, circulation 12500 and over Wingham Advance Times• First – Best National Editorial, circulation up to 9999 Niagara College, Niagara News• Second – Best Campus Photography, circulation open • Third – Best Campus News Story, circulation open Wilfred Laurier University, The Cord• Second – Outstanding Campus Newspaper, circulation open• Third – Best Campus News Story, circulation open• Third – Best Campus Photography, circulation open

University of Toronto, The Varsity• Second – Best Campus News Story, circulation open• Second – Best Campus Feature Story, circulation open The following were Blue Ribbon recipients:• Bracebridge Examiner• Elmira-Woolwich Observer• Gravenhurst Banner• Kincardine Independent• Meaford Express• Northumberland News• North York Mirror• Ottawa Embassy• Ottawa Hill Times• Renfrew Mercury EMC• Stittsville News EMC• Stoney Creek News• Stouffville Sun/Tribune• Sudbury Northern Life• Waterloo Chronicle

Newspaper representatives from across the country celebrated the first-place winners of the 2013 Canadian Community Newspaper Awards at a special industry event on May 2 during the INK+BEYOND newspaper conference in Ottawa.

For a complete list of the winners of the 2013 Canadian Community Newspaper Awards visit www.newspaperscanada.ca.


ASSOCIATION NEWS

Another round of the OCNF Student Distance Placement Program has come and gone. This year saw two undergraduate journalism students complete co-op placements at OCNA

member newspapers. Alanna Rice of Niagara College spent four weeks with the Kincardine News and Jessica Brousseau of Cambrian College travelled to the Elliot Lake Standard for six weeks.

The OCNF Student Distance Placement Program was created in 2010 with the intent to show students that community newspapers are great career options. Funding was provided to students to help cover the cost of transportation, meals and rent during their placement program. This program not only aids students financially, it also introduces journalists to the industry and provides them with a valuable educational experience – one they may not be able to obtain on their own without adequate funding.

Each student was selected based on their academic performance, evidence of financial need and distance to their placement location.

Alanna Rice“I was hired on a one-year contract to fill a maternity leave

position. Without receiving the OCNA grant, there would have been

no way for me to accept my placement which led to this position.”

Jessica Brousseau“I am proud of the fact that after my six weeks, I had more

confidence while looking for my own stories. I went in to the news room very quiet and shy, looking for stories to be given to me, and came out not afraid to speak up when I thought there was potential in a story.”

“I went in thinking Journalism was just about writing the facts. However, I have learned there is passion that goes with it. The daily learning, multitasking, the fast paced environment and the people you meet along the way is the fuel that keeps you going.”

With the help of OCNA members, these two students had their first glimpse at life in the community newspaper industry as they covered various local events, City Council meetings, fundraisers and built relationships with community members.

For more information on the OCNF Student Distance Placement Program, contact Kelly Gorven at [email protected] or 905-639-8720 x 239.

OCNF Student Distance Placement Program

Mildmay Town Crier Founder and Publisher John Hafermehl Passes AwayCourtesy of the Mildmay Town Crier

John Hafermehl printed the first issue of the Town Crier over 48 years ago. He printed his last issue on May 8, 2013.

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of the Mildmay Town Crier’s Founder and Publisher on Friday May 10, 2013.

From linotypes in early years to computer and the Internet and technology of today, he worked

away at bringing the local news to his readers each week. Simply put, he gave his heart and soul to his profession.

John, who was also known as ‘Snoopy’, had a huge heart and a huge love for his town. He promoted his community to the best of his abilities and was always proud of its accomplishments.

John was born and raised in Mildmay. He got his start in the printing-newspaper business at the Mildmay Gazette. In those days of handset type and linotype machines, one had to apprentice which meant spending three years training.

John was offered a job at the Port Elgin Times as Sports Editor. Shortly after moving to Port Elgin he married Ethel Koenig (also a Mildmaynite)

and they spent eight years in the lakeside community. During those years they welcomes a daughter, Susan, who worked alongside her father at the paper.

With the passing of the Times’ Editor and Publisher Ken Pettis, John took on the job of manager for the Estate. The business was sold to J.H. Stafford and John continued to be the Managing Editor.

Despite carrying out the duties for the Times, he was a news correspondent for five daily newspapers - Owen Sound Sun Times, Toronto Star, Toronto Telegram, London Free Press and Kitchener-Waterloo Record.

