Meranda Writes' blog caught my eye today. Hassled by her editor to submit some of her stories for national awards, she confesses that awards or "external praise," as she calls it, serve as no motivation for her when it comes to doing her job.
Motivation is actually something that I've given quite a bit of thought to lately, yet it's a topic that doesn't seem to come up much. Motivation just exists. It just "is," like breathing or walking. Everyone is motivated by something, but we don't often take time to think about what it is that continues to push us and drive us to achieve our highest potential.
In an attempt to coax more daily progress out of my newspaper-focused coworkers (aside: remember that I'm the only magazine rep, so I'm on a completely different schedule from them), my ad director initiated the Awesomeness Board. Posted right outside her door, the Awesomeness Board consists of a piece of posterboard with our names written down the left-hand side and plenty of empty space next to them. The idea: every time one of us does something awesome, we get a sticker. The sticker then goes next to our name on the Awesomeness Board for all the world to see.
Apparently, the Awesomeness Board works wonders for my coworkers. They all have so many stickers that we'll need to add another board soon. I think have four stickers total. I was honest with my boss.
"That doesn't motivate me."
"Well, it doesn't motivate me either," she said. "Money motivates me."
Ah, money. I can think of at least two more of my coworkers who are driven by cash. Offer a $150 spiff and they'll work and work and work until they meet their goals. However, at the moment, money doesn't motivate me either. Not that I don't need it. I just don't place as high a value on it as my married coworkers with two or three kids to support.
So what does motivate me?
Expectations. Goals. I want to be the best of the best. I want to surpass everyone's expectations and then some. I want to do better than my predecessor. I want people to be amazed at what I can do at my age. I want challenges, and I want obstacles. And I want to blow it out of the water.
I think my boss has figured it out already. Two weeks ago I met my goal on one of my magazines. While I was happily rejoicing, she looked at me and said, "I want you to get $1,000 more." At first, I looked at her in astonishment. There was no spiff involved, no bonus, no extra anything. There was just the challenge. A week later, it was done. $1,700 over my goal.
So yeah, money's nice. Being awesome is nice. Winning awards is nice. But ultimately, meeting challenges and being above average is what drives me to succeed.
What motivates you?
Saturday, June 27, 2009
Friday, June 26, 2009
Lunch Duty Rap - Week 4, Persistence Pays Off
It's amazing what three months of sales experience will do for you.
Through my own experiences as well as watching my coworkers, I've gone from thinking solely like a reporter to understanding the vital importance of the sales team and how the whole process goes down. Of course, I still have much to learn, but I can't even imagine what 15 or 30 plus years of experience would give someone.
One of the most useful things I've learned is the importance of persistence. I know it sounds a little cliché, but without it, you're not going to meet your sales goals.
I've already explained my process as far as how I go about getting in touch with my customers. I do anything from calling to emailing to dropping in for a quick chat. For most of my customers, it works fine on the first visit. However, with some, it might take weeks to track them down.
With each magazine, I end up with a list of people that I can't get on the first try. So I wait a couple days and try again. Still nothing? Wait a week, try again. Repeat. I get frustrated and agitated and want to just throw my hands up in the air in defeat. But it never fails - when I'm down to the wire and I try them that one last time and finally get a yes, it's worth all the trouble I went to to get it.
Persistence is one of the hardest skills to maintain but one of the most rewarding, as long as you:
1. Get over the frustration of not being able to reach a customer.
2. Don't forget about the customer. Write it down and make sure you try them at least one last time before your deadline.
3. Ignore the idea that you're bugging their assistant to death and she's eventually just going to hang up when she hears your voice.
4. Start calling your customers early. The longer you have before your deadline, the more time you have to track people down.
Then, I can guarantee that persistence will ultimately push you over your goal in the end.
Through my own experiences as well as watching my coworkers, I've gone from thinking solely like a reporter to understanding the vital importance of the sales team and how the whole process goes down. Of course, I still have much to learn, but I can't even imagine what 15 or 30 plus years of experience would give someone.
One of the most useful things I've learned is the importance of persistence. I know it sounds a little cliché, but without it, you're not going to meet your sales goals.
I've already explained my process as far as how I go about getting in touch with my customers. I do anything from calling to emailing to dropping in for a quick chat. For most of my customers, it works fine on the first visit. However, with some, it might take weeks to track them down.
With each magazine, I end up with a list of people that I can't get on the first try. So I wait a couple days and try again. Still nothing? Wait a week, try again. Repeat. I get frustrated and agitated and want to just throw my hands up in the air in defeat. But it never fails - when I'm down to the wire and I try them that one last time and finally get a yes, it's worth all the trouble I went to to get it.
