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If you find yourself frequently creating the same Proposal, I recommend setting up a “standard” Proposal called a Package. A Package is simply a generic form of a Proposal that can be quickly duplicated and customized for a Client. Since a Package is the most generic form of a Contract, we’ll begin there and walk through the steps required to properly build a Package, Proposal, and Contract.

Create a Package

1. Navigate to Sales > Packages. Click the “New” icon.

   Open

   

   New Sales Package

2. Select your station <Package> from the Advertiser drop-down.

Open

Advertiser selection

Package/Proposal/Contract Building Blocks

Whether you are creating a Package to save for later, a new Proposed Contract, or a Contract, the building blocks are all the same.

General Tab

3. Once the Advertiser is selected, most of the “General” data will be populated for you. Required fields are marked with * below with quick guidelines on the use of each.

   1. *Contract - System generated ID# and should not be changed.

   2. *Advertiser - Selected in the previous step, who will be talked about in the Spots.

   3. *Account - Usually the same, but may differ in the case of Agency or Co-Op. Think “who pays the bill.”

   4. *Brand OR Product - Only one will be available,

   5. *Sales Reps - Select the Sales Rep(s) who will earn a commission on the Contract revenue.

   6. *Description - Be sure to use a meaningful description. This is displayed on the Confirmations, Invoices, and Account Statements

   7. Order Number - Used if the Client has a reference number.

   8. Booked By - Select / Type the Client representative responsible for the Proposal/Contract.

   9. *Rate Card - Generally not changed, populated based on Sales Rep and Sign Date.

   10. *Sign Date - Today’s date, or anticipated Client acceptance date.

   11. *Version - Related to the Rate Card, again not generally changed.

   12. *Spot Format - Determines the format for Spotline entry. Flexible or “X” is best.

       1. Weekly - Weekly Grid to place spots, a pattern repeated between start/end dates.

       2. Monthly - Monthly Grid to place spots.

   13. *Billing Frequency - Determines when/how Spots/Charges are Invoiced

       1. Broadcast Calendar - Post Spotlines and Chargelines when the date falls in the Broadcast Calendar month. If a Spotline extends past the billing period end date, only those spots dated before the period end date will be posted.

       2. End of Contract - Post the entire contract if the Contract End Date falls in the billing month.

       3. Monthly - Post Spotlines and Chargelines when the date falls in the billing month. If a Spotline extends past the billing period end date, only those spots dated before the period end date will be posted.

   14. *Copy Writer - Not changed, only one option.

   15. *Probability - Only available for Package and Proposal. Determines the amount of Revenue to be included in Aquira2GO Forecaster projections.

4. Remember to select a Tax Status at the very bottom. This is internal Northwestern use, we are NOT charging clients sales tax by selecting Taxable.

   1. Underwriting - Used on Contracts that comply with NonCommercial FCC Underwriting guidelines.

   2. Advertising - Used on Contracts that do not follow the above guidelines. Streaming Pre-Roll ads as well as our Commercial stations.

Options Tab

5. Click the “Options” tab (skipping Summary for now) and complete the Email Report options at the bottom as desired. These can be added/modified once the Package is duplicated to a Proposal.

Attributes Tab

6. Click on the “Attributes” tab.

   1. Agreement Details - This is a free text box where you can detail the “other” components of this Agreement.

   2. **Underwriting Copy - (I recommend leaving this blank for a Package unless your scripts are all very similar) - For Proposals, this field MUST contain your Underwriting Copy script so it can be approved by the client and station manager.

Spotlines Tab

1. Click the “Spotlines” tab. Click “New “to create a new Spotline. This will look slightly different between the Weekly and Monthly Spot Format. Let’s take a look at a Weekly format first.

   1. *Start Date / No Weeks / End Date - These 3 fields are relational. Meaning, that if you choose a Start Date of 11/6 and then select 8 weeks, the End Date will automatically adjust. If you select a Start Date, and then an End Date, the number of weeks will automatically adjust.

   2. *Week On / Week Off - Used to create a “rest” pattern within a single spotline. Rather than creating a separate Spotline for each week, spaced every other, you can simply enter 1 Week On, 1 Week Off.

   3. *Spot Classification - Select the “type” of Spot, referencing Spot Classes In Use - Aquira it as a guide. Your Traffic Director will be able to guide you as well to ensure Spots are placed on the log appropriately. This also determines availability per Day Part in the grid down below.

   4. *Product - Select the type of product. This is used for Product separation when scheduling a traffic log.

   5. *Break Position / Duration - Generally advised to leave the position as “Any.” The Duration on the Spotline MUST match the duration used later for Media. If the Spotline and Media duration do not agree, Media will not be attached to the traffic log.

   6. *Station(s) - Check the Station these Spots will run on. Once a Station is selected, you will see color applied to the grid below.

