Who CARES How Long You’ve Been in Business? What Can You Do for ME??

Enough is enough. Am I supposed to be impressed that a business has been around so long? Oh I know it is supposed to mean that it represents stability and trustworthiness. If a men’s store has been around a long time, does that mean I should do business with them? Does that mean they have the latest fashions and carry the newest and hippest looks? Or does that mean they carry the same old stuff they have been carrying for years?

I am as much to blame as anyone else. I would brag about being part of 58-year old family businesses. So what! No one cares about that stuff other than you and your mother. We aren’t selling memories; we are selling merchandise that has to be timely, up to date, fashionable, useful, and affordable (unless you are in the scrapbook or camera business).

Look at it this way — how much great advertising space would you waste by just talking about how long you have been in business? Sorry, it doesn’t sell merchandise. Lehman Brothers had been in business for a long time, the same with Merrill Lynch, and even many of the banks that had been pillars of the community are now all gone. It didn’t matter how long they had been in business.

This hit me over the weekend because I worked with NW Buyers, a wonderful group of dedicated retailers. They are a men’s apparel buying group located in Minneapolis. They had as members some of the finest stores and without any question some of the nicest and classiest people I have ever worked for, from the executive director to the newest of members. I loved working for them and look forward to a long relationship with them.

The 100 years in business scenario hit me when I was doing a website review program. It almost seems as if one retailer said how long they were in business and everybody copied it. That is except one amazing retailer’s site. Please understand that I have been reviewing websites for a long time. On The Retailer’s Advantage, we do regular website reviews and I even owned shares in a website evaluation service at one point. I say all of that because I don’t want you to think that I am easy to impress when it comes to reviewing websites. So when I give a compliment to a retailer and or a web developer, it is not as an occasional observer.

The site I am referring to at first glance doesn’t take your breath away and actually seems a little vanilla at first glance. The site is www.Muldoons.com. This store is located in Eau Clair, Wisconsin and is completely focused on the customer. I didn’t notice the subtleties at first but it eventually hit me. The navigation bar across the top focused solely on the customer’s needs. The navigation bar on the bottom of the site had the “about us” tab and the FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) section. But even that section was far more extensive than most.

They didn’t spend time talking about the past but they focused on the customer. Maybe that was why when I evaluated them through www.websitegrader.com, they received the highest score I have ever seen and that includes sites from all of the web site developers I have ever evaluated. Actually, their website development company www.uniteu.com is a leader in developing retail sites. (I really want to interview them for The Retailer’s Advantage — they have developed some great retailer’s sites.) Their score was 94% while Muldoon’s came in at a whopping 96.3%.

There is one other item on the site that is worth mentioning… on every page of the site, they maintain a listing of all of the vendors they carry. We have talked about this issue before and it does go against my basic retail beliefs. I think that we should promote our name first, not the brands that we carry. However, when it comes to the web, those brands are pure gold.

There is a lot we can learn from this make it work approach. No one will ever accuse this site for being pretty, but it is definitely effective and they are selling merchandise across the country. It all comes down to the title of this article — I don’t care how long you’ve been in business, but what can you do for me?

The Power of “ing” …Introducing The Retailer’s Advantage 2.0

How do you build a building? One brick at a time. But how do you build a business? You start by thinking about a business idea, talking about your business idea, researching your business idea, reading about your business, experimenting with your ideas, rejecting some preconceived thoughts, accepting new concepts or models, observing, and listening. We have to listen to the world around us — from family to friends to the consultants, teachers and our own gut instincts. Throughout the process we are constantly listening and learning.

The key to business success is Constant and Never-Ending Learning but the world is changing faster than ever before. We cannot run a business today the way we did just a few short years ago. Think of the new business models that have emerged that are making college students into mega–millionaires and think about all the new words and expressions that have changed our vocabularies in just this decade. Words such as: social media, blogging, page rank, affiliate programs, Google, AdSense, pay-per-click, YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, and online just about anything. Google is so powerful it can be used as a noun, verb, or adjective.

Now, let me explain about the “ing” and why it has a special meaning. Here is a little known secret that I had to learn when I wrote my first Dummies book:

Use words ending with “ing.”

Why? Because they are action words and action words make things happen. Yes, all 2000+ Dummies books all use the same formula. Chapter titles, sections within the book, and the Parts of 10 (aka Top 10 Lists of Do’s and Don’ts) all must include words ending in “ing.”

To succeed we must take action and become proactive. The days of opening up a store and just waiting for people to walk through your front door are over. We also need a method to keep up with this ever changing world and the trends of the day. We must be aware of what is hot and what is not. We used to be able to do that at trade shows or various conferences but the recession has killed that steady stream of fresh new ideas. Budgets have been cut for retailer’s education across the board.

So what’s the next best way? Ask your customers. They shop, they know what’s happening. Plus it’s the best source for new ideas — and it’s cheap. That is exactly what I did for The Retailer’s Advantage. A year ago I started The Retailer’s Advantage, a dynamic online learning solution. The feedback was great and my commitment to this type of retail education grew — both in my time commitment and financial resources. Then I spoke in Minneapolis in March, and I listened to a husband and wife team of gift and floral retailers from Iowa who crystallized my challenge at The Retailer’s Advantage. They said the information was great, but they couldn’t find it much of the time. After all there are more than 1000 pages on this site!

