Sales Strategy Training

• Sales Team Structure

• Set Goals

• Sales Training

• Additional Revenue Tactics

• Keys to Success

Agenda

Kelly Klein: Director of Sales – Today’s DealThe St. Louis Post-Dispatch“We’ve found one of the keys to this program is having a healthy pipeline.”

St. Louis, MOCirculation: 383,000 Sunday/208,000 average weekdayLaunched: June 2010Deals run per week: five-six featured and one side deal

“Dedicated Rep helps keep our pipeline full”

Who’s going to sell?

•••Revenue counts towards

online goals

•••Keep compensation simple

Traditional rep Deals rep

Goal and Bonus plan

Sales Team Structure

Designate a “Sales Expert” for Deals who can lead and train the rest of your reps

Revenue•••

Establish sales goalsMonthly Revenue Goal?

•••Develop email list goals and

strategyLaunch List Size?

Set Goals

What are your monthly goals for this program?

Set Goals

Plan to have at least 3 weeks of deals ready at all times.

Deal Inventory•••

At least three weeks of deals secured before launch

•••Does your deal inventory

have variety?

Re-run Deals•••

Plan to re-run your top 5-10 deals every 4-6 months.

• •••Constantly be looking to

“build your bench” with an all-star set of deals.

Set Goals

Deal Appeal•••

Make a target list of advertisers located near your subscribers in these

categories

•••Always ask yourself “is this

merchant deal worthy”? •••

Use “Best Of” winners, Yelp and other deal sites to

prospect

Sales Training

Restaurants RetailActivities

TravelHealth & Beauty

Fitness ServicesJewelry

Avoid Location Specific & Planned Purchases

Anatomy of the “Perfect Deal”Sales Training

• Brand Recognition – Is with a well-known, established

business. • Broad Target

– Is one that almost anyone would be interested in, regardless of demographic category.

• Deal Quality– Is a desired item or service.

• Pricing– Is priced at (at least) 50% off and higher

than $5.• Multiple Quantities

– Allows for multiple quantities to be purchased.

• Expiration Date– Has a minimum six month expiration

date.• Other Factors

– Has Seasonality and Adjacency to your market

The perfect deal will make money for you AND the merchant!

The Pitch• What we “sell” the

advertiser• Selling against Groupon &

Living Social• Why choose newspaper

deals program?• Common Objections

Sales Training

Guaranteed Revenue

Measureable Results

Great Word of Mouth

New Repeat Customers

Local MediaExposure

NO Upfront Cost

4-Legged Calls•••

Sales Training

Have your “Expert” accompany your other reps as you begin your program

• Prospect list (Pipeline)• What are daily deals?• Anatomy of the perfect deal• Common merchant objections• ROI calculator• Merchant agreement

(Sales contract)• W-9 form • Direct payment information

(ACH or check)• Merchant Redemption Guide• Loyalty program strategy

Sales TrainingCollateral

Approving Deals•••

Sales Training

Form a committee to vet whether or not a deal is

appealing enough to run on your site

•••Rejection of deals

Side Deals•••

Additional Revenue

Seasonal StoresTravel Deals

Network Deals

•••Instant DealsMom Deals

Out of area deals

• Dedicated “Deals Only” sales rep

• Revenue counting towards rep online goals

• Sales Training– The “perfect” deal– The “pitch”– Merchant objections

• Deals committee• Promotion in traditional

products• Re-running top performers

Keys to Success

• Aggressive sales force• Launched with high profile

merchants• Merchant Loyalty Programs• Focus on categories where

our readers can justify spending – Restaurants– Beauty– Entertainment

• Side Deals/Stores

Keys to Success

The Power of Your Email List

5,000 organic opt-ins

10,000organic opt-ins

20,000 Organic opt-ins

Deal Email 78%

Home Page Ads10%

Other 5%

Referra

ls 7%

Daily Deals: It’s all about the listUnderstanding the revenue value of your subscribers

Free Webinar. June 7th 1 p.m. EST

ROI Calculator

We’re Here for You

Director of Affiliate SuccessTrains your properties on best practices for selling deals

Account ManagerGuides you through every step of the process

Support TeamAlways here to answer any questions

Help GuideStep-by-step walk through of our admin tool

Resource CenterWhite-label materials for selling deals, and strategies for boosting revenue