31/05/2010
Wellington was cold and windy. As expected.
The outsourcing company was warm and friendly and being a small operator it meant that there weren’t layer after layer to go through for me to get the right message across.
After spending some time sitting down and working through the requirements and stressing upon the importance of maintaining customer relationships, I felt quite comfortable with what they had to offer NZM.
The Wellington trip was quite exciting as I realised while in Wellington that I had lost my cardholder and all my cards with it. A frantic search of my jacket and trousers confirmed this and when the people at the airport said that nothing had been returned back to them, I feared that all was lost.
So on the way back, I was very pleasantly surprised when the stewardess came over and informed me that they had indeed found my cardholder and it was ready to be picked up at Auckland airport.
I rushed straight to the counter upon my arrival and identified myself to the attendant.
She confirmed that such a card holder had indeed been found but she needed my ID to confirm that this was indeed mine; The fact that my driver's license was IN the cardholder wasn't good enough.
After a lot of convincing she agreed to (do me a "favour" and) open the cardholder and lo and behold there i was smiling back at her on the plastic driver's license!
Back to work: Things are looking good as they have sent through the contract which I have forwarded on to Chris to check and sign off so we can get this project underway.
NSM on the other hand is ready to kick this off from Tuesday.
We are all waiting very excited to see the results that come from this exercise.
Monday, May 31, 2010
Thursday, May 27, 2010
The negotiator
27/05/2010
Yesterday was all a bit of a blur as a lot of things happened at the same time.
Chris and I both agreed that the pricing quoted by the outsourcing company was a bit steep for us as it brought our cost per sale quite to more than what we were prepared to invest in at this time.
I then took it upon myself to call the director of the outsourcing company and explained the situation to her. She understood our position and resent the proposal with a much better pricing option which we were happy with.
While this was happening on one end, I was busy working with NSM putting the finishing touches on that front so we can get this underway next week. I sat down with Sati (NSM Trainer) and gathered the requirements from him and liaised with Nicki Steers to get updated collateral for NSM. Sonali is comfortable with the cost structure and we are all set to go!
I also got tickets booked to go down to Wellington today to meet with the outsourcing company and finalise the deal.
All in all, it was a bit of a lesson in juggling for me and I felt quite happy with the way that I had handled the situation, especially proud of how I negotiated the price to an acceptable level.
Time to head off to Wellington now. Ciao!
Yesterday was all a bit of a blur as a lot of things happened at the same time.
Chris and I both agreed that the pricing quoted by the outsourcing company was a bit steep for us as it brought our cost per sale quite to more than what we were prepared to invest in at this time.
I then took it upon myself to call the director of the outsourcing company and explained the situation to her. She understood our position and resent the proposal with a much better pricing option which we were happy with.
While this was happening on one end, I was busy working with NSM putting the finishing touches on that front so we can get this underway next week. I sat down with Sati (NSM Trainer) and gathered the requirements from him and liaised with Nicki Steers to get updated collateral for NSM. Sonali is comfortable with the cost structure and we are all set to go!
I also got tickets booked to go down to Wellington today to meet with the outsourcing company and finalise the deal.
All in all, it was a bit of a lesson in juggling for me and I felt quite happy with the way that I had handled the situation, especially proud of how I negotiated the price to an acceptable level.
Time to head off to Wellington now. Ciao!
Tuesday, May 25, 2010
Change of scenery
25/05/2010
Acting upon a suggestion by Alice, I relocated myself to the Crème magazine area earlier today.
First day here and I have increased the male population in my area by 100%!
So what have I learnt in my 5 hours of being here? So far I have found out who Emily Blunt is and how she is the ‘bestest’ and why Michael Bublè is not hot!
And oh, one of the girls agrees with me that Robert Pattison (the Zoolanderesque vampire off Twilight) cannot act to save his life. Unfortunately, she is the only one in this area so far that agrees with me.
What is amazing is how these talented girls can have all this fun while still working incredibly hard!
I have a feeling it will be fun getting to know this side of the business :)
And now, back to the NZM project…. Tristan, Lawrence and I sat down to discuss the reporting requirements for the project. This was to ensure that we would be in a position to replicate the same requirements from the outsourced agents if we were to go down that path. This would ensure parity when it came to analysing the results at our end.
We decided upon the requirements and now I will need to get that across to the Global Connect if we were to go down that path.
