Welcome to Rick Segel's Blog

What Do You Do When a Customer Loses Trust in You?

Trust is a difficult thing to gain but it is a very easy thing to lose. My mother had an expression that she used all the time--she would say "There is nothing deader than dead love".  She used that expression in so many different ways, from personal relationships to relationships with customers. My Mom passed away 13 years ago, and yet this week her quote came back to haunt me and make me think. (She was good at that.)

I have always believed that your integrity manifests itself in the trust that a customer gives you. That trust is your most important asset and should never to be violated. There is no sale that is more important than the value that a customer places in us. Our reputation is our gold. One of the exercises I do in my seminars is that I will ask the audience what's the one thing a business can do that would prevent you from ever going back to that business again? Without fail, someone will say, "They cheated me!" Or "They lied to me!" And because of that, the customer will never return to that business.

But what is trust? I believe trust is a promise of what to expect from another person, leader, or business. I personally feel terrible that President Obama has lost the trust of so many people who voted for him. He simply made promises that he wasn't able to keep, and therefore lost the trust that he had built. Only time will tell if he can rebuild that trust, but this is article is not about politics. It's about running a business.

This past week I experienced a personal crisis in trust and integrity that might not be to the scale of the president, Bernie  Madoff,  Enron, or John Edwards. But to me it is something that quietly kept eating me up inside and a lesson that all of us can learn from. It comes in two parts. Here is the first part.

Last week on The Retailer's Advantage, I had promised to do a program on planning a business' buying utilizing the three basic and most popular ways of planning and controlling merchandise that a retailer needs to do business. I had advertised that I would have the proponents of the various methods (the traditional Open to Buy Method, Gross Margin Return on Inventory Invested Method better known as  GMROII, and my simple alternative the 40/55 formula or what I call Open to Thrive ).

I traveled to Anaheim, California to speak at the craft and Hobby show last week and I had planned on recording the session when I was out in California. However I simply forgot what I had promised and preceded to do the program without the two other guests. Shame on me for not checking and double-checking what I had planned and promised. But then to make matters worse, when I went to record the session, the quality of the recording was as bad as it could get.

Yes I could certainly make the excuse that last week my computer had the worst virus that it could possibly ever have. I actually went out and bought a brand-new Apple MacBook Pro so that I would never be haunted by another virus again. But that would only be an excuse. I received a terrible blow from one of my listeners who said it was bad enough that the program was not as advertised but she couldn't even hear it. I lost her trust. Shame on me.

This person was not a subscriber to The Retailer's Advantage. However, she did spend $25 for a program that was not as promised and was inferior in quality. My mother's words haunted me because she was of the belief that you build a business one customer at a time. It is better to under promise and over deliver. I couldn't agree with her more, but I didn't do that.

I believe that people get into trouble, not for what they do but for trying to cover up for what they do. Richard Nixon would not have resigned if he had just admitted his involvement in Watergate. It's the cover-up that is worse than the crime. So this is how I am handling my violation of the customer's trust.

• Step one-- I immediately refunded her money.
• Step two-- I gave her a free membership to The Retailer's Advantage for a month.
• The final step was my sincere apology never to have that happen again.

Yes, I'm upset with myself for being so caught up in the actions of the day that I forgot my responsibilities. However, I'm pleased with myself that I addressed what I needed to address in the first part of this problem. But as I said there were two parts.

The second issue is that I have a team of people who are working extremely hard to build The Retailer's Advantage to become the preeminent retailers' membership site that is a true advantage to the independent retailer. You see, I did not just let the customer down. I let my team down as well. Oh sure, they will probably forgive me but I must work as hard as I can to regain some of the trust that I have lost.

These are the actions steps I plan on taking:

1. The first step is to admit what I had done and not try to hide it.
2. The second step is to demonstrate and maintain my level of integrity. I must be overly cautious about the promises I make so that I will not default on them.
3. The next step is to simply communicate better as to what I am able to accomplish and not. None of us get upset when we know what to expect and good communications helps us avoid problems before they become a problem
4. Treat my employees, subcontractors, and team members as equal partners. It is important to make people feel that they are important to me.
5. Lastly do the right thing, which is what I am trying to do in this situation. It somehow always works for me (as well as for so many other people).

Thank you for reading this and being part of my therapy. We can all learn from this lesson to maintain the trust of our customers by keeping our promises, which will in turn keep our relationships alive and well. Thanks Mom for a lesson I thought I knew but I guess I didn't. Somehow I think you're smiling.

The Smile Is the Shortest Distance Between Two People

I have spoken all over the world. I have spoken to audiences that can't speak a word of English. I have been translated into 5 different languages at the same time. (That's dealing with 10 different interpreters--2 per language and is it fun and games when they all try to get your attention.) However, regardless of the language or culture, smiling and laughter are universal.

The title of this article is a variation from a quote from one the great humorists of the 20th Century, the late Victor Borge. Of course he is also said that "Laughter is the shortest distance between two people" as well.  

So what does that have to do with running a store during times like these?

EVERYTHING!

We are in the people business. Customers don't buy logically; they buy emotionally. Logic makes us shop BUT emotions make us buy. Many times, the biggest thing that differentiates our businesses is the "Likeability Factor" of our business. The fastest way to likeability is with the use of Fun, Humor and Playful Behavior. My biggest selling book is still "Laugh and Get Rich". It has been translated into 7 different languages and is a big hit in Asia. The book analyzes the power and applications of Fun, Humor and Playful Behavior. 

It is because of this book that I have been asked to speak at the most prestigious Humor Conference in the world,  "The Positive Power of Humor & Creativity Conference". It is the Humor Project's 53rd International Program on Humor and Creativity. The Humor Project is the most comprehensive resource, think tank, and authority of the use of Positive Humor and Creativity in the world today. The conference takes place in Lake George on June 11-13, 2010. This is a real honor for me and for recognition for the work I have done with retailers to adopt many of the principles of these tactics and strategies.

This week I had the privilege of interviewing the Founder and Director of The Humor Project, Dr. Joel Goodman. (I will be interviewing him in a webinar in April as well.) Let me share some of the wisdom from Dr. Goodman who is one of my humor mentors and a legend in this arena. But before I do, I also want to mention that Jeffery Zazlaw, the New York Times columnist who is the co-author of "The Last Lecture" with Randy Pausch, is also on the program at the conference.

