Chief Marketing Officer's Growth Award — Updated Guidelines

As the Marketing department continues to introduce new programs and strategies aimed at generating revenue, promoting products and services, and keeping customers informed about Quick, Easy, Convenient™ solutions offered by the United States Postal Service, Chief Marketing Officer (CMO) and Executive Vice President Anita Bizzotto continues her commitment to ensure that postmasters, managers, and supervisors have the right tools at the right time to achieve success.

Both she and Deputy Postmaster General and Chief Operating Officer (COO) Patrick Donahoe are committed to recognizing postmasters, managers, and supervisors who have contributed the most toward growing the business. That recognition comes in the form of Marketing's highest honor - the CMO's Growth Award, which was introduced at the beginning of fiscal year 2003.

These updated guidelines outline opportunities to earn points, including Business Connect™ activities, which automatically qualify as points toward the CMO's Growth Award (see the "Marketing Outreach" section for details).

Guidelines

What: The Growth Award, sponsored by the CMO, is nonmonetary recognition in the form of a specially designed trophy to honor outstanding marketing efforts. It is the highest Marketing honor for postmasters, managers, and supervisors who are most successful in marketing and growth activities.

Who: The program is open to postmasters and executive and administrative schedule (EAS) managers/supervisors (nonpostmasters) in performance clusters. Account representatives, customer relations coordinators (CRCs), and Marketing staff members, either in the field or at Headquarters, are not eligible. Exceptions are those who are officially detailed into postmaster or customer service assignments, such as an officer-in-charge (OIC) or an acting station manager. A postmaster who employs a CRC may, by marking the submission form, submit the CRC as a Growth Partner.

When: The calendar year for the Growth Award begins the first day of the fiscal year and ends the last day of the fiscal year. To compete for a Growth Award, participants must send a copy of the submission form, qualifying activities, and supporting documentation - such as published outreach articles and seminar participation - within 3 weeks of their occurrence to Headquarters Marketing at the address noted on the submission form. Headquarters Marketing collects and combines each participant's submissions throughout the fiscal year to form a complete entry package. At the end of the fiscal year, participants must send that year's revenue numbers as well as the revenue numbers from the previous fiscal year and a submission form to Headquarters Marketing. Participants must obtain revenue numbers from official financial records.

Where: Marketing announces the Growth Award winners at the legislative conferences sponsored by the National Association of Postmasters of the United States (NAPUS) and the National League of Postmasters of the United States (League). Postmasters attending the legislative meetings receive their awards at those events. For postmasters not attending those events and for EAS managers/supervisors who win in their categories, local managers arrange appropriate ceremonies.

Why: The Postal Service™ is committed to building on current efforts to achieve growth through customer value, improved service, improved operational efficiency, and an enhanced customer-focused and performance-based culture. Postmasters, managers, and supervisors in the field are leaders in the Postal Service's efforts to connect with the Preferred segment (millions of small businesses around the nation) and the Household segment. The efforts of postmasters, managers, and supervisors are vital to the Postal Service's success, and this award recognizes their outstanding results.

How: There are six levels of competition within each area, and Headquarters Marketing determines winners using a cumulative point system within three growth categories - revenue generation, marketing initiatives, and marketing outreach. Participants receive points for documented activities important to the Postal Service's growth strategies. Headquarters Marketing describes additional marketing initiatives throughout the year in official Postal Service and Marketing publications, and provides participation ideas and instructions on how to document activities. Headquarters Marketing outlines the rules of the program and monitors and verifies documented points. To qualify for consideration, participants must meet minimum point requirements and have at least one point in each growth category and must then complete and submit a copy of the Growth Award submission form, which is available on page 15 in this issue of the Postal Bulletin. After the program ends each year, Headquarters Marketing tallies all points for all participants and informs area vice presidents and district managers of the participants with the highest number of points. After district managers approve individual winners, Headquarters Marketing notifies those winners. Headquarters Marketing evaluates the program each year and outlines any updates or changes to the program in the Postal Bulletin.

Competitive Levels Within Each Area

Growth Categories

The three growth categories are revenue generation, marketing initiatives, and marketing outreach. To be eligible, participants must have at least one point in each of these three broad categories and meet minimum point requirements.

Revenue Generation

• Maintain revenue level of the previous fiscal year = 1 point.

• Percentage of increased revenue - each percent of increase = 1 point.

• Increase in walk-in revenue (WIR) over same period last year (SPLY) - WIR per transaction, each percent of increase over last year's total = 1 point.

• WIR divided by LDC45 workhours improvement over previous year:

- If base is 74% or below, each percentage of improvement = 1/2 point.

- If performance to goal is 75%-85%, each percentage of improvement = 1 point.

- If performance to goal is 86%-99%, each 1/2 percentage of improvement = 1 point.

- If performance to goal is 100%, total points awarded = 10 points.

• Sale of Express Mail Corporate Account (Express Mail and Global Express Mail) - each account = 1 point.

• Participation in other revenue generation activities throughout the year, as described in GROW!, Postal Bulletin, or other official Postal Service publications - each activity = 1 point minimum, with bonus points possible.

Revenue points are based on numbers shown on the FY printout. Participants must send a copy of the previous year's printout and the current year's printout together with one submission sheet.

Marketing Initiatives

• Promotion of Stamps by Phone™ service and Stamps by Mail service - each percentage of increase in revenue through these channels = 1 point.

• Increase in sales of packaging materials - each percentage of increase over previous year = 1 point.

• Promotion of Click-N-Ship service:

- For levels 20 and below and for the nonpostmaster category, each $100 over previous year's revenue = 1 point.

- For levels 21 and above, each $500 over previous year's revenue = 1 point.

• Maintaining at least the national average in Mystery Shopper = 1 point.

• Participation in other marketing initiatives throughout the year as described in GROW!, Postal Bulletin, or other official Postal Service publications - each activity = 1 point minimum, with bonus points possible.

Marketing Outreach

• Newspaper articles (these articles are generated through the Marketing Outreach articles published by Headquarters Marketing for local use; along with the submission form, participants must send a copy of each article and must include the publication's name, location, and date) - each published article = 1 point.

• Headquarters Marketing-approved presentations made to the local business community - each presentation = 1 point.

• Results from promoting participation by local businesses in larger Marketing seminars or events, such as Small Business seminars, Direct Mail seminars, Postal Customer Council (PCC) meetings, and National Postal Forum - each customer participating in each event = 1 point.

• Participation in PCC meetings - each meeting attended = 1 point.

• Tip of the Month published in GROW! - each tip published = 5 points.

• Participation in other marketing outreach activities throughout the year, as described in GROW!, Postal Bulletin, or other official Postal Service publications - each activity = 1 point minimum, with bonus points possible.

• Postmasters and managers of customer services in stations and branches who are registered for Business Connect automatically receive matching Growth Award points for each presentation they make and document through the Business Connect Web site. Note: This is the only instance in which participants do not need to submit supporting documentation for activities.

For more information, e-mail growthaward@usps.gov.

— Marketing Strategy and Support,
Chief Marketing Officer, 9-28-06