Persistence is one of the hardest skills to maintain but one of the most rewarding, as long as you:
1. Get over the frustration of not being able to reach a customer.
2. Don't forget about the customer. Write it down and make sure you try them at least one last time before your deadline.
3. Ignore the idea that you're bugging their assistant to death and she's eventually just going to hang up when she hears your voice.
4. Start calling your customers early. The longer you have before your deadline, the more time you have to track people down.
Then, I can guarantee that persistence will ultimately push you over your goal in the end.
Friday, June 5, 2009
Lunch Duty Rap - Week 3, Longing for Photoshop
Teaching Online Journalism's post today reminded me of an issue I've been thinking a lot about lately.
It quotes Renee Barnes' question, "What skills are most important for an online journalist?"
The main skills that emerge include these:
1. Evidence of blogging and interaction with a wide range of blogs
2. An understanding and active use of social media (Twitter, RSS, social bookmarking etc.)
3. The ability to tell an engaging story using still images and audio (audio slideshow – see my previous post for great examples)
4. Ability to shoot, edit and tell stories using video.
5. Basic ability to create interactive story elements using Adobe Flash
6. Ability edit audio and produce podcasts
7. Ability to file from the field breaking news
8. Ability to moderate online discussion
Personally, I feel that all of these skills are not only important but absolutely necessary for journalists today. The speed with which we're moving toward online products and competition is fast-paced and inevitable. In order to best be able to market yourself and serve your community, you have to fully embrace technology and online journalism.
However, there is only one issue with this reality - access to resources.
Most of the technology referenced above is not free. Programs for photos, video, podcasting and web building can cost hundreds of dollars. If you work for a newspaper or online publication that is willing to foot the bill, then that's great. But what about the rest of us?
I work at a small newspaper with minimal funding and even less online use. I can barely access email, let alone any Flash programs or Photoshop. So in order to have the same opportunities as everyone else, it's up to me to fund my own education in technology.
The same goes for freelance writers, laid-off journalists, or journalists who are actively job searching. It's the Catch-22 of the journalism industry. In order to make yourself marketable, you need access to technology. But when you're unemployed or living on a very low income, it's hard to fork over hundreds of dollars in the hopes of keeping up with technology and successfully marketing yourself. In all honesty, sometimes it's a gamble that I'm not willing to make.
The solution? Who knows. Maybe a technology grant that journalists can apply for and receive. Maybe free classes or free access to some of these programs at public libraries. Maybe there are some things out there already that I don't know about yet. Luckily, blogs, social networks and story-writing are all free, so there's still hope for some of us. I do the best that I can with what I've got. While I'm constantly nervous about being so far from where I should be as far as technology is concerned, I hope that my knowledge of the industry and my love of learning will get me past any hump that may come along in my search for jobs in the future.
And as soon as I have some extra cash, it's going straight to a Photoshop fund.
It quotes Renee Barnes' question, "What skills are most important for an online journalist?"
The main skills that emerge include these:
1. Evidence of blogging and interaction with a wide range of blogs
2. An understanding and active use of social media (Twitter, RSS, social bookmarking etc.)
3. The ability to tell an engaging story using still images and audio (audio slideshow – see my previous post for great examples)
4. Ability to shoot, edit and tell stories using video.
5. Basic ability to create interactive story elements using Adobe Flash
6. Ability edit audio and produce podcasts
7. Ability to file from the field breaking news
8. Ability to moderate online discussion
Personally, I feel that all of these skills are not only important but absolutely necessary for journalists today. The speed with which we're moving toward online products and competition is fast-paced and inevitable. In order to best be able to market yourself and serve your community, you have to fully embrace technology and online journalism.
However, there is only one issue with this reality - access to resources.
Most of the technology referenced above is not free. Programs for photos, video, podcasting and web building can cost hundreds of dollars. If you work for a newspaper or online publication that is willing to foot the bill, then that's great. But what about the rest of us?
I work at a small newspaper with minimal funding and even less online use. I can barely access email, let alone any Flash programs or Photoshop. So in order to have the same opportunities as everyone else, it's up to me to fund my own education in technology.
The same goes for freelance writers, laid-off journalists, or journalists who are actively job searching. It's the Catch-22 of the journalism industry. In order to make yourself marketable, you need access to technology. But when you're unemployed or living on a very low income, it's hard to fork over hundreds of dollars in the hopes of keeping up with technology and successfully marketing yourself. In all honesty, sometimes it's a gamble that I'm not willing to make.