Dr. Goodman shared that there is a point where the bottom line meets the funny line and that interception creates endless opportunities for businesses.  It is a powerful connection and a place where memories are made and attitudes are changed. He explained how we should be Service Professionals NOT Solemn Professionals.  He explained that by using humor we gain childlike abilities. Looking at the world through the eyes of child can sometimes give us a new perspective without being childish.

He explained that you don't have to be funny, act funny, or even think funny to utilize the benefits. I believe that when "we humorize, we humanize." We become more approachable. In case you haven't noticed, we are in the "approachability business" and laughter is the great social lubricant that breaks down sales resistance.

Understand that the greater the tension, the more humor is needed and works. Did you ever notice that when many people are nervous or scared, they relieve that tension with jokes or laughter? Think of all of the great comedians who came out the depression era. As Dr. Goodman said, these comics "Saved Society's Sanity".

There are some warnings about the use of humor. Sometimes it offends, so be careful who the focus of the joke is on. It must pass the ATT TEST.

A. Appropriate

T. Timely

T. Tasteful

The problem is that many people define those three categories very differently. What is appropriate humor to people in the health care industry, where any joke about bodily fluids is fair game, just doesn't work in a retail store.  That is why self-deprecating humor is so powerful. Don't make fun of other people, ethnicity, physical characteristics, or religion unless you own it. I used to tell lots of "fat jokes" but after I lost 90 pounds, they because insensitive.

I lost one of my closet friends for 12 years because of a comment I made the day of her mothers funeral. My wife and I went into the private room before the funeral and said, "So what's new?" I was just trying to deal with my own anxieties and try to give a little soft comic relief  (or so I thought) to a very serious and somber moment. Because our friend had an outgoing playful nature about her, I felt the comment was appropriate. 

Oh well, I was so very wrong. We didn't talk for 12 years and even to this day I am highly sensitive about anything I say, because I know I am just one line away from losing a friend. As I found out, people do not have the same sensitivity standards, and although I didn't mean any harm by that comment, the damage was done with just one inappropriate line.

Use humor, enjoy the benefits of fun, laughter, and playful behavior but remember the ATT Rule. It's OK if they laugh at you but to laugh with you is even better.

Have your bottom line meet your laugh lines.

(If you want more information on the conference, go to http://www.humorproject.com/conference/.)

Report from the National Retail Federation's Big Show

Last week I traveled to New York City to attend the National Retail Federation's 99th annual trade show and conference. Retailers came from around the world came to see the latest and greatest technology, trends, ideas, and tools. Let me share my impressions and some of the tools of the future that are available today.

On many occasions in this column I have explained why I have been more bullish about retail business than some. That reason is that when I attend a conference and I do my unscientific survey of asking people how business is, I generally get a response such as, "not bad". The reason for that is the majority of the conferences I attend are specifically designed for independent specialty businesses who have fared much better during this recession. Couple that with the fact that the people who generally attend these conferences are the cream of the crop--the people who are always looking for an edge or an idea that will improve their business. In short, it's the winners who attend the conferences that I go to.

This show was different. It is the conference that primarily large stores attend. Their businesses had definitely experienced the recession and did not fare as well as their smaller colleagues did. So independents give yourself a pat on the back! Along with that observation, there was a theme that was repeated again and again and many of the sessions. That theme pertains to the concept of being "customer centric." Speaker after speaker talked about the importance on focusing on the customer more so than ever before. Duh? I don't get it. What were they focusing on before?

I suppose it seems silly to me because specialty businesses have always had to focus on the needs and wants of the customer. We have never been in a position to dictate to a customer in the way a larger business could. It's not that the larger stores ignored the wants of the customer but they just did not address them in the same way that an independent addresses the wants and needs.

One of the biggest trends that will be affecting all of us shortly is what is now called M. commerce, Mobile commerce or the use of the cell phone. The amount of applications using cell phones was staggering. I think the application that impressed me the most was the use of text messaging in ways that were both effective and cost conscious. Here is one application of text messaging that we all will be doing shortly. You walk by a store, receive an e-mail, or even read an ad in the newspaper, and you read a line that says TEXT 34553 and type in "specials" and within seconds you will receive all of the stores specials, featured products, or sale items sitting right on your cell phone. You can even get pictures and full descriptions.

Think about what happens when someone responds: you have just attracted a new customer that has opted in to your customer database list. Think how simple, seamless, and effective this tool can be. I can't think of another form of marketing/advertising that creates interest and captures customer data instantly. Obviously this tool should never be abused and the process to opt out must be as simple as possible, otherwise we run the risk of killing the goose that laid the golden egg. Remember texting is working now because we have already abused emails.

Some of the other applications that cell phones are being used for are as mini GPS devices in stores to help the customer find the department or items they are looking for. Obviously this is designed for larger businesses.

Cell phones are also now being used as remote credit card terminals. You can have a device attached to your cell phone that will allow you to swipe a credit card through. The implications of this technology are endless. You can eliminate long lines in the cash counter; you can close the sale much faster and eliminate that indecision time for customers who might be on the fence.

The other interesting use of a cell phone which can be used both by customers and store personnel is a barcode reading feature. From the retailer's point of view, a simple scan can unlock lots of information that can be useful in a sales presentation. From the customer's perspective, there are apps for the iPhone and Blackberry that allow you to scan a barcode and send you a report of stores and/or websites that sell the same product and report the various prices. This takes competitive shopping down to the size of your phone. That's scary and the reason why private labels are becoming more important than ever before.

The last cell phone application that is bursting onto the new retail horizon is the use of coupons delivered to your cell phone and used from your cell phone. Talk about saving paper! This is a powerhouse. Instead of carrying around an envelope with all the coupons, they are stored on your cell phone. Then you simply scan it from your phone into their computer system. If you happen to have a profile posted to the store's database system, that simple scan can process the sale using the credit card on file. Are you starting to get the picture that the cash counter of the future might start to look little different?

The next biggest WOW and trend that many of us will be adopting this year is the use of the flatscreen monitor for digital signage. The price of these screens is dropping to a point where they have become affordable to almost every size store. They can be used in so many different ways, from welcoming the customer into the store, to showing merchandise that you don't have a stock but it is deliverable within a day or so are. As powerful as this application is you might consider waiting before you jump in here. The reason for that is I believe vendors will start to see how powerful this tool could be to help promote their lines in stores and will start creating programs that will offer free flat screens to show their images and messages within your store. It's like years ago when manufactures would supply stores with fixtures. I haven't seen it yet but it's just too great an opportunity for any vendor to pass up.

