Plan your Boxing Day experience, I mean you Retailers

By Jeff Bowman

Tis the season. Like millions of other bargain hunters, I was up early on Dec. 26 to catch the Boxing Day sales frenzy.  I had already purchased some items online the day before through the large electronic specialty stores, so as to avoid the crush on Boxing Day. I had perused the flyers on www.flyerland.com so I knew where I was going, exactly what I needed and what times the various stores opened. I had a plan of attack to get me in and out of the retail outlets as quickly as possible. I only wish that the retail outlets had planned as meticulously as I had.

Boxing Day is the single largest day for sales revenue in the year, and those stores that choose to open can expect massive crowds, lineups at the cash registers and an occasional customer with a short fuse. Given the previous facts about Boxing Day, one would anticipate the stores would be fully staffed and well prepared to deal with the onslaught. I guess I give too much credit to some retail organizations.  My experience began at 6 a.m. when our local retail giant opened its doors, followed by a short drive to a “super” grocery store, then a pit stop for coffee.  Once the java had re-invigorated me, it was off to a business specialty store, the local aquarium outlet and finally to a “giant” Canadian retail store.

I did come home with several bargains, some items I hadn’t planned on buying but impulse got the better of me, and a list of ways that some stores should be better prepared in order to avoid my wrath.

The first store broke the cardinal rule of sales. They were 15 minutes late in opening their doors while a lineup of about 100 people stood waiting in the cold rain.  Starting off with peeved customers doesn’t bode well.  Large skids clogged the aisles; flyer items were not marked as such and sales assistance was nowhere to be found. As the crush of shoppers entered the store, the 3 cashiers on duty stood silently.

At the next store, a line got quite unruly, as the doors at the other end of the store were opened first and the 20 or so people standing  there were allowed in before the cold, wet patient shoppers, who had stood in line for ½ hour at the designated doors. The loss leader products were not out on the floor – they were only available at the Customer service area where a large crowd gathered, pushing and shoving, waving their arms.  It looked like the floor of a stock exchange. Products were being handed to people and as they tried to leave others were grabbing at the products in their arms. I did manage to get a couple of items, which were reduced 50%, and lined up at the cashier for 20 minutes, only to find that none of the marked down items were entered in the computer.

Surprisingly, the smaller aquarium store and the Canadian retailer were both overstaffed, all registers open with happy smiling cashiers and the advertised products were in plain sight and well-marked.  Both these stores were crowded, but there was minimal wait time and happy customers.  Why the difference?  It seems that some retailers understand and appreciate customer responses to stress, and are prepared to make the shopping experience, no matter how hectic, a good experience. Their plan succeeded, where the larger retailers failed miserably.

Here are some key areas to address for Boxing Day or any other large sale.

1. Open when you advertise that you will open
2. Ensure that there are more than enough cashiers and floor assistants
3. Clearly mark all advertised sale items
4. Update the computers to reflect all sale items and discounts to avoid long lineups waiting for price checks and adjustments
5. Have an entitlement system in place for those who have made the effort to lineup prior to opening. A store employee giving out coupons or even wrist bands with the special the customer is waiting for, which must be handed to a sales clerk for the advertised special, ensures their wait is rewarded.
6. If the store will only allow so many people at a time in to shop, let the others in line know that.  Make it clear in advertisements that you may wait in line for a period of time, even before you enter the store.
7. Make the store presentable and accessible to everyone with a cart, a carriage or even wheel chairs, shoppers create a large enough barrier without adding boxes and skids to it.

Retailers who have been so complacent in recent years need to re-evaluate how they view customers with an eye more focused on what they as a retailer can offer, rather than how much money they can entice the consumer to spend. Price is only a part of the shopping experience!

Yes, Virginia. There is a Santa Claus

By Stephen Rhodes

I watched Miracle on 34th Street recently. I have the original black and white, my preference, and the newer colour version. I like them both really.

Last week a friend of mine said they were dreading breaking the news about Santa to the children. The conversation reminded me of this wonderful letter and response that first appeared in 1897.