Acting upon a suggestion by Alice, I relocated myself to the Crème magazine area earlier today.
First day here and I have increased the male population in my area by 100%!
So what have I learnt in my 5 hours of being here? So far I have found out who Emily Blunt is and how she is the ‘bestest’ and why Michael Bublè is not hot!
And oh, one of the girls agrees with me that Robert Pattison (the Zoolanderesque vampire off Twilight) cannot act to save his life. Unfortunately, she is the only one in this area so far that agrees with me.
What is amazing is how these talented girls can have all this fun while still working incredibly hard!
I have a feeling it will be fun getting to know this side of the business :)
And now, back to the NZM project…. Tristan, Lawrence and I sat down to discuss the reporting requirements for the project. This was to ensure that we would be in a position to replicate the same requirements from the outsourced agents if we were to go down that path. This would ensure parity when it came to analysing the results at our end.
We decided upon the requirements and now I will need to get that across to the Global Connect if we were to go down that path.
Monday, May 24, 2010
Decision times a coming
24/05/2010
The catchup with Listener did not take place due to all the reporters being in Wellington for the govt’s budget announcement. I will go to the one that will take place this week.
I did go to the Crème WIP catchup and got a feel of how the editorial team work with advertising. It was quite different to most meetings I've been to, not only because I was the only guy at that meeting but also just watching the way they work through things. Alice (crème editor) is one cool chick and has even offered me use of one of the empty desk in their area if I wanted. I might just take up that offer!
The proposal from the outsourced company in wellington has come through and I will need to discuss that with Chris to see if it is a viable option for NZM. Also caught up with Sonali, Lawrence and Sati (NSM Trainer) to discuss the NSM side of the project so we can get things underway by the 31st of May.
The catchup with Listener did not take place due to all the reporters being in Wellington for the govt’s budget announcement. I will go to the one that will take place this week.
I did go to the Crème WIP catchup and got a feel of how the editorial team work with advertising. It was quite different to most meetings I've been to, not only because I was the only guy at that meeting but also just watching the way they work through things. Alice (crème editor) is one cool chick and has even offered me use of one of the empty desk in their area if I wanted. I might just take up that offer!
The proposal from the outsourced company in wellington has come through and I will need to discuss that with Chris to see if it is a viable option for NZM. Also caught up with Sonali, Lawrence and Sati (NSM Trainer) to discuss the NSM side of the project so we can get things underway by the 31st of May.
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Custom Publishing
19/05/2010
Had my catch up with Sarah yesterday and it was quite good. She asked me not to be afraid to challenge her department’s way of working. The discussion then turned to styles of getting work done, basically influence v authority. And since I currently don’t have any authority to get my work done, I need to be using and building on my influence skills.
We discussed a few scenarios in which certain approaches would work better than others and Sarah also shared some examples where she used a certain method which worked for her.
The outbound project was also discussed and I bounced a few ideas off her around the customer offer and it was great to see her challenge my line of thought.
Today has been a very different day altogether. I got a chance to sit down with Jo Elwin, the Custom Publishing Manager, who gave me a very good insight on what she does and what her area works on. Jo has over 16 years in publishing and she is what is commonly called a ‘generalist’.
A generalist is one who has a rounded approach to publishing having usually had significant experience in all aspects (editorial, advertising, production etc) of publishing. As it sounds, there are very few generalists around so it was quite a treat to pick her brains on different things. She has also been as kind as to ask me to join her in some editorial meetings which should help give me a better understanding of how things work in her area.
Tomorrow I take on another step in my quest to learn more about editorial as I have been invited by Pamela Stirling, the Listener editor (kinda forced myself upon poor Pamela really!) to join her team at their team meeting.
Had my catch up with Sarah yesterday and it was quite good. She asked me not to be afraid to challenge her department’s way of working. The discussion then turned to styles of getting work done, basically influence v authority. And since I currently don’t have any authority to get my work done, I need to be using and building on my influence skills.
We discussed a few scenarios in which certain approaches would work better than others and Sarah also shared some examples where she used a certain method which worked for her.
The outbound project was also discussed and I bounced a few ideas off her around the customer offer and it was great to see her challenge my line of thought.