Once you have the top section complete, proceed to place spots on the grid below. For our Weekly Format, you will see Monday-Sunday across the top, with Day Parts and Time Segments down the right. The Start/End time of each Day Part is specific to your station, reference Station Day Parts - Aquira as a guide. Time Segments are straightforward.

• You can place specific numbers in any box on the grid to indicate how many Spots should air during that time & day. The “Total Booked” column will count for you.

• You can place an “X” across two or more days on a specific Day Part, then enter a number in the “Total Booked” column. This will allow Aquira to place the spots using a “best fit” method. In the example below, placing an “X” on Sat & Sun and a Total Booked of 2, Aquira will place 2 spots total between Sat & Sun. It may place one each day, or if one week a Saturday is sold out, it will place 2 Spots both on Sunday that week.

• If your Agreement calls for Spots to run during a more specific time period than is available with a Time Segment, select a BROADER Time Segment and use the Start Time / End Time to future restrict. Ex. A client wants to run between 10 AM and 2 PM only, but your “Midday” Day Part runs 10-3 PM. You could place the spots in the Midday Day Part row, then enter 1400 (24-hour time) in the “End Time” column. Another very common scenario is placing all Spots in the 12a-12a row, then using a 0600 - 1800 (6A-6P) Start/End Time.

• If your Agreement calls for a specific Rate per Spot, enter that in the “Rate” column. You may enter different Rates per Day Part / Time Segment.

The Monthly Format is largely the same process as the Weekly, with a few key differences.

1. *Month - Rather than a Start/End Date, select the Month for this Spotline. You can create multiple Spotlines, one per month if desired.

You can Copy and/or Repeat Spotlines if desired.

• Copy - Duplicates the Spotline as is, allowing you to make changes.

• Repeat - Transposes the current Spotline to the next Week(s) or Month(s) with Monthly Formats offering two options for how to handle the Spots.

  • Day Of Month - Keeps the Spots on the Date of the Month.

  • Day Of Week - Adjusts the Spots to fall on the same Weekday.

Charges Tab

8. Click the “Charges” tab. If the Agreement is going to be a fixed Monthly rate rather than per spot, you will create that here. Click “New” to create a new Charge line.

   1. Charge Type - Select the Type that best applies.

   2. Charge Category - Only one option, not changed.

   3. Description - Enter a useful description of the Charge here. This will be displayed on Confirmations, Invoices, and Statements.

   4. Charge Date - I recommend deciding which month the charge is to be invoiced, and selecting the 15th of that month. I.e. If you expect this Charge to be included on the November invoice, set the Charge Date to 11/15/2023.

   5. Ledger Code - Select the Ledger code that best applies.

   6. Amount - Dollar amount to be billed for this Charge line.

   7. Pay Commission - Check if the Charge should be included in quarterly commission reports.

   8. Discounts - Check “Include” if the Contract Discount (Agency 15% or TRADE) should apply to the charge.

   9. Stations - Check the Station(s) the charge should be allocated toward.

Media Tab

1. Click the “Media” tab. Click “New “to create a new Media line.

2. Click “New” below the Detail tab to attach media to this Media line.

3. Click the dropdown arrow to expand the Media picker. Select the desired media cut to attach.

   1. If you need to see past media, uncheck the box in the lower left corner.

   2. To search, just start typing.

   3. If you need to create new media, click the 3 dots to the left of the dropdown and follow this guide here - Create New Media - Aquira

4. Once you have selected the Media to attach, you can click the '+' icon to expand the details.

5. Here you can verify the Automation code, Start/End Dates, etc.

6. You can attach multiple Media to a single Media line and let Aquira “rotate” between each time they are attached to a log.

   1. Click the “New” button to attach additional Media following steps 3-5 above.

   2. Aquira uses a weighting system to determine which media to use when a Spotline comes up on the log. You can adjust the weighting by entering whole numbers in the “weighting” column for each media. This is not a percentage of spins, but rather a number of spins.

7. If you have multiple Spotlines with different Media, direct your focus to the top right box. This will list each Spotline ID with First/Last Date.

   1. To make sure this Media line plays across all Spotlines on the contract, simply leave the “All” box checked.

   2. If you need to select specific Spotlines, first UNcheck the “All” box, then check/uncheck individual SpotlineIDs as needed.

      1. You can quickly jump back to the “Spotlines” tab to confirm which IDs are needed. The IDs will match between tabs.

8. The bottom half of the Media line window is generally unused. It offers methods to further “direct” Aquira on which media to use when a Spotline is scheduled on the log. Most of this detail is handled back on the Spotline and does NOT need to be repeated here. I recommend leaving these options set to “All” unless you are sure you require special scheduling.

Summary Tab

Now that you have completed all (or most) of the details required for your Package/Proposal/Contract you can jump back to the “Summary” tab to quickly verify things are in order.

When you are satisfied, Click “Save” to save your changes.