As I mentioned earlier, you build a building one brick at a time. Well, I built The Retailer’s Advantage Version 2.0 one brick at a time. You see, the name of the gift store that articulated the comments is called Brick’s of Iowa. Ever since the day I heard their feedback, I have dedicated the majority of my waking hours to working with web professionals and my customers to develop what I am about to reveal for the first time to anyone.

Version 2.0 of The Retailer’s Advantage
is now ready for your review!

So what’s changed?

The Retailer’s Advantage has 7 major components that are either brand-new or greatly improved.

Here they are:

1.) Retail Stock Reporter: An up-to-the minute Retail Stock Reporter that just specializes in the leading specialty retail stocks, the Retail ETF (Exchange Traded Funds). This fund only buys specialty retail public company. In essence this fund becomes a great barometer or index of specialty retailing. You will be able to recognize how the major specialty store chains are doing and it is a very good barometer of how retail business is. Within this section are also the current prices of gold and silver. (That was requested by the jewelers, but it’s something we can all profit from.)

2.) Retail News and Trend Report: This section has a 24/7 feed from the major media sources that select articles from around the world about retail issues only. Just a daily glance at these headlines will help to keep you in touch with what’s happening in the world of retailing.

3.) Respected Contributors: This section is comprised of all of the consultants, trainers, teachers, retailers and vendors who have given workshops, been interviewed, or written articles for The Retailer’s Advantage. Each individual will have a section for you to learn more about them and explore other ways to utilize their talents for your business.

4.) The Events Section has all of the planned events for the next three months to help you plan according. We are committed to offering 52 new event programs a year, one every Wednesday night. These programs will include workshops, website visual merchandising reviews, interviews with the movers and shakers that effect retailing today, and our most popular event — website reviews of member’s sites.

5.) Retail Tool Section is a collection of retail and business tools, short cuts, and exercises that will make you a better retailer. There are currently 25 different tools. However, by October 15th, there will be more than 50 different tools available to use. These range from inventory control methods, to advertising and marketing planning tools, and just about everything in between. Many people join The Retailer’s Advantage just for this section alone.

6.) The Retail Reference Library is becoming the source for the best articles about the hottest topics in retailing today. Our editors have a mandate to find the best information packed articles from some of the best names in retailing to create a new standard of retail information collections. The best part is we consulted with library science professionals to create a simple easy system to find what you are looking for every time.

7.) The Levels of Membership: This is the biggest change in The Retailer’s Advantage — the introduction of Three-Tiered Pricing.

One of the comments we heard over and over again was that some of our members would only use one section or service but not the other. We have a very large group of members who just use The Retailer’s Advantage for our award winning event schedule. To address that issue, we created the Silver Membership Level that is only $29.95 per month that gives you 52 live event programs a year.

We also have members who were once members of my Coaching Program that ended two years ago. Many of them keep asking me to continue with that program, but unfortunately I can’t because of the massive time commitment on my part. However, because the calls and emails continued for this type of service, we are introducing our Platinum Membership Level that offers 1 one-on-one coaching session per month plus enrollment in a mastermind group of between 6 and 10 stores that will meet monthly online, plus many other services. We believe this is going to be a great program and the perfect and affordable education solution. The price for this service is $149.95 per month.

Our Gold Membership Level is the continuation of the current program and it is priced at $49.95. At the bottom of this page, we have a chart that explains the various levels.

We have dedicated ourselves to the word Simplicity. This site is logical! You’ll know where to go to find what you want. It was as if Mr. Spock from Star Trek designed it in the most logical of ways. But we are always open for ideas and suggestions. Let us know what you think about the new Retailer’s Advantage website! We have also left certain portions of the site open to the public. Please understand we have no contracts to sign or long term commitments. That’s just the way we do business.

So, please check out our labor of love and my commitment to making a difference in the lives of the independent retailer. As you review our pages and programs, understand that this site is and will always remain a work in progress. We have no "finish lin" and we’ll always be constantly seeking the best material from around the world. I hope you will consider joining the site to continue learning, researching, reading, experimenting, and thinking about ways to improve your business. Thank you for reading this and being part of the world I serve. Click here to see The Retailer’s Advantage 2.0.

