Customer Service Sales

Ellison Rhodes

Email: abqp4j@r.postjobfree.com

Address: P. O. Box 662

City: Antioch

State: TN

Zip: 37011

Country: USA

Phone: 318-***-****

Skill Level: Management

Salary Range: $65,000

Willing to Relocate

Primary Skills/Experience:

See Resume

Educational Background:

See Resume

Job History / Details:

Ellison Rhodes

828 Daybreak Dr.

Cane Ridge, TN. 37213

Home - 615-***-****

Cell - 318-***-****

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

* Dynamic, experienced Customer Service and Administrative Management.

* Strategic thinker, problem solving, results oriented, decisive leader with proven success improving and surpassing revenue expectations and providing excellent customer service. Aims to respond to new challenges and to effective marketing.

* Excellent people skills, work well in a team concept, able to rise to meet every challenge.

* Tendency to thrive in dynamic and fluid environments while remaining pragmatic and focused.

OBJECTIVE Management

STRENGTHS: Effective Listener and persuasive communicator.

Excellent People Skills

Understanding of business and an aggressive desire to succeed

Decision-maker eager to work long hours to see successful results

Ability to adapt communication skills to a variety of people and situations

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

I have worked for the Gannett Company for the past 25 plus years in different capacities. Please see the details below.

USA Today (Gannett Company)

1100 Broadway

Nashville, TN. 37203

Circulation Manager/Distribution Director

May 2007 to January 2013

Responsibilities:

Manage the Sales and Distribution of all company products.

Manage and motivate 9 employees to exceed expected customer service goals of two complaints per thousand.

Organized and manage District Sales Managers and delegate responsibilities to exceed company goals.

Hire, train and mentor District Sales Manager team; prepare periodic performance evaluations, apportioning raises and bonus grants for employees.

Accountable for the delivery of all company products providing excellent customer service.

Developed plans to grow circulation

Accomplishments:

* Reduced daily customer complaints per thousand from 3.54 to 2.31.

* Changed a negative customer service attitude to one that is customer focused.

* Placed a route split program in place to reduce route size, which will allow carriers time to meet customer service delivery deadlines.

The Bradenton Herald

102 Manatee Ave. W.

Bradenton, Fl. 34205

Circulation Operations Manager

June 2006 to March 2007

Daily - 45,984

Sunday - 51,109

Responsibilities:

Manage the Sales and Distribution of all company products.

Organize and manage District Sales Managers and delegate responsibilities to exceed company goals.

Hire, train and mentor District Manager team; prepare periodic performance evaluations, apportioning raises and bonus grants for employees.

Accountable for the delivery of all company products providing excellent customer service.

Manage and motivate 10 employees to exceed expected customer service goals.

THE TIMES NEWSPAPER (Gannett Newspaper) -Job Promotion

SHREVEPORT, LA. 71130

Circulation Director 5/3/04 - April 2006

Daily 63,487 Sunday 77,561

Responsibilities:

Manage the Sales and Distribution of all company products.

Managed a 12 person Customer service department

Managed 10 District Sales Managers and 12 Truck Drivers

Developed Effective Strategic Marketing Plans to reach targeted groups.

Mentoring and Coaching 34 Employees

Reorganized management of the Circulation Department and delegated responsibility to exceed set goals of reduced hold time and customer satisfaction.

Hire, train and supervise management team; prepare periodic performance evaluations, apportioning raises and bonus grants for employees.

Managed a $3,601,723 budget while exceeding revenue expectations.

Accomplishments:

Developed a blueprint for targeting desired subscribers by focusing on neighborhoods instead of zip codes. Most zip codes include a mix of income demographics. The blueprint includes the following:

a. Survey residents to determine if they read the paper.

b. If they read, how do they get it

c. Why they are not subscribers

d. Determine what we can do to entice them to subscribe to the newspaper.

e. Sampled the areas with a special offer.

f. Followed up with door to door crews (3 times)

g. Followed up with telemarketing (3 times)

h. Followed up with Direct Mail (3 times)

i. Generated 94 new customers (an increase of 16.3%). Penetration increased from 57% to 71%.

Organized a single copy committee that meet once a week to discuss what is happening in the market and what opportunities exist. Strategies were developed from these discussions, and carried out in the market place. Placement became a priority, along with draw management and co-promotions. Currently Sunday Single Copy volume is 800 copies over budget or (4%). To last year daily volume is up 2.9% and Sunday is up 2.2%.

Achieved annual budgeted volumes in 2005 - Daily +.3% over budget and +.96% Sunday.

Restructured the circulation department and developed cohesive sales and marketing department. Changed the focus of the entire department from being operationally driven to sales oriented.

Diversified start pressure budget and by doing so, reduced our reliance on telemarketing, and improved retention from 69% to 72%. In 2004, telemarketing represented 39% of the start pressure; it was reduced to 18% in 2005. Crew, Kiosk and Direct mail were added to the mix.

Supervised and Motivated 34 Employees to consistently meet performance/profit objectives. Generated $8,789,807 in Revenue. An increase of $44,159 or .5% over expectations.

Co-Promotion - Circle K Co-Promotion - 5/24/04 to 6/27/04, Increased Sunday sales by 4,057 or 9.8% and contributed $15,056 to our NIE fund. Circle K won NAA`s Retailer of the year award for this co-promotion.