I have to report about one display that everybody was talking about. It was a unique use of projected images that just WOWs you. The name of the company that created all of this is Potion. As you can see in the first picture, there is a table/platform that is a shoe display. It has spotlights above that highlight this but it appears to be nothing out of the ordinary. However, when you pick up the shoe, information about the shoe is now projected onto the platform as you can see in the second image. Of course if someone puts the shoe back in the wrong spot, the display won't work. But talk about signage that doesn't clutter your store! The third image just shows the way the camera is mounted above. Potion has many different applications for this technology and I could go on and on but this was breathtaking.

There was one other interesting thing that happened during the Retailer Awards Luncheon. There is an annual People's choice awards for the stores with the best customer service. Out of the 10 best stores selected by over 80,000 shoppers, five of those businesses are online businesses. The winners were:

10th Place Tie-Nordstrom's & Kohl's
9th Place-- JCPenney's
8th Place-Lands' End
7th Place-- Home Shopping Network
6th Place--Coldwater Creek
5th Place--QVC
4th Place--Amazon
3rd Place-Zappo's
2nd Place-- Overstock.com
1st Place-- L.L. Bean

When you look at this list, you realize that there are only four traditional retailers: Nordstrom's, Kohl's, JCPenney, and Coldwater Creek. The world is changing.

Zappo's also won the award for the most Creative Retailer of the year and the Retailer of the Year went to Ralph Lauren. That's interesting in the fact that Ralph Lauren is a manufacturer that sells to retailers and also has hundreds of his own stores, in all different varieties around the world. There was a time that any vendor selling to retailers and competing with retailers would never even be considered for an award. The times, they are a-changing.

Needless to say, the show was inundated with sessions pertaining to social media and its many uses. The conversation focused primarily around Twitter and Facebook. I finally saw the power of Twitter in the example of when a customer complained about Saks on Twitter. Within six minutes, the complaint was handled and the customer was satisfied. Twitter is starting to find its home.

There were many applications for Facebook but the one takeaway was that Facebook is not a one-sided conversation. Stores that look at it as traditional advertising are making a big mistake. It is social media and it must be interactive.

Let me just end with the line that I heard from the CEO of Saks. It's been a rough year but let's not waste a good recession. We have all learned some very valuable lessons from the economic climate we have lived and are living through. We have learned to do more with less. Those values will make us stronger and better in 2010 and beyond. They are right-- it is about the customer and no one understands it better than the independent. We have a lot to look forward to!

What do you do when you can't pay your bills?

OR What do you do when you are paying your bills late most of the time?
As bad as those two scenarios might be, there are even worse conditions. Such as paying your bills with your credit cards and carrying large balances so that you are being charged 18% interest (or even more from some of these money hungry banks that are trying to cover their losses from other areas). Hardly any retailer earns 18% profit out of their business so what makes them think this concept is going to work? I know-it's because the payments are smaller at the beginning but it's just a delayed agony.

I started to write this piece with the title "The Dark Side of The Recession", BUT that would have been the worst thing I could ever do. Why? Because managing your debt is just part of running your business.

Sure that's easy to say until you have received a collection call from a vendor or collection agency who are the subtle masters in intimidation (many times not so subtle.) We can say to ourselves, "It's just business." However, we know it eats us up inside. It ruins our self-esteem, we feel like failures, and try to avoid taking these calls. And when we do take the call, we make promises for payment that are nothing more than wishful thinking.

Many times the financial condition you find yourself in might not be your fault at all. I once owned a very successful (and extremely profitable) apparel store in New Hampshire that had a great team of people running it and a wonderful customer base. It was a 2200 square foot store with sales between $400,000 to $450,000 annually. Everything was going great for 9 years until two things happened. First, a new mall opened up across the street. We knew it was coming so that was no big deal. What I never took into account was the automobile traffic that a new mall can generate. What made matters worse was the roads getting to the mall were just NOT equipped to handle this traffic increase, so bumper to bumper grid lock would occur during busy days making it almost impossible for customers to get into my parking lot.

Our Saturday sales which averaged around $3000 dropped to a staggering $300 to $400 per day. That was only for about 6 months but of course it occurred at Christmas time as well.

Then when you think things can't get worse... they did. My landlord rented out the store beside us to an Eastern Food Mart/convenience store. Shortly after they opened they had delivered 5000 pounds of curry powder. The problem was that we shared the same air conditioning system. Needless to say the odor made it impossible for customers to shop and employees to work. After lots of efforts to correct the problems, I was forced to just close the business. Did I do anything wrong? Not really, but it created late payments and lots of sleepless nights.

So what should a business owner do when unexpected events occur? Where do you turn to? Since October I have received a number of calls and emails seeking advice. So I wrote up a piece about retailer options when events like this occur and I am including these ideas in this article. There is an old Chinese proverb that says, "When the student is ready, the teacher will appear." My teacher has appeared and my eyes were opened wide to a part of an industry I knew very little about.

I work for many associations representing all kinds of industries. There is an association for every job type or type of business you can think of, but I had never heard of The Turnaround Management Association. A group of (here comes another new phrase) Payable Management Specialists. These people are NOT debt consolidators or credit counselors. Some consumer credit consolidators don't have the best of reputations--they go under the guise of a non-profit organization thinking they are there to help you and some do. However, some of these companies are not always the most ethical companies you can work with and their needs are served first.

On January 20th I will be interviewing Mr. Jim Herst, one of the pioneers of the Turnaround Management Association and the Winner of the Turn Around Specialist of the Year in 2008. He is regarded as this country's leading authority in Payable Management.

So what do they do? Why should you know what they do?

First, understand the signs of retailers in need of a turn around specialist:

1. Sales off or less than anticipated
2. Selling, general, and administrative expenses are rising
3. Gross margins declining
4. Decreasing inventories because you can't get credit or don't have the money to replace the sold merchandise
5. You are writing and holding checks
6. Receiving collection calls from Vendors
7. Increase in employee turnover
8. Larger customers not buying

What YOU can do, what are your choices when you start to experience these symptoms:

1. Start extreme cost cutting
2. Refinance all of your debt
3. Seek new money to invest or find new partners (with money)
4. Debt resolution-Settle your debt with vendors
5. Sell the business
6. Liquidate
7. Hire a professional Payable Management company to start your turn around

So what does the professional Payables Management actually do? "It is the process whereby a debtor in financial CRISIS retains the services of an authoritative third party to professionally represent that debtor's relationship with its selected creditors." You turn your problems over to an experienced pro.

