University Calendar

Are you an indie publisher who knows someone who would be a great ad marketer for your news site, who just needs the right training? Are you interested in local news, and willing to learn sales and marketing to support local journalism and make some money? Are you a publisher who has been selling ads yourself, but would like to get better at it?

If so, don't miss our Sales Academy, set for August 17-18 at Montclair State University.

This intensive training program is offered by the Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair State University and supported by The Dodge Foundation. The goal of the program is to help independent news sites become more financially sustainable. Site publishers who have a current or prospective ad marketer are strongly encouraged to attend as a team.

This summer’s program will be the second iteration for the project, which launched in fall 2015.

The program will start with two intensive days of training on August 17 and 18 at Montclair State, followed by six weeks of personalized sales coaching. The training regimen is designed to guide you through the sales process, help you improve your sales success rate, and help you learn to overcome the obstacles you face in field.

The training will be led by Eleanor Cippel, who conducted last fall’s Sales Academy and has trained and coached thousands of local ad marketing professionals in small and large markets across the U.S. including more than 100 independent news sites. Cippel is Chief Marketing Officer at Coats2Coats Consultancy, LLC. Adding local perspective and support to participants during the program will be Annette Batson, Director of Advertising Sales at Baristanet. Joe Michaud, a business coach and entrepreneurship consultant, will serve as facilitator.

You will learn how to:

• How to differentiate yourself from other sellers
• Successfully market an advertiser's business
• Understand the benefits you bring to local businesses
• Discover your likely customers
• Engage customers and follow through
• Understand customers’ needs
• Develop solutions to customers’ needs
• Serve and retain your customers
• Maximize your effectiveness through time management

Publishers and prospective ad marketers from New Jersey are encouraged to apply.

Fee for accepted participants will be $99. Site publishers and sales reps who attend as a team (strongly encouraged, where applicable) will receive a discounted rate of $149 for the team.

Preference will be given to applicants whose sites are set up for ad serving, and whose traffic is sufficient to meet local marketers' needs.

Don't delay – CLICK HERE TO APPLY TODAY – Attendance is limited. Deadline for applications is July 25, 2016.