The Challenge
In a drastic move to survive rapidly changing markets, alternative competition and an unpredictable future, Lee made a number of changes aimed at encouraging a faster response to the marketplace. Among them, decision-making was pushed downward and customer satisfaction was declared a responsibility of every person in the organization. The next step was to transform the philosophy into action.
The Solution
The Lee Leadership Series, designed by Interpersonal Development, began with a business issues-oriented, results-driven process of organizational diagnosis. Individual leadership style assessments were followed by two weeks of intensive leadership training for the CEO team, corporate staff, television general managers and newspaper publishers.
The Challenge
Declining advertising revenues for the firm´s 18 newspapers and five television stations, caused mainly by increasing competition from cable television, direct mail, weekly "shopper" publications and "yellow page" directories.
The Solution
Reposition sales representative as "advertising consultants" to local retailers. Objectives: build partnerships, penetrate accounts, and lock out the competition. Interpersonal Development designed training for each population: newspaper sales representatives, television account executives, classified advertising telemarketers and sales managers.
The Challenge
Maximize computer-based market research program to help sales representatives sell targeted advertising programs. The hardware was in place, but personnel skills lagged behind.
The Solution
Selling with Data Seminar, a two-day program designed by Interpersonal Development and delivered on-site by Lee trainers.
The Challenge
Cut more profitable deals. Newspaper sales representatives had long ignored the official rate card and cut their own deals. Lee researched and created a new rate card, and then looked for ways to encourage the sales representatives to use it as a selling tool.
The Solution
Value-based selling a two-day seminar designed and delivered by Interpersonal Development to help sales representatives grasp the advantages of "selling the value on the rate card" before cutting deals.
The Challenge
Increasing pressure on newspaper advertising managers to more creatively design advertising packages. The new approach was necessary to combat increasing competition and dwindling national account spending, but advertising managers were caught in a "business as usual" rut.
The Solution
Idea sharing and creativity training, offered during a two-day Regional Advertising Forums facilitated by Interpersonal Development trainers.
The Challenge
Ad agencies forced television sales representatives into "quote and hope" situations, where buying decisions were made strictly on price rather than service.
The Solution
Negotiating skills seminar, customized by Interpersonal Development, helped sales representatives move beyond price selling to a consultative, needs-based approach.
The Challenge
Lack of follow-up and reinforcement for sales training.
The Solution
Coaching sills course for managers, supplemented by a series of Reinforcement Training Kits for sales managers to use during weekly sales meetings.