Your possible competitors
Before you can sell advertising, you need to know about your competition. Part of your job will involve approaching advertisers running in other mediums, part of your discussion with an advertiser will be why your paper is better than the other, or at least a logical buy in addition to the other product or products.

We'll talk briefly about each of the different types of print publications that are out there. You may be working for one type of product and competing with the others, or perhaps you belong to a group of newspapers that include some or all of the various forms of print publications we'll be discussing. In either case, you'll need to know some basic information about each type. Also, keep in mind that although we won't be discussing competitive media in all it's forms, you may be competing with radio, broadcast T.V. and cable T.V. Ask your manager about the other forms of media in your area and for advice on competing with them.

The time may soon arise where an account tells you "I'm already running with the other paper". Our first word of advice is that your response should never be "May I ask why?", which the account will immediately interpret as "were you born an idiot?". Instead look the account straight in the eye and with as much sincerity as you can, say "Good, I hope it's working for you." And then move on.

We strongly recommend that you don't badmouth other publications in front of your clients for only one reason--it doesn't work. Especially if the advertiser is running in a competitive product, saying bad things about that product is only going to put the account on the defensive, and make you look less secure about the benefits of your own newspaper.