The Hafermehls moved to Mildmay in 1964 after purchasing the Mildmay Printery (former Gazette) from Harold Whittaker. One year later, the first issue of the Town Crier was produced - the first newspaper in the area to provide free blanket coverage. The Crier remained a free paper for thirty years, and at one point distributed 11,700 copies on a bi-weekly basis. Today the paper is a weekly publication with 2,000 copies printed on a subscription basis.

John was proud of his independent publication and worked hard to bring the local news and happenings to his readers. He will be missed by everyone within his community and those who were touched by him.

His funeral was held on Monday May 13, 2013 at St. Paul’s United Church in Mildmay.


ASSOCIATION NEWS

OCNA’s Board of Directors is pleased to welcome the

following newspaper as probationary Active Member:

Newspaper Circulation Ownership

Vaughan Weekly 9,900 London Publishing Corp.

Turtle Island News One of Five Finalists for the CJF’s Excellence in Journalism AwardCourtesy of the Turtle Island News

Turtle Island News has been nominated for the Canadian Journalism Foundation’s excellence in journalism national award.

The Canadian Journalism Foundation (CJF) announced Turtle Island News had made the shortlist for its annual Excellence in Journalism Award last week.

Turtle Island News will be competing in small-media category against competitors like the CBC CP24 and others.

The CJF says, “unlike other awards honouring specific journalistic achievements, the CJF celebrates news organizations that embrace ideals of journalistic excellence - accuracy, independence, accountability to the audience, courage and originality - with its annual Excellence in Journalism Award.

The finalists in the large-media category are:CBC News: Special Investigations UnitThe Current - CBC Radio OnePostmedia NewsToronto StarWinnipeg Free Press

The finalists in the small-media category are:CBC New BrunswickCP24Turtle Island NewsThe TyeeVancouver Observer

"At a time of unprecedented change and uncertainty in the media, we were impressed

with the range of creative ideas that news organizations across the country are exploring to address the economic and coverage challenges they face, while at the same time maintaining their focus on excellence in journalism," says Christopher Waddell, chair of the jury.

The winners will be announced at the 16th Annual CJF Awards to be held at The Fairmont Royal York on June 13 in Toronto.

Turtle Island News Publisher/Editor Lynda Powless said she is honoured to see Turtle Island News nominated.

“We are in a category of journalistic excellence that just by simply being nominated in is itself recognition for a lot of hard work by our wonderful staff at Turtle Island News. We are both excited and humbled to be in such a competition with organizations like the CBC, Toronto Star, CP 24, Vancouver Observer and others. It is wonderful and honourable company to be in.”

Turtle Island News Publications produces an international online daily and website, national

award winning weekly newspaper, regional newspaper and several magazines including Aboriginal Business.

The Excellence in Journalism Award, now in its 17th year, was established by Dr. F.L.R. (Eric) Jackman, chairman of the Jackman Foundation and founder of The CJF.

The members of the jury include: Christopher Waddell, Director, School of Journalism and Communication Carleton University; Murray Campbell, Director,

Corporate Communications, Ontario Power Authority; Catherine Cano, Managing Partner, National Public Relations; Hon. Jim Munson, Senator, Ottawa-Rideau Canal The Senate of Canada; Kelly Toughill, Director and Associate Professor, School of Journalism, University of King's College.

Founded in 1990, the CJF is a not-for-profit organization that promotes excellence in journalism by celebrating outstanding journalistic achievement through an annual awards program; by operating journalism websites, J-Source.ca (English) and ProjetJ.ca (French), in cooperation with the country's leading journalism schools; and by organizing events that facilitate dialogue among journalists, business people, government officials, academics and students about the role of the media in Canadian society; and fostering opportunities for journalism education, training and research.

We are in a category of journalistic excellence that just by simply

being nominated in is in itself recognition for a lot of hard work by our wonderful staff at

Turtle Island News.

“”

Share your updates and photos with

us! Send all information to

[email protected]


ASSOCIATION NEWS

Tembec Supports Guidelines for Sustainable Paper

Tembec supports the Guidelines of Sustainable Paper Products released April 24 by GreenBlue, which provide the common language

and framework the paper products industry needs to take practical and profitable steps toward sustainability.

The Guidelines of Sustainable Paper Products is a joint effort of GreenBlue, a non-profit organization that equips business with the science and resources to make products more sustainable, and its Forest Products Working Group, made up of ten leading companies including Tembec. The Guidelines provide definitions of sustainable paper products and outlines what sustainability means for the paper products industry, its customers and the community at large.

