I just returned from a family vacation to Baltimore area. If you have young children I highly recommend it- very fun and lots to do in walking distance from Inner Harbor hotels.

One of our favorites was Port Discovery. This is an interactive musuem for children that stimulates all the senses. In addition to the three story climbing/net/habitrail thing there are other rooms that incorporate water play, an Egyptian treasure hunt, even a diner set up.

Other stations incorporated coloring and art activities. A large space was dedicated to an art roomer where children could participate in a session on the Japanese art of paper marbling. My inquisitive 5-year-old was all for that so in we went. Since he's a chatterbox (imagine!) he got to squirt the dye colors on the gelatin laden goo first. All of the kids at the table were entranced by the process where the dyes adhere to the paper for a decorative effect. My son's eyes got as big as saucers when he saw the result and of course he now wants to do this at home.

Listening in on the parents' conversations I noted that for the most part none of them considered themselves crafty. Yet, they saw the benefit of signing their child up early to get into one of these valuable spots for the Sumiyagashi paper marbling.

More than ever, museums of all kinds are reaching out to the next generation of patrons with art & craft projects either as regular functions or special events. Scrapbook retailers can benefit in supporting these activities:

• Be aware of crafting activities of local musuems and historic sites. Find out how they buy supplies for those activities and offer to source those items for them.
• Sponsor/underwrite paper crafting activities by providing an instructor, supplies or funding for an event. Having your store name as a sponsor will get you lots of support through the Museum's PR effort.
• Be proactive about ideas- if you have some scrapbooking or other papercrafting idea that will work for a local museum, contact their education or marketing director and see how you can work together.
  
• Promote your participation with museums in your media vehicles as through these activities you are supporting the local community.

 
Museums usually have thin resources- so your offer of support will be warmly welcomed.Support your local museums and historic sites. Visits to these venues inspire our children to celebrate arts and culture. Your crafting activity could be the highlight of an event and a calling card for your business--Beth

An observation....

Did you ever notice how service providers, though trained to be 'nice', don't  always convey gratitude for you giving them your trade?

I'm not saying they aren't grateful for your purchase of the $29 Chuck E. Cheese pizza and token package. I'm just saying it doesn't always seem sincere.

Examples:

Customer: "thank you"
Sales Associate: "yep"

Customer: "Thanks, have a great day."
Sales Associate: "yuh-huh"

Customer: "thanks"
Sales Associate : (stares blankly then turns and walks away)

It's a little detail but something you remember- how an employee finishes up the sale. It's your last opportunity to make positive connection with the customer and yep and uh-huh don't cut the mustard.

You want to provide your employees with some suggestions of "go to" responses so that customers know you value their business. These need to be delivered with sincerity and scripting doesn't always work. We all know when "have a nice day" really means something else.

Some of my favorite responses to a customer's thank you:

• My pleasure.
• You're very welcome, is there anything else we can help you with today?
• You're welcome, we hope to see you soon!

***All delivered by a person who is smiling and looking me in the eye.

The old "You're welcome" or "my pleasure" combined with a positive wish works well too..."My pleasure...enjoy the rest of our day!" "Or, you're welcome, thanks for shopping with us today!"

What can you come up with that is unique to your business, a signature to the sale, if you will. The right unique signature will make an impact on your clients.

Being a Philly girl, there is one maybe not so PC response that always makes me feel valued. One that is always delivered with heartfelt sincerity... so from me to you...

 "Thanks hon, youse have a good one, 'kay?--Beth

Hands down, Word of Mouth (WOM) advertising is the best kind you can get. A third-party endorsement is viewed as truthful. And if you've ever had a baby or been around someone who has, you know a pregnant woman or new mom is super receptive to good information (and sharing information).

Take a look at this article about new moms and Word of Mouth advertising.

Many scrapbooking customers are new moms or about to be new moms. The more you can service this group, the likelier that happy customers will tell other new moms about how great your store is.