They perform the following services:

1. Stop all the calls and demands from vendors, collection firms and attorneys
2. Perform all creditor contact so you can focus on running your business
3. Eliminate court appearances
4. Protects the retailer's assets from lawsuits
5. Satisfies the creditors within your financial need
6. Works to rebuild your credit rating
7. Creates strategies for long term profitability
8. Facilitates profitable sales of inventory

How do Payable Management people get paid? They are paid on performance only. They receive a percentage of the money they save the retailer.

This is more than just about saving a business. It's more than just savings jobs. It's more than just helping to save a community. It's about saving someone's self-respect and takes a horrible burden off the retailer's back.

I believe this is such an important topic that on January 20th I will hosting Jim Herst to discuss this topic in detail and have open lines for you to ask the pro. This will be a FREE teleseminar for everyone. (It is free if you listen in during the live event but we will be charging $19.95 to download the event for people who are not members of The Retailer's Advantage.) We are doing that so that we can have as many of you ask Jim as many questions as you like. It is a rare opportunity--not to be missed!

Actually I am looking forward to hearing about the success stories that this program generates. Have a great week.

TAKING the Scare Out of the Business Plan

I don't know about you, but I hate planning. However, the older and wiser that I get, the more I appreciate the good business plan and the execution of that plan. I suppose you could call the appreciation of the business plan an acquired taste. Considering that this is the first article of the year, I think it's appropriate that we talk about business plans. (Actually it will reinforce the webinar I will be doing on Wednesday night about business plans. Plus I write about what is on my mind and that's all I've been thinking about for the past week!)

So the first question is what is a business plan? I like to look at a business plan as your story about your business. Have you ever gotten a stock tip? They tell you the name of the company and the reason why you should buy the stock. They also tell you that the company does this or that, they don't have a lot of competition, they are innovative, and of course the price is always right. That's what a business plan really is and does. The difference is that the business plan goes more in depth into the story. One word of caution. My business plans have a very definite marketing focus. There are plenty of business plans with a financial focus or a production focus.

What the business plan is supposed to do is answer the following questions:

1. Who are you?
2. What do you sell?
3. What's your method of selling it?
4. What makes you different?
5. Who is your customer?
6. How we are going to attract a customer to buy from you?
7. How much will this cost?

Before I answer all of these questions, understand that many people create business plans because it's a requirement by a bank or lending institution. The sad part about it is after they do the business plan, they place it on the shelf and never look at it again. Your business plan should be your Bible or map that your business is going to follow. My advice is create a business plan and then review it, at a minimum, monthly. Let's get started.

Structurally, most business plans will begin with an executive summary which is merely the seven questions I listed above, each answered in a brief sentence and a closing paragraph that sums it all up. That's followed by repeating the same questions and including more detail.

1. The first question is Who are you? In the executive summary you might answer it by saying, "We are a husband and wife team with 15 years experience with corporations and have a desire to run our own (gift) business.

On the more detailed business plan you would describe the actual management experience by company name and responsibility. The size of the company and the sales volume will also be important. This is also the spot that you add your vision, mission statement, and/or positioning statement. The vision statement tells us where you see the potential of the company. The mission statement states who you are and what values are important to you. The positioning statement, or as I sometimes refer to it as the signature line, just narrows the vision and mission statement into a workable slogan to live by.

You can see how the longer business plan basically says the same thing as the executive summary. It just has more detail. Or at least it should say the same thing. I have seen business plans with these wonderful executive summaries written but then when you get into the detailed plan, the business goes off in another direction. Why? The debate goes on-- do you write executive summary first or write the detailed business plan first? My feelings are the detailed report comes first and executive summary later. It tends to avoid mistakes.

Here is the interesting part about the first question, Who are you? In the executive summary, it's easy or it least it should be easy to write and is always short. But in the business plan, the Who are you question is the largest part of the business plan. This is because it also goes into detail about your beliefs--towards employees, service, customers, merchandise, price, and anything else that is important to you. Most business plans also include the SWOT questions in this section: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities.

2. What Do Sell? Is the much easier question to answer. It covers usage, quality level, category, price levels, and looks. Again these are short questions that generate much longer answers.

3. What is your Method of Selling Your Products? Are you going to be selling it at retail, online, what is the business going to look like, what is your business model and who are you emulating? That's a nice way of saying who do you look up to or who are you copying? Instead of copying I like to say what practices are we adopting or adapting.

4. What Makes You Different? What is your special sauce? Why are you different than the rest of your competition? Don't ever just say price. Why would you want to make your customers loyal to price? If someone were five cents cheaper, then the customer will go there. So I automatically throw away business plans that proceed to say that they are the cheapest in the state unless they have other differentiators that make them stand out in a crowded market place.

I want to know what benefit the customer will have in doing business with you. I want to know what ability you have that you are the most proud of? I also want to know why your best customers keep coming back and why new customers are attracted to the business. Answer these two questions in this section:

We enhance customer's lives by _______________________________.

If a newspaper would write a story about you and your business what would it be about?

5. Who is your customer? Know as much about your prospective customer and existing customers as possible. I want to know the demographic information such as age, sex, marital status, income level, homeownership, education and children. I also want to know the lifestyle information, a.k.a. psychographics.

That's a fancy way of saying what type of social activity are they into--such as gardening, home décor, reading, golf, travel, etc. This information is much easier to get than you realize. Just ask your customer what activities they are into and find the corresponding magazine that caters to that audience. Then contact a list broker and purchase contact information for prospective customers in your target area.

6. How we are going to attract a customer to buy from you? Another way of asking this question might be how are you going to market and advertise to your existing and prospective customer? Today there are so many different options from the traditional radio, television, and direct mail. These include billboards, websites, and all of the new social media options available today. Many times the true business differentiator rests in the way the business markets and advertises itself. It is not the best product or the best price that wins, if nobody knows who they are or what they're selling.

In this section it's advisable to list all of the possible advertising options, your choices on each one, and the choices that you have decided to use. I believe it's important to include a Calendar of Events in this section because you want to show as many events as possible. Events are important because you are giving the customer a reason to come into the store. These events do not have to be sale events. They can be classes, workshops, book signings, or any type of activity that brings people for the front door.

It is important that you address how you are going to market to your current customers and what strategies you can to adopt to attract new customers to your store.

