By Douglas Fry

On November 3, 2006, I got to travel to Chicago, IL and work with other association directors to determine what we could do to help the state and regional associations increase their classified network revenue. The group decided that there was a need to keep everyone better informed about the issues facing the various association classified networks. The group leader is Dan Holmes and it was decided that there is a need to have articles in both TIP, INK and SAPAToday about these vital networks. This is the first of those articles.

Every association relies on the revenue from their classified network to fund the member benefits that the association provides. Other than conferences, for most of the associations, the single most expensive member benefit is the CVC audit. The process developed to establish who pays for the audit is based on the associations where the individual paper is a member. For example, if a member belongs to SAPA and CPF both associations share the cost of the audit. If the paper belongs to three associations that provide audits then the cost is shared by all three. If they only belong to one association that provides this benefit, then that association pays for the audit.

The first meeting to help the state and regional associations increase the revenue of their classified networks established that when space is tight a publisher might pull the SAPA ads in favor of the AFCP ads because they get “paid” for the national ads. The problem with this thinking is that AFCP only rebates papers that are both running their ads and have a circulation audit. See the problem? If you don’t run the SAPA ads you don’t get the free CVC audit. If you don’t get the CVC audit even if you run the national ads you still won’t get a rebate. So, you really need to run the SAPA ads.

SAPA requires their members to participate in the classified network in order to get the CVC audit. We are checking to be sure that the members that have signed up to participate in the classified network are doing so. When we find a member not running the network ads we contact the paper and inform them that they are jeopardizing the free audit that is provided to them as a member benefit.

IFPA recently shifted more of the audit costs to the state and regional associations if papers decide not to run the IFPA classified network ads. Conversely, if your paper chooses to run the IFPA ads in addition to your SAPA ads the cost of the CVC audit will go down for SAPA.

Who Pays for this? SAPA CAN Network!

SAPATodayJanuary, February, March 2007 Visit us on the Web at www.SAPAtoday.com

Continued on Page 4

Southeastern AdvertisingPublishers Association

❝ If you don’t run the SAPA ads you don’t get the free

CVC audit.❞

� SAPABoard of Directors

Past President

Greg Ledford

Shelby Shopper & InfoShelby, NC 704-484-1047

President

Mike Woodard

Tuscaloosa Shopper & ReporterNorthport, AL205-333-7525

Vice President

Bill Bowman

Up & Coming WeeklyFayetteville, NC 910-484-6200

Treasurer

RussellQuattlebaum

Southeast SunEnterprise, AL 334-393-2969

Past President

Molly Richard

Quik Quarter Classifieds

Lafayette, LA337-234-3463

Board Member

Garth Hawken

Flashes Shopping Guide

Stuart, FL772-287-0650

SecretaryTony Onellion

Bargains PlusSlidell, LA

985-649-9515

Past President

Gary Benton

Peddler ADvantageParis, TN

731-644-9595

Board Member

Alan Lingerfelt

The Piedmont Shopper

Danville, VA434-822-1800

Past President

Brenda Finchum

Coffee County Shopper

Manchester, TN931-728-3273

P.O. Box 456Columbia, TN

38402800.334.0649

Fax 888.334.0649

Southeastern AdvertisingPublishers Association

3The Power ofTeamworkBy John Foust, Raleigh, NC

There’s an old story about a man whose car got stuck in a ditch. He went to a nearby farmhouse for help, and the farmer said, “Maybe Jasper can help. Jasper is my blind mule.”

The farmer hitched the mule to the car, stepped back and shouted, “Pull, Deacon! Pull, Nellie! Pull, Cleo! Pull, Jasper!” Sure enough, the mule dragged the car out of the ditch.

The driver thanked the farmer and said, “Sir, that’s one powerful mule you have there. But I couldn’t help but notice that you called out four names. I thought its name was Jasper.”

“Oh it is,” the farmer said with a wink. “But if ol’ Jasper had thought he was pulling by himself, there’s no way he could have done it.”

Teamwork is important. When we feel like we’re part of a team – a group that is pulling in the same direction – we can get more accomplished.

I remember a conversation with Wayne, who works with a large advertising agency. “When we’re competing for new business, we put a lot of time into the development of campaign ideas,” he said. “Most accounts insist on seeing examples of the creative work that can be produced for them. It’s part of their decision process.”

Sound familiar? Don’t your advertisers like to see examples of the ads that your paper can produce for them, before they buy into a new campaign?