Trust me, moms share info all the time: while hanging out at toddler birthday parties; in the organic food aisles of the supermarket; and standing in line at Sesame Place. And now moms do it through blogs. Complete strangers will wax eloquent about a particular ointment or a family friendly restaurant. And for some reason, we listen to what these complete strangers tell us!

So... how do you find more customers through your customers:

Mom-friendly shopping times- Do you have the ability to engage someone's kids while she is shopping? A friendly teenager who can do projects at a kid-sized table? You don't have to do this all the time, advertise that the service is available a few days a week from 3-5pm.

Juice boxes and snacks- You keep coffee and sodas for the moms, consider juice boxes and bags of Goldfish crackers, raisins or Teddy Grahams for the kids. No peanuts, no candy.

Drop-in Time- Promote times when your classroom tables are open and invite scrappers to drop in with no notice.

Phone orders & delivery- My friend shared this one. She called a local scrapbooking store looking for a particular product she wanted. "I have a sleeping baby in the car"- the owner said no problem- ran out to get the credit card then got her product. Now she is very loyal to that retailer.

Even if someone can phone in an order and pick it up- it makes a huge difference. Think of the stuff a mom needs to schlepp out of a car with kids in tow. Little luxuries like scrapbooking supplies will fall to the bottom of the list if it means taking that darn carrier out of the car again.

If you make it easy for moms they will share that information in playgroups and anywhere else other moms are present. Word of Mouth advertising can't be paid for. You have to earn it through service.--Beth

This item in from Sarah Mahoney for Mediapost got me thinking about an opportunity retailers can exploit when expendable dollars are shrinking.

The article talks about how more than 50% of Americans are eating more (gasp) leftovers! I'm a girl who can squeeze multiple meals and a great pot of soup out of one roast chicken so I am glad to see more folks coming to this idea. Why waste what you've paid for?

The article says that last century was known as the century of prepared food. This century will be the one of prepared meals. So last century you'd buy Shake n' Bake and instant potato flakes and this time you just pick up a container of fried chicken and hot mashed potatoes  already made to warm up and eat at home.

Let's look at how we can apply this trend to scrapbooking.

More leftovers-Innovative designers come up with ideas to use scraps. Think of the positive and negative of a die-cut for example. You get two pieces- a die cut and a frame.

Some retailers gather up the odds and ends of paper, embellishments and stickers and put them in clear plastic take out containers and call them Scrapper's Salad. They can be sold inexpensively or given as a bonus with a purchase.  Use the white containers for chinese food and call it Scrapper's Chop Suey.

Take out food- One word here: kits! Sell pre-made kits or kit your own (with a photo and instructions) and it is an easy take away project perfect for the customer who has limited time to collect all the bits and pieces. Great way to get slow moving merchandise out the door too.

Also look at the "almost done" pages like those from Bisous that are designed layouts that you put your photos into and customize with a few embellishments. The customers still gets to be creative and take credit for the project. Added bonus for you- these products command a higher price.

Cooking at home- When people are cooking at home they enjoy their gadgets more. Especially inexpensive ones that do lots of things. Take a good look around the store- you've got lots of those! Plan classes or workshops around gadgets. Include in the cost of the class the tool and invite scrappers to bring in their own supplies to keep the class fee down.

Or, create a Crop Party in a Case and rent it out to groups who want to have a home party. In it you will include tools, a die cutting machine, dies, punches stamps etc. The only drawback is that you have to have a very detailed inventory to count items in and out to make sure you get all your stuff back. But that can also be settled with charging a high fee then rebating part when the stuff gets returned.

Ideas are all around you! Next time you are at the grocery store or a restaurant, check out what they are doing to keep their customers coming in and spending money. Then see how you can translate it into the goodies you sell.

Have a good weekend, I'll be spending mine making yummy vegetable soup from the odds and ends leftover from this week's dinners--Beth

Manufacturers are reporting a trend I find alarming. A serious reductions of reorders on paper lines. Retailers are purchasing a great collection, blowing it out in a short period of time and then...not reordering a proven seller.

Why? Because we have trained our customers to want only what's new, new, new.  I believe this is causing the early demise of some great collections. Retailers are opting to risk sales in order to have something new rather than chosing the proven seller and running the risk of being seen as having "old" product.

