I've just posted a new Freebie on my website based on the presentation I gave in January at the IDEX Show.

It's called Turning Your Customers Into Fans.

If you want to grow your business, you can use traditional marketing and advertising. But everyone knows that Word-of-Mouth is the strongest form of persuasion. And you'll get far more WOM if your customers aren't just customers, but are stark raving fans, evangelists for you.

Knowing how to turn them into fans, and how to empower that evangelism is now available for you free of charge. Check it out.

Cheers!

-Phil

Phil Wrzesinski owns and operates Toy House and Baby Too, one of the 25 best independent stores in America.  He shares his business secrets here and at www.PhilsForum.com.

Hi All,

Midwest Displays provides all kind of retail display products like window displays, estate agents display, acrylic displays, rotating displays, exhibition equipments and much more.

Fore more details visit http://www.midwestdisplays.co.uk

Regards

Indu Dennis

Webmaster

Best Buy has a motto that looks right for the economic situation and the holiday season. It's "They'll be happy, you'll be happy, we'll be happy."

That motto doesn't immediately make it clear how Best Buy plans to guarantee "they" will be as happy as little clams, but the idea that a retailer can reach the final receiver of a gift beyond the age-old receipt-without-a-price-pasted-into-the-lid-of-the-gift-box process is a stroke of genius.

We've always known that people want value for the dollar spent but to specifically extend that reach beyond the original purchaser has not been fully utilized by most retailers. If we can assure our customers that not only will we strive to make them happy, we'll strive to please whomever they gave the gift to as well, THAT could improve business.

The thing is, we make promises, we gotta keep them. That's true even if we only suggest satisfaction. So the "everyone should be happy" approach will only work if you haven't cut back to the bare bone on customer service. To imply great customer service and then have customers waiting so long to get help that they have time to manicure their nails is not a wise move.

But if your store is still offering personal service, here are some ideas for following through with the satisfied-end-customer idea.

From @frugalretailing on Twitter: frugalretailing Neighboring malls. One focuses marketing on bargains, other on atmosphere. Which will win?

The idea came to me Saturday from my hometown newspaper's top headline. Hit me between the eyes, in fact.

I'm thinking, is that the reporter's oversimplification or do the marketers of these malls really think that they must choose!?

Of course, malls and retailers alike do focus depending on our branding concept. But our choices don't have to be all red or all green. There is no reason why we can't appeal a little to both kinds of shopper.

The reason, of course, is that targeting only bargain hunters can get us into trouble down the road as the recession eases. Heck, it can get us into trouble now. We'll want to attract some people who want quality, the people who have some money to spend. So up goes the glitz and on goes the mood-promoting soft seasonal music. And that can be reflected in our ads, blogs, newsletters and more.

The economy is improving! The economy is improving!

You know, I believe that. The LA Times business page reports that there is a trend back to brand name buying. Of course, they're talking about the likes of Kellogg's Frosted Flakes vs. Safeway's Soggy Flakes but there's a lesson those of us who are retailing something other than oatmeal and toothpaste can draw from this.

And here it is. Don't swing too far to the generic, the mundane, and the cheapy products that appeal to the bargain hunters and bottom feeders. When the economy really starts ticking up you won't want to have given up your market share for Yankee Candles (as opposed to paraffin blobby stuff). You'll also want to send the message that, although you are offering specials and new budget-conscious services, you still believe in and stand up for the products you've always recommended. Not because they are expensive (or inexpensive) but because they give value. Always have. Always will.

I know this post is short but sometimes that's the length of the sweetest messages. Right!

PS: That upward trend news is based on earning reports of big companies that specialize in brand names like Proctor & Gamble and Colgate-Palmolive.

-------

There are many ways to look at kiosks. You know, the kinds we find in malls and strip centers.

For some they are bread and butter.

For some they are a foot up to what the kiosk operators/owners may call a "real" store.

For some they are pains in the neck--competitors who pay less for their space, don't have the build-out expenses nor (sometimes) the common area maintenance (CAM) fees that the full-fledged, built-in stores  have. And that makes them tough competitors indeed.

Good capitalists argue that competition keeps everyone on their toes, including the kiosk owners. And one can hardly argue with that.

So, maybe everyone should take a second look at the possibilities here. Let's play what would happen if . . .

Many businesses tend to focus on acquiring new customers while inadvertently failing to maintain healthy relationships with their regulars. This is only natural; it's simple to assume that once you've got a person's business then they're full aware of your products, what you're offering, and what your business is all about. This is an unsafe assumption and couldn't be more wrong. There are a variety of ways to spice up your relationship with your repeat customers. Some might seem obvious, but oftentimes the obvious is overlooked. Sound fun? Let's get to it.

For starters, get to know them. It's a simple way to cater to their desires. Customers are often more than willing to share information in lieu of a wonderful shopping experience. Data such as zip codes, shopping preferences, age, and gender all provide valuable insight into why a person might frequent your store, and more importantly, what they'd spend their money on.

It's pretty much a universally accepted truth.  Word-of-Mouth is the best form of advertising.  And most people add... "and best of all, it's free!"

Really?

If you remember from an earlier post, Roy Williams said that word-of-mouth (WOM) comes from 3 things:

• Over-the-top Design
• Over-the-top Performance
• Over-the-top Generosity

These all cost money. You either spent money on the design, on the hiring & training a superior staff, or on the stuff you gave away.

One thing that surprised me was that Roy didn't mention the WOM you can get from Over-the-Top Advertising (something you're already sepnding money on). 

Tough economic times often call for tough decisions.  Independent book seller Jan Loveland has experienced this firsthand.  She's closing her small bookstore, Cranesbill Books, at the end of the year.  ''I think that the small ... bookstore/gift shop is going to be a rarer and rarer thing to find,'' Loveland said.

This weekend I had the pleasure of attending Ocean City, NJ's annual congregation of small retailers, its mile-long Block Party, where over 400 independent retailers set up stands and invited the public to stroll freely amongst them as the people ate, shopped, and perused the offerings.  Everything from cookies to clothing to crafts lined the street, and musicians played family-friendly music while kettle corn was popped and pizza was baked.  A first-class fireworks show ended the evening.  A full description of the event can be found here.