“We have what we call Pitch Week,” Wayne explained. “The entire agency is divided into teams. Each group is provided with a detailed profile of the account we’re going after – their products, their marketing history, their target audience, and so on. We work late and through the weekend, because all of this is in addition to our regular

work. Although it’s a time-consuming process, it provides the agency with a lot of ammunition for the actual presentation. And I’ve noticed that it creates a real spirit of teamwork and cooperation.”

Although the media side of the ad business is not set up for an agency-style Pitch Week, the concept can be customized. Consider the regular sales meetings that occur in every ad department in the publishing industry. Why not set aside some time to discuss ad ideas for one client each week?

This calls for a structured approach to creativity. During the designated time frame, stay away from typical sales meeting topics (prospect lists, quotas, bottom line revenue, etc.). Instead, concentrate on the advertising itself. Start with a client profile (for example, a one page outline of product and audience information). Then brainstorm on campaign themes, headlines, and illustrative elements. Encourage the group to develop as many ideas as possible – then narrow the choices.

You might be surprised at the results. “As long as the focus is clear, there’s real power in group thinking,” said Wayne. “One idea leads to another, which leads to another, which leads to another.”

Yes, there is real power when people pull together toward a common goal. Teamwork works.

(c) Copyright 2007 by John Foust. All rights reserved.

John Foust conducts on-site and video training for newspaper advertising departments. His three new video programs are designed to help ad managers conduct in-house training for their sales teams. For information, contact: John Foust, PO Box 97606, Raleigh, NC 27624 USA, E-mail: jfoust@mindspring.com, Phone 919-848-2401.

❝ When we feel

like we’re part of

a team – a group

that is pulling in

the same direction

– we can get more

accomplished. ❞

�The group agreed that there was a lot of confusion over who pays for the circulation audits. Many publishers believe that they come from the association that sent them a rebate check. Tim Bingaman, President of CVC, says that he can tell almost to the day when the AFCP rebate checks are mailed because of the huge number of calls he gets from papers asking about the AFCP circulation audits. This confirms that often the credit for the member benefit of CVC audits is not assigned to the proper association.

If you run the SAPA CAN (Classified Ad Network) ads and send tearsheets proving this SAPA pays for your circulation

audit. It’s that simple. It is an extremely important member benefit. It allows you to belong to PaperChain. Without the CVC audit your paper would not be listed with SRDS. Without the audit you would not be included in various databases of media buyers across the country including NSA, Gemstone, Vertis, and numerous others. The SAPA sponsored audit is the key to your future growth. It is particularly significant to remember who pays for the audit and make sure you run the SAPA CAN ads.

If you have any questions about the benefits and requirements of the classified network programs please contact Douglas Fry direct at 931.233.1681.

Who Pays?Continued

You Have A Friend on the Front LineDEVIL OR ANGELYou can only make the sale if you get through the receptionist to get to the buyer. The response you get from a receptionist is in direct proportion to your attitude toward her. Most salespeople approach the busy executive’s front line of defense as the enemy – a devil in disguise. Salespeople are usually disappointed with the receptionist’s reaction because they often get the icy greeting they subconsciously create. Her response to you is a mirror image of your attitude toward her.ANGEL AT THE GATESuccess begins and ends in your own mind. Thinking of the person at the front desk as a gatekeeper negatively impacts your facial expression, body language, and demeanor; and conversely, it also changes the demeanor of the gatekeeper towards you. She now puts you in the same category as the hundreds of other peddlers she is faced with day-in and day-out. To change her negative reception to a positive reception, you must change your negative perception of her position. If she allowed everyone entrance to her boss, she would lose her job. Since what you think is what you get, stop thinking of her as the gatekeeper, and begin thinking of her as the gate angel. You can approach her with a different attitude because she is there to help you to get to Oz, where the client is.One salesperson called the receptionist, The Window Witch. It is no wonder that they were ending up on the wrong side of Oz. They now call her The Window Angel.SHAKE AND MAKEAlways smile when you approach the gate angel, greet her with a gentle handshake, and say, “Hi, my name is ____________. What is your name?” She will be forced to stop what she is doing and focus on you. At this point, you have made both facial and physical contact with her, and you have also differentiated yourself from all the other visitors whom she encountered that day.