Scrapbookers want to come into stores every week and see something new. That we can't control.

What we can control is what we give them that is new. New does not have to be product. It can be a new technique, a new use for a scrapbooking staple, a new way to use a great selling paper line.

1. Reorder a great seller- but when it comes in- display a new sample. The new sample will make the line look new.

2. For basics such as cardstock and writing tools, frequently refresh your samples. Rotate your stock so that one particular pen line is highlighted each week.

3. If you've got a great tool like the Crop-a-Dile show how it can be used in a new way.

We have a local resale store (they don't even call them thrift shops anymore) called New to You. Good name. The merchandise is going to be new to the customer,even though it isn't brand new.

Before you say goodbye to a collection that still has life in it- all in the spirit of  having what's new- please look at that product with a fresh eye.

We have all sold products to customers that we've had around for a while. How many times have you been asked "When did you get this in?" and the product has been there three months?--Beth

Happy Friday. Welcome sun and week's end!

Going back to something I wrote about previously- tax day deals. Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts are both offering freebies to loyal customers on tax day. You can bet I'm sneaking out for TWO coffees that day. One from Starbucks and one from Dunkin Donuts (which comes with a free donut).

When interviewed about their promotion, the Dunkin Donuts spokesperson said "We are trying to do something for our tribe." What a neat way to think of your customers.

To me the word "tribe" suggests commonality as well as community. It says this customer group has a love for coffee, donuts (and value). It also suggests a higher level of caring about your customer.

Thinking about your customer base as your tribe may open up new promotional avenues for you. What do you really know about your customer? You know she makes scrapbook pages or cards. But do you know what ELSE she does? Knowing that you have a large group of customers who enjoy gardening, watching college football or reading romance novels can give you direction for special events.

For example, here the Philadelphia Flower Show is a big big deal. A local photographer sponsored a bus trip to the show for loyal customers who would then... yep, take LOTS of pictures. Along the way, an expert photographer shared tips on shooting flowers.

If your customers are avid readers, consider starting a book club in your store. In fact you could start a book club with books that have scrapbooking or photography mentioned in them!

Football fans might enjoy a post-season crop to get all those tailgate party photos into an album.

Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts are offering discounts on tax day to reward loyal customers. Yes, non-regulars will also clamor to take advantage of the deal. But by offering these promotions they are creating a tribe of people that feel like they are valued. You can do the same.--Beth

Ford will be introducing a new ad campaign that taps current and retired employees to make the pitch for their cars and encourage consumers to "Drive One." These folks will be ambassadors for the brand and Ford is taking a risk that the everyday pitchmen and pitchwomen will strike a cord with the potential ford consumer.

The idea of using your employees as an ambassador for your brand is a good one, provided they truly believe in it. For the most part, scrapbook retailers have good and trust-based relationships with their employees so it stands to reason that retailers can encourage their employees to be ambassadors for the store brand. When your employees feel like a valued part of your business operation, they will be more motivated to help you grow your business.

Here are some ideas on how to get started:

Get all of your employees business cards. For about $20 a box for black and white cards, it's the cheapest marketing tool going. Remember when you got your first business cards and wanted to give them to everyone? Employees can give them out to customers they assisted in the store and better yet out in public. Even if they give them to other moms with their hours written on it to come in for extra help- that is another potential customer you've reached. If you can't do customized cards- try a general card and ask them to write in their names. (I vote for springing for the cards for each person.)

Engage your employees in determining your donation/cause related marketing efforts. They can help choose the charities and participate in planning  and promoting the events. You may even want to give each employee $25 in value that they can give away to the charity of their choice (provided you approve).

Encourage your employees to teach and give speeches to local groups. You probably get more requests than you can handle. Train your most enthusiastic and articulate employees to promote scrapbooking to groups. Incentivize that employee by giving her discount coupons to distribute at the events. Every time a coupon is returned, the employee is rewarded in some way. That will motivate the employee to not only inspire folks to come to the store but also to look for more event opportunities.