The Guidelines envision a paper products industry in which every product is designed to be safe and healthy for individuals and communities throughout its life cycle; sourced responsibly; manufactured, transported, and recycled using clean technology and renewable energy, and, after use, effectively recovered and recycled to provide a valuable resource for the next generation of products.

“Tembec worked with GreenBlue and other industry partners on the Guidelines for Sustainable Paper Products because we believe adopting a common language and shared values about sustainability will help our industry embrace sustainable development,” said Chris Black, Tembec Executive Vice President and President, Paper and Paper Pulp Group. “This continues Tembec’s long history of working with a wide range of stakeholders to ensure responsible stewardship of resources and sustainable operations.”

The Guidelines provide the information companies need to evaluate the sustainability of operations, identify opportunities for profitable improvement, and integrate life cycle thinking and sustainable criteria into business strategies.

The Guidelines will evolve over time, and Tembec will continue contributing to GreenBlue’s Forest Products Working Group, whose other members are: Avery Dennison, Aven Products, Bank of America, Catalyst Paper, Domtar, HAVI Global Solutions, RR Donnelley, Sappi Fine Paper North American, and Staples.

For more information on the Guidelines for Sustainable Paper Prodcuts, visit www.greenblue.org/activities/forest-products/

Tembec is a manufacturer of forest products - lumber, pulp, paper and specialty cellulose - and a global leader in sustainable forest management practices. Principal operations are in Canada and France. Tembec has some 3,700 employees and annual sales of approximately $2 billion. Tembec is listed on the TSX (TMB).

For more information please contact:Linda Coates, Vice President, Human Resources and Corporate Affairs Tel: 416-775-2819 [email protected]

Patrick Lyn, Manager, Paper Pulp Marketing and Market ResearchTel: [email protected]

CLASSIFIEDS

Mike Donachie Versatile journalist with more than 17 years’ experience. Strong background in leadership and project management. Unhesitatingly embraces change in a fast-paced industry. Superb communicator with a focus on business goals. Resourceful, energetic and seeking a challenge.

Professional experience includes: (please note not all experience has been listed) Columnist, The Courier, DC Thomson & Co. Ltd, Scotland 2012-present Blogger, the courier.co.uk April 2013-present Light-hearted blog as paper’s ‘expatriate blogger’

Deputy Production Editor, The Courier 2012-13 Supervised production of regional newspaper, six editions per night, six days per week. Online writer/copy editor, thecourier.co.uk 2012-11 – Wrote/built online articles. – Search Engine Optimisation

IT skills: InDeisng, InCopy, Quark, Photoshop, Content Management software including WCM Nstein, Microsoft Word, Outlook, Excel, Powerpoint Social Media: Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and Wordpress. Education and Training: – Bachelor’s Degree in Law (Honours in International Law), Glasgow University, 1994 – DC Thomas journalism training course, 1995/6 – Continuing Education: Search Engine Optimisation, ethics, page design, legal.

To access Mike’s complete resume, please visit the ‘Careers’ section of the OCNA website (www.ocna.org)

Any inquires can be forwarded to Mike at: [email protected]

EMPLOYMENT WANTED


OCNA can provide you with laminated, business card-sized Press Cards.

Cost is $10 each for the first three, and $5 for each one

thereafter.

Contact Kelly Gorven at [email protected] or call 906-639-8720 x239 for a Publisher’s Authorization Form and instructions on

how to send photos.

GET YOUR PRESS IDENTIFICATION

CARDS

3 3

April 23, 2013 Date

GORDON CAMERON Managing Editor

Town Crier Newspapers 416-785-4311 101 Wingold Ave Toronto, ON M6B 1P8


June 27th - Top Strategies and Tactics for Sales Success

The old way of selling has changed, but prospecting for new business continues to be the foundation of all successful salespeople and organizations. During this power-packed webinar, learn top strategy tactics that have proven successful for more than 1,000,000 prospecting and sales calls. The deadline to register for the $35 fee is Monday, June 24th. A $10 late fee will be applied on Tuesday June 25th.

To register for this webinar and for more information about the Online Media Campus Webinars please visit www.onlinemediacampus.com

June 4th - Great Idea Awards Newspaper Marketing Winners (FREE) Finalists in the Newspaper Marketing and Promotion category of the Great Idea Awards to lead a webinar on exciting ways to promote newspapers.