Membership Levels:	Silver $2995	Gold $4995	Platinum $14995
Access to our complete program of live events — which includes webinars, teleseminars, workshops, retail roundtable discussions, and conversations with the movers and shakers in retailing!
Full access to the entire Retailer’s Advantage membership site, including more than 50 helpful Retail Tools — such as the Misery Meter, Retail Sign Manifesto, Customer Service Evaluation System, the Differentiator Survey, and others — specifically created to help you improve your retail performance!
Complete use of our extensive Retail Reference Library, which includes archived webinars, teleseminars, workshops, interviews with prominent retail experts… plus hundreds of articles & resources about advertising, marketing, customer service & experiences, financial issues, accounting, human resources & management, merchandising, buying, online marketing & social media, promotions, selling, store operations, technology, visual merchandising, and more!
Monthly 1-hour One-on-One Coaching Session with Rick Segel
Monthly Mastermind Group with 6 – 10 store owners, facilitated by Rick Segel

Retail Lessons from an Unexpected Source

We all know the rule — NEVER mix politics and business. That is one lesson that we all need to practice. It’s just too dangerous because it is the fast track to alienating someone and losing a customer. Having said that, it’s important to understand that just about every successful retailer I know is involved in their community in some capacity or another. We give community service awards in most of the retail awards programs with which I am involved. We respect people and businesses that care about us, that care about our communities, our families, our causes, and those issues that matter to our world.

Caring about our communities and a strong sense of community are the two essential elements to the revival of a town and/ or a downtown. It’s not politics; it’s the right thing to do. Unfortunately, there are times that we can get dangerously close to crossing into political issues or political camps.

This might be one of those times for me, but please this is NOT intended to be a political in any way. But it is hard to say that in an article with the name Kennedy in it.

With that preface I have to share a little known secret about myself. The very first job I ever had was as a volunteer working in the 1962 on the Ted Kennedy campaign for US Senator from the state of Massachusetts. I was 14 years old and my job was to operate the signature machine. I had to put a full ink cartridge into a special mechanical fountain pen, put an 8×10 glossy picture of Ted Kennedy in the machine, hit the start button, and the machine produced autographed pictures of the late Senator. I worked there for the months of July and August of 1962. It was the one and only time I ever worked in a political campaign.

Politics really wasn’t my passion but the reason why I did get involved was because of the mood of the country and spirit that President Kennedy brought into the White House. I’m sure I don’t have to remind you of Jack Kennedy’s famous quote “Ask Not What Your Country Do for You Ask… “It was the time of the Peace Corp, VISTA (Volunteers In Service To America), and just about every household in the Boston area had a picture (framed or unframed) hanging somewhere in the house of Jack Kennedy. So to be able to work on a Kennedy campaign was a really a big deal.

What I didn’t consider was the effect that time in the 60’s and that summer of 1962 would have on my life and how it molded me into what I am and have become today. Actually the column you are reading right now is as a result of the inspiration and the importance of community service that was indoctrinated into me during that time period. You are my community and the community I serve now.

I know there are people who might not be Kennedy supporters and that’s OK but we all have to marvel in a man who could have opted for the easy life. Golf, sailing, travel or whatever he chose. He had the money to do it but instead he decided to work 50 plus hours a week and take on causes that few people even cared about and did it for 46 years into his mid 70’s. Dedication, a quality of successful retailers.

He overcame every kind of obstacle, from 3 brothers being killed, to his children having cancer, a giant public embarrassment, and a failed run for president. That’s enough to make any person want to through in the towel but he didn’t. (Yes I know I missed some things but I thought that was more than enough to make my point.) Ted Kennedy was not a quitter. Another quality of great retailers.

Although after this weekend in Boston, more people are aware of the accomplishments and the many obstacles Ted Kennedy overcame but it’s his amazing congressional record that will be remembered the most. He achieved it by understanding people, by standing up for what he believed but being willing to compromise on a battle to win the war, by disagreeing without being disagreeable, and understanding the importance of fun and light-hearted behavior to cope with events as the great social lubricant and the power of influence it possesses. Seems to me Ted would be one heck of a retailer.

Ted Kennedy knew that it was the little things that made him more likeable and lovable as clearly demonstrated at the funeral activities of this past weekend, such as remembering cards to send , calls to make, and people to thank. Kennedy understood the two words that are the basis for any solid relationship. Acknowledging people for what they say or do and appreciating the things people do for you. That was why at 1:30 AM on Friday morning, grown men and women were waiting outside the Kennedy Library to walk past a flag-draped casket. Although they were perfect strangers to Ted Kennedy, they cried and wept because he was a politician who had affected their lives or their way of thinking. How many stores can you think of or retailers you recall that can have an emotional effect on us and are part of our thinking and way of life? I can think of a few that did that for me. Today that is called emotionalizing the customer experience.

Ted Kennedy didn’t get involved with causes because they were popular, trendy, cool, or things that he could profit from. He got involved because according to him, they were right and just. Community service is a great marketing strategy to build a business BUT don’t do it for that reason because it will never work that way. Do it because you believe it, are passionate about it, and have that fire in your gut to get it done. If you search for the pot of gold you will never find one but if you admire and seek to find the beautiful rainbows of life you just might stumble on your pot of gold.

Ted Kennedy’s pot of gold was making a difference and the abundant life for all. No, I am not a Democrat or a Republican, just a registered independent for 40 years and I don’t believe I could classify myself as a true liberal anymore either. BUT my writings and The Retailer’s Advantage are squarely in line with the late senior senator from Massachusetts, Edward Moore Kennedy, of making a difference and the abundant life for all of the retailers whose path I should cross. Thanks, Ted, for making a difference and making a difference in me.