Employees are a direct reflection of your business. No matter how beautiful and well-stocked your store (or any kind of business is for that matter), if your employees do not advocate for you and represent you in a positive way your business will not grow.

I encourage you to think of more ways you can make your employees "partners" in your business.--Beth

I'm seeing that pundits are predicting that self-service is the wave of the future. Ok, they don't say "wave of the future" but they think self-service is hot, hot, hot.

I'm not sure where these folks have been lately but self-service is very much here in the world of restaurants and retail. You can buy an iPod from a vending machine in Las Vegas' McCarran airport and ProActiv skincare products from a machine at the Oxford Valley Mall.

Self service has impacted business for the better most part and it looks like the majority of consumers agree. For more background, check out this article on SelfServiceWorld.com.

I totally agree that self-service is good for industries that need more distribution outlets or have trouble attracting employees due to a low wage structure. It's also good for customers who believe there aren't enough hours in the day. It means I get out of the Acme food store faster when I only need a gallon of milk. I don't have to worry about long lines at the ticket counter when I can purchase NJ Transit tickets from a machine. I can make sure I have the right amount of cream in my coffee at the airport food concession.

Self service works for products and services we understand. It works great if you have a credit or debit card. Not so great if you don't know how to use the product, don't speak the language or don't have basic reading skills.

Scrapbooking does not fall into the self-service category. In fact, crafting across the board will not be replaced fully by self-service. The self-service endorsers sound a bit like the folks who 10 years ago crowed that all craft sales would move online. Mega craft retail sites have not replaced brick and mortar stores. Why? Craft stores don't just sell stuff. They sell what you do with the stuff.

Packaging doesn't begin to tell the full story of how a tool, paper or stamp can be used. That is the service scrapbook retail staff bring to our business. Independent stores draw and keep customers because of all the things they do, not the stuff they sell.

Sure, storyboards can give you an idea on how to use a product. But at the end of the day, when a consumer is presented with a wall of adhesives, she wants a live person to help her find the right one.

We have lots of stuff that can be self-service in our stores-accessing most products and using the die cutting machine. But customer service can never go away in the craft retail store. We may not be able to enter "service" with a bar code scanner but is sure is a vital component of what we sell.--Beth

Check out this excellent article from David Baker, vice president of Media solutions at Avenue a/Razorfish.  It highlights some how-tos for making email communications more compelling so that people A) open them and B) respond.What a great way to start a morning- with some food for thought!

Advertising is a key marketing function that needs to be reviewed frequently. If you haven't updated your print and online ad materials lately, you may want to make a point of taking a look.

Email seems so easy, flexible and "free" that we can get caught in the trap of not focusing on it enougth to ensure our message is heard and acted upon. The idea that print has more longevity really makes us stop and pause to proofread newspaper and magazine ads to determine if the message is spot on.

Some things to consider as you review your ad materials.

1. Is it time to hire a professional graphic designer to create your ads? I guarantee it is not as expensive as you think and the quality will elevate the presentation immensely.

2. Is your house ad looking a little tired? Even if you are only promoting your store and the basic items you sell, it's a good idea to refresh your ad materials. Not change them entirely... just refresh it just as you update your key store displays.

3. Are the fonts you are using updated? Type fonts also follow trends. Your ad could have a whole new look  just by updating the font.

4. When you send store emails do they have a compelling subject line. Or does it always say.... a message from Beth's Scrapbooks? If the body of the email holds news about a sale or new product, that should be teased in the headline.

5. Are you measuring the response rates to your emails? You should. That will help you identify what topics customers are most likely to respond to.

Email is a tremendously effective marketing tool. But just as you research and measure other advertising tools, you should approach your email campaign with objectives in mind. ---Beth

Very very interesting article in The New York Times about how big box stores may be open to some haggling over prices of high ticket merchandise.

In the old days of retail you would go to a big box store to get the best price. The haggling was left for independent stores... the old "if I take this refrigerator, stove and washer & dryer can you do better on the price?" sort of thing.It was one of our little competitive secrets.