June 25th - Newspapers 101: Cross-Media Studies (FREE) In this annual offering, free to members, Newspapers Canada’s Suzanne Raitt offers a masterclass in newspapers across all platforms, providing an A+ overview of the latest research and innovative ads from Canada and around the world. Visit www.newspaperscanada.ca/programs/webinars to register and learn more about each webinar register.

can you capture more advertisers and audience?

H WWith Metro e-Connect, you have what you need to take the lead with multimedia advertising. This integrated, flexible,

cost-effective, multiplatform program is also easy to launch and easy to manage. Providing your ad team with the

resources it needs to deliver real solutions for your advertisers’evolving needs, while expanding audience engagement,

Metro e-Connect translates into a win-win for all.

Find out more now! Go online tometrocreativeconnection.com/e-connect,

call 800-223-1600, email [email protected] or scan the QR code to see how you can immediately

implement and benefit from Metro e-Connect.

Metro e-ConnectThe new multimedia ad program that is changing the way we connect.

OCNAHOW2013

NEWSPAPERS CANADA WEBINAR SERIES:

TRAINING

OCNA is pleased to announce a partnership with Online Media Campus to help the association fulfill its mission of

providing affordable and relevant training to members.

ASSOCIATION NEWS

ONLINE MEDIA CAMPUS WEBINARS:

David Zilstra Communications

Invigorate your ad planning calendar… to Increase sales and your bottom line!

Let David Zilstra help you….battle your competition (print or broadcast), revamp your ad plan, add proven vertical and sustained features, help you generate new business, and steer your ad team in the right direction.

David has over 20 years of print sales and management experience, and is ready to help provide your operation with the boost it may need during these challenging times.

For a confidential discussion please feel free to call or email David at any time. 705-770-0232 [email protected]


BUSINESS

At a gathering I asked a relative of my wife’s who once owned a large car dealership what the best piece of negotiation advice he had received over his storied career. He took his time to respond and said “yes I remember it well. A giant in the auto industry once told me that to be successful in

car sales/negotiations I had to visualize that I was always standing in a round room”.

He had passed along a gem that remains with me today and a quote that I often use in our Centroid Training Sessions. Metaphorically, he was saying take the corners out of the room so you have room to back up and regroup.

Now back to our topic of Effective Trial Closes. One of the themes I like to leave our grads with is that nicely crafted questions delivered politely are innocuous. We can ask tons of carefully crafted questions in our pursuit of a “yes”. An example of a Trial Close question is “What would it take to get this deal done?”

The alternative is to ask a question in a hard, closed ended fashion. An example of a closed question is…. “Do we have a deal?” This small question might seem like a risk free question in a business negotiation but it isn’t! By asking this direct question we have initiated a “coin toss” result. The answer will ultimately lead to a “yes or no”. This means by questioning in this direct manner I’ve opened up a 50% chance of a “no” in the overarching negotiation!! I have inadvertently backed myself into a corner by asking this question so directly.

Back to visualizing we are operating in a round room in a negotiation. By asking a direct question I have senselessly built a corner where there was none. I am boxing myself in! Question? Is there an appropriate time to ask directly for the deal? Yes there is. The time to ask directly for the deal is when you have exhausted all lower risk questions and or when you are running out of time.

The Trial Close example above sounds very similar to a “High Gain” Question. High Gain questions are questions that begin with specific words such as; “Who, Where, When, Which, Where and How”. So what is the difference between a High Gain Question and a Trial Close? The answer is it has to do with tightening the scope of our query toward the end of a bargaining session. Trial Close questions are used to surgically expose blockages or impediments to the deal closing. Trial Closes are also used to trigger spontaneous closure by the customer. Trial close questions also tend to steer toward opportunities in Timing, Place, Utility, Profitability, Success,

Approval and Authority. Questions that look like this;

1. Where would you like to begin our proposal?

2. When is the best time to initiate this proposal?

3. What about this proposal do you like and which of your stakeholders would like it too?

4. Which group in your organization would benefit most from our proposal?

5. How do you visualize closing out this deal?

Trial Closes are a thing of beauty because they do all of the heavy lifting that a Direct Close does without boxing us in! And, if you are in collaboration mode with your customer, the customer may actually offer up valuable information. In the better case scenario they actually share creative approaches they have on the potential deal and start to sell us on their ideas to get final closure of the deal. In the best case scenario they may even say “You know we’ve really discussed the opportunities and exposed the risk in this proposal and I think there are more positives than negatives. Let’s sign this deal and get going!!”