Co-Promotion - Circle K 99 cents Sunday co-promotion - 1/16/05 - 2/13/05 - Increased Sunday volume 514 copies or a 2.5%.

Co-Promotion - Super One, Kroger and Fina 99 cents Sunday co-promotion - 2/14/05 - 3/27/05 - Total sales increased 908 copies or 4.5%.

Saved the Company $16,000 by reducing pilferage from 34% in 2004 to 18% in 2005.

Instituted Sunday on-sale all week program - Opened with 20 new locations and went from 20 copies the first week to 137 by week 8.

Journal and Courier (Gannett Owned Newspaper) Job Promotion

217 N. Sixth Street

Lafayette, In. 47901

Circulation Director 8/6/01- 5/3/04

Circulation Daily 37,039 Sunday 43,801

Responsibilities:

Manage the Sales and Distribution of all company products.

Managed an 8 person Customer service department

Reorganized management of the Circulation Department and delegated responsibility to exceed set goals of reduced hold time and customer satisfaction.

Managed 7 District Sales Managers

Developed Effective Strategic Marketing Plans to grow revenues and the customer base.

Organized the Circulation Department and delegated responsibilities to exceed company goals.

Hire, train and supervise management team; prepare periodic performance evaluations, apportioning raises and bonus grants for employees.

Accomplishments:

Reorganized management of the Circulation Department and delegated responsibility to exceed set goals.

Daily complaints per thousand improved from 2.25 to 1.2 and Sunday improved from 4.2 to 1.8.

Increased Sunday volume .2% over the previous year.

Beat Daily budgeted volume by .2% and Sunday by .8%.

Repeat Complaints reduced 69.4%

Late Routes reduced 44.4%

Starting new starts on time went from 67.4% to 92.3%.

Retention of new customers improved from 77.7% to 86%, which improved revenue.

Initiated a College delivery program at Purdue University. Four hundred fifty papers per day Monday through Saturday and 200 Sunday.

Reduced carrier drops from 150 to 66. This reduced late routes because carrier got their papers earlier. Seven truck runs were eliminated which saved $60,000 annually.

Established a Hotel delivery program with 200 copies per day (Tuesday through Saturday).

Successful Co-Promotions:

Burger King (4 week promotion) - Daily averaged 394 per day and 365 per Sunday.

Sub-Way (13 week promotion) - Daily averaged 49 copies per day and Sunday averaged 65.

Papa Johns Pizza (Super Bowl Week) Daily averaged 850 and Sunday was 963 for two Sundays.

Pizza Hut (12 week promotion) - Average 500 per Saturday (Football Season Promotion).

The Courier-Journal (Gannett Newspaper) - Job Promotion

525 W. Broadway

Louisville, Ky. 40201

Distribution Operations Manager -

Started 2/24/99 - 8/2001

Circulation Daily 231,454

Sunday 296,102

TMC 245,000

Responsibilities:

Manage the Sales and Distribution of all company products.

Manage and motivate 84 employees to exceed expected customer service goals.

Organize management of the Circulation Department and delegate responsibilities to exceed company goals.

Hire, train and supervise management team; prepare periodic performance evaluations, apportioning raises and bonus grants for employees.

Accountable for the delivery of all company products providing excellent customer service.

Accomplishments:

* Orchestrated the restructuring of the operations side circulation. This included altering district manager and supervisor work schedule to coincide with the carriers. The communication between carriers and management, improved efficiencies at handling customer complaints.

* Reduced daily complaints per thousand from 2.6 to 1.7 and Sunday from 5.2 to 3.1.

* Changed from buy/sell to agency delivery system with only minor difficulties.

The Saratogian, (Gannett Newspaper) - Job Promotion

Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Gannett Newspaper

Circulation Director Circulation: Daily 12,086

11/94 to 2/10/99 Sunday 14,033

Community News Wkly 26,400

Responsibilities:

Manage the Sales and Distribution of all company products.

Managed a 4 person Customer service department

Managed 4 District Sales Managers

Develop Effective Strategic Marketing Plans to grow revenues and the customer base.

Organize management of the Circulation Department and delegate responsibilities to exceed company goals.

Hire, train and supervise management team; prepare periodic performance evaluations, apportioning raises and bonus grants for employees.

Accomplishments:

* Improved churn from 79% to 63.7%.

* Split carrier routes by zip codes, to benefit

Marketing and Advertising.

* Eliminated a late distribution problem on Sundays

This was due to production inserting comics that were

too large for the equipment. The solution was to have

Carriers and dealers insert the comics.

* Reduced daily delivery complaints from 2.4 complaints

per thousand, to 1.3. Sunday was reduced from 2.6

to 1.5.

* Changed our daily delivery deadline from 6:30 a.m.,

to 6:00 a.m.

* Switched carrier force from predominantly youth to

92% adults. This was done to help improve service

and meet the 6:00 a.m. delivery deadline.

* Improved retention from 71% to 78.5%.

* Improved home delivery volumes to 1.5% over plan daily and +.8% Sunday.

* Achieved this increase with four other competing newspapers in the market.

Education:

* LaSalle Extension University - Business Management

* Graduated from High School

* API Seminar: Circulation and Marketing Strategies.

* News-Press Circulation Supervisors Cross-Training Program.

* Gannett Circulation Executives Training Program

* LaSalle University - Business Management

* API Seminar: Circulation and Marketing Strategies

Contact this candidate