The solution? Who knows. Maybe a technology grant that journalists can apply for and receive. Maybe free classes or free access to some of these programs at public libraries. Maybe there are some things out there already that I don't know about yet. Luckily, blogs, social networks and story-writing are all free, so there's still hope for some of us. I do the best that I can with what I've got. While I'm constantly nervous about being so far from where I should be as far as technology is concerned, I hope that my knowledge of the industry and my love of learning will get me past any hump that may come along in my search for jobs in the future.
And as soon as I have some extra cash, it's going straight to a Photoshop fund.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Lunch Duty Rap - Week 2, War of the Gift Shops
It never fails that what ultimately saves my magazines is the ever-present and vicious competition among local consignment shops in Tifton.
It was drilled into me over and over in my economics classes that competition is good for local economies. Of course, there's all kinds of data to prove it. I've always understood it from a consumer's point of view. More competition means better prices for consumers and less chance of the formation of monopolizing and price-controlling businesses. But I never thought about how beneficial competition is for local advertising, as well.
Tifton has an abundance of small consignment stores, or gift shops, spread throughout the area. They specialize in Vera Bradley, host bridal registries and sell myriad interior decorating essentials. I can think of at least six stores off the top of my head, but I know there are many, many more. Currently, all six of those stores advertise with me and continue to advertise. Know why? They all secretly, or not-so-secretly, want to best each other.
When I started working on the magazines, only three of the shops advertised with me. As an experiment, I presented my magazines to another store and slyly mentioned the fact that some of the other shops were advertising with me. Immediately, the shop bought the back page to two of my magazines, our most expensive positions. Score one for Kelly.
Today, I visited another gift shop and the owner agreed to start advertising and get in on the action, also giving me the lowdown on all of the other shops she's in competition with, a.k.a. ammunition for future sales.
So without the graphs and microeconomic equations, I can personally vouch for the fact that competition is good not only for consumers but also for advertising. And we need all the economic stimuli we can get, even if it means getting my hands a little dirty in some small-town drama.
It was drilled into me over and over in my economics classes that competition is good for local economies. Of course, there's all kinds of data to prove it. I've always understood it from a consumer's point of view. More competition means better prices for consumers and less chance of the formation of monopolizing and price-controlling businesses. But I never thought about how beneficial competition is for local advertising, as well.
Tifton has an abundance of small consignment stores, or gift shops, spread throughout the area. They specialize in Vera Bradley, host bridal registries and sell myriad interior decorating essentials. I can think of at least six stores off the top of my head, but I know there are many, many more. Currently, all six of those stores advertise with me and continue to advertise. Know why? They all secretly, or not-so-secretly, want to best each other.
When I started working on the magazines, only three of the shops advertised with me. As an experiment, I presented my magazines to another store and slyly mentioned the fact that some of the other shops were advertising with me. Immediately, the shop bought the back page to two of my magazines, our most expensive positions. Score one for Kelly.
Today, I visited another gift shop and the owner agreed to start advertising and get in on the action, also giving me the lowdown on all of the other shops she's in competition with, a.k.a. ammunition for future sales.
So without the graphs and microeconomic equations, I can personally vouch for the fact that competition is good not only for consumers but also for advertising. And we need all the economic stimuli we can get, even if it means getting my hands a little dirty in some small-town drama.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Technology worth tinkering with
Some crazy new stuff you should check out:
Bing, Microsoft's new search engine that's being launched on June 3.
Google Wave, a marriage between Gmail and Google Talk. Its revolutionary attributes include live chat in which you can see the other person typing character by character as well as an all-in-one place for viewing documents, pictures, emails, chats and more without delving into archives or extra screens. Unfortunately, Google Wave won't be available until later this year.
Woya, a consumer's saving grace when it comes to online purchases.
Bing, Microsoft's new search engine that's being launched on June 3.
Google Wave, a marriage between Gmail and Google Talk. Its revolutionary attributes include live chat in which you can see the other person typing character by character as well as an all-in-one place for viewing documents, pictures, emails, chats and more without delving into archives or extra screens. Unfortunately, Google Wave won't be available until later this year.
Woya, a consumer's saving grace when it comes to online purchases.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Credit card calamity
Today the U.S. House passed a bill that will enact major changes in the way consumers interact with their credit cards and credit card companies.
The Credit Cardholder's Bill of Rights Act of 2009 was passed yesterday by the Senate, so now it only awaits presidential approval before becoming law.
Passage of the bill is consumer friendly in that it radically changes the way credit card companies are allowed to treat their customers, including extending the period of time between the postage of a bill and its actual due date. This will eliminate the ability of credit card companies to post a bill 10 days before its due with the goal of increasing the chance of charging customers late fees.
However, the bill also prohibits people under age 21 from obtaining a credit card without cosigning with a parent. While the idea is to nobly prevent credit card companies from bullying the college-aged crowd, it will ultimately harm young people in the future by stunting their ability to build credit.