Your Defining Moment

Ever get so excited about an event that you just can’t wait for it to happen? Just like a 6-year-old boy waiting for his birthday — that is how I am feeling. That is exactly how I feel about the project that I am working on. Please understand, I am much closer to the end of my career than the beginning of it (not that I have any intention to ever retire).

I have lived through almost every type of sale or promotional event a business can produce. From spectacular store openings, to powerful price and non-price promotions, to sales of all varieties, to expansion events, and to new business initiatives. If there is one word that is common to every type of event, it is the word “Showtime.” You are a show producer and director, responsible for a thousand little details that must be coordinated together to produce a finished product which can determine your success or failure for years.

These events can be discussed casually but I think anyone who is reading this column can attest to the emotional baggage, both positive and negative, that is associated with one of these events. I’m sure that all of you have already associated such an event in your mind as you read my words. They define you as a person, as a business person, and many times become the regulator of one’s levels of self esteem. They define us both fairly and sometimes unfairly.

Here is the process we go through in the creation of an event, a sale, a promotion, or a new business initiative. We have an idea, we try out our idea with family and friends, we then decide to proceed, we make our plans, then test our ideas and plans until we feel comfortable, then we execute them, and finally wait for the results. Talk about extreme highs and lows. The next time you are involved in one of these projects, remember one of my favorite quotes from the author and educator, Dr. Alan Weiss:

“We are NEVER as good
as our GREATEST accomplishments
and NEVER as bad as our greatest failures.”

That’s the best advice anyone has ever shared that has saved my mental stability. I mention all of this because in just 14 days I will experience probably the greatest defining moment of my professional life. On September 8^th The Retailer’s Advantage will launch version 2.0. It is a culmination of a significant investment plus thousands of hours of work from 14 people who have worked tirelessly on this project to make it a success.

Because I can’t wait any longer, here is a sneak peak at The Retailers Advantage 2.0.

Let me share some background information on this project and why I feel so excited and committed to the vision and mission of The Retailer’s Advantage.

Just a year ago, The Retailer’s Advantage was born. The product launch was spectacular, and then we did what every business should do and listened to our customers. The comments we heard all had a familiar tone to them: The information is great BUT the site is confusing. That’s an easy task, just simplify it. So began Project Simplification. However, that is not easy on a site that has more than 1000 pages and is growing daily. Plus it’s hard to have the same people who made it confusing make it simple.

At first, it became a daunting task to simplify and streamline the site. “Who ever said simple was simple?” I don’t want to go into many details about The Retailer’s Advantage now because you will be getting more information in the next week or so. (But I will tell you that the reviews have been AWESOME!)

However, what made it easier was the power of our focus.

I want to follow up on last week’s article which was all about focus. I am going to use the development of the new Retailer’s Advantage as the perfect example of how powerful focusing can be, plus I would also like to comment on the many emails that were sent about The Power of Focus.

We wanted the focus to be all about making The Retailer’s Advantage a true advantage to retailers. In order to do that, we asked ourselves the question, “How and what would you have to do to achieve that?” Just having great products isn’t enough if the customer can’t find them? Therefore, we had to make the site as user-friendly as possible with great products (information).

Yes, it is the focus that made it work, but I believe the key was the single focus, the big umbrella that everything else comes under. Where many of us get confused is thinking that we have multiple focuses. User-friendly is important but it is a part of the big picture, not its own picture.

There were some really interesting comments about how so many of you are using The Power of Focus. Actually, I got a wonderful education on Focus or the correct term which is Prosperity Mapping from Cindy Welch, who runs a very successful Quilt Shop in Nunda, NY that does business across the country. Cindy is a real expert/student on Prosperity Mapping which she has been involved with for years. What we are doing is asking the universe for prosperity. It is the Law of Attraction! Visualize it and you will receive it. She spent the time to share the many ways she applies this even down to “crabby customers”. They all leave smiling. It is fascinating stuff. Thank you.

Rhonda Cohen, from RU Craft Designs wrote, “We so often forget the “human-emotional” side of ourselves. There is a great deal of power in positive thinking in whatever modality (visual, auditory, etc) that may be.”

Bonnie Barney, from the award winning vineyard, Hunt Country Vineyards in Branchport, NY said, “We are constantly asked ‘How’s business for you?’ Of course there are ups and downs, but if we offer the positives, we share the expectation of success, which in turn improves the chances of achieving it. Don’t dwell on a drop in the average customer purchase if you can celebrate an increase in foot traffic.” That’s Awesome!

Fiona Coachman, from New Zealand, shared the focus of her mother who continued to focus on her knitting as she was dying of Lung Cancer. There were no pity parties there.

One of the most captivating responses came from Nancy, a jeweler from the Midwest. I am not revealing her name or business because she admitted she doesn’t talk about this stuff very much in public because some people think you are WEIRD. She shared that even her husband thought she was a bit NUTS. Of course I related to that because my wife feels the same way about me sometimes because of my beliefs. It’s probably because they are practical and pragmatic. But it is so sweet when these ideas work and they do quite often.