Francis P. Church’s editorial, “Yes Virginia, There is a Santa Claus,” reprinted below, was an immediate sensation, and went on to became one of the most famous editorials ever written. It first appeared in the The New York Sun in 1897, more than a hundred years ago, and was reprinted annually until 1949 when the paper went out of business. Here is the exchange between eight-year-old Virginia O’Hanlon and Francis Church.

Dear Editor—
I am 8 years old. Some of my little friends say there is no Santa Claus. Papa says, “If you see it in The Sun, it’s so.” Please tell me the truth, is there a Santa Claus?
Virginia O’Hanlon

Dear Virginia
Virginia, your little friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, Virginia, whether they be men’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours, man is a mere insect, an ant, in his intellect as compared with the boundless world about him, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge.

Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! how dreary would be the world if there were no Santa Claus! It would be as dreary as if there were no Virginias. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence. We should have no enjoyment, except in sense and sight. The external light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

Not believe in Santa Claus! You might as well not believe in fairies. You might get your papa to hire men to watch in all the chimneys on Christmas eve to catch Santa Claus, but even if you did not see Santa Claus coming down, what would that prove? Nobody sees Santa Claus, but that is no sign that there is no Santa Claus. The most real things in the world are those that neither children nor men can see. Did you ever see fairies dancing on the lawn? Of course not, but that’s no proof that they are not there. Nobody can conceive or imagine all the wonders there are unseen and unseeable in the world.

You tear apart the baby’s rattle and see what makes the noise inside, but there is a veil covering the unseen world which not the strongest man, nor even the united strength of all the strongest men that ever lived could tear apart. Only faith, poetry, love, romance, can push aside that curtain and view and picture the supernal beauty and glory beyond. Is it all real? Ah, Virginia, in all this world there is nothing else real and abiding.

No Santa Claus! Thank God! he lives and lives forever. A thousand years from now, Virginia, nay 10 times 10,000 years from now, he will continue to make glad the heart of childhood.

Merry Christmas to all.

Bad bosses are bad for business

By Jeff Bowman

Cleaning up my old files, as I do every 10 to 12 years, I came across a file folder, thick with dog-eared pages, charts, graphs and post-it notes,which have long since lost their ability to stick. As I browsed the pages the memories came flooding back to me.  The long days, the countless hours, the wasted paper, highlighters and pens. How did I ever survive as long as I did at this job where I absolutely hated the boss? He was an absolute control freak, who micro managed every detail and had to put his mark on everything I ever wrote like a dog marking his territory.

Most of us have encountered this type of boss in our working lives.  At times I look back with absolute derision at the man who caused so much stress in my life, and other times I smile knowing that I outlasted him. I read an article tonight written by Barry Lenson, an Executive Editor at Trump University, on How to Escape from a Terrible Boss and it really rang true. Lenson talks about the 4 steps to escaping a terrible boss.

Stick to the higher ground, be patient, increase your exposure and plan your escape. Truer words have never been written.  If there is one step that I could add, it would be to control your emotions throughout the process.  Getting stressed out could possibly lead to a snap decision or an action you might regret if you are working for a great company.

There is no question the negative effects that bad bosses have on organizations from poor morale, absenteeism, poor work quality, up to and including stealing from the company.  The overall impact on the economy from the bad boss effect is huge in terms of lost hours and productivity. Companies need to keep in mind that employees are the primary source of productivity increases, product improvement and innovation. By capping the potential for employee growth and development because of poor leadership, companies are writing their own prescription for failure.

The solution could be employee performance evaluations.  They need to be of the 360 degree variety.  One way evaluations are a thing of the past, and upper management needs to have employee input when it comes to middle managers.  One bad apple can spoil the bunch, and employees deserve to be heard on issues that affect their productivity, and the overall success of the company.

A person in the position of leading others needs to be able to communicate, and provide an environment for employees to reach their full potential. Bosses, especially in middle management fear employees taking over their position.  Instead, they should welcome it so that they can also move and grow within an organization themselves, and be seen as a developer of people, rather than a small-minded, egotistical control freak.  Oh sorry was I thinking out loud. Next blog I’ll tell you about some great bosses I’ve had.

Have you ever worked for a bad boss?  What made them so bad?