Centroid Training participants learn that Trial Close questions are money questions and I sincerely believe this. When heading into an important negotiation rank your Trial Close Questions for dollar value and effect. Think about how much time you have in large account negotiations with senior executive buyers? The answer is not much. So, craft your trial close questions carefully. Rank them. Practice them. Role play with them. The better you get at delivering Trial Close questions in pressure cooker negotiations, the more deals you will close with the lowest amount of risk.

PATRICK TINNEY is the founder of Centroid Training and Marketing, a consulting firm helping organizations make and save money through consultative selling, sales prospecting and business negotiation training.

Effective Trial Closes for Business By Patrick Tinney, Managing Partner Centroid Training & Marketing

A prudent question is one-half of wisdom.

- Francis Bacon “

”


HUMOUR

Lying about your age – it’s almost a cradle to grave phenomena in this country. When you’re 9 ½ years old and dying to be ten, you’re ten. When you’re 17 years old and dying to drink with your buddies at the bar, you’re 19. The day you signed on to the online dating service you shaved a full five years off your birth certificate. The vanity of women has those in their

mid-50s admitting to being ‘forty something.’ The vanity of men saw venerable comedian Jack Benny die at age 80 but was still only 39 years old.

And now, according to a CBC-Radio documentary aired on Sunday Morning, Canadian men and women in their 50s and early 60s are lying about their ages. But they’re not subtracting years to appear younger, they’re adding years to their correct age in order to cash in on senior discounts. Apparently, it’s become a widespread problem in a country where the only thing faster than the aging of Baby Boomers is the race between retailers to grab a piece of their pensions.

Apparently senior discounts – not that I would know anything about it – are available at drug stores, department stores, art galleries and casinos where women over 60 sit for hours on end dropping quarters into slot machines. Thank goodness for Depends.

The biggest bonus for seniors is at the cinema where they can save five or six dollars on the price of admission. The problem of underage seniors scamming this sizable discount is made worse by the age of the people who work at the cinema. They’re teenagers. Teenagers think anybody over 30 should be sprayed with Lemon Pledge and placed in a museum. If you don’t start your sentences with “Omigod” or “It’s so surreal” they don’t want to hear from you.

If teenagers ruled the world senior citizens wouldn’t be visiting their doctors every week, they’d be reporting to a taxidermist once, at age 40.

Listeners responding to the CBC-Radio documentary titled ‘Don’t Act Your Age’ claimed it was immoral for people to falsify their age in order to get a discount on a movie ticket. Perhaps, but you know what is really immoral? Charging $10 for a tub of popcorn that costs at the most, 20 cents work of kernels to make.

Some listeners thought faking your age for the movie discount was a matter of theft – taking money you are not entitled to. Maybe, but if you want to see theft at the movies rent Inglorious Bastards, keeping in mind Brad Pitt made millions impersonating a military statue.

So the issue of seniors scamming unwarranted price cuts at movie theatres – “What we have here is a failure to communicate” – is a multi-generational gap. The kids can’t tell a 50-year-old wearing reading glasses from a genuine 65-year-old senior who actually needs them.

Here then are sure ways in which cinema staff can verify that the person they’re giving a discount to is in fact a senior citizen.

▄ You know the man’s a senior if instead of asking you what the movie’s about, he requests a floor plan of the theatre with

the washrooms highlighted in yellow. ▄ You know the woman’s a senior if you correctly guess her

age and she whacks you in the head with her purse. ▄ You know the man’s a senior if you ask him for I.D. and

he hands you his membership card to ListenUP! Free Battery Club.

▄ You know the woman’s a senior if she has more than a pound of balled up Kleenex in her coat pocket.

▄ You know the man’s a senior if you ask how old he is and in turn, he asks his wife how old he is.

▄ You know the woman’s a senior if she takes six minutes to fish a ten dollar bill out of her wallet and accidentally shows you photos of the grandkids.

▄ You know the man’s a senior if you recognize him as your next door neighbour and he tells you to stay the hell off of his lawn.

▄ You know the woman’s a senior if when the theatre lights go down, she claps her hands to get them back on.

▄ You know the man’s a senior if you ask him for photo I.D. and he hands you a driver’s license that lapsed in 1994.

▄ You know the woman’s a senior if you ask her why she’s twiddling her thumbs and she tells you it’s part of her 30-min-ute power pack workout.

▄ You know the man’s a senior citizen if he’s still got the blood pressure test tube wrapped around his arm and there’s a nozzle from the gas pumps sticking out of his pocket.

▄ You know the woman’s a senior if she’s wearing her read-ing glasses on her head and using a magnifying glass to exam-ine the ticket stub.