Nancy said to ERASE negative thoughts from your mind and your life. Visualize a “wall” to keep them out. The key is to really concentrate and FOCUS. I could go on about many of her techniques and I really want to learn more about them, but I am afraid you will think I am weird too. (Only kidding but I couldn’t pass that one up!)

Have great week and look for the information about The Retailer’s Advantage. It will be my defining moment.

The Power of Focus

I got a wonderful and inspiring email response from a woman in Michigan from last week’s article about cranky and crabby customers and employees created by the recession. I asked and received permission to reprint. I think this is the type of article we all need to read. It inspired me to share a story I never thought I would write about but seems so very important in times like these.

Isn’t that the way we should all be? Now sit back and read my story about the POWER OF FOCUS.

I don’t consider myself a touchy feely guy.I like to make decisions based on facts, numbers, and hands-on experiences. (Although I must admit emotions play a big part as well) I say that because the story you are about to read might be considered a bit off the wall, but trust me, it is as important a business tip as I have ever written. I am writing this because I think that during challenging times like we are in, we need to find new ways to motivate us. New things to focus on.

Please understand this is the first time I have ever written this story and I have never used it in a speech but I can assure you that everything I am about to share is truthful without any exaggeration.

In 1997, I was the President of the New England Speakers Association. Once a month we would have meetings that would attract about 100+ professional speakers. We would invite high level professional speakers to share their expertise. This one particular month we were fortunate enough to have the national president of the National Speakers Association, Glenna Salisbury.

Glenna spoke on self esteem and motivation and is a wonderful person. When Glenna arrived she brought with her a rather large box of magazines. That was strange but what was even stranger was after she did her keynote address she did a smaller workshop where about 20-25 people were given 2 or 3 magazines each and a pair of scissors. We were then instructed to cut out pictures from the magazines of things we really wanted. Then we were to glue the pictures on to a piece of construction paper.  I felt like I was 8 years old and doing arts and crafts at Day Camp.

I had no options. I couldn’t get out of doing this because I was the local president and it wouldn’t set a good example. She explained that this was an exercise in focus and visualization. That sounded good but I wasn’t buying into it. However, I did what I had to do and started cutting out pictures. I cut out pictures of people with caps and gowns graduating from college (I have 3 children who were in college and we are never sure they WERE going to stay). I even cut out an illustration of a man jumping for joy with a sign that read DEBT FREE. I cut out a picture of a Caribbean vacation, a picture of a speaker in front of thousands of people. I cut out the book best seller list. I even cut out pictures of brides and grooms (I was hoping my kids would see that one.)

Then I pasted the pictures on to the construction paper and was to place the paper in my office or a place I would see them everyday. I did just that. I put them beside the light switch in the office. After about a month I honestly forgot they were there. Now fast forward 4 years. My wife calls me over to look at something at her desk. She had taken down the pictures ( she did the same project as well) and we realized that every picture we had cut out had become a reality. My son who didn’t even have a girl friend at the time had gotten married. My wife cut out a picture of a home on Cape Cod which we now owned and she cut out a picture of a set of knives for the kitchen that we bought a couple of years earlier. EVERY PICTURE BECAME A REALITY.

There were a total of 9 items that came true. I must admit that this gave me goose bumps. I really didn’t talk about it very much cause I was afraid people would think I was weird or something. The story doesn’t end there — it ends two years later. I was so impressed at how this worked I did it again. But this time I just put one item on it. It was a picture of the new Lexus RX300 a small SUV. I have never been much of a car guy but I really liked that car. So I got a picture mounted on construction paper but this time I mounted it on the wall behind my desk. It stayed there for over a year until the piece of tape holding it on the wall gave way and the picture slipped behind the desk that was against the wall.

My desk was an extremely heavy desk and I wasn’t about to move it for a silly picture of a car. So it stayed there and frankly I forgot about it. Fast forward another year or so and we were moving from this house that we lived at for 32 years. I emptied the draws of the desk to make it lighter for the movers. As they moved the desk I saw the mounted picture. The picture was faced to the ground but I remember what I had done, but just not the specifics. When I picked up the picture I really got freaked out. The picture I cut out of Lexus SUV was the EXACT car I had purchased 6 days earlier. I mean exact. The same color, same trim, and even the same the same year. I bought a two year old car the exact same one in the picture.

Let me repeat everything I have reported is the truth. But there is even a bigger issue that I am failing to report to you. We weren’t the only ones that this had happened to. There were quite a few stories that were similar to mine.

This isn’t magic or any type of Hocus Pocus. It is the power of focus. When you buy a certain make and model of a car, what do you see when you are driving. It’s as if you just bought the most popular car on the planet.

We are and what we will become is what we focus on. Focus on the negative and you will get negative results. Focus on the positive and you will get positive results. People who try to lose weight and put up a picture of themselves when they are at the fattest rarely lose weight. Put a picture of what you want to look like or just write down all the things you will do when you are thin and it WILL happen. (Trust me… I lost 90 pounds and carried my list everywhere I went.)

Focus on your store full of customers, focus on fun and you will have fun, focus on making great buys and it will happen. We have a choice on just about everything and maybe we can all learn from Katrina, a woman who works on a farm in the state with the worst economy in the country, Michigan and she is making it happen.