Santa Claus, the Consultative Salesman

Reprinted from the Marketing PAD newsletter

By Jeff Bowman

Santa Claus. I know him, I’ve met him, I went to his training school and I impersonated him on many memorable occasions. I know for a fact that he is the king of consultative sales. “What do you want for Christmas little boy/girl?”, “Have you been good this year?” His interest in what others want and need is unsurpassed in the world of childhood icons. The tooth fairy brings money whether you want it or not. The Easter Bunny leaves chocolate eggs, even if you wanted some other type of gift. And the Sandman, well he just puts stuff in your eyes every night.

Father Christmas, like all good sales people, asks and listens. He then decides upon the best solution and agrees, making each and every child part of the process.

I had occasion to meet Mr. Claus when I was quite young, in fact I met him several different times and I have the pictures to prove it. He would ask me what I wanted for Christmas, and I always had a ready answer. Things I actually needed, like Rock-em Sock-em Robots, boxing gloves, a microscope, a hockey net. There are  times that I guess Santa actually consults with parents because I never did ask for socks, gotchies, shirts etc., but I often received them. And as I look back on it now, I figure nobody really wanted to see me out boxing in the nude (and probably still don’t) or going to school in ripped hand- me-down clothes.

I decided in my later years that I had taken advantage of a great relationship that Santa and I had, so I thought like in all good business relationships (and it was a good relationship, he gave me what I wanted in return for being nice, cleaning the house, not fighting with my brothers and sister etc) it was time for me to give a little back.

I attended the Santa Training School and learned a series of valuable and difficult lessons – the ins and outs of being one of the Jolly Old Fellows assistants, (I prefer this to the more common denotation of Elf in training) who takes his place at public appearances such as Breakfast with Santa, photo opportunities and of course the ever popular office Christmas Party.

Many a time I sat upon my Red Velvet throne with children of all ages and nationalities sitting on my lap, discussing the important aspects of the holiday season. Unfortunately, STS (Santa Training School) doesn’t prepare you for some of the questions you are asked by the super intelligent children of today.

Even the best consultative sales approach leaves little room for suppressing the odd laugh or following up a great open-ended question with a closed ended question to narrow down the options. “Where do you go to the bathroom Santa?”, “If my house doesn’t have a chimney do you break a window to get in?” “How many glasses of milk does it take to make you sick?” And if the questions don’t get you, the statements of fact will. “You smell old” (page 13, lesson 2 “Santa stays cool under pressure.” Yeah sure, see what you smell like after 3 hours, 100 kids on your lap and polyester suit that makes you perspire) , “What did that last kid ask for, cause he’s my brother and he is bad”, “Do you have kids?”

My Santa experiences took quite a different turn when adults got involved at parties. Building solid, mutually beneficial relationships took on a whole new meaning. The lap visitations seemed more prolonged, a few extra pictures were taken and the wants, needs and desires were often expressed with more clarity than you might imagine. I called it liquid bravery. It wasn’t just visions of sugar plums dancing in the heads of many a fine adult who graced my throne. One never really thinks of Santa blushing, but I tell you it was a good thing I had that beard.

As a public domain figure, you can’t escape seeing Santa around this time of year on every package, in every ad, flyer and newspaper. He has his own department at the Post Office, his own television shows with huge royalties that allow him to build more toys every year for the increasing population, and he symbolically represents huge corporations like Coke every Christmas. He gives his stamp of approval to many new Seasonal Songs every year, and even goes as far as having his likeness on a PEZ dispenser.

Now I am at an age where it appears my debt has been paid off to Santa, younger plumper individuals are taking my place. The consultative sales go on. The job of Santa selling never seems to be complete, as we now see him in tropical vacation commercials; he is urging us to go green with real trees this year and to use bags instead of shiny wrapping paper for gifts.

Santa continually grows and changes with the times, but his consultative sales approach remains the same – probe, listen, offer solutions and develop relationships. I’ll always remember the lessons I learned at STS, the great times I had as an assistant Santa, my personal encounters with him, and like always, I will listen for the NORAD reports on Unidentified Reindeer-propelled vehicles being spotted over Northern Canada on Christmas Eve. (now available at the Official NORAD Tracking Site for all you parents)

See you soon Santa!

What Matters Now

By Stephen Rhodes

Seth Godin has gathered together the collective thought of more than 70 people, who each contribute a one-page essay in a free ebook called What Matters Now.

