Why our state, national, and international newspaper conference seminars consistently appear at the top of the attendee surveys

Bob McInnis, president of McInnis & Associates, speaks frequently at  state, national, and international newspaper conferences.  He also speaks often at the American Press Institute.  McInnis is known for his lively seminars that combine cutting-edge techniques, real-life case studies, and humor.  Participants leave with specific things that they can do to quickly and dramatically increase revenues.  He consistently appears at the top of the conference attendee surveys.

Here’s more about the current seminar McInnis is sharing at conferences, his bio, a list of associations at which he’s spoken, as well as answers to frequently asked questions.  If you’re with a newspaper association, feel free to contact us.  If you’re a member of a newspaper association and would like to see us speak at your next conference, tell your association about us!

Current seminar offered
10 Biggest Inhibitors to Ad Sales and How To Overcome Them
Seminar length: can be adjusted to anywhere between 60-120 minutes
If you've ever invested in training just to find your staff drifts away from it a few weeks later, it may not be the salespeople's fault.  In this seminar, McInnis reveals the problems specific to the newspaper industry that will actually discourage your sales staff from using the consultative selling approach.  McInnis will also share a number of solutions that will drive up your department's sales.  A must for publishers and ad directors.

Biography of Bob McInnis
Bob McInnis is a former Newsday executive and president of McInnis & Associates, an international newspaper ad sales consulting firm.  His firm has implemented their unique system of ad sales, Response Oriented Selling, at over 400 newspapers worldwide, including the Boston Herald, Cincinnati Enquirer, Washington Business Journal, Aberdeen (Scotland) Journal, and Nottingham (U.K.) Post.  His unique solutions to the toughest areas of ad sales combined with real-life case studies have made him a favorite at the American Press Institute and countless newspaper conferences including the World Association of Newspapers (Barcelona), The Newspaper Society (U.K), The International Newspaper Marketing Association (Toronto, Boston, Texas, Costa Rica), and numerous state association conferences.  McInnis & Associates' client support web site (ads-on-line.com) contains a free area which is the home to the world's largest new hire ad sales training program.

Partial list of associations at whose conferences Bob McInnis has spoken
As you’ll see, once an association has brought us in to speak with their attendees, they almost always invite us back again.

State
Alberta Weekly Newspaper Association
Arizona Newspaper Association
Hoosier State Press Association
Michigan Press Association (2 times)
New York Press Association (1 time)
New York Newspaper Association (4 times)
New England Press Association (2 times)
New England Newspaper Association (2 times)

International
International Newspaper Marketing Association (4 times in Toronto, Boston, Atlanta, Costa Rica)
Newspaper Society (2 times in U.K.)
World Association of Newspapers (Barcelona)
Society of International Publishers (Madrid)

Regional conferences
Inland Press Association
Suburban Newspapers of America (2 times)
Society of Newspaper Design (4 times)

Other
American Press Institute (10 times plus designed their internet-based ad sales training program)
 

What associations are saying about our conference seminars
"Wow!  Your approach to the topic at hand was superb, not just from my point of view but from the members' as well.  You were one of the two highest rated discussion leaders for the seminar.  I think your expertise and presentation style works extremely well in the conference room. You can rest assured that I'll be asking you back in the future."
                                                              -The American Press Institute

"Best of conference two years in a row and voted 'best idea of all time'"
                                                              -Suburban Newspapers of America

"The attendees all agree your information was useful and could be applied to his/her newspaper.  They absolutely love your style and found you entertaining.  To sum it up, YOU WERE GREAT!"
                                                              -New York Press Association

"McInnis wow's 'em at ad sales seminar"
                                                              -New England Newspaper Association

"Your program is critical to newspapers' future.  Very valuable, based on the evaluations we received.  Compelling, entertaining, lively, engaging, and informative."
                                                              -Society of Newspaper Design

"WOW!  I can't describe how much I learned!" "Wonderful!  Informative! Bob is great!!  Can't believe the time went so quickly.  BRAVO!!"
                                                              -American Press Institute participants

"During a time of incredible change in our industry, McInnis & Associates' presentation forces marketing and sales executives to sit up and take notice of the shift in customer perspectives.  It was a hit with INMA attendees two years in a row!"
                                                              -Earl J. Wilkinson, INMA Executive Director

 

Frequently asked questions
How much do you charge?
Since we began our seminar speaking while still working at newspapers, we understand the budget limitations most newspaper associations have and are willing to speak for expenses only.  However, after hearing too often from both attendees and association managers that we were the best speaker of the conference and they were disappointed by the speaker who charged up to $3,000, we decided to implement a “most favored nation” clause. 

Basically this means that if you’re not spending any money on the speakers, we won’t ask for any either.  However, if you do have a budget and speakers are being paid, we ask for the same amount as the highest paid speaker.  If you ask around, you’ll find we’re worth it, with attendees leaving both happy and empowered to return to their newspapers and make a number of changes for the better.

What’s your availability?
We keep very busy, having worked with over 400 newspapers in the past 5 years, and our  schedule is booked far in advance.  However, we do schedule in some down time here and there to relax and do some industry speaking.  Contact us for availability, and as early as possible.

What type of newspaper is your program appropriate for?
Having sold and managed at the country’s smallest weeklies and  the largest dailies, the seminars we conduct at association conferences are equally appropriate for both. 

What type of audience is best for your conference seminars?
Our seminars are targeted toward publishers and advertising directors of any size newspaper.  Salespeople who attend would also benefit  However, when the majority of the attendees are salespeople, such as “sales camps”,  we price it as if we were being hired by a newspaper itself for sales training.

How can I get more information?
Since we usually don’t charge for our services to associations and don’t aggressively market to them, we don’t have any promotional kit.  What you see here is the extent of the information we have in writing.  We believe you can get a better feel for if we’d be appropriate for your next conference by talking to us and the associations who have had us speak in the past.  Don’t hesitate to contact us if you’d like to learn more.