Do the exercise. Share experiences like this you have had or the words you use to focus you. Vent if you like, but share. We will all grow stronger when we do. Then ask yourself one question:

What are you focusing on?

I look forward to your responses. Send them to me at rick@ricksegel.com and I will publish them all.

A Side Effect of the Recession…

Cranky Customers, Cranky Employees,
and Cranky Store Owners

What Can We Do About Them?

Although there are signs that this recession is nearing its end, we still have a long slow road to recovery. Business conditions will remain challenging for the foreseeable future. That does NOT mean that your business is going to be off — you just have to work a little harder. Actually I think we are truly reaching  a new normal.

We need to promote more and in every way. This doesn’t mean just having price promotions but we must promote anyway we can to bring customers to our stores, websites, and to make use of the new social media connections. We also need to explore every new method  of marketing. As we saw last week in our discussion and contest on Facebook, we have success stories and new models to follow. I will be exploring every new form of marketing over the next few weeks but this week’s column is about two topics I have been getting a lot of calls and emails about and have been asked to comment on.

We are dealing with people who just aren’t happy. There are many reasons for this. As retail owners, we see that business isn’t what it once was. It has changed especially if you are located in an area affected by layoffs. We all know people who have been laid off, can’t find a job, and we have employees who are feeling the pinch at home as well. Our customers love to buy and they aren’t happy about cutting back.

What does it all mean? They have a reason to be down, upset, or depressed. So what! That is no reason that they have to be so cranky and miserable and take it out on us. Of course, we have a little shorter fuse as well.

Here are my top 10 tips to handle cranky people — but #6 through #10 also focus on the root causes for the problem.

1. Be empathetic. Use terms such as “I know how you could feel like that.”
2. Let people talk. Sometimes they just need to talk it out. The worst thing anyone can ever say when someone is trying to discuss an issue is “I don’t want to talk about that”. Of course the other interpretation of I don’t want to talk about it is when some says to you, “All you are doing is harping on the same issues. Move on.” People need to talk things out. That’s why physiatrists have patients come back again and again. Shut the door on the communication and shut the door on the relationships.
3. Ask for a remedy. If you did something wrong, then ask how it can be corrected.
4. Dealing with the unreasonable remedy. Simply use the expression, “I wish we could.” That works just about every time.
5. Thank you. We cannot thank people enough. I am becoming a believer that we are in the midst of an epidemic of people who just expect everything. You do something for someone and they don’t thank you. It is so easy but so few people do it. When was the last time you thanked a customer for coming in the store or sent a thank-you note after a big sale?
6. Expectation management: What does a customer expect when they walk in your store? Take the time to write it down then have a friend or even yourself walk into your store as a customer. You will avoid problems before they happen.
7. Become a Flexetarian. Don’t be so rigid. Lighten up. The times they are a changing and the rules of the new normal are yet to be written. Things are never just black or white. There are many shades of gray.
8. Be a Seeker and a Doer. Many times our policies become stale because we never shop other businesses to see what our customers are experiencing. It’s one thing seeing good ideas but it’s another thing implementing them. You can’t be successful without both of them.
9. Decisions of Convenience: Again, I am seeing more people make decisions because it’s the easy way out. In the retail business we sometimes get lazy and make the decisions because it’s easy or convenient to do. Somehow we start to have different rules and policies for different customers and employees. It’s the same as buying from a rep because it’s easy. Just be aware of the amount of decisions we make because of that. It’s scary and extremely dangerous business.
10. Commitment. The retail business isn’t easy. There can be long hours and frustrating times. BUT you have to love it. You have to get excited when new merchandise get delivered. You need to get excited to call a customer up and be so enthusiastic that you were able to get exactly what they are looking for. You need to get excited about every display, sign, and buying trip that you push yourself to visit one more vendor when your dead tired but that new vendor becomes the winner of the season.

Retailing is easy when you love it, but it’s the worst job in the world when you can’t stand the sight of a customer. To answer all of those store owners who have asked me when is it time to leave your business? That’s simple: “Love it or Leave it.”

Somehow the customer knows and they become sharks in the water when they see blood.

You see, sometimes it’s not the customer who makes us cranky. Sometimes we make the customer cranky as well.

The 7 Things Every Business Needs To Know About Facebook… Plus The Winners!