▄ You know the man’s a senior if you mention the fact he’s not wearing pants and his response is: “I don’t give a damn!”

▄ You know they’re both seniors if after receiving their dis-counted tickets they get distracted and leave the theatre.

▄ You know they’re both seniors if they walk in wearing 3-D cataract sunglasses.

▄ You know they’re both seniors and married if she uses that big ball of Kleenex to take care of his dripping nose.

How to Tell a Real Senior at the Cinema Box OfficeBy William Thomas

William is an author, a scriptwriter and a nationally syndicated humour columnist. In addition to the 50 newspapers that carry his weekly column, William is the senior writer for Forever Young.

For more information visit www.williamthomas.ca


SUPPLIER SHOWCASE

OCNA’S SUPPLIER SHOWCASE

OCNA acts as a gateway to over 300 community newspapers in all areas of the province. Promote your information to our

members here. Send your updates to [email protected].

AdWorks – All the Tools for Efficient Print and Digital Ad SalesAdWorks® is a full featured advertising management system designed for daily and weekly publications. It provides all of the tools necessary for efficient print and digital ad sales, accounts receivables, powerful live reporting, messaging and built-in integration with many ad layout and classified pagination systems, including Adobe InDesign, Quark, AdForce, Classforce, ALS, CLS - all in one

complete system.

A few powerful, time and money saving features:

Email Invoices and Statements - Give your customers the option to receive invoices and statements by email. While posting invoices & statements, let AdWorks automatically PDF invoices and batch email elected customers. AdWorks will notify you of undelivered and discontinued emails prompting for printed copies.

Real Time Credit Authorization - AdWorks gives you the option to authorize credit cards in real time, either per transaction from the ad entry window with the customer on the phone or in a batch at the end of the day. No phone lines, modems or exporting to third party applications required.

Consolidate Your Newspapers to Save Money and Maximize Revenue - AdWorks is designed to leverage your group strengths by sharing resources, and reducing costs by linking multiple ad databases together across your newspaper group. This enables cross-selling and group reporting. AdWorks is built to handle hundreds of remote ad reps, newspaper branches and office connections.

About News-Net Inc.News-Net Inc (www.news-net.ca) provides first-class software solutions, programming, integration and development to over 1,500 newspapers throughout North America. A trusted supplier to the publishing industry since its inception over 25 years ago, News-Net has continually grown market share and develops affordable cost-cutting and leading-edge technologies for the publishing industry.


A TwoGreySuits Article by Ron GuestThe Key to Success

HUMAN RESOURCES

The right person in the right job is the key to success for both the employer and employee. When employees are motivated to do excellent work,

the organization reaps the rewards. When employees are provided feedback on their work, they will strive to continue excellent performance or improve current performance. In the absence of feedback, employees may think you don't appreciate or care about them or their work, or worse, perhaps their poor performance gets unofficially endorsed.

Recruiting quality employees is just the first step in building a great team. The bigger challenge is keeping them on board. Here are four steps you can take to recruit and retain top performers.

HIRING AND KEEPING THE BEST Of course, you want to attract and keep great people. The hiring

process can be costly and time-consuming, so once you’ve selected your top candidate, you want them to stay with you! Here are four steps you can take to recruit and retain the best:

1. Define What Your New Hire Needs To Do

Before you start the hiring process, take the time to define what you need the person to accomplish. Surprisingly, this critical step is often overlooked. By first defining exactly what you need accomplished and then hiring to those requirements, you may well discover an ideal candidate you would not have considered otherwise. To illustrate, a client we worked with typically hired salespeople from within their industry. But the company’s two top salespeople previously sold in completely unrelated industries. We defined what made these two successful -- their ability to open doors and be hands-on in the delivery of solutions – as the key requirement to hire more similar salespeople. Industry experience was helpful, but not as important as these two fundamental skills.

2. Let the Candidate Talk about Themselves

Here is a simple but powerful rule that will reduce your hiring mistakes: Focus on understanding the candidate’s individual accomplishments. Ask all candidates to give details in the first person (“I did this”) on what they have accomplished in past roles and jobs. Specifically look for person, place and time; specifically, who else worked with them on the accomplishment, where was this done and what time was this in (month and year). Their answers will also be easier to verify in a detailed reference check.

Many people want to describe things in the plural, saying, “We

did this; we did that.” An experienced interviewer will ask what their specific role was in the accomplishment. If a person cannot describe in detail how they accomplished something, they may be overstating their involvement in the accomplishment. By using the right interviewing techniques, you can uncover the best fit for your company.

