Pulse to share new WV Data survey
By Autumn Shelton, WV Press Association
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – The WV Press Association is encouraging newspaper publishers, ad directors and advertising staffers to talk with Pulse Research Representative Sammy Papert in the coming weeks about his company’s research and opportunities to increase advertising sales in West Virginia.
As a follow-up to his WV Press Convention presentation, Papert will reaching out and sharing new information.
Why listen? WV Press doesn’t bury the headline: A recent survey show s 74.1 percent of local households have read a local newspaper in the last week. Papert and Pulse will share these numbers and how to use them to generate sales. While Pulse is a paid program, WV Press members do get a discount.
At the WVPA convention in August, media professionals from across the Mountain State gathered together to learn how advertising sales teams may grow their client base using Pulse Research.
According Papert, who delivered the roughly hour-long educational presentation “Achieve Consistent Growth by Prospecting and Engaging Local Businesses using Data,” hundreds of media outlets throughout the country have been using Pulse Research for years to “close the deal” with prospective clients.
“There’s not an ad director or a sales leader or a vice-president of sales I’ve met who doesn’t think selling with data wouldn’t help them,” Papert began, adding that, traditionally, the biggest problem faced by a sales team is that expensive data research usually ends up sitting somewhere in a three-ring binder.
“Pulse has solved that problem,” Papert stated. “[Our] data is easy-to-use. We don’t want our sales representatives to be researchers. The last thing we want them to do is get in a conversation about the methodology or the sample size with a prospective advertiser. We want it to be easy.”
Papert explained that Pulse Research has adapted over the last 20 years to develop a program that has become “simpler and simpler and simpler” to use.
As part of the convention program, WVPA newspapers can receive a free month of use from Pulse. WV Press Ad Directors can contact Papert at 214-505-6420 or [email protected]
Through the annual “Pulse of America” national shopping survey, 7,800 customers are asked about their shopping intent, Papert continued. Pulse takes this data and categorizes it into appropriate regions and subsets. Sales staff may then access this data from their mobile phone, or other device, go to their prospective client and say, “We know how many people plan to buy the merchandise you sell.”
With 535 different shopping categories, no other company comes close to achieving the data that Pulse offers, Papert said.
In addition to data, Pulse Research provides a tool that gives sales representatives the ability to search for a prospective client within their community.
“What we see [sales staff] do often is if they’ve got an upcoming fashion special section, they’ll type in fashion or they’ll type in clothing or they’ll type in shoes and they’ll get a list of businesses in their community,” Papert stated. Once a sales representative enters what type of business they wish to engage with, a list of businesses in their sales area, complete with directions, is populated.
Pulse’s platform also includes a script that can be used whether advertising representatives wish to reach out to a client in-person, or by phone or email, as well as a Return on Investment (ROI) calculator, an online training guide, and much more, Papert noted.
“The long term value in going and talking to businesses with data is invaluable. Even if they say, ‘Thanks, but no thanks, I’m way too busy. Go away. I don’t want to talk to you for six months.’ You are going to be the only sales rep in your community, I can say this with 99 percent accuracy with Pulse, with shopping data,” he said.
Publisher Andy Kniceley added that Pulse is a part of the sales culture for the staff at WV News.
“They make it easy,” Kniceley said. “You know, when you talk about building sales tools and using really good data, they make it easy. The sales training has 12 parts – it’s about three days maximum for a new rep to go through. And, I will tell you, if you’re a seasoned rep, you’re going to learn some new stuff from the sales training from Pulse just in terms of salesmanship.”
“I highly recommend it,” Kniceley continued. “Whenever you see whatever the cost per user is, it is a great investment.”
Following the presentation, West Virginia Press Association Executive Director Don Smith told those in attendance, “One of the hard things about convention is you guys are charged with going back and explaining what Sammy [Papert] just explained to your people.”
For this reason, Smith said he will be getting information about Pulse Research out as soon as possible to those who are interested.
Papert’s complete presentation can also be found online at wvpress.org, Smith said.
“You can play this presentation to your sales staff and then, I’m sure if there are questions, you can email Sammy, and he will address them,” Smith concluded.
The annual West Virginia Press Association convention was held Aug. 10-12 at the Four Points by Sheraton in Charleston along the banks of the Kanawha River.
Pulse Research Representative Sammy Papert delivers “Achieve Consistent Growth by Prospecting and Engaging Local Businesses using Data” presentation.