Last week I completed the twenty city tour for the Newsagency of the Future workshop s. Today I am in Perth finishing the latest round of newsXpress member meetings. What has struck me, thinking back on the hundreds of newsagents I have spoken with over the last six weeks, is the positive attitude of so many to the future.
While many, across all marketing banners, share concern at tough retail conditions, the conversation turns to the future and steps they are taking or could take to make for themselves a stronger future. This reflects a well-known resilience among newsagents to challenges encountered along the way.
The newsagents I like talking with the most are those who pursue opportunities across a range of categories in their business. This cross-category balance is vitally important to our health.
We have an opportunity today thanks to still good traffic with newspapers, magazines, lotteries and greeting cards. We can use this traffic to build sales in other product categories. Sure there are frustrations with some products in these categories.
So, here is a question for every newsagent: what are you doing today to leverage good traffic for newspapers, magazines and lotteries?
You have to be doing something to try and drive more business from sales in these three key categories.
I have spoken with some newsagents in recent weeks who are energetically driving sales and banking excellent results. They are making lemonade as Forrest Gump would say.
I am coming out of this latest cycle of travelling around the country talking and working with newsagents more upbeat about our future than when I started.