Big thoughts and small actions make a difference. Here are some snippets, where even out of context, they provide inspiration.

In a digital world, the gift I give you almost
always benefits me more than it costs.

Giving a poor person food or money might help
them survive another day… but it doesn’t give them
dignity. There’s a better way.

We are too poor to afford an education. But until we have education, we will always be poor

Ignore Everybody

Dear ones, EASE UP. Pump the brakes. Take a
step back. Seriously. Take two steps back.

We’ve become slaves to our mobile devices and the
glow of our screens. It used to be much more
simple and, somewhere, simple turned into slow.

When times are tough, vision is the first casualty.
Before conditions can improve, it is the first thing
we must recover.

If not Excellence, what?

Wouldn’t it make more sense for both men and women
to appreciate each other’s strengths so we all work on
what comes naturally?

The best time to plant a tree was twenty years ago.
The second best time is now.

Everything I know about business I learned from poker:
financials, strategy, education, and culture.

Harmony creates a workplace where you and all
the people around you love to be.

The future belongs to people who can spread ideas.

Make compassion a core business value.

Empowerment is the best prevention.

Of course, dumb can be just dumb. You just have
to be smart to tell the difference.

Stop agonizing about what’s not working.
Instead, ask yourself, “What’s working well, right
now, and how can I do more of it?”

Expertise is typically over-rated. Sometimes you
have to rely on feedback to grow.

The next time you become captivated by a person (or a
brand or idea), without even realizing it, you’re most likely
under the influence of the fascination triggers.

Is your business designed to be a winning business? Is
your business willing to sacrifice losing customers to
win customers?

Don’t worry too much about getting things
done.
Make things happen.

More People Will Tell You Can’t Than You Can.
Don’t Listen. Anything’s Possible.

Flap ‘em. It’s the only way you’ll be able to fly.

Download What Really Matters for the complete picture.

Professional networks build communities

By Stephen Rhodes

My friend, and business lawyer, Wesley Jackson just started writing a blog,  and in only his third post he is promoting another professional service.

Wes recently set up his own practice, the  Wesley Jackson Professional Corporation, a firm that offers a range of services for individuals, small businesses and young professionals. Wes is an active networker and understands the power of referrals.

He is also active online with a website, a  LinkedIn account and now the WJPC’s blog. We have come a long way from the day when lawyers  could not advertise.

In his latest post, he recommends the services of Richard Auger MT, a  Registered Massage Therapist, as a stress reducer. Wes introduces the referral with this observation:

I encourage all of my clients to surround themselves with a circle of professionals, to assist in all aspects of their lives; doctors, dentists, accountants, financial planners and mortgage brokers who look after our best interests in their professional capacities.

Professional networks, particularly ones that also use online tools to spread the word, build communities of trust where individuals work together to help each other. As a lawyer, Wes can benefit from a professional relationship with many business people. We all have similar complimentary networks.

Do you have your own network of professionals? Do you use online tools to promote your community?

Empower your customers

By Stephen Rhodes

There’s a scene in the classic seasonal film Miracle on 34th Street where customer service shines.

A mom is looking for a product for her child and it’s not available so Santa suggests she go down the street to the competitive department store.  Initially,  management is horrified until the mother praises the store for its honesty and commits to a life-long relationship.

I know, it’s Hollywood, but don’t you just wish it could happen? I have had experiences where retail clerks have told me where to find a product I was looking for and it wasn’t at their store. I remember those experiences vividly. And I still shop there.

Seth Godin blogged yesterday about Lead with your glass jaw. It’s a brilliant piece about empowering the consumer to have a say in the way you do business.

Tell me about your experiences.

Just the facts Ma’me, all 3,500 of them

By Stephen Rhodes

Have you ever been in a conversation at a cocktail party and suddenly some obscure fact jumps into your head and you just blurt it out? Over a lifetime we collect information and store it in the inner recesses of our brain for instant (that fades with time) recall when required.

This weekend the National Post wrote a piece Are we expecting too much from our children at school? It seems that Ontario’s education ministry is working on a  massive overhaul of its curriculum and is debating whether the current curriculum’s colossal 3,500 “expectations” — the stuff we remember at cocktail parties 20 years later –has a place in the education system.