3. Ask Your Top Candidates What They Want

If you are genuinely interested in hiring an individual, communicate that interest by asking the candidate what they seek in their next role. Ask questions related to the candidate’s background before you tell the candidate exactly what you are looking for in skills and behavior. Take the time to ask questions that will help you learn about the person’s goals and desires. Listen very carefully to the answers and ask follow-up questions.

What you learn may even help you shape the job description for the people you ultimately hire. You’ll also convey a genuine interest in these people, and few managers do that during the interview process. As a result, you will stand out in their minds. If your interest is sincere, this is one of the most effective recruiting tools at your disposal.

4. You Are the Key to Keeping the Best

The best people want opportunities to work on the best projects and with the best clients or customers. They also want to develop personally and professionally. These people can always get a job (even in a down economy), but they often have a hard time finding an organization (and a boss) that takes an interest in helping them develop and achieve. Simply put, good people want good bosses. The number one reason, supported by significant and varied research, of why employees leave their job is directly related to their immediate manager. So, if you want good people to stay, ensure your managers are properly trained, that they know how to give feedback (positive and constructive) and that they are capable of helping people become more competent in their jobs. This is the key.

To prove the point…write down the name of the best boss you ever had. Why did you enjoy working for this person? Chances are it wasn’t their intelligence or technical ability. More likely, the key was their confidence in themselves and you. The best bosses believe in themselves and their people, and this translates into a work environment that entices a talented person to take a job and stay with it.

This article is part of the TwoGreySuits ‘Employee Performance Management’ Series and is offered by our partner, the TwoGreySuits HR Power Centre as a service to our members.


HUMAN RESOURCES

Make Money with Network Classifieds

OCNA’s Network Classified Advertising is an easy way for you to earn additional revenue. Upsell your retail and classified advertisers and earn a 35% commission.An All Ontario 25-word ad is $475. You earn $166.25 each time you upsell your client into the program.You already know that advertisers in community newspapers get results. Help your advertisers extend their reach into a region of the province, across Ontario, or right across the country. They Win – You Win.The possibilities are endless:

»Online revenue – any retailer with a web site. Let the Networks drive traffic to their site for increased sales »Real estate – any agent with vacation properties, commercial properties, and luxury homes. Buy-

ers from outside your newspaper distribution area need to know »Events – Fairs, Markets, Shows, Theatre, Concerts, Sports. Spread the word to draw more people »Help Wanted – Trades and other positions that individuals would relocate or commute to should be

advertised here Contact OCNA Network Classified Coordinator Lucia Shepherd for full details at [email protected] or 1-800-387-7982 ext 223.

TO COACH OR TO TERMINATE. THAT IS THE QUESTION. Managers should try to coach a poor performing employee back to an acceptable level of performance first and make the decision to terminate only as a last resort. Unfortunately that doesn’t happen as often as it should, primarily because managers have not developed effective coaching skills. The TwoGreySuits HR service that OCNA is offering our members absolutely free contains all the direction and tools managers require to effectively deal with poor performers. And they can improve their people management skills as well.

Have a look at the video and then explore the HR Power Centre at www.twogreysuits.com. It contains everything you need for effective people management. And, when you need answers fast, you can talk to a senior HR Professional 24/7 through the HR Hot Line.

Hassle-free, effortless HR solutions for your business ...because HR happens.

For more information, call us at 905 639 8720


It’s amazing what we can learn over the course of a career. So many people have taught me so much. And then, there are the many things I’ve learned by observing newspaper people at work.

In more than 45 years in newspaper-ing, one of the most important things I’ve learned: Small newspapers are a gift. But the real gift is the people who work at those newspapers.

Here’s why:The folks who work at small newspa-

pers live in the town. Many of them grew up there. They go to church there. They shop there. Their kids go to school there. They know who’s who and who would-like-to-be-but-isn’t.

You’ll not find harder workers than those who work at small newspapers. They put in long hours and rarely (if ever) complain, they’ll visit an advertiser before sunrise and they’ll report on those high school football games that run into double-overtime…at an opponent’s stadium 28 miles away.

They try to improve with every issue. If they hear about a better way to do things, whether it’s new software, digital photogra-phy, the web—whatever—most are willing to give the new technology a shot. Granted, some are old dogs. But even they are willing to learn new tricks.

They have the best interests of the newspaper—and the town—at heart. They want to see both succeed and flourish and they are willing to go the extra mile to make that happen.

