When I picked up my copy of The Toronto Star last Monday (Oct. 4), I was greeted with the blaring headline "Economic boom times are over, says Flaherty." In the article, it was reported that Federal Finance Minister Jim Flaherty was saying that growth had slowed down from earlier this year and that recovering from the Recession would be a slow process. I don't take exception to any of that. However, I do take exception to the language used in the headline.

I would like journalists and politicians to stop talking about the economy and its ups and downs in hyperbolic language. The first half of 2010 saw solid gains in terms of recovering from the Recession. Most people know these gains were the results of stimulus programs put in place by the government. It was not an "economic boom." Similarly, the Recession did not just "end" one day as was so often declared early this year.

Grandiose statements and dire predictions about the economy get politicians quoted in the media and help sell newspapers and drive viewers to news programs. Dull as it sounds, what we need are people talking about the economy in plain, simple, truthful language--reasoned commentary that doesn't fill average Joes and Jills with false expectations or crushing fears. I think that Monday's headline should have been "Economic growth slows as expected"--calm, cool and correct.

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Here's the Johnny the Bagger video I wrote about on page 12 of the September/October 2010 issue of Gifts and Tablewares. It's proof that small things can lead to great customer loyalty. Happy Thanksgiving!

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Last month Rick Segel posted a blog entry called "Customer Service: Isn't it the Little Things That Matter?" In it, he explains how the manner in which a customer is treated trumps his or her service expectations. It is the "human part" of a business transaction, Segel writes, "that creates delighted customers, raving fans, and the coveted word of mouth advertising we all seek."

Segel is a former retailer, well-known speaker on retail matters, and the author of several books on the subject. He's a guy who's been-there-done-that and knows how it should be done. It's his belief that "service is selling and selling is service." But he points out that "it's difficult for any of us to buy from someone we don't like or respect'; that it's essential to make your customers feel important.

Customer service is also the topic of my editorial in the current issue of Gifts and Tablewares, which went live on our website this afternoon and should be landing in your mail boxes shortly. In it, I list the four small things I would like to experience in stores this coming holiday season. They aren't big things but collectively they would make me feel good about spending my money.

There's no doubt that customer service is important year round but it takes on heightened significance during the holidays when too often poorly-trained seasonal staff collide with stressed out shoppers. So now is the time to sit down with your salespeople and have the customer service talk. Explain why it is essential to your business' success, and outline how you expect customer service to be delivered in your store. It'll make for a happier holiday season for all.

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There was an email from marketing and technology coach John Jantsch in my inbox this morning. Jantsch is the author of Duct Tape Marketing and Marketing Plan Pro powered by Duct Tape Marketing. The email he sent linked to his enewsletter, his blog, and notably, a PDF of "7 Steps to Small Business Marketing Success," which is an overview of his marketing system.

While not tailored specifically for retailers, Jantsch's seven steps to marketing success can be applied to any type of small business, and are worth reviewing as our industry enters the all important Fourth Quarter. The seven steps are:

1. Narrow Your Focus - Don't try to be all things to all people, he writes.

2. Find and Communicate a Core Difference. His advice includes asking customers specifically why they buy from you, how they found you, what makes them stay with you, and why they refer business to you. Their answers, he says, will tell you how your business is really different and unique.

3. Package Your Business - "People really can relate and attach themselves and be more memorable if they can connect to an image," he explains. Create images for your store new, service features, etc.

4. Create Marketing Materials that Educate - Jantsch recommends developing a "marketing kit." This is, he says, a series of documents and promotional materials that can be personalized easily. "...you don't go down to the print shop and print 10,000 people you want to send it to that day." Number one on his list of promotional materials to create is a full-page piece called "The Difference."

5. Establish Your Lead Generation Trio - Build a marketing plan with three components: 1. Advertising, 2. A referral system, and 3. Public Relations. Business, he asserts, need all three of these elements in their marketing plans if they plan to succeed.

6. Harness Technology - Web sites, e-zines, blogs, social media -- these are all tools small businesses can--and should--incorporate into their marketing plans.

7. Live By A Calendar - "Unfortunately, marketing, which is an extremely important aspect of the survival of a business, is very easy to shove aside by the shipping it, making it, fixing it, that you end up having to do," writes Jantsch. He says to get a big calendar and map out what marketing you're going to do and when you're going to do it. "Carve out a portion of every day, if that's what it takes, and make an appointment to do marketing."

None of this is new, but like most common sense advice, it bears repeating again and again. Maybe now is a good time to review your marketing plan for November and December and into 2011.

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Kevin Moore, the CEO of Crossmark Australia Pty. Limited, outlined “the three key elements to providing shoppers with not just a good, but a great shopping experience” in a recent blog post for www.smartcompany.com.au.

Moore’s “retail trifecta” is comprised of a great POS/back office system; outstanding store design; and “genuine service from passionate and knowledgeable store staff.” Here’s some of what he had to say:

Point of Sale/Back Office Systems: “The unsung hero in retailing” and “the backbone of a retailer’s operations,” writes Moore, the POS system provides “readily accessible information” to help with purchasing and recommending other items. “It ensures things are in the store at the right price when we want them.”

