Entrepreneurial grit characterizes newsletter publishers at NEPA conference in Philadelphia.

The cautiously upbeat mood of the majority of participants in this week's conference sponsored by the Newsletter & Electronic Publishers Association in Philadelphia stood in stark contrast to the Direct Marketing Association's October conference in Chicago and other recent trade shows mentioned by speakers.

Perhaps the difference lies in the entrepreneurial spirit and flexibility that defines newsletter publishers. Words commonly bandied about at the conference were "flexible," "transitional," and "negotiable" -- words that newsletter and specialized information publishers are comfortable with, in contrast to giant corporations less quick on their feet.

William L. Pollack, CEO of American Lawyer Media Inc., told a plenary session, "Now is absolutely the best time to be launching new business. I'm pleased to see your optimism. I was just at a magazine trade show and it was all gloom and doom--closing titles, diminishing advertising revenues, and so on.

An investment banker told NL/NL, "I'm seeing new, smaller publications buying parts of over-leveraged big companies."

Although one printer told us that business, especially direct mail, was down, another--Martin Rego of King Lithographers and Mailers, Mt. Vernon, N.Y.--said, "Our business has been picking up, and I like to think that the printing industry is a leading economic indicator."

M. Lee Smith, of M. Lee Smith Publishers in Tennessee, observed, "Times are tough. We've had to institute certain cutbacks. On the other hand, I tend to look at the glass as half-full rather than half-empty."

Smith pointed out a number of successful publishers in the audience that he's known for more than 20 years and through at least two recessions, and he said, "After 20 years, we are STILL HERE! Five years ago we were told print publishers were dinosaurs, but five years have passed and we are STILL HERE!" He received enthusiastic applause that carried a welcome tinge of self-congratulations.

Perhaps the most sobering conference presentation was that of Michael Faulkner, a senior vice president at the Direct Marketing Association: "These are very precarious times that we're in and will be in for the next 24 months." He urged publishers to contact their representatives in Washington to push for reform of U.S.P.S. He also urged publishers to "concentrate on building totally satisfied customers," not just the usual "somewhat satisfied" ones. Turn your subscribers into "loyalists," he said.

Many speakers stressed that in an era of no-business-as-usual, no predictability, newsletter publishers must both be flexible and go back to the basics. Re-evaluate everything you're doing and everything you're mailing.

"Do what the numbers tell you to do"

Jim Sinkinson, head of the Infocom Group, Emeryville, Calif., said, "What we've done in the last eight months has been very difficult." He advised, "Do what the numbers tell you to do. Renegotiate office leases, lay off employees, cut salaries.

"Mail only to your best lists," he continued. "Use low-cost promotional efforts such as postcards, renewal inserts, blanket renewals." As did other speakers, Sinkinson reminded the publishers that the best customer list is their "actives" and the second-best list is their "expires."

Provide leadership

Helen Hoart, president of The Consumer Health Publishing Group, Stamford, Conn., said, "#1, Be flexible. #2, Be a bull in a bear market (we're in the mail and intend to stay in the mail). #3, Provide leadership--focus on the successes."

Other speakers also advised publishers to "provide leadership" for their employees, highlighting even small successes.

David Foster, president of 10 MA, a $21 million subsidiary of the Bureau of National Affairs, said they were doing fewer but high-end-focused marketing. "We're also raising prices 15 percent across the board, which will include a slice of our electronic databases and e-newsletters."

Foster also said now is a good time to do advance renewals.

Speaking of providing leadership, conference co-chairman Andy McLaughlin, of Paperclip Communications Inc., Garfield, N.J., did just that with confidence and humor throughout the conference but especially during the Monday luncheon. After an immensely entertaining exposition of fictional newsletter launches, he said there was a serious point to his far-from-serious stand-up routine.

McLaughlin made a convincing argument for bringing levity and warmth to the office. "Have fun," he said. If an employee is looking longingly out the window on a particularly warm and sunny Friday afternoon, give him the rest of the day off. "Most work can wait."

"Be silly," he continued, "and occasionally unpredictable." As an example, he cited Leslie Norms of Global Success Corporation, Naples, Florida. A pretty serious, hard-working person by most accounts, Norms showed up at the office one day dressed as a bumble bee.

The conference's other cochairman, Dan Oswald, president of Lawrence Ragan Communications, Chicago, concluded the meeting by thanking NEPA executive director Patti Wysocki and her staff for their efficiency and thoroughness.

Oswald told NL/NL, "While it was apparent that many of the publishers at the conference are facing very difficult times, I was impressed with the resolve and determination that they exhibited. It seems that most are meeting these challenges by going back to the basics, coming up with creative solutions and focusing on the bottom line.

"I think all those attending benefitted from not only the exchange of practical ideas but also the opportunity to meet face-to-face with other publishers dealing with the same issues."

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Although attendance at the NEPA conference in Philadelphia was 166, compared with the 275 who attended last year's December meeting in Miami, the figure was heartening considering the trying times we are facing.

NEPA executive director Patti Wysocki said the association was not experiencing much growth but it does have money in the bank thanks to careful planning when times were more favorable. NEPA currently has 600 members.

Talking with and listening to publishers in a wide variety of fields, we learned that three areas seem almost impervious to economic fluctuations.

Publishers in three areas are doing "just fine": b-to-b healthcare, law, and higher education. Doctors still need up-to-date information, lawyers still need the latest court decisions, and thousands upon thousands of students still go to college.