7. How much will this cost? Here's the part that's not as much fun-- trying to figure out how much all these initiatives will cost and then putting them into a projected budget format. This is a good spot to employ my 40/55/5 Rule: The Profitability Formula. What that means is that in the average retail business, 40% of every dollar of sales will go to expenses. That is anything except the cost of the merchandise and the principal amount of a loan. It does include the interest charges on a loan and your salary. Then 55% of sales will go toward merchandise. The 5% left over is considered a positive cash flow. Any principal payments you have on loans will come out of the 5%.

Different industries will vary percentagewise, but every industry has a formula for profitability. In the jewelry business the expense percentage jumps up to 43%, but the cost of merchandise drops down to 52%. This is because in most jewelry stores payrolls are higher but the margins are better.

I explained all that because I have seen business plans that are brilliant from the first to the sixth question and then they blow it by having totally unrealistic costs and projections. I recently had a store owner tell me that 90% of every dollar that came into that store went to merchandise. Then she proceeded to tell me that she is very profitable. That is possible but highly unlikely. If I were asked by a bank to render an opinion on whether this business should or should not received a loan, I would have to deny the loan. The bottom line is to make sure your numbers make sense.

Finally end your business plan with a closing statement about how you plan on utilizing this business plan and updating it in a timely manner. It's even advisable to list the dates the plan will be reviewed and updated. Business conditions change quickly these days and business plans cannot be cut in stone. Remember it is a guideline and a map and even the best of maps can't take into account the detours life brings us.

I know that I have given you a lot of information in this article and I will be going over it in more detail in this week's Wednesday night event for The Retailer's Advantage. This program is also available for purchase as a single event for my readers who are not members at the following link:

Have a great week and remember planning does pay off.

What did you learn this year? What did this year teach you?

Every year is challenging but this year was without question one of the most difficult years ever for many reasons. We saw the official end to the recession, which should have meant that things would be good or at least better. WRONG!

The recession was declared over because the stock market had a sustained rally. But we have to remember, the stock market is a leading indicator of things to come. This means Main Street has yet to receive any of the benefits of the rally. So although the news is better, it's still tough out there -- and it will be tough until the employment numbers start dropping. I believe that will happen in the spring of this year.

Many of you have fared very well during these tough times because of the lessons we learned over the course of the year. So here is my year in review. It is based on the following information.

• I wrote 57 columns this year
• I consulted/evaluated 71 small businesses
• I judged 17 stores for award programs
• I interviewed and recorded 42 guests for The Retailer's Advantage
• I delivered 87 presentations

During this time, phenomenon I'd been aware of before became popular -- or even more than popular! I refer to the rising in popularity as "mainstreaming". Something that was on the fringe or experimental became the best-selling item or just the way we do things.

Social Networking has come of age and retailers have done exceptionally well with facebook. I was blown away with the results some stores are getting with their facebook initiatives. Many businesses are putting more effort into facebook than the traditional websites -- and getting results that justify the change.

Although Twitter is all the rage, I am not seeing the results that Facebook brings. However, hot on the horizon is the concept of multiple Landing Pages. A landing page is what the name implies-- a place where people first land when they are searching for what you sell. There are so many different ways or terms that customers can use to find us online that we need to create these separate pages that will them bring them to what they are looking for. The problem is they just don't come in the front door anymore -- or to the main page of our website.

I discovered a company that specializes in In-Bound Marketing called Hubspot. They have some incredible tools that made my business life so much better. Some of those tools that I introduced to my readers and subscribers were: http://www.websitegrader.com/ , http://www.facebookgrader.com/, and http://www.pressreleasegrader.com/. These are all free tools that are just terrific.

Speaking about Websites, I learned that having as many vendor names on as many pages as possible helps the ranking of your website. There has been one other major change when it comes to websites, and that is the growth and mainstreaming of the video testimonial. That's when we have one of our customers say nice things about us, we capture it, then download it to a website.

The use of video has become so easy and now is being used in applications other than just testimonials. It can be used for the owner to welcome customers to the site, to educate our customers with short 3 to 5 minute videos, and to give tours of a store so that customers know exactly what to expect when they come in.

We can't talk about video without mentioning YouTube.com. All of these videos reporting about websites should also be appearing on YouTube.com. Actually YouTube makes it so easy to download the video that it's almost effortless. Just shoot a video, download it to YouTube, and then create a link to your website. Now customers have more opportunities -- and reasons!-- to visit your website.

There is another phenomenon that is becoming as critical a component to retail as education that I will be exploring in depth in 2010. The concept is called store touring. This is having a third party organize and sponsor a tour for retailers to a major metropolitan area with retailers and tour the leading businesses in the area. The businesses are selected in advance and they show how they do business and what makes them different and interesting. The question you probably have is why would a business allow other retailers to come in to see what they are doing? The reason why is every store on the tour must fill out a detailed evaluation form with ideas for the store's improvement. It's a real win-win proposition.

This year we also learned about the growing movement of staying local and buying local. We saw the rise in popularity of the 350 Project and I applaud all of their efforts. I wrote a piece this year about how impressed I was with the merchants and their sense of community spirit when I worked in downtown Detroit. I didn't expect to find this spirit and was blown away by it. I look forward to returning to Detroit to continue my work and be awed by the merchants there.

There is an additional twist to the buying local initiative and that is buying from local vendors and highlighting or spotlighting them within the store. I learned the way to do it from a store that won the RAMAE Award Rookie of the Year, Madison and Mason, located in Middleton, Massachusetts. Every display in this store that was from a local vendor or artisan had a sign with a brief story about the artisan.

The perfect segue from buying local to supporting our fellow local merchants and neighbors is to add one page to your website that talks about businesses that are in your area with links to their sites. The merchants will love you and your customers will respect you. This is an easy thing to do and the benefits far outweigh the effort. This is a must do idea for 2010.

The one thing I learned about or finally realized was the true impact of The Apple Experience. Go into any major mall, just about anywhere in the world, and look at the store that has the most traffic. It's the Apple store. I've talked before about the Genius Bar and how education and retailing go hand-in-hand, but I never fully understood the impact of having a place where customers come back to again and again can have. It's unbelievable how many additional sales can be made because you're bringing the customer back. The most basic benefit of them all is that the additional traffic count creates the buying frenzy.