A LIVING EXAMPLERecently, I went on a sales call with a salesperson who took me to one of his, as he called it, “tough ones.” He told me that he had been unsuccessful in getting past the receptionist.TOUGH AS NAILSI walked up to her desk, reached out and shook her hand. I said, “Hi, my name is Joe, what is your name?” She said, “Mary.” I glanced down and saw that her fingernails were painted like individual works of art. I said, “Wow! Your nails are beautiful, and who did them for you?” With obvious pride, she answered, “I used to be a nail tech; I did them myself.” I was curious, “Must have taken all day?” “No.” she said, “It took only fifteen minutes.” I held out my free hand and showed her my nails, “What about these?” She chuckled, “You need help.”MEET MIKEAt this point, I introduced her to Mike, the sales representative. For over a year, he had been calling on her, and he had never really met her. His usual routine was to throw his business card at her, and to expect her to fetch the client. Never lead with your business card. Always lead by first showing the receptionist that you are more interested in her.I NEED YOUR HELPMy next statement to Mary was, “Mary, I need your help.” Notice that I did not say, “Can you help me?” There is a big difference in the two statements. “Can you help me?” is a cliché; she hears it all the time. “I need your help” is a more powerful statement. People love helping others, and “I need your help,” sounds more urgent.HERE’S JOHNNYMy next question was, “Mary, what do we need to do to see Johnny?” Her response was, “Let me get him for you.” She left her desk and headed for his office. It is the same thing that my secretary would do if she wants me to see someone who has made a good impression. Mary returned with Johnny and said, “Here’s Johnny!”

5

❝ Salespeople

are usually

disappointed with

the receptionist’s

reaction because

they often get the

icy greeting they

subconsciously

create. ❞

Continued on Page 8

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8Front Line FriendContinuesNO WARNINGNotice that she did not pick up the phone to warn Johnny with their pre-arranged signal that a salesperson was waiting in the lobby to see him. Also notice that I used the words “What do WE have to do?” and not “…I have to do?” When I said, “What do WE have to do,” she became a member of my team.IN A NUTSHELL1. Approach the gate angel with a smile2. Reach out and shake hands 3. Introduce yourself with your first name and get her first name4. Repeat her name and say, “I need your help.”5. Ask, “What do we need to do?” to accomplish your objective

THE FINAL WORDTreat the gate angel as the most important person in your sales career. She can be your devil or angel; it is all up to YOU!

Joe Bonura, CSP (Certified Speaking Professional) Bonura Business Development Group, Inc.www.bonura.com12931 West US Highway 42Prospect, Kentucky 40059(800) 444-3340 toll free(502) 292-2814 phonesales@bonura.com

❝ Treat the gate

angel as the most

important person

in your sales career.

She can be your

devil or angel; it is

all up to YOU! ❞

Check Out TheSAPAToday Website

www.sapatoday.comWe have reorganized your personal pass to all things SAPA. It is available online at www.sapatoday.com. The following items, and much more are available on the site:• the SAPAToday newsletter online courtesy of JB Multimedia• a complete membership directory of our regular and associate members• weekly CAN (Classified Ad Network Ads) including a PDF ready to place in your publication• a list of the numerous benefits available to level one and level two members as well as associate member benefits• photographs of SAPA headquarters including the ability to enter your address and we’ll create turn-by-turn directions to arrive here• a handy list of all the materials available for loan at no cost to enhance your training• complete download section of graphics, publications, brochures, newsletters, CAN participant lists, forms and much more

9Is It Time ToDivorce the Daily?I recently read this article with much interest. I found the content and application to free papers, such as those in SAPA, extremely timely and important. To read the complete article please go to readthehook.com and look up the article by Mariane Matera dated October 12, 2006. Happy Reading.

By Mariane Matera of ReadTheHook.com

After 37 years of subscribing to the daily newspaper, I wrote “cancel” on the last bill and sent it back.

Since I’ve been subscribing for nearly four decades, it’s obvious I am not a member of the young demographic that newspapers haven’t been able to attract. Print journalism is a) low tech and b) costs money. Neither is appealing to young people who grew up with the Internet and can customize their information intake and get it without a subscription fee. I’m in the age group that is still reading a daily newspaper out of long habit.

But one reason I let my subscription lapse is the fee, which seems out of proportion these days to how much of the paper I actually look at. To compensate for the rising cost of everything, I had to make a budget cut somewhere. I didn’t want to give up cable. I need to keep HBO until The Sopranos ends. I didn’t want to give up XM radio because I fall asleep to Alan Colmes on Fox Talk, amazed and comforted that there is actually a smart, funny, liberal talk radio host still alive in America. So the thing I spent the least time with, the newspaper, had to go.