1.	Know the FOUR Business Goals for Your Facebook Account Get found by people who are searching for your products or services Connect and engage with current and potential customers Create a community around your business Promote other content you create, including web pages, blog articles, and your advertising.
2.	Every business should (must) create a page, so your customers can become your fans. The myth is that Facebook is only for kids or Gen Y. It is for everyone. Older people and especially Baby Boomers (the oldest Baby Boomer is now 63 years old) which means most boomers are still working, in pretty good shape, and don’t think or feel old like they are ready for the rocking chair.
3.	Profiles are for people, Pages are for businesses. Do not create a personal profile for your business. This is one point that many people who are successful at Facebook are not even aware of (including me). A Page is similar to a Profile except that it is, by default, public and users can become a “fan” of your Page without first requiring approval from the Page administrator. Creating a Page is completely free but will require your time to build and maintain. To get started, visit www.facebook.com/pages
4.	Make Your Page Easy to Understand ~ Use Tabs (The Tab Interface) – This allows you to group the content and applications as per your requirements. Not only you can edit the default tabs, but you can also add new tabs giving you complete control in its customization. You can freely drag them to arrange in required order. With new Facebook application standards in effect, almost every new application (internal or 3rd party) can be integrated with Facebook tabs. This opens endless opportunities to create customizable tabs with your choice of third party applications.
5.	PROMOTE – PROMOTE – PROMOTE Know the Six Best Ways to Promote Your Page Draw on your existing network. Start promoting your page to your own customer list. Although Facebook is a do-it-yourself type of endeavor, have your webmaster make sure your pages are indexed just like your website pages. The results are amazing with this little fix. Create Events, Discussion Boards and/or News Flashes about your business and community. Join the various networks of people who would have an interest to buy from you. Buy a Facebook Ad. For some reason this is not as widespread. Every quarter, create a poll to get your fans’ feedback about their views on various pages or page elements.
6.	Schedule a block of Facebook time (15 min?) each day to monitor your account/keep up with things/add new content.
7.	Go to http://Facebook.Grader.com to grade your profile or page for free. This is another free service from a company I love and I am an account of. HubSpot. You will be hearing lots more from this company in the months ahead.

I would like to thank all of the people who helped in forming this list. Especially my friends at HubSpot, a web marketing company like none other, Interactive Insights Group, and my chief researcher, Cindy Potts.

 

NOW… FOR THE WINNERS!

There were so many great responses to decide on just one winner, so after arguing back and forth, here is the Grand Prize winner who will receive a 2-month subscription to The Retailer’s Advantage, plus the choice of any of any Rick Segel book. The other 3 winners will receive the 2-month subscription to The Retailer’s Advantage.

Grand Prize Winner ~

Chistine Joyner
Diamonds Direct • St. Petersburg, FL

Website: www.DiamondsDirect.us
Facebook: Click Here

We are using Facebook with great success. I set it up at the end of May and it has exploded. We have over 400 fans and nearly as many friends. I have integrated a Facebook widget on the homepage of our website so that a viewer can become a fan, read the thread, etc. We have gained two known sales from this vehicle. Clients coming in the store that haven’t bought yet are asking us about products they have seen us talk about on facebook.

We used it to introduce a new commercial and get viewer’s response and comments before it aired. In the next few days we will be setting up advertising to coincide with a commercial that we are launching in the next week. I have posted comments to entice viewers to visit our website and sign up to win a $50 gift card to a local high end restaurant… we drove more traffic to our site and gained more entries for the contest, but most importantly, we are using it to grow our client base.

Overall, Facebook seems to be helping with top-of-mind awareness. Plus, if we are already their “friend” before they even walk into the store, the barrier to gain a rapport with the client is reduced.

Check out our website, and become our friend on Facebook!!

Runner-up Winners ~

Ann Burlingham
Burlingham Books • Perry, NY

Website: www.BurlinghamBooks.com
Facebook: Click Here

I expected to blog more — I come from a Usenet background, where I wrote daily in a number of modes on different subjects, easily — but I haven’t. I set up my Facebook page for the bookstore and had a number of people become fans. What I’ve started doing lately, in addition to posting event notices, is to write a quick daily (or so) note about a book, item in the store, things going on in town, etc.

Not a lot of feedback from it, except some positive comments and encouragement, but I think it’s a good way to go – easy to do on part, easy to read for the customers/fans. I know from the store that my personality is one of my strongest sales tools; since I find writing easy, Facebook is another way to let my personality, sense of humor, community involvement, and the like shine out.

One more way of reminding people that there’s a Real Live Local Bookstore with Real Live People in it, locally involved and so much better than *blech* Amazon. Just as we see new customers in the store daily, I seem to see a few new fans on Facebook everyday.

Shawnda McGinnis
Ocean City Regional Chamber of Commerce, NJ

Website: www.OceanCityVacation.com
Facebook: Click Here

Hi, Rick. Not on Facebook? Is that even an option anymore? We had almost 2,000 fans before we even announced that we had a page.

We use FB for just about everything! We announce events, put up teaser photos from the event from the previous year, announce new businesses with photos from their ribbon cuttings, attach a link to our website with “What’s Happening” each week, link all press releases from our website, we ask and answer questions, send event notices, traffic updates if there is an issue with one of the bridges coming onto the island, last minute info or changes for events, and much more.

People write into us and tell us how much they LOVE Ocean City, NJ, send us pictures, and taut their favorite businesses. We even have a farm that is located “on the way to the shore” who posts notices to our page saying, “stop here on your way to the beach.” A local fundraiser also used our page as a way to get their info out to raise money to stop childhood hunger.

We direct people to our website for more detailed information about things we are posting. Once they are on our site, they stay and look around which is great for our local businesses that are on our site. AND… we can track it all!

Through FB, we can also get a glimpse at the demographics of our “fans” and from which areas they are coming.