Another concept that was an inspiration came from the financial TV host, Jim Cramer, the idea of What is your Special Sauce? The special sauce came from a line in a 1974 McDonald's commercial that got America humming and trying to remember the exact words (which were "two all beef patties, special sauce, cheese, onions, pickles on a sesame seed bun.") Jim Cramer believes that it was the management of the business that is its special sauce. I agree with him, in part. However, he didn't get the whole picture. There are many things that can be a business' special sauce. It can be the way they display the merchandise, the training their employees receive, their level of customer service, or the uniqueness of the merchandise. For some reason, just using the term special sauce motivated retailers to look for their special sauce.

There were two other RAMEA Award winners this year that taught me valuable lessons and unique ways of doing business. The first business that won the award for visual merchandising is a gallery in Northampton, Massachusetts named Don Mueller's Gallery. I have visited, evaluated, judged, and consulted the with thousands of retailers and from a visual perspective, no one comes close to the work that Don Mueller has done. He has a very different and unique approach to visual merchandising. I will refer to this as his display concept. Most retailers change or remodel their display concept every 4 to 7 years. At Don Mueller's, he builds a display piece that is not only permanent but blends in perfectly to what already exists. The displays are not only breathtaking and sell merchandise, but you never know which display or showcase is two months old or 32 years old. I believe this is a must see store that every retailer should shop. They sell works of art in many different forms, from paintings to sculpture to glass art to jewelry, and nothing that anyone needs but everyone wants. This is truly a remarkable store in the true innovator in retailing.

The other RAMEA winner for creative concepts is a clothing boutique by the name of IZZY'S located in Andover, Massachusetts. This store sells new and vintage boutique apparel but does it in a way that is so special and won them the award. What they did was create a unique Branding Initiative for their vintage clothing. They call it "Reborn". Every piece of vintage merchandise has a label that is made out of fabric that is approximately 3 inches wide by5 inches long that tells the story about the merchandise and how it should be worn. It actually gives the date of birth or rebirth. It is a brilliant concept and executed perfectly.

There was one revolutionary concept that finally got a name. The concept that's been around forever but formalized by a book by Chris Anderson, named "FREE". One of the main reasons for the book is because of the business model that has been created by Google. 85% of everything that Google produces is free to the public and yet they have become not only the fastest growing but one of the largest corporations in America today. When I wrote an article named, FREE is GOOD. No! FREE is EXCELLENT! I never expected the amount of people that responded to my request for ways to utilized FREE. It's here to stay and something we all need to adopt in some way. Obviously it's something that I've done for years with this column but also with many of my efforts with The Retailer's Advantage.

Another article that I wrote that became a breakthrough concept was called, Who CARES How Long You've Been in Business? What Can You Do for ME? When I was working in Minneapolis this past summer for a wonderful group of menswear retailers, I realized that each one of these businesses was quick to share with the world how long they'd been in business. The sad truth is only the retailer cares about that; a customer could care less. The inspiration for the idea and article was that there was a company at the tradeshow selling gift cards. They had only been in business a few years but they were wildly successful because in their marketing pieces they gave exact facts, figures, and case studies about how well their programs worked. They did not focus on how long they'd been in business. Yet all these businesses that were focused on longevity were lining up to do business with them. Think about it-- it's what a business can do for us!

Another concept that was born in 2009 is the concept of Maximizing the Customer. What it means is getting the most out of every customer who walks through our front door. That's more than selling them as much as we possibly can! We have to look for ways to get them to return to the store, to be able to utilize that person's business experiences, shopping experiences, and knowledge in a way to improve our business. This includes asking customer's opinions, surveys, asking customers to serve on boards of advisors or directors, or just taking the time to ask them where they shopped and what kind of stores they like. And of course, we can optimize that customer further by asking for testimonials!

The last new idea that was definitely born from the economic conditions of 2008 and 2009 is the concept of my new book called, "Proactive Retailing...Bringing Your Business to the Next Level". We can no longer just sit and wait for customers to come into the store. We must all become destination businesses and proactive on all of our marketing and advertising efforts. We can't blame the shopping center for the lack of traffic; we must look in the mirror for answers. Maybe that's the best way to end this piece, reflecting on one of the true greats in the entertainment world who passed on this year, Michael Jackson. He recorded the song that said, "If you want to make the world a better place, take a look at yourself and then make a change, just look at the man in the mirror." These words definitely apply to every one of us in a business.

It's been one heck of a year and I never realized how much I learned that I didn't know 365 days ago. I ended last year with a quote from Tracy Mullins, the president of the National Retail Federation who said, "It's time for us to understand and accept the new normal." Many of us have done just that -- but get ready, because the new normal for 2010 is going to be much better than it was in 2009.

Have a sensational holiday season and look for new ideas, concepts, initiatives, and new ways of doing business that we didn't know about in 2009. It's an honor to write these newsletters and I appreciate every single one of you who reads my work and takes action to bring your business to the next level.

The Opportunity....That We Sometimes Forget

The Christmas rush is on and the folks in the Northeast were dealing with a blizzard on the "Busiest Day of the Year", the Saturday before Christmas. Will that day's sales be made up? Not really but generally the impact of these type of events is never as devastating as we first expect.

However, there is one thing that can be even more devastating than a crippling snowstorm before Christmas, and that is our attitude and the attitudes of our employees in relationship to after Christmas returns. (Many stores have a credit only policy on Christmas returns, especially those smaller boutique shops that sell time-sensitive merchandise. I am not here to debate the merits of such a policy. There are strong opinions on both sides of the argument and this piece isn't about that.)

When someone returns something to our store, they are giving us an opportunity to sell them even more than what they are returning. Many times we get our guards up because we assume that the customer is going to give us a hard time. That happens when you deal with 2 customers in a row who are making unreasonable demands. You got it. We start to think that every customer is going to be unreasonable. It's simply not so. We know it, we understand it, we can intellectually deal with it, BUT emotionally we take it so personally that we start to develop this belief that every customer is out to take advantage of us. It's wrong and every time we do that it just hurts our business. It's something I call Last Customer Residue -- you carry over the effect of one negative customer onto all of the customers who follow.

It's Showtime every time a customer walks through our front door. The Last Customer Residue Syndrome must end. Understand that customers today know that if they yell loud enough they generally get what they want. (Sad but true...It's never worth the fight.) They also know all of the right buzz words to use that can get under our skin. Such as: "everywhere else I get"; or "no one every told me that policy!" spoken as defiantly as possible; and the classic "I'm never coming back and I am telling all of my friends". (BTW they generally don't have any friends!)