They are boosters. They will offer a bal-anced report on how things are going in town. They’ll tell the bad along with the good, but they look for the good and they focus on that because they firmly believe the town itself is a good place to live and work.

They are courageous. When that diffi-cult story comes along, the one where they must hold up a mirror to the town and point out an ugly spot, they’re not afraid to tell the unvarnished truth. And they do that because they know that the truth is what makes the town and its people stronger.

They lead. Perhaps the town needs a nudge in the right direction. There’s a chance for growth—if the people are will-ing to take it. The publisher and editor will take up the cause and help to generate the momentum needed for positive change.

They appreciate core values. They’re too busy for office politics and they really don’t care for the gossip and back-biting that goes on at larger newspapers. They have no de-sire to go write for The New York Times or The Washington Post because they realize they are making a positive difference right

where they are.They treat each other like family. From

the publisher on down, everyone on the staff at a small newspaper is “family.” They know each other’s kids. They talk about the things that bring them together. They trust each other. And when one of them is hurt-ing, they care for each other.

Small newspapers are part of the life-blood of their town. Whether it’s a report on a hotly-argued county tax increase or a few sentences about a party for a bride-to-be, the people at a small newspaper take the time to get all the facts and figures cor-rect, and all the names of the partygoers right. And…they work hard to give advertis-ers the service and support they need to be successful.

A town without the bright, dedicated people who work at a small newspaper is a town that struggles.

Those Who Work at Small Newspapers are a Gift to Us AllBy Ed Henninger Henninger Consulting

ED HENNINGER is an independent newspaper consultant and the Director of Henninger Consulting, offering comprehensive newspaper design services at www.henningerconsulting.com.

DESIGN


As the old saying goes, ‘Knowledge is power.’ In a sales context, the more you know about your prospects, the better you will be able to tailor your product – in this case, advertising – to their needs.

The best way to get information is to ask the right questions. Open-ended questions (which invite longer responses) are better than closed-ended questions (which invite yes/no or short answers). Let’s take a look at four of the most effective sales questions, listed here in no particular order.

1. What do you do that your competitors don’t do? Differentiation is at the heart of marketing. What makes your

prospect’s business different? What makes it stand out? What services or products can she provide that others can’t?

A clearly defined answer will result in targeted messaging. A vague answer will result in equally vague advertising – with weak response rates.

One of the key objectives in a sales dialogue is to help the advertiser identify relevant and specific reasons to buy (I call that RTB). Look for uniqueness that is relevant to the target audience.

2. What do you like best about your current marketing? The purpose of this question is to learn what your prospect likes best.

The emphasis is on the positive. Does he like photos? Does he like weekly specials? What about web links? Or testimonials from happy customers? Or big sales events?

Of course, studying the current advertising will make it easy for you to sharpen the focus of this question. (“I notice that you use a lot of coupons. How does that work for you?”)

This information will give you some guidelines in preparing spec ads. As long as his ‘Want List’ follows principles of effective advertising, you’ll be able to include many of his ideas in spec ad presentations.

3. What would you like to do differently in your marketing?

This is where you help your prospect visualize a desired future state. Along the way, she might voluntarily mention some things she would

like to change. If not, this question will help you shift the conversation. (After all, if things are going perfectly right now, there’s no need for her to consider any changes.)

Note that it is phrased in a positive way. Instead of saying, “What do you not like?” ask, “What would you do differently?”

4. How would you describe your ideal customer? This is an area where many advertisers – especially the Mom and Pop

businesses – try to cast a net that is too wide. I once used a shoe store as an example in an ad seminar. When I asked,

“What is your target audience?” someone suggested, “People who buy shoes.” Certainly, that is true. But the focus needs to be tighter, in order to bring customers to the store.

The purpose of this question is to identify a specific target audience. If you try to appeal to everybody, you’re appealing to nobody.

Help your advertisers think in specifics. You’ll sell more. And their ads will work better.

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

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. E-mail for information: [email protected]

Four Great Sales QuestionsBy John Foust Raleigh, NC

ADVERTISING

Affordable media insurance for Canadian Community

Newspapers

Service includes: Libel, Invasion of Privacy, Plagiarism, Piracy, Infringement of Copyright, Pre-Publication Hotline

Contact us for a quote:Todd Frees,

General Manager905-639-8720 ext. 234

[email protected]


WWW.OCNA.ORG . [email protected]

Documents

NewsClips May 2013