Overview

The Homesteader is a newspaper targeted to people who have just purchased a home. The concept we have is to help local businesses reach this valuable target market by producing a high-quality newspaper and direct mailing it to new homeowners in a local area for about a year.

The publications we produce have articles geared to these readers, on subjects such as home improvement, decorating, antiques, things to do in the area (movies, museums, restaurants), family activities and events, local community calendar, and so forth. Each edition of The Homesteader is produced and distributed locally and is independently owned and operated.

Some publications use their own edition name, but the general formula is the same. Target a highly valuable local readership, include articles and contests to make the paper valuable, and sell advertising to local businesses who want to introduce themselves to all new homeowners moving to the area.

Along with a resume or detailed letter of interest, job applicants should include their full name and address, phone number, and email address, if available. This is necessary so we can forward your information to the local publisher to see if they have an opening.

SOME POSITIONS NOT AVAILABLE IN ALL LOCATIONS
As a national publishing network with locally owned affiliates, we will discuss below some of the types of positions that are typically available. However, it should be noted that many of our local publishers are "owner-operators" and may not be filling any positions at this time. Also, the specifics of compensation, hours, and other important issues must be decided between the local publisher and the job candidate. The purpose of the descriptions below is to give you some general information about how the typical job in the typical Homesteader would be. It is for general informational purposes only.

TERRITORY MANAGER
Territory Managers are the sales representatives in a given territory, determined by the local publisher. Typical territories can be a few towns or larger, or could encompase an entire edition.

Selling ads for The Homesteader is a two-step sales process: make telemarketing calls to local businesses to set up appointments, and then visit the local business to present The Homesteader concept, answer questions and concerns, and close the sale.

A full-time successful salesperson should be able to visit 10-15 businesses per week, and should be able to close 20-30% of the businesses seen, on average. Like most sales, this is a numbers game and the more people that you call, the more apppointments you make; the more people that you visit, the more sales you make. So long as you learn to sell the concept successfully (i.e., you are selling larger ads, selling frequency, explaining the concept properly) you should be successful if you work the numbers.

Territory Managers are often involved with their customers in ad design, ad changes, and collection activity (when necessary). The position usually requires that you generate your own leads and manage the territory yourself; working efficiently to see as many people as possible in as short a time as possible, to free up time to prospect for new leads.

Initial training typically involves a combination of classroom training, audio CDs, and observation of actual sales calls. But the best way to learn is through trial and error, and then feedback from a successful sales manager.

Typically it takes a couple of months to learn to sell this successfully, although some people master the concept more quickly and others have more trouble. Because our publication is monthly, it does take time to build up enough accounts to generate substantial income; but once a track record has been established, Territory Managers can expect to earn commissions on new sales generated as well as substantial "residual" income from older accounts which continue to run their ads on a monthly basis. Typical sales commissions work out to 20-30% of gross billing, depending on a number of factors like frequency of ads in the contract, number of editions the ad runs in, draws, bonuses, and expenses.

Once the Territory Manager has been in the field for a year or more, there should be a high number of accounts that are running in the paper that are earning residual income for the Territory Manager. Many accounts run for years and the active Territory Manager could earn thousands of dollars from a single sale over the lifetime of that account.

Territory Managers are typically hired as independent consultants (1099s) who are responsible for maintaining their own schedule, paying their own taxes, and doing their own withholding. Close supervision should not be expected. A car is required, and a home office and cellphone would be very helpful.

Territory Managers are expected to represent both the local publisher and our network, so they must act in a courteous, professional manner.

Click here to apply!

TELEMARKETING MANAGER
Join The Homesteader's home office as a Telemarketing Manager. Help us come up with new marketing and telemarketing programs for advertising sales for our newspaper group, and then help us grow a department of telemarketers.

Previous telemarketing experience required. Salary, commission, benefits, and great work environment. Concord, MA office.

Click here to apply!

TELEMARKETING REPRESENTATIVE Telemarketers set appointments for local publishers or Territory Managers to meet with business owners and explain The Homesteader concept. Telemarketers typically work on commission, earning money for each appointment set plus a commission for each sale made.

So that Territory Managers are not calling on the same businesses, Telemarketers will often be given a subset of the territory and the Territory Manager's schedule for two or three days per week, allowing the Manager to continue to see their own customers on other days.

Telemarketers will typically make 20-40 calls per hour, with many calls resulting in no answer/call back later. Setting one bona fide appointment per hour is achievable and a good result.

Setting appointments does not require lengthy training, since the aim is to get the person with the information (the Territory Manager) in front of the company being called. So questions about our publication can usually be handled by referring the question to the Manager who can answer it during the appointment.

The most important qualities are a good speaking voice, listening skills, the ability to work hard, and to handle rejection. You will be judged based on how many people say "yes," not on how many say "no." You must represent the publication in a friendly, non-aggressive way. Businesses who say "no" to an appointment may be good prospects in the coming months, so everyone must be treated as if they are a potential future customer.

Telemarketing representatives can be part-time or full-time, and typically work between 9 am and 5 pm. Having a home office is essential (unless the local Homesteader publisher has an office, which is rare), with internet service and a free local/regional calling plan.

Click here to apply!

GRAPHIC ARTIST
Some papers use independent graphic artists to produce ads and the newspaper. Generally these positions are part-time, 10-15 hours per week on average, and require a state-of-the-art publishing hardware and software. The preferred platform is Apple MacIntosh, and the software is typically Quark Express, Photoshop, and Illustrator, although some variations are possible. Knowledge of the printing industry is a plus. Any additional experience with digital photos, PDFs, and four-color printing is helpful.

Click here to apply!

FREELANCE WRITER
Freelance writers who produce a monthly column to be run in our papers are often needed on a "national" or "regional" basis. We are always looking for editorial submissions that would fit into our concept. Local writers may also be needed.

Freelance writers who submit articles to us agree to have their work reproduced in any or all of our local publications across the country without further compensation. In addition, their articles may appear on our website for readers to review. However, writers are free to submit (or rework) their articles for publication in other media. We do not claim exclusive rights.

Articles should be submitted in Word, spell-checked, and should include any appropriate photos or artwork to illustrate the article. All photos sent by you must be free to be reproduced in our paper, and it is the responsibility of the writer to get the permission of any copyright holders and to produce such permission upon demand. Because of this, writers either take their own photos or get them from the organization or subject matter of the article, like the publicity department of the museum being featured.

The pay scale for a regular monthly columnist ranges from $20-35 for a local article to $35-50 for a national column.

If you have an idea for a column that might be of interest to our readers, feel free to submit an email inquiry to Kathy@thehomesteader.com.

Click here to apply!