4% of your customers belong to the PLO, Pushy Loud and Obnoxious. The rest are OK. Customers have Christmas cash. Maybe not as much as they once did, but they are also aware of the savings after a holiday as well and they plan on buying. They are giving us a great opportunity and we need to be able to capitalize on it. All it takes is a compassionate smile, a willingness to listen, help, and an attitude of how you can turn a return into a multiple sale.

They are NOT the enemy. They are the customer, and they are giving us an opportunity to do business with them. Seize the moment, remember my famous line, "Did you see this?" and SELL, SELL, SELL.

Have a wonderful holiday and let's get ready for 2010. The long recovery has begun.

Build Your Community, Build Your Business

When you say the word “community” today, it takes on a different connotation than it did just a few years ago. We now have online communities as well as special interest communities. We have our professional communities, our social networking communities, and the traditional business community and the geographical community - the area where your business is located. So when you use the term build your community, build your business, it might mean that the bigger your network of friends, colleagues, and common interest groups are, the bigger your business will become.

That's probably true to a certain extent but some of our communities might not have the ability - much less the want or need - to do business with us. So what I want to focus on is the traditional business community, the place where our businesses are located and the people who live and work within our community.

Let's focus on the words community service and what it means to a business. Above all other industries, retail and community service go hand-in-hand. We want to support businesses that support our communities. Very few retailers are NOT involved in some type of community service or community charitable events.

Every year for the past 12 years, the Retailers' Association of Massachusetts Awards of Excellence program has recognized a retailer who has made a difference within their community. The reasons retailers win are different every year. Some times the winner spearhead a fund-raising effort for deserving charity. Other times the store uses their facility for a community focused initiative.

It's not about just giving money to a charity-- it's about getting involved. But from a marketing perspective, it's good business! (Not to mention it's the right thing to do!) Considering the season, this is a good time to highlight those businesses that are making a difference in their communities and their businesses. They are succeeding by thinking out of the box, away from the norm. These individuals have built wonderful businesses because they care about their communities and in turn their communities support them.

The one store I love to talk about is a shining example of community building at its best.

The community service efforts of The Three Sons located in Milford, Iowa are legendary. Emil Richter and his brother, Herman, are two of the sharpest retailers I have ever met. They created a unique “Make Believe” University called the University of Okoboji which has a complete college bookstore chuck full of college merchandise for sale. They have it all: hats, pennants, T-shirts, sweatshirts, workout clothes, and any of the giftware that any major college bookstore would carry.

A portion of the proceeds of this merchandise is put into a foundation but that's just the beginning of the story. The Three Sons sponsor the Winter games, the Summer games, the Hundred Mile Bike Race and a marathon that attracts thousands of runners. They all pay an entrance fee that goes into the University of Okoboji Foundation. These events are very lucrative fundraisers because they are run solely by the volunteers -- who are often customers of Three Sons.

The University of Okoboji’s Foundation has donated enough money to build the Town’s Welcome Center, the Community Center, a jogging path, a bike path, and the Jaws of Life rescue machine that comes on a very expensive truck. Those were all paid for out of the funds from the University of Okoboji Foundation. That’s community service!

The college emblem states “In God we trust everyone else pays cash.”

These folks are having the greatest time of their lives. They have more fun with this and they are making a difference in their community. Not to mention the fact that they're selling merchandise that no one else in the world carries.

A used bookstore in Marblehead, Massachusetts created a charity called Comforts & Joy. They coordinate the making of Christmas stockings and use their business as the community drop-off for items to put in the stockings that were delivered to the needy children in the area. The store is also used as the place where all the volunteers gathered to put together the Christmas stockings together. The idea worked so well they expanded it to fill backpacks for back-to-school. One of the interesting ways they raised money for the charity was sponsoring a private showing of a new movie that was filmed in the area. The night before it was scheduled to run, they had a private showing and charged $25 per person. It included champagne and hors d'oeuvres that were donated by members of the community that made the night special.

The thing that's important to understand is that you can do this type of event for almost any movie. It doesn't necessarily have to be movie that was filmed in your town. It's just a fun fundraiser that can be initiated by a retailer.

The one event that I am so passionate about is the sponsorship all of “The Best Store Windows in Town”. Many times Main Street organizations or Chambers of Commerce sponsor this event. However, it is such a natural for a business to sponsor the event so that they can receive the positive public relations that events like this provide. When I share this with stores they always ask me about the rules of the contest. My response is always, “It's your contest; you make the rules!” Think about this. You can have your name on a beautiful trophy named after you or your business displayed in the best store in town.

Many people refer to this as Cause Marketing. Let's not kid ourselves--this is Marketing at its best! But don't do it because it's just good business; do it because it's the right thing to do. You live and work in the community and it's your responsibility to service that community. I look at these initiatives as truly win-win win endeavors. The community wins because you create a point of pride for the community, the beneficiaries of your efforts win for obvious reasons, and you win because you are now an integral part of the community you serve. You showed you care.

One word of caution: Stay away from politics and any controversy. Why? Because you probably have customers from both sides. Here are a few more ideas of proven winners. All of these are battle-tested ideas that work:

• Sponsor or Coordinate an Experienced Retailer Mentoring a Rookie Retailer
• The Best Hair Dresser in Town (This is a powerhouse if you are marketing to women!)
• Baby contest of Community Leaders- Get baby pictures of other merchants and leaders and have customers match the names to the pictures
• Athlete of the Month/Year
• Why My Mom Is Best
• Why my Dad is Best
• Art Contests for kids and adults
• Community Pages on Your Web Site –List all of the other businesses in town. This is so easy and is appreciated so much.
• Use your facility to meet. If you have the space in your store, it is a powerhouse and it costs you nothing!
• Set up a Bulletin Board in your store near the front door. You can post any positive news about people or events taking place in your community.
• Do a $5 Coupon with portion of proceeds going to a community charity

These are just a sampling of the hundreds of great ideas that bring retailers and communities together. By the way, you might notice I NEVER MENTIONED the word SALE! You can bring customers into your store without ever having to cut your prices!

What is Customer Service?

Before I start this week's article, I want to report back to you about the winners of the signature line contest for Mason's Jewelers. Thank you so much for helping me determine the 3 winners! Just as an FYI, your choices were really varied which made me feel better about the tough time I had picking the winners. But there was definitely consensus on the top 3. So here they are:

• First Place prize of a choice of a free 2-month subscription to The Retailer's Advantage or a 1-hour consulting session goes to Daniel Hanson from Lightning Landscape and Irrigation.
• Second Place prize of a choice of 2 books or videos from the Rick Segel Store goes to Donerea Testa from The Place.
• Third Place prize of a choice of 1 book or video from the Rick Segel Store goes to Steven Diamond from Safe Auto Insurance.