I've been steadily building credit since I graduated from high school. I would buy something small with my credit card, pay it off, then start the cycle again the next month. Within a few years, I've built up thousands of dollars worth of credit, I have two credit cards, I've got a great credit score and I've learned to be responsible in the way that I handle credit.
Credit cards shouldn't be your enemy or your vice; they're your friends! They can get you out of a tight spot, give you a chance to treat yourself and help you become more responsible with your finances. You just have to learn to use them correctly. And the sooner young people learn to do that, the better.
The Credit Cardholder's Bill of Rights Act of 2009 was passed yesterday by the Senate, so now it only awaits presidential approval before becoming law.
Passage of the bill is consumer friendly in that it radically changes the way credit card companies are allowed to treat their customers, including extending the period of time between the postage of a bill and its actual due date. This will eliminate the ability of credit card companies to post a bill 10 days before its due with the goal of increasing the chance of charging customers late fees.
However, the bill also prohibits people under age 21 from obtaining a credit card without cosigning with a parent. While the idea is to nobly prevent credit card companies from bullying the college-aged crowd, it will ultimately harm young people in the future by stunting their ability to build credit.
I've been steadily building credit since I graduated from high school. I would buy something small with my credit card, pay it off, then start the cycle again the next month. Within a few years, I've built up thousands of dollars worth of credit, I have two credit cards, I've got a great credit score and I've learned to be responsible in the way that I handle credit.
Credit cards shouldn't be your enemy or your vice; they're your friends! They can get you out of a tight spot, give you a chance to treat yourself and help you become more responsible with your finances. You just have to learn to use them correctly. And the sooner young people learn to do that, the better.
Monday, May 18, 2009
Good news and bad news for newspapers
With real estate taking a nose dive and the automotive industry not far behind, it's no wonder newspaper advertising numbers are down more than ever.
Reflections of a Newsosaur's post on the effects of car dealerships' closings on local advertising rings eerily true with my own newspaper.
When I started at the Gazette about a month ago, there were grumblings from all the reps about being gold against such big numbers from last year's sales. But the one who grumbled the least was actually the one who'd lost the most.
This rep had been in control of all real estate advertising in addition to her local territory. When I looked at the sales sheet, I couldn't believe my eyes. She sold tens of thousands of dollars in real estate each month last year. Now, she's pulling around $1,000, or $2,000 in a good month. That means she won't be making her goals for at least a year and maybe more if real estate keeps falling. And you won't ever hear her complain about it.
Not to mention that that's hundreds of thousands of dollars lost to the newspaper itself. And if automotive dealers go the way of real estate, then we're in big trouble.
But the good news for newspapers, according to Reflections of a Newsosaur, is that broadcast news is set to take a bigger hit in automotive advertising losses than print news.
Think about all of the car dealership ads that you see on TV. Hometown ads with all kinds of graphics and children and little jingles. Most of those could disappear, and without the campaign ads that flooded TVs last year and lined the broadcast industry's pockets, broadcast news is in for a big hit this year.
While that's good news for newspapers, I'm a firm believer that we're all in this together. If it's a hit to broadcast news, it's a hit to the journalism industry itself. And whether we're newspapers, radio, broadcast or online, that means we're all going to have to work a little bit harder to make things work.
Reflections of a Newsosaur's post on the effects of car dealerships' closings on local advertising rings eerily true with my own newspaper.
When I started at the Gazette about a month ago, there were grumblings from all the reps about being gold against such big numbers from last year's sales. But the one who grumbled the least was actually the one who'd lost the most.
This rep had been in control of all real estate advertising in addition to her local territory. When I looked at the sales sheet, I couldn't believe my eyes. She sold tens of thousands of dollars in real estate each month last year. Now, she's pulling around $1,000, or $2,000 in a good month. That means she won't be making her goals for at least a year and maybe more if real estate keeps falling. And you won't ever hear her complain about it.
Not to mention that that's hundreds of thousands of dollars lost to the newspaper itself. And if automotive dealers go the way of real estate, then we're in big trouble.
But the good news for newspapers, according to Reflections of a Newsosaur, is that broadcast news is set to take a bigger hit in automotive advertising losses than print news.
Think about all of the car dealership ads that you see on TV. Hometown ads with all kinds of graphics and children and little jingles. Most of those could disappear, and without the campaign ads that flooded TVs last year and lined the broadcast industry's pockets, broadcast news is in for a big hit this year.
While that's good news for newspapers, I'm a firm believer that we're all in this together. If it's a hit to broadcast news, it's a hit to the journalism industry itself. And whether we're newspapers, radio, broadcast or online, that means we're all going to have to work a little bit harder to make things work.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