So now big box stores are going to give their employees latitude to negotiate price with customers. I'll be interested to see how stores will empower $8/hour employees to negotiate $100s of dollars of potential profit for the store. If you're a retailer who plans to do this, I hope you have a great relationship with your employees and very strict procedure to follow. Otherwise, a lot of dollars are going to go out the door.

Maybe that is ok if you are going to do volume sales as these large stores do. But is this a slippery slope?

The article was very good about pointing out how savvy customers are getting- how informed they are about prices and products. The uber-hagglers are doing research online then haggling prices at one retailer, then leveraging that price with another. Three retailers later, the consumer gets the rock-bottom price.

Ouch. Now the chain retailers will get a sense of what independents have endured for years. The old- I'll take you up on the training and information and then buy the product at a discount elsewhere- thing.

Many large retailers have been giving their employees the option to negotiate price for years, it just wasn't widely known. Ever buy a bed? That's where I learned that I don't have the energy or TIME for haggling. Three hours later I got the bed for half the ticketed price (as a favor to me of course- the ONE time the sales associate could do that this month). However, my whole Saturday was shot.

Consumers are already wary about what products really cost. There is a sense that big box stores mark stuff up tremendously in order to draw customers in with a 40% markdown.

Consumers have a pre-conceived idea of what things are worth. Right or wrong, they bring that with them when they shop your store. A successful salesperson will make the sale if they prove the value of that item beyond those preconceptions. Why is this product worth $20? Your answer: It will save you time, make the crafting process easier, it's fun to use, it's the hottest thing with designers, etc etc. It's not really about the quality of the item but the intangibles- the stuff you can't really put a price on.

A customer can pay a few dollars less at another store but at almost $4 a gallon for gas is it worth a second trip? Here's where you have the in. Rather than haggle on price, what added value can you offer that doesn't cost you a lot? This could be a training session, a discounted crop ticket, a few extra sheets of paper, a free refill, etc.

For me haggling is a hassle I prefer not to endure. For the high ticket items?Yes I will do the homework on televisions, appliances and furniture but for a $40 craft item. Just tell me what it can do for me and ring me up!--Beth

There was a short but interesting item regarding Joanns.com in Internet Retailer.

It said that online sales only account for 2% of the store's product sales. I would have expected that to be higher. The company says that Web sales are not expected to match the margin on in-store sales.

I remember the days when Idea Forest (the creator of the JoAnn's site) and a handful of other online craft mega retail sites were going to put every independent retailer out of business. During the dot.com boom there was an awful lot of trash talking about how e-commerce would take over craft retail. You know, I don't see alot of those folks at shows any more.

The good news is that for the most part, the best online retailers co-exist with independent stores. I don't hear that same bluster about causing the demise of brick and mortar stores. Online retailers need traditional stores.

Certainly online retail poses competition to brick and mortar store. But it is one of many competitors. The key is to put that competition in perspective. People shop online for convenience. My belief is that crafters enjoy shopping in stores for inspiration and turn to online retailers to buy products they can't find in local stores.  They may also go online to get discounts. But when you factor in shipping costs, the discounts are diminished.

Short of staying open 24/7, it's near impossible for  brick and mortar stores to compete with an online retailer in terms of convenience. You'll never be able to carry every sku of every line out there.

The answer is don't try to compete on something that is impossible. (That's the advice speakers always say about competing with Wal-Mart on price.) Compete on something you can do that e-retailers can't:

• You can demonstrate a tool and show many ways to use it.
• You can upsell other items that work well with a product. Websites don't "think" in the same way.
• You can conduct classes and clubs that engage consumers and provide entertainment.
• You can be the one to give a customer a hug when she tells you she is making a memorial scrapbook for a friend or family member.

There are all kinds of things a brick and mortar retailer can do because you get valuable "face time" with the consumer. So the next time you get into a worry cycle about how to compete with (fill in the competitor's name here) focus instead on things you CAN do. It will put you on the track of solutions and that is a much more productive use of your time!-- Beth