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About us/Case studies
One of the oldest and largest general circulation newspapers in the United States needed help reorganizing its advertising sales effort in a recession. The client's goals included improving market share and boosting revenue performance. The McKinsey team stressed the need to make big changes, given that newspapers which reorganize sales during downturns typically gain share disproportionately in recoveries.
The team worked with the client to institute operational reforms and change how the advertising sales staff approached their work. A "consultative" selling process was instituted, and sales staffers were given power to negotiate flexible deals in response to customers' needs. A revamped infrastructure allowed staffers to bring the research and creative departments into client discussions much earlier to allow for true collaboration. Above all, a staff that had grown accustomed to passivity was encouraged to be creative and analytical, to speak up and propose innovative approaches ñ even, at times, to risk failure.
The staff evaluation process was also revised to include 360-degree feedback (across seniority levels) and variable compensation grew substantially, based on incremental contributions, rather than sales or lineage. The newspaper also provided greater back-office support, doubling selling time with no added salespeople. |
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