This was the pitch put to me aggressively today by a sales person representing a fledgling body that claims to be a national association.
I think they were aggressive because I said no thanks to their email pitch, which came after an unscheduled visit to one of my shops.
The sales person really did say
We saved your business. If it wasn’t for us, you’d have been closed during Covid.
They said it was their lobbying that got newsagents declared essential.
The claim denies the work done by ALNA and many many others, including me. I lobbied state and federal ministers, but I claim no success for newsagents being declared essential. I ultimately think it was the lobbying of the newspaper publishers who had the biggest sway.
While the emotive claim, We saved your business. If it wasn’t for us, you’d have been closed during Covid, was sales bluster, it was offensive and inaccurate. That it was said shames the organisation this person represents.
The sales pitch was not only wilfully ignorant in my opinion, it felt scammy, claims of benefits without evidence supporting the claims. For example, there was a claim about eftpos fees. No details provided. rather, an ignorant request – Please send me a copy of your merchant agreement and I will organise a comparison report for you.
If I was running an association, I’d focus on representative related outcomes, like commission on magazines, newspapers and lotteries. Focussing on commercial deals, like eftpos, is what marketing groups do. As my own group, newsXpress, has pitched, it introduced least cost routing to the channel years ago and saves an average newsagency thousands a year.
But, hey, this person can pitch what they like I guess. The only explanation I can come up with for their pressure driven approach is if they are on commission. I don’t know how they are paid. I hope commission is not involved as I don’t think associations would be well served being represented by commission sales reps.
How people sell is a reflection on their organisation, as history has shown in the Australian newsagency channel. The issue for me is the cost to people who may be duped along the way.
I am not naming the person or group they represent here because I don’t want them suing me.
I have written this blog post to warn newsagents to ask for evidence when any sales person makes a claim, and only accept claims for which they have and share this evidence, and to know that a claim to have saved the channel through Covid is false and misleading.
On the matter of saving businesses: newsagents saved their businesses during Covid, by serving their local communities.
Mark, unfortunately I had my reply to this article your “We saved your business article only to have it posted to the “Since some in the newsagency channel etc story.
I probably as it seems was in the wrong area Could you please transfer the reply to the correct post.
My apologise for my mistake and incovenience.
The “Essentail Services” now renamed ‘critical Retail” tag for newsagents has acknowledged by Government Authorities for well over 3 decades. Acrually I believe it goes back as far as the 1930’s however there is no written aknowledged proof of this.
It’s not new and no one body lobbied for its successful recognition.It was granted or used officially when newspapers had afternoon editions and were the primary source. Television news originally was supplied by the same owners of newsprint Murdoch, Fairfax and Packer.
Much has changed over the years however we have the title and the recognition of “Critical Retail” as it was deemed by Government that ‘Essential Services” were readily associated with Fire Departments, Hospitals, Police etc and Retail being a separate category newsagents were “transferred” to the “critical” meaning absolute essential retailers.
I think this chap visited me too. He huffed and puffed when I said no thanks, and then he pressured me. he didn’t say they saved us but he said they kept us open. What an ignorant twit.
Once again shows that we are over represented and need unification and one strong representative body that understands our changing needs. Not sure which of our many associations you are referring to but they need to be reminded that without us it is they who do not have a job!
Steve we are not over representee so much as not represented in the right areas. The remark made to Mak was not from ALNA or NANA LTD. It is a ratbag comment and should be treated accordingly.
Yes we need representation especially in Retail training and responsibility however this too can come from the members. They can be elected to their respective Borads participate and steer the direction forward in the way thgey wish.
Their are a host of things that need to be changed yet I do not read too many ideas as to what they are and how they coul develop our lacking industry.
Srict criteria for entry into the industry can only come from Lotteries as there is no other franchise agreemnt left.
Where do we start? one may ask ? and the answer is where do you want to be infive years time?
i coulkd suggest, standards, training, ethics with a acode of conduct. Supplier Association and a strong Association representation of a membership setting thses standards under a new name for no longer are we News AGENTS. The agency in major Metro City areas is over The rural areas will follow gradually at first then collapse suddenly as newspaper print price the delivery out from distribution.
Steve I agree but just having one Association without purpose isn’t going anywhere just taking us nowhere with them.
I think it is dangerous and unhelpful to speculate here about the organisation the person to whom I referred in the blog post may or may not be from.
Considering representation more broadly, newsagents have what they have because of their action and inaction, their interest and disinterest.
While ALNA is not perfect it is, in my opinion, the only option for viable national representation of newsagents at an association level.