Congratulations! And now my article...

Great customer service is like pornography. It's hard to define but you know it when you see it! In my workshops I ask the question: "What would aggravate you to such a point that you would NEVER return to a business again?" People from the audience start shouting out all of the things such as

• The store is dirty
• They don't have what I want
• The sales people are too pushy
• The people are rude
• They aren't open when I want to shop
• And the one response I always get is Bad Customer Service

My reply to the person who said bad customer service is "What do you mean by good customer service?

I rarely get the same answer. I'll hear a lot of things, including: friendly people, I can get what I want there, clean store, nice merchandise, or the store exceeds their expectations. It's as if I am asking a question within a question.

The purpose of the question is to make the audience realize that there are issues far more important than just price, because it generally takes between 8 or 12 responses before someone says the prices were too high! It also demonstrates that customer service represents different things to different people.

Using the concept of "knowing it when you see it", let me describe two customer service experiences I had within the last few weeks.

I was speaking in Key Biscayne, Florida at the magnificent Ritz Carlton Hotel. The meeting planner was so embarrassed because he forgot to make a room reservation for me and the Ritz was totally sold out. He gave me an additional stipend to stay at another hotel. Understand that I drove to Key Biscayne from the Orlando area, which is about a four-hour ride. The speech was at night and I thought that what I might do is try to drive as far as I could, then find a hotel on the way back.

I made one mistake and that was I packed my suit and shirt in my suitcase and of course it was wrinkled. That always happens BUT this time I didn't have a room where I could press it. I was aware of the legendary service at The Ritz so I thought I would put it to the test. I parked my car with the Valet and there was a "greeter" to welcome you to the Ritz. That's a nice touch. So I told this well trained and attractive young woman about my predicament. I asked for just a room where I could press out my suit. She said that she would take care of my problem by bringing the suit to the concierge. I handed it to her and she brought it to the concierge who immediately came over to me and told me to have a seat in the lobby, have a glass of their lemonade, and not to worry because everything would be taken care of. Fifteen minutes later, he returned with my suit, which was pressed and covered with a plastic bag as if it had just come out of the dry cleaners. I asked how much it would cost and as I put my hand in my pocket to pay, he then said, "There would be no charge." As I started to take the suit from his hands, he called for the greeter to bring me to the spa where I could freshen up and change my clothes. The manager of the spa greeted me using my name, which blew me away. The concierge had called the spa, giving my name, and explaining my predicament.

The spa manager gave me a locker, the use of the shower facilities, and a place to shave. I asked again how much the use of the spa would be. Again I was told there would be no charge.

WOW! That is great customer service. That's smart business because they created more word-of-mouth advertising with that gesture than all the newspaper ads in the world could buy.

Three days later I was checking into Beaches Resort in Jamaica for a family get-together. There were 14 of us in the party consisting of my wife and me, my six grandchildren and their parents. That represented four separate rooms. We had a wonderful travel agent who took care of all of the details. However, two weeks before the trip I called the Resort just to ask about some of the extra excursions, such as fishing and boat rides. While I was on the phone I wanted to make sure my daughter with her three boys had a room large enough for them. The reason I wanted to double check was that when we made the reservation my grandson was not yet born. When I checked, I was told that their room could only handle 4 people and the hotel was sold out.

I quickly called my travel agent who immediately called her contact. She faxed me the reservation she made and it clearly stated PLUS INFANT. She assured me that everything was OK but she also said she would follow up on this a few days before we left to go. She reconfirmed on the day before we were to leave that everything was all set.

Then I arrived at the Resort and checked in. I double-checked to make sure my daughter's room was OK. I had to wait for about 15 minutes for that question because someone had to ask someone, who had to ask someone else. Then I was told not to worry and that everything was OK.

You guessed it. When my daughter arrived she was put into a room with one king size bed. It was even smaller than my other kids' rooms. The hotel didn't have any other rooms for that night and they would be moved the next day. They put in a rollaway bed and a crib and they spent a night in a room with wall-to-wall beds.

If that wasn't bad enough, we then try to make reservations in two of the specialty restaurants on the property. I tried to make the reservations when I checked in. To make a very long story shorter, it took me 8 calls and two visits to the concierge to finally get a reservation. Why did it take so long? Because no one owned my problem. It was mine -- not the hotel's.

We ended up having a sensational time but I refused to go back to the concierge due to their complete incompetence. That is sad, especially when you think that about the total cost of the family trip compared to the complete lack of money that I spent at the Ritz.

What is the lesson? It's all about ownership of the problem. The Ritz trained their people to own the problem and then professionally and personally deliver the problem to someone who can solve it. Then the first employee follows up to make sure the problem has been taken care of.

How do you train your people? We don't have to be the Ritz to treat your customers like the Ritz. If you do customer service like the Ritz, your customer service will be your biggest differentiator!

Have a great week.

Who Are You...In the Mind of Your Customer - Part 2

  Before I begin this week's article, I feel that I have to talk about sales activity that occurred during this past Thanksgiving weekend. So here are my thoughts.

Sales Results from Black Friday: There were some bright spots over the weekend. The actual results seem to vary depending on reporting services but there are some things that we can all learn from this weekend.

1. There is business out there to be had!
2. We must promote!
3. Don't give the store away. It's the promotable item that brings them in, the "Doorbuster"!
4. The goal is to bring them in the door.
5. Consumer confidence is definitely returning. Attitudes are changing.
6. The recovery is firmly in place but it won't be easy.

Now, back to our contest from last week to help Mason's Jewelers with their signature line/positioning statement.

Last week I offered prizes for the best signature line written for a jewelry store. The winning line would be the one that would help position the store in the most advantageous light in the mind of the customer.

They say we need to be careful what we ask for.

Well, you guys have just blown me away with some brilliant ideas! I feel bad that I didn't publish everyone. Many of the responses became repetitive so I had to pick the signature lines that were the most representative for the sake of space. I also had to eliminate many of the comments that people had shared. If not, this article would have been 40 pages long.

DO NOT look at this as just something for a jewelry store. This copy is pure GOLD. Use it. Message it. Adapt it and adopt it.