I have no time to read in the morning anyway. I have to get to work. I have to load the dishwasher, feed the cats, get the bills together to mail. The

Today Show can chatter away in the background while I’m running around and let me know if there’s a terrorist attack before I get on the interstate.

For the majority of my years as a subscriber, I received the now-defunct afternoon paper, which at least had some news in it that had happened that day. I had all evening to read it during commercials (remember the old days when you couldn’t fast-forward through the commercials?) Now my morning paper is yesterday’s news, and if I save it until the evening, it’s almost two days old.

TV tells me everything has changed, and if I need more details, I can log on to CNN or Google News Search. This is essential since someone on my daily paper decided I needed to know only a one-time brief story about Anna Nicole Smith’s son dying, when I actually needed a daily update on that until someone else vaguely famous dies.

Newspaper publishers claim they are dealing with the change in lifestyles and the competing information sources, but they’re not dealing with them fast enough. They promise more local news, but they don’t deliver any more than they used to. The newspaper sections are still predetermined by advertising inches.

On the other hand, the free weeklies are usually nothing but local news, and they’re free. They do a better job of targeting a niche audience. Dailies have to cater to too many demographics and end up giving too little to any of them. Those of us who think American Idol is front page news are never going to live in harmony with those who think diplomatic relations and political upheavals need to be covered in daily detail.

Mark your calendar today for the Super Conference August 2007 in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina.

❝ the free weeklies

are usually nothing

but local news, and

they’re free. They

do a better job of

targeting a niche

audience.❞

10 Creative Tips ForAdobe Creative SuiteAdobe Photoshop CS2 Tip – Lost Your Cursor? Find It Fast!Photoshop’s cursors can be easy to lose onscreen, especially if you’re working on a big screen or with the crosshair cursor (meaning you have the Caps Lock key active). Well, the next time you’re working on an image, and you say to yourself, “Hey, where in the heck is my cursor?” (but you use a different word in place of “heck”), try this—just hold the Spacebar down for a moment. This temporarily changes your cursor into the Hand tool, whose icon is larger, white, and easy to see. Once it appears, you’ll see right where your cursor is, and you can release the Spacebar.Photoshop CS2 Tip – The Hidden Measurement Pop-up MenuYou probably already know the trick about entering values in measurement fields in the Options Bar. You can change your unit of measure by typing the appropriate abbreviation after the value (for example, if you want 100 pixels, you’d type in “100 px”). But there’s an even easier way (and you don’t have to memorize a bunch of abbreviations). Just type your number, Control-click (PC: Right-click) in the field, and a pop-up menu of measurement units will appear. Just choose the one you want and it’ll take care of the rest.Photoshop CS2 Tip – Getting a Fresh Histogram in One ClickWhen you have the Histogram palette open to monitor your tonal adjustments to an image, you may see a tiny warning symbol in the top-right corner of your histogram. That’s its way of letting you know that you’re looking at a histogram reading from the histogram’s memory cache—not a fresh reading. If you want to refresh the histogram and get a new reading (and you should), you can click directly on the tiny warning symbol and it will refresh immediately for you.General Tip – Scanners Aren’t Just for Flat ObjectsEven though your flatbed scanner is normally used for scanning (you guessed it) flat images, it doesn’t mean you can’t scan images that have more dimension (such as a watch, a ring,

a yo-yo, you name it). The only problem is, scanning an image that lifts the lid adds lots of ambient light into your scan, introducing so many outside colors and reflections that it makes the scan all but unusable. The tip for getting around this is deceivingly simple: Just put a black sweater (or black felt cloth) around the object you’re going to scan, and you’ll get great-looking scans, even with the lid open. The black sweater soaks up that ambient light and you’ll be amazed at how natural and balanced your scanned objects will look. InDesign CS2 Tip – Be Quick About the Quick Apply CommandThere’s more to the “Quick Apply” feature than quickly applying styles. These tips will save you time and a thousand mouse-clicks: Quick local formatting remover: Seeing plus signs on your style names? That means some attributes applied to the text are overriding the paragraph style attributes. To clear local formatting, press Opt (Mac) or Alt (Windows) as you apply the style via Quick Apply. Add the Shift key if you also want to clear the character styles in the selection. Quick Edit Style: Need to edit a style? Don’t reach for the mouse! Select the style in Quick Apply, but press Command (Mac) or Ctrl (Windows) as you press Enter/Return. InDesign opens the Style Options dialog for that style. Quick Object Style Apply: The techniques described above about clearing overrides and editing paragraphs style also work for object styles. And here’s an additional one: To clear attributes not enabled by the object style, press Opt (Mac) or Alt (Windows) + Shift as you apply the object style. Ullustrator CS2 Tip – Apply Swatches w/o Selecting ObjectsSimply click and drag any Swatch from the palette to an unselected object and the color will be applied to the Fill if the Fill is Active (in front) in the Tools palette OR the Stroke if the Stroke is Active. This will allow you to apply different Swatches to multiple objects very quickly.