Outstanding Store Design: This is, says Moore, “design that attracts us [the consumer] to enter, holds us captive… and allows us to feel comfortable and confident enough to spend.” All of the great markets have it, he writes, from Covent Garden in London to the Grand Bazaar in Istanbul.

Genuine service from passionate and knowledgeable store staff: This one “pays out like a trifecta when retailers align all three,” he says.

Moore cites OPSM Eye Hub—locations throughout Australia--as a retailer that has hit this trifecta. A quick tour of the “bespoke eye care retailer’s” site proves his point. Here are just a few things the store offers to its customers:

1. A concierge, who greets customers at the door and guides them through the experience.

2. Playback Mirrors: These mirrors solve the problem of customers not being able to see what they look like in different frames. It takes a photo of the customer in the frames they are trying and plays it back to them, so they can put on their old glasses and really see what the new frames look like on them.

3. A variety of Simulator Zones that re-create real world conditions such as a wind tunnel for cyclists and a glare simulator for skiers.

4. An Onsite Lab where customers are invited to watch as their lenses are cut and placed into their brand new frames.

5. Kids Zone – a dedicated section of the store where children can learn about eyes, eye care and select frames from “the largest kids’ range in Australia.”

The blog post and OPSM Eye Hub site are both worth a visit. I was also curious about Crossmark and Moore. A Google search revealed that Crossmark is a 105-year-old company that is headquartered in Texas and has several branches around the world (Moore is the CEO of the Australian arm of the company). It specializes in helping consumer goods manufacturers and retailers with sales and marketing growth. In addition, I came across a BNet Australia video interview with Kevin Moore. He talks about getting the right product into the right retail environment. Here’s the link if you’re interested: http://www.bnet.com/videos/kevin-moore-crossmark/338431.

One last thing before I sign off for this week, I’m looking for stores who think they’ve hit the retail trifecta. Send me an email if you think your business scores high on Moore’s three keys to retail success.

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Evaluating trade shows is a subjective matter. However, it’s fair to say that Messe Frankfurt, the organizers of the Ambiente and Tendence consumer goods shows, is miles ahead of Canadian show organizers in developing and promoting a new generation of designers—and by extension a next generation of exhibitors.

Every time I visit the Messe Frankfurt fairs, as I did this past weekend, I am impressed by Messe Frankfurt’s dedication to design and to the Talents programme, which provides young designers with an entrée into the industry.

For the benefit of those who haven’t had the opportunity to visit either Ambiente or Tendence, the Talents sections—there is one in the Loft division and another in Carat (jewellery)—are exhibit spaces given to young designers by the show. Nicolette Naumann, Tendence’s vice-president, explains that giving the space to young designers serves two purposes: It offers the selected designers an opportunity to present their products (prototypes, concepts, etc.) to the industry and make useful contacts. At the same time, she says, “the ‘Talents’ provide a breath of fresh air and [show] new approaches to products.”

I have asked why we don’t have similar exhibitions at trade shows in Canada. The answer has centered on the fact that while such exhibits are interesting and add “curb appeal” to a show, they are largely of interest to the press, not to buyers. That’s no doubt true. But, really, what would be so wrong with giving some kids the opportunity to show their products? What would be wrong with maybe attracting more young people to our decidedly middle-aged industry? What would be wrong with Canadian gift shows getting a breath of fresh air?

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Last week when I was walking the CGTA's Toronto Gift Show, I came across a little company in Hall 5 at the International Centre selling something called the Pook Toque™. Created by friends Tony Pook and Kevin McCotter, the toque and the company's other products are made from traditional Canadian hockey socks lined with soft, warm fleece.

I have to admit that I was immediately taken with all things Pook. I loved the energy of the young man in the booth giving the hilarious demonstration of the many ways the Pook toque could be worn. I loved the fact that it was a product line made from an iconic Canadian sock. I thought the toque and all the other products were great. However, it turns out that the big wheels on the CBC's Dragon's Den didn't. Check out this YouTube video of Pook and McCotter's appearance on the show in search of a $250,000 cash injection for the company.

Well, I'm not a financial wizard and I don't know that much about company valuations, but I do know when I like a product. And I like Pook. In addition to the Pook Toque™, the company offers the Pook Loop™ (scarf with built-in pockets), Pook Boots™ (fleece lined socks); Pook Toque II™ (a compact, sleek version of the original); Pookie Toquie™ (a Pook Toque for baby); and Hockey Sockey™, Pook Toques in NHL team colours.

I think that the panel on the Dragon's Den forgot to consider the role that emotions play in purchase decisions. The products are not only funny but fun. They're also evocative of winter and youth. I looked at those hats and was reminded of the smell and sight of those exact socks drying on the heat vent in the hall after a long afternoon of sledding many, many years ago. With that thought, I wanted to buy one. And isn't that what it's all about?

For more information on Pook products visit www.pook.ca or join the Pook Toque Group on Facebook.

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