NANA, VANA (NLNA) are fringe commercially-focussed organisations in my opinion with no representation success.
But, hey, when it comes to representation on what matters to newsagents – commission on newspapers, commission on magazines, commission on lotteries, value from stationery buying power from the company newsagents own, the track record is poor. I say poor because that’s what newsagents think. They want better outcomes.
It’s easy to blame associations. I suspect outcomes could have been better had all newsagents backed one single national association. had newsagents showed unity then those on the other side of the table might have taken them more seriously.
So thinking nationally, ALNA has the footprint and infrastructure. NANA and VANA (NLNA), in my opinion, don’t serve newsagents well. But, hey, it’s only my opinion.
Newsagents should engage on the issue of representation as it is only newsagents that matter here – not their suppliers, not employees of associations, not commission agents working for associations. While non-newsagents can have opinions, in reality they don’t matter on this topic.
Mark,
My only point is it is up to the newsagent member of any organisation to steer the body in the direction that it is needed. This relies on the quailty of membrs and therefore the quailty of the Associations.
The members decide which one they want to belong to and the quantity of numbers has something but little in comparison to do with direction and the future of our industry.
Individual States do have a point of inherit behaviour -they have a knowledge on the areas and outlets, the suppliers and shopping centres-leases etc. This you might say can be done by have State Branches. They do this now, I believe the indivual agents have made their own choice and it is up to each Association to pitch theirs objectives and outcomes to get more members. It needs to be earned not expected.
I’m not aware of any state association negotiating a good landlord deal. I say this as someone who has successfully negotiated such on behalf of others. In two instances, the state association had not been successful.
I have also negotiated many new leases and more rent reductions over the years, however it’s about Associations independently and in tis case NANA LTD has been very successful as well for many I suppose it depends upon the actual tranactions and the timing. Take today’s market and “new” deals are a plenty, however they, the landlord does play a “catch up” sooner or later.
I was a nana member for 7 years and I can’t tell you a single positive thing they did for my business. I asked for help with rent. nada. I asked for better newspaper commissions. nada. I asked for better lotteries commissions. nada. I’m glad I have now found people who can help me make my business more successful.
David, you said it all it’s a nonesense that any body newsXpress -Newspower ALNA Nextra could achieve two out of the three examples yougave Lottery and newspaper commissions-sre you real? Woolworths or Coles with their market power could not get those- as for the rent after reading the other two expectations I am not sure you realise that it is you that makes your business better Groups only give you access to better buying and intro in better ideas which NANA does not do none of groups have ever achied better Lotto or newsapaper commissions.
there are plenty of good rent negotiators out there and frankly NANA ltd and ALNA have had there share of good ones
Mihae Coda ALNA Stephen Springett NANA come to mind.
Graeme,
I suggest what you wrote with “are you real? ” is close to the mark as I suspect David is indulging in a bit of trolling activity
Graeme, your statement, Groups only give you access to better buying and intro in better ideas, is false and misleading in relation to newsXpress. newsXpress provides far more than this.
In one case recently, a business reduced operating costs by more than $12,000 a year without any negative impact on the business. In another case, a newsXpress business increased revenue by more than $130,000 a year, delivering a bottom line bounce of more than $50,000.
These are two of many examples I could cite. In these examples, the value was achieved outside of better buying and better ideas.
Thanks Mark you just reinforced exactly what I said”better ideas and better buying” are you so full of it that you can;t take the very compliment that you dismiss, and then acknowledge.
Just think about your answer and my statement.
Peter I am not trolling and Graeme I did not list other businesses or groups, only nana. It’s natural you support them given your affiliation. What I needed was valuable practical help. Nana did nothing. That was my point that appears to have been missed. Thankfully I have found help now and life is much better. I was looking at my business wrong for too long. And the rent situation was improved for me without any cost by me, which I reckon in a bonus given that I was told by others I’d have to pay for a negotiator.
Your expectations were individual and therefore unreal NANA represents ann Association of newsagents and I explained that you individually expected according to your post and unrealistic consideration in increase from the Lott and Newspapers whne contracts were in place.
Cry poor however I am pleased for you that your dependancy has been fulfilled.
By the way my background has nothing to do with my comments which are based on logic and reality loyalty and or some sort of emotional for the past is probably part of your thinking pattern mine is about reality which may include relevance however only asssociated with criteria.
David what does “nada” stand for or mean?.
Peter R nada means nothing, NANA did nothing for me.
Graeme my expectations were set by nana and that its representatives told me to expect.