Some educators argue whether the sheer number of basic facts that kids are expected to learn has any application in real life, while others say it is essential to lay out expectations clearly in order to meet public demands about educational accountability. Politics, of course.

Some subjects contain upwards of 300 learning expectations in a year.

So, we cram out kids’  heads full of facts that they can get in a Google search in about 20 seconds. Technology has changed the landscape and it provides us with a tremendous opportunity to shape education to create unique thinkers.

Remember the hue and cry over introducing the calculator?

Karen Grose, a board superintendent, said that while a strong foundation of literacy and mathematics is critical to students’ success, she said the current curriculum focuses too much on filling students’ minds with disparate facts instead of teaching them to think critically.

Amanda Hardy, a Grade 8 math and drama teacher at Earnscliffe Senior Public School in Brampton says teachers are expected to prepare students for jobs that don’t yet exist.

“We don’t know what facts they will need for those jobs. So we’re teaching kids how to process information and recognize the value,” she said. “The person who has a great memory and all kinds of facts stored in their brain is never going to be able to compete with the person who has access to information and knows how to use it.”

Hear, hear.

Customer dis-service. Seller beware!

By Jeff Bowman

I once had a wonderful experience with a customer service representative from a local store that I frequent.  The woman was courteous, smiling, had a sense of humour and seemed to genuinely care about my concerns. The result was that my concern was rectified to my complete satisfaction, in very short order and I left with a much better impression of the store, and here I am telling you about it.

The ideal customer service experience!

The only problem with the entire scenario above is the second word, “once”.  I can list a multitude of occasions where my experience has not been so pleasant, and I have left the store or hung up the phone angry, when my original sentiment was slightly displeased.

There is no question in my mind that the ability to communicate globally and online has led to a reversal in the code of customer service conduct, which was so heavily emphasized  in the 80’s.  It makes a huge difference when you can look someone in the eye and discuss your problems.   There is empathy and a shared concern for keeping a customer satisfied. In the 80’s, the competition for your business was fierce, and therefore customer satisfaction ratings were a critical statistic. Employees were well aware how important it was to keep the customer coming back because they had a vested interest, their jobs.

Today, we have online complaint systems and customer service departments that may not even be in the same town or country. What is their vested interest in ensuring your complete satisfaction? Sure, “this call will be monitored….” But that doesn’t tell you if I will ever use your service again, or it I will tell all my friends about the unique experience I had. Try calling your local television service provider or government office, and tell me that you are not angered by the myriad of button pushing and extension dialing you must negotiate your way through before you get transferred or put on hold. How many times must you enter your phone number or account number, only to be asked to verbally recite it again when a live voice greets you?

The age of service will return.  It is a cycle.  After each economic downturn, it comes back with a vengeance, only to be reduced over time to facilitate technology and cost savings. Well, the rubber has now hit the road, as consumers are turning the tables on businesses using the same technology they use to cut costs and service levels. Customers are bringing their complaints to the web! Facebook, YouTube and the like are now rife with upset customers pulling no punches and naming names.

This will get interesting over the next several months as the economy improves and businesses start to utilize social media more and more as a customer service tool.  They need to keep in mind, that the very tools that they will be relying on to create open dialogues with their customers could be used against them if the other areas of customer support are not up to snuff. No longer buyer beware, it is now seller beware!

I’d like to hear your customer dis-service experiences.

Learn to write well

By Stephen Rhodes

The Web provides a forum for people to write freely about whatever they want and post it worldwide.

The Web is teeming with personal diaries in the form of  blogs, Facebook updates and now tweets. Some of it is painful to read.

The rules of writing, promoted by H.W. Fowler, author of a Dictionary of Fowler’s Modern English Usage or by William Strunk Jr and E.B. White in The Elements of Style, are lost today in a world of acronyms and 140-character blurbs.

Whatever your style, or degree of proficiency, Jason Cohen at copyblogger has “10 secrets to More Magnetic Copy” -  a few simple techniques to make your writing more compelling.

Jason talks about using the active voice, brevity and telling a story. His post reminds me of William Zinsser’s book On Writing Well, an excellent resource for writers.