Today has been a very different day altogether. I got a chance to sit down with Jo Elwin, the Custom Publishing Manager, who gave me a very good insight on what she does and what her area works on. Jo has over 16 years in publishing and she is what is commonly called a ‘generalist’.
A generalist is one who has a rounded approach to publishing having usually had significant experience in all aspects (editorial, advertising, production etc) of publishing. As it sounds, there are very few generalists around so it was quite a treat to pick her brains on different things. She has also been as kind as to ask me to join her in some editorial meetings which should help give me a better understanding of how things work in her area.
Tomorrow I take on another step in my quest to learn more about editorial as I have been invited by Pamela Stirling, the Listener editor (kinda forced myself upon poor Pamela really!) to join her team at their team meeting.
Monday, May 17, 2010
New start to new week
17/05/2010
Its getting very close to D-day as Tristan is now working on using MaaX to generate the leads for the telemarketing campaign.
I am still in two minds about going in-house or external. Will probably sound this out with Chris or Sarah and see what their take on this is.
Today was spent chasing up the loose ends and pretty much everything is on hold until the leads are ready to go. The Women's Weekly side of this will not happen until c.o.b Wednesday and the Listener will probably take another day or two.
Based on this run rate, we are still more than a week away before the first call is made to a lead.
Over and out!
Its getting very close to D-day as Tristan is now working on using MaaX to generate the leads for the telemarketing campaign.
I am still in two minds about going in-house or external. Will probably sound this out with Chris or Sarah and see what their take on this is.
Today was spent chasing up the loose ends and pretty much everything is on hold until the leads are ready to go. The Women's Weekly side of this will not happen until c.o.b Wednesday and the Listener will probably take another day or two.
Based on this run rate, we are still more than a week away before the first call is made to a lead.
Over and out!
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
Gaining momentum
12/05/2010
Today just really flew by.
There was a lot of following up to do on the original scoping report and started getting information on getting a new one off the ground.
I also spent time with Angela Blair (Advertising Strategy Manager) who is currently working on a CRM project for APN. She was really helpful and gave me some good tips on project management and common pitfalls to avoid. She also offered to be available in case there was anything in the future that I might need her assistance for.
I also spent time with Sonali around working out what the best way going forward would be to get telemarketers in for the new project. There are a few options to consider (whether to go inhouse with temps or outsource) which I shall work on in the coming days.
I really want this new project to get enough data so that it can be used as a test case for future activities.
Tired now..and its raining again (lucky I got my umbrella!)
Today just really flew by.
There was a lot of following up to do on the original scoping report and started getting information on getting a new one off the ground.
I also spent time with Angela Blair (Advertising Strategy Manager) who is currently working on a CRM project for APN. She was really helpful and gave me some good tips on project management and common pitfalls to avoid. She also offered to be available in case there was anything in the future that I might need her assistance for.
I also spent time with Sonali around working out what the best way going forward would be to get telemarketers in for the new project. There are a few options to consider (whether to go inhouse with temps or outsource) which I shall work on in the coming days.
I really want this new project to get enough data so that it can be used as a test case for future activities.
Tired now..and its raining again (lucky I got my umbrella!)
Working on report
12/05/2010
Chris and I went through the project as it stands right now.
I was quite upfront with him about waiting on information from various sources and asked for his help to push that along since he knew how these people worked.
Chris has been very helpful about this and really wants this project to work.
I am finalising the report this week and should be able to hand it into him, information pending, by Friday at the latest.
Most of the day was spent yesterday reading and proof reading the report and I suspect today will be much the same.
Just found out that India have been knocked out of the T20 world cup which is a bummer :|
Chris and I went through the project as it stands right now.
I was quite upfront with him about waiting on information from various sources and asked for his help to push that along since he knew how these people worked.
Chris has been very helpful about this and really wants this project to work.
I am finalising the report this week and should be able to hand it into him, information pending, by Friday at the latest.
Most of the day was spent yesterday reading and proof reading the report and I suspect today will be much the same.
Just found out that India have been knocked out of the T20 world cup which is a bummer :|
Monday, May 10, 2010
End of the week...
7/05/2010
Friday was all go right from the beginning of the day.
It started off with meeting up Tim Mooney and Madelina about how MaaX assists them in the subscription marketing side of the business. One point that keeps coming through from everyone that I have spoken to is that MaaX has helped them get a better understanding of their business. It provides the transparency and information in an easy format.
