Tips for Successful Circulation Managers

For this article, experienced circulation sources discussed traits of successful managers – including perseverance, leadership skills and a sense of humor.

Consistency is the key to staff motivation, said Steve Wagenlander, circulation director at The Post and Courier, Charleston, S.C. A manager cannot have a "flavor of the day" message.

Leading by example is a motivational tool on its own, he said. Employees don’t want to come in at four o’clock on Sunday morning to answer carrier calls but it will be a different story if their manager makes it in too – with doughnuts.

Motivation of employees doesn’t have to be an expensive proposition, according to Mark Hendschen, group circulation director of Hoard Publication and the North County Times, Escondido, CA. He sends notes to employee’s homes just to encourage them and say "good job." Often he’ll include movie tickets or other small gifts.

Don Waterman, corporate circulation director for Ottoway Newspapers, said he has always felt the best ideas come from those doing the work – which isn’t always the managers.

He suggests making employees feel empowered. Let them have a voice and feel important. Find out what they have to say. This can go a long way to curing retention problems, he said.

A key management principle Wagenlander believes in is to constantly challenge employees. He likes to see staffers take on new jobs every 18 to 24 months.

Even in motivated, challenged and well-managed circulation departments, the question remains – how do papers increase circulation?

The world has changed. Wagenlander suggests newspapers start changing with it.

"The Field of Dreams" philosophy is no longer intact for newspapers, he said. You can still build it, but you can’t expect them to automatically come just because you are a newspaper.

Waterman said newspapers have to have subscriptions that match the reader’s lifestyle.

"What needs to happen is pretty darn close to one-to-one marketing," Waterman said.

Newspapers do not sell like other products – instead they try to sell based on the fact that they are a newspaper, said Waterman. But that will have to change. Vie for positioning and establish branding. In short, become a vendor to stores in your market.

Wagenlander said another needed shift is in paying more attention – and dollars – on retaining subscribers and not generating new ones. He places importance on the quality and loyalty of the customer, not the quantity the paper is raking in.

One growing trend which may increase subscriber retention is auto-pay, according to Bill Hertter, circulation manager for The Pantagraph, Bloomington, Ill.

Canadian papers have been very successful and aggressive with auto-pay while American papers have not caught on as fast, Hertter said. Each bill a subscriber gets is a decision to renew or cancel. With auto-pay, and the lack of a bill it is easier for subscribers to stay with the paper.

- Excerpted from The Inlander