We can check and update information 24/7 from just about anywhere. The best part? It’s FREE! We love Facebook for promoting Ocean City, NJ.

Sarah Deveau
Cater Tot Consignment • Airdrie, AB Canada

Website: www.CaterTot.ca
Facebook: Click Here

How do I love thee, Facebook? Let me count the ways.

I created a Facebook presence for my children’s consignment boutique over a year ago, and it has been phenomenal for my business. We have a Page, with more than 900 ‘fans’ who are seeing our status updates in their news feed or receiving longer Updates from us as well. On our Page, we offer links to articles featuring our store or the products we carry, we link to like-minded businesses, we offer contests and coupons, and encourage our fans to post their photos of their kids using products they bought at our store. We announce special sales and latest arrivals exclusively on our Facebook page.

Since introducing Facebook into our marketing mix, my revenues have increased by more than 10% – in a recession. Where stores around me are closing their doors, we’re flourishing, in part due to this new form of advertising and marketing. I have slashed our advertising budget in half and funneled it nearly completely into Facebook. Previously, customers might come in occasionally and say they had visited our website and decided to drive out and give us a try (we’re 15 minutes away from a city of 1 million). Now, many times a week customers come in with a list of items they found on our Facebook page that they want to buy. When we ask new customers where they heard about us, it is always Facebook. Often we’ll announce new products on our Facebook page and the cash register will start ringing within an hour as moms log on, see the update, and head for the store.

Though I rave about the power of Facebook, many stores still don’t appreciate the immediate results they can see from this incredible new marketing tool. Yet, I do understand their hesitation. I think Facebook is really only fantastic if your customers and potential customers are also on Facebook, and you’re executing it well. I have tried Twitter, to no success. Only a tiny fraction of our customers use Twitter, and even those that were on, were not checking it often enough to see our “tweets.” Thanks for the emails Rick!

Are You on Facebook?

Last week I mentioned at the end of my article that I wanted to begin dissecting several of the popular social media outlets — Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube — to find out how people in our network are using them successfully.

There was such a HUGE response throughout the last several weeks on the topic of “FREE,” that I decided to use the same successful model for this week’s theme.

(For those of you who didn’t get a chance to read the responses, you can find them on my blog. We received hundreds of responses over a 2-week period, and I published as many as I could. I’m compiling all of them into a special report that will be available soon as a free download!)

This week, the topic is Facebook. Surprisingly, I received only three responses to my request for how people are using this social media tool in business. That is quite unusual for my readership. However, there might be some reasons for this:

• Not many of you are using Facebook
• I didn’t offer any contest or incentive to share
• I didn’t advertise it properly
• Didn’t give a good example

(Did you notice a recurring theme that’s even bigger than Facebook? Don’t use the product, no incentive to buy, & not advertised well. Seems to me I just summed up retailing success!)

So here’s the deal. First, I want to announce a competition on the best use of Facebook. The prize is 2 free months of membership on the brand-new Retailer’s Advantage site, which will launch on September 1, 2009 — PLUS your choice of ANY Rick Segel book! (Combined value is over $100!)

Now, to see the competition you’re up against, here are the three comments I’m sure you will find interesting…

This first comes from Heather Bedell, a fundraiser for the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Ontario, Canada. She writes:

Next week, watch for more examples from our network, along with the “7 Things You MUST Do To Make Facebook Work For You.”

Send your Facebook success stories to me at rick@ricksegel.com. I look forward to hearing your ideas and sharing them. Remember… the best response will win a fantastic prize worth over $100!

Have a great week!

Is Promoting Online THAT Different From Promoting Offline?

This month is all about promoting and you can’t talk about promoting your business without including the internet. Is promoting online that much different than our traditional advertising? Yes and no. Let me explain — the web offers ways of telling your story, your advertising and promotions in multiple formats. You can easily record a video or audio explaining the promotion. That’s not difficult or expensive today and you don’t have to buy an expensive camera either. Actually almost any digital camera works. I compiled a list of the 7 Rules to Online Promotions. Many of these points will apply to offline advertising as well.

This is just a small taste of this new world of promotion. Next week we are going to start my look at Social Marketing and what it means to you.

Keep your minds open and start to embrace the change, because it will benefit the smaller and independent. I will start to demystifying Facebook and what it should mean to you. If there are any Successful Facebook users, please email me. I want the success stories to share. Write to me at Rick@Ricksegel.com and let’s share your experiences.

FREE is FANTASTIC! …MORE Advice from Our Network

FREE is far more popular than I ever dreamt, and I am putting together a special report that will be available as a free download from my website. Look for it next month and it will be announced in the newsletter.

The two winners this week for the free book, FREE, are: John Cieslinski, from Macedon, NY and June Schiada from PJS Party Supply. Congratulations! And by the way, it was really tough picking just 2 more winners since there were so many great ideas.

So, here are more FREE ideas from our network:

There are some great ideas here and hopefully they will become a springboard for your creative juice to start flowing. I do want to apologize to any of the people who did contribute but whose ideas were not mentioned—there were just so many and these 2 columns are 4 times the usual size!