Turn a Package into a Proposal

Now that you have your new Package created, let’s turn that into a Proposal to submit for a specific Client.

1. You should still be in Sales > Packages. Click once to highlight the package you wish to use. Then Click the “Copy” icon.

2. You have two Copy methods, followed by a list of options to Include or Exclude on the Copy.

   1. Create Unsubmitted Proposal - Start a new Proposal that you can customize for a specific Client.

   2. Duplicate to Packages - Create a copy Package, great for creating a new Package for the next year/event.

3. I recommend leaving All Lines selected to Copy.

4. Choose a Sales Rep (will be edited in the next step)

5. Click the * on the “New Contract CD” line to generate a Contract number.

6. Click “OK”

Your newly copied Proposal will be displayed and you will be working in the Sales > Proposed Contracts module.

1. Click the “Advertiser” dropdown arrow and select the appropriate Advertiser and Sales Rep(s) for the new Proposal.

2. Leave “Update All” checked, and click “Apply” to update the Proposal with details for the new Advertiser.

Obtain Client Approval

Once you have a complete Proposal (Proposed Contract) you need to obtain the Client's Approval. There are 3 methods available.

In-Person Printed PDF in Advance

You can obtain client approval with a physical / ink signature in person or via email - though I HIGHLY recommend the Email Signing method. You first need to generate a PDF of the Contract Confirmation. This can be done from the Aquira Windows client.

1. Navigate to Sales > Proposed Contracts and single-click on the Proposal you need.

2. Click “Confirmations”

3. Click “NWM Contract Confirmation”

4. After a few moments, the Contract Confirmation will display in a new tab. Click “Export” to save a PDF to your computer.

5. Click “OK” to confirm the PDF format.

6. Choose a location, and an easy-to-identify filename, then click “Save” to save the PDF.

Print a physical copy of the Contract Confirmation from the PDF file. There is a blank space on the last page for the client to sign. Once you have the signature with ink, scan the document and import it to Aquira.

1. While you are still viewing the Contract Confirmation page, click the “Edit” icon to edit the Proposal.

2. Navigate to the “Attachments” tab. Click the “New” icon to add a new attachment.

3. A new window will open.

   1. Leave “Network Share” selected.

   2. Click “Browse” to locate the file on your computer.

   3. Click “Ok” to confirm the file.

4. Give an Attachment Description, then click “Save” to upload the file.

    

Once the file is uploaded it becomes a permanent part of the Proposal/Contract history.

In-Person Digital Signature on Tablet/Laptop

If you are visiting the client in person you can obtain a Digital Signature using Aquira2GO on a tablet or laptop. Start by logging in to Aquira2GO- Access Aquira2GO

1. Click the 3 vertical dots in the top left corner, then “Proposals”

2. Locate the Proposal, then click the icon at the center “Signed Direct Reports”

3. Click once to highlight “NWM Contract Confirmation”

4. Click “Run”

After a few seconds, you will see a short “Sign Contract” form and below that a PDF Confirmation for the client to review.

When the client has reviewed the Proposal and is ready to sign:

1. Type the client name in the “Approver” box

2. Sign with a finger/mouse in the “Signature” box

3. Click the “I accept the terms of the contract” button

You will be presented with a Signed version of the PDF Confirmation, you can save a copy from this window if you desire. It will also be saved as an Attachment to the Proposal/Contract in Aquira to download/view later.

Remote Digital Signature Request via Aquira2GO

To obtain a Digital Signature you can send a Signature Request Email from Aquira2GO. Start by logging in to Aquira2GO- Access Aquira2GO

1. Click the 3 vertical dots in the top left corner, then “Proposals”

2. Locate the Proposal, then click the icon at the center “Signed Direct Reports”

3. Check the box for “Send signing email request.”

4. Click once to highlight “NWM Contract Confirmation”

5. Click “Run”

    

After a few seconds, you will see a PDF Confirmation. Review the PDF, type in the client’s email address, then click “Send Signature Email Request.”

Aquira will generate and send a secure link to view the PDF Confirmation. The client will be able to click on the link, review the Proposal, and sign to accept. The Sales Rep will receive an email when the client has accepted the contract. The Sales Rep will also receive an email should the client reject the Proposal. Accepted contracts will have a signed PDF version saved as an attachment in Aquira to view/download as needed.

Submit Proposal

Once the Client has approved the Agreement you are ready to submit the Proposal. Proposals need to go through two Approval Levels before becoming a Contract.

• Traffic - Verifying Spotlines and Charges are entered correctly. Attaching Media to the Proposal as needed.

• Manager - Approving the Underwriting Copy for FCC compliance.

1. Navigate to Sales > Proposed Contracts.

2. Search and select the Proposal you need to Submit.

3. Click on the “Detail” tab.

4. Click the “Contract Follow Up” button.

5. Click “Submit.”