Courtesy of Scott Kelby, further tips available at www.scottkelbybooks.comand Jeff Witchel, Certified Adobe Training Provider

11Calendar of EventsIFPA 2007 Spring Training:Thursday, March 8, 2007 Through Saturday, March 10, 2007. Phone: (609) 408-8000 Location: Disney Coronado Springs Hotel, Orlando, Florida Board Meeting March 7, 2007, Sales Boot Camp, Leadership Excellence, Advanced Sales Camp. For more information email Gary Rudy at: gary@ifpa.com.

AFCP Spring Conference 2007: The Association of Free Community Papers holds its annual conference and trade show at the Marriott Hotel in New Orleans, Louisiana. The conference will be held a the Marriott Hotel on Canal Street in the French Quarter on April 12 — 14, 2007.

For complete information see the conference website at www.afcpconference.org. For more information please contact Craig McMullin at 1-877-203-2327

Community Papers of Florida Spring Conference: Friday, May 4, 2007 Through Saturday, May 05, 2007.

❝Mark your

calendars for

our conference in

Charleston, SC on

August 24 & 25.❞

Phone: 877-373-3142 Location: Sirata Beach Resort, St. Petersburg, FL For more information contact Dave Neuharth at email: djneuharth@aol.com

SuperConference in 2007: In 2007 SAPA is going to pull out all the stops. We’ll have an annual conference at the Francis Marion Hotel in beautiful Charleston, South Carolina. For the first time ever that charming city will host our event. The food is unequalled, the hotel is first class, so plan now for a great time, we’ll all do the Charleston.

Joint IFPA / FCPNE Conference: Thursday, September 13, 2007 Through Saturday, September 15, 2007. Phone: Gary Rudy 800-441-4372 or Lynn Duval 877-423-6399 Location: Hyatt Harborside, Boston, MA

Future Dates & Locations: If you would like to see SAPA have a conference in a particular location for our future events, please give us a call at 1-800-334-0649 or email: info@sapatoday.com.

January 2005Kidsville News!Publishers: 4

Dec. 2006:KidsvilleNews!Publishers:40 50 and growing!

January 2006Kidsville News!Publishers: 21

Find out why! KIDSVILLE NEWS! IS THE NATION'S FAVORITE AND FASTEST GROWING CHILDREN’S NEWSPAPER. From a humble but persistent start of four publications just two years ago, to over 50 editions today, Kidsville News! is making an educational impact all across the country. Why? Because children need to read. Publish Kidsville News! in your community and you'll be a hometown hero!

Kidsville News! has proven itself to be a fun and effective learning resource for children, teachers, and parents. It is the source for school news, information and local community events while promoting literacy and the development of good reading habits, character traits and study skills in young children — and Kidsville News! is always FREE!

Learn more about the Kidsville News experience and opportunity during our 2007 Publishers' Conference, January 25 - 28 in Fayetteville, NC. A special session will be held for prospective Kidsville News! publishers, January 28, 9 a.m.–noon. Kidsville News! is not a franchise and there is no cost or obligation for this session. Call now to reserve your space and receive your invitation!

Call today to “get on the grow” with Kidsville News!TM

Contact: Bill Bowman, President bbowman@kidsvillenews.com910-222-6200or 910-391-3859www.KidsvilleNews.com

Is on the Grow!

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SEMULOVSKAEPSATADRUO

Call today for more information 800.262.6392.

• SAPA members receive CVC audits and readership studies as a member benefit.

• Need a map? CVC offers additional custom mapping services for publishers and advertisers.

• Own other publications? CVC extends SAPA rates to have additional publications audited.

• CVC audits paid and non-paid print media including newspapers, magazines, shoppers, and niche publications.

• Audit reports include comprehensive readership studies and cover printing, distribution, and circulation verification.

www.cvcaudit.com