This year is my first year in yearbook and I have no idea how to sell business ads. If any of you have sold them before, how do I approach perspective ad buyers? Say if I go to a store, do I ask for the manager? What are some places that would most likely agree to advertise?

yea u tell why ur there and ask who u should talk to and they'll help u out. whichever business ur going to check and see if they bought one last year before hand, people who bought them previously are more likely to again. if they have in the past then show them what they did. either way take a previous yearbook so u can let them see what ur selling

Ask your yearbook advisor/teacher (if s/he hasn't given you any of this information yet) for a list of businesses or people who have bought ads from last year's annual. If they bought them once, it's likely they'll buy them again.

Check out local stores; for example, do you have a mall nearby? Or a certain hangout where students go and buy stuff? If so, check those out...and yes, you should ask a manager. It's a good idea to go with another person, firstly so you feel more confident, and secondly so you don't get abducted or something (my teacher's advice, not mine). Also, it's a good idea to meet with or call a local politician, as they're always looking to find ways to publicize themselves.

As for approaching them...you should try introducing yourself, what school you're from, and then asking them if they would like to buy an ad. Of course, bring an example from last year's annual, tell them stats on how many students buy them a year, what kind of awards your yearbook won, etc.

Remember, you can call a business or an individual to arrange ads, but meeting them in person is always the best choice!

Ah, one of my good friends is the business editor for our school newspaper, and she looks at our past newspapers and goes to the same stores they have used. There are laundromats, ice cream shops, etc. It's always best to meet them in person, it's just more personal.