The day ended with the monthly drinks here at NZ Magazines in which Sarah invites nominations from everyone in the department for a star of the month award. Then based on the various nominations, Sarah decides upon a winner who gets a little memento and $50 worth of gift vouchers of their choice.
It was a good way to end the week getting to know people away from their desks.
Friday was all go right from the beginning of the day.
It started off with meeting up Tim Mooney and Madelina about how MaaX assists them in the subscription marketing side of the business. One point that keeps coming through from everyone that I have spoken to is that MaaX has helped them get a better understanding of their business. It provides the transparency and information in an easy format.
The day ended with the monthly drinks here at NZ Magazines in which Sarah invites nominations from everyone in the department for a star of the month award. Then based on the various nominations, Sarah decides upon a winner who gets a little memento and $50 worth of gift vouchers of their choice.
It was a good way to end the week getting to know people away from their desks.
Friday, May 7, 2010
Subscription sales insight
7/05/2010
Sonali and I had a really good catch up yesterday around NSM and the way it operates it subscription sales. MaaX has delivered a lot for them both in not only ease of reporting but also helping generate warm leads which only upto a year ago was non existing.
I still need data from Sonali to confirm the positive impact MaaX has had on them and she has agreed to send that through to me soon.
Sonali also introduced me to Tim Mooney (Subscriber Manager) who deals with promotions and campaigns in the paper. I have set a meeting with Tim for today to discuss his role in further detail and get some insights on what MaaX has done for his team.
The timeline is getting very tight for handing in the report and I am yet to get information on quite a few things. Will keep Chris updated on that as I go along.
Had a brief catch up with Bosco yesterday after he was done with the meetings in Digital and had enough time to catch up for a coffee before his taxi was due to pick him up to take him to the airport. It was good seeing him and I look forward to catching up with the rest of the boys at some point.
Today is the monthly drinks here at NZ Magazines and it should be a good opportunity to meet some more people in a more social environment.
Sonali and I had a really good catch up yesterday around NSM and the way it operates it subscription sales. MaaX has delivered a lot for them both in not only ease of reporting but also helping generate warm leads which only upto a year ago was non existing.
I still need data from Sonali to confirm the positive impact MaaX has had on them and she has agreed to send that through to me soon.
Sonali also introduced me to Tim Mooney (Subscriber Manager) who deals with promotions and campaigns in the paper. I have set a meeting with Tim for today to discuss his role in further detail and get some insights on what MaaX has done for his team.
The timeline is getting very tight for handing in the report and I am yet to get information on quite a few things. Will keep Chris updated on that as I go along.
Had a brief catch up with Bosco yesterday after he was done with the meetings in Digital and had enough time to catch up for a coffee before his taxi was due to pick him up to take him to the airport. It was good seeing him and I look forward to catching up with the rest of the boys at some point.
Today is the monthly drinks here at NZ Magazines and it should be a good opportunity to meet some more people in a more social environment.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Checking in
5/05/2010
Today started with Chris and me catching up and updating the Outbound Project. I also checked to see if I was on the right track and got his input on how things could be tweaked a little better.
I am happy to find out that I am on the right path and can continue ahead with some minor adjustments.
As part of the next step, I have arranged a meeting with Sonali Banerjee (NSM Contact Centre Manager) tomorrow with a view to see NSM subscriptions in action and pick her brains on certain areas.
I have also been putting together a report with all my findings and recommendations on MaaX and will continue to work on it in the coming weeks. There are a lot of blank areas in it at the moment but if all goes to plan then it should all come together by the end of the project.
Earlier, Bosco had sent through a link to APN’s company records including the webcast of the 2010 AGM which took place not so long ago in Sydney. I took the time to listen to it and I must say it was very interesting to not only hear about the results being explained by Brendan Hopkins (Group CEO) but also the manner in which the directors and chairman answered the questions asked by the shareholders on the floor. It was definitely a learning experience
(Tip: keep a spare set of head/earphones in your laptop bag/desk as you never know when you might need it.)
Today started with Chris and me catching up and updating the Outbound Project. I also checked to see if I was on the right track and got his input on how things could be tweaked a little better.
I am happy to find out that I am on the right path and can continue ahead with some minor adjustments.
