Planning the sales campaign

Selling the unknown Most staffs must sell the yearbook individually to each student -- a task that is challenging. Just announcing the book is on sale is not enough to inspire people to line up and lay down their dollars. Your job is made difficult because you are trying to sell a product that the buyer cannot see. You are asking them to buy it on faith. A carefully planned campaign will help ensure success.

Determine the market Every school has three target groups of potential buyers. Students and faculty Parents and other family members Community To be successful, you must develop a different strategy for each group. A sales pitch that would motivate a freshman to buy probably would not work with a doctor in the community.

Plan the sales strategy Determine why each group would want to buy a yearbook. Students and faculty Just want to relive the year with their friends Parents and other family members Tend to treasure memories and appreciate the long-term value of the yearbook Community Doctors, librarians, real estate professionals, etc. Want to know how the school yearbook can help them

Establish the calendar Once the plan is formulated, put each step of the campaign on a calendar. Plan a campaign that creates a sense of urgency with limited chances to buy. The longer you give someone to buy a yearbook, the longer it will take to reach your sales goal. The campaign should result in most of the orders collected early to establish a realistic budget. To encourage students to buy early, create a sliding scale pricing schedule – the best bargain for early purchases.

Implement the plan The best-laid plans can go awry without careful monitoring. Assign roles to staff members and explain expectations clearly. Check progress of the campaign and staff members performance daily. Make adjustments to the campaign strategy as necessary.

Analyze the outcome Recognize that even the best strategies will often require follow-up campaigns. After the campaigns for each target market are complete, determine who has not bought a book. Look for a pattern, such as freshmen, seniors or community members who bought previously but not this year. Determine a new approach to reach these groups. Implement the new plan and analyze the results.