As part of the next step, I have arranged a meeting with Sonali Banerjee (NSM Contact Centre Manager) tomorrow with a view to see NSM subscriptions in action and pick her brains on certain areas.
I have also been putting together a report with all my findings and recommendations on MaaX and will continue to work on it in the coming weeks. There are a lot of blank areas in it at the moment but if all goes to plan then it should all come together by the end of the project.
Earlier, Bosco had sent through a link to APN’s company records including the webcast of the 2010 AGM which took place not so long ago in Sydney. I took the time to listen to it and I must say it was very interesting to not only hear about the results being explained by Brendan Hopkins (Group CEO) but also the manner in which the directors and chairman answered the questions asked by the shareholders on the floor. It was definitely a learning experience
(Tip: keep a spare set of head/earphones in your laptop bag/desk as you never know when you might need it.)
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Outbound project continues....
04/05/2010
Went and met with Brad and Nicki Steers (Research Manager) and discussed with them my reasons for meeting with them, starting with the background of my role, the project that I am doing and how they fit into the scheme of things (Tip: Always try and give a big picture view to people so that they can come on the journey with you rather than just provide a task).
They will get back to me by the end of the week with the reader profile that I am after so I can use Tristan’s expertise in MaaX and hopefully come up with proper leads for Chris.
As of right now, the project is well on track (fingers crossed) but the hard part is yet to come when we start getting into the actual deployment of the project.
Also met up with Sarah today who briefed me on a new project that she would like me to manage. This is going to be a biggie and is very exciting as I have never done anything of this magnitude ever. It is an achievement of this program that Sarah is showing this level of faith in my abilities.
To get some tips, Sarah has put me in touch with Angela Blair (Advertising Strategy Manager with NZH) who will spend some time with me next week. I am looking forward to picking her brains on this upcoming project.
Got an email from Bosco Tan (my co intern) today saying that he will be in town for a day as part of his project with APN Digital. It would be great to catch up with him and hopefully, have some time to show him around too.
Went and met with Brad and Nicki Steers (Research Manager) and discussed with them my reasons for meeting with them, starting with the background of my role, the project that I am doing and how they fit into the scheme of things (Tip: Always try and give a big picture view to people so that they can come on the journey with you rather than just provide a task).
They will get back to me by the end of the week with the reader profile that I am after so I can use Tristan’s expertise in MaaX and hopefully come up with proper leads for Chris.
As of right now, the project is well on track (fingers crossed) but the hard part is yet to come when we start getting into the actual deployment of the project.
Also met up with Sarah today who briefed me on a new project that she would like me to manage. This is going to be a biggie and is very exciting as I have never done anything of this magnitude ever. It is an achievement of this program that Sarah is showing this level of faith in my abilities.
To get some tips, Sarah has put me in touch with Angela Blair (Advertising Strategy Manager with NZH) who will spend some time with me next week. I am looking forward to picking her brains on this upcoming project.
Got an email from Bosco Tan (my co intern) today saying that he will be in town for a day as part of his project with APN Digital. It would be great to catch up with him and hopefully, have some time to show him around too.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Second week
03/05/2010
Started the week today sitting down with Tristan.
He gave me a really good insight of how MaaX worked and what its capabilities were. Basically any information that was required was available as long as the right questions were asked.
Next step is to sit down with Brad Glading (Research Manager, NSM) to work out the profile of NZWW and NZL subscribers.
I will then bring that information to Tristan and overlay that against the current NZH subscribers and come up with a group of subscribers that can be targeted to increase subscriptions.
The more I understand about MaaX and its capabilities the more questions are coming to mind.
Sarah Sandley has come back from leave today and came over and asked me how I was settling in. We have a formal catch up tomorrow and she also has a project for me so that should be good.
Started the week today sitting down with Tristan.
He gave me a really good insight of how MaaX worked and what its capabilities were. Basically any information that was required was available as long as the right questions were asked.
Next step is to sit down with Brad Glading (Research Manager, NSM) to work out the profile of NZWW and NZL subscribers.
I will then bring that information to Tristan and overlay that against the current NZH subscribers and come up with a group of subscribers that can be targeted to increase subscriptions.
The more I understand about MaaX and its capabilities the more questions are coming to mind.
Sarah Sandley has come back from leave today and came over and asked me how I was settling in. We have a formal catch up tomorrow and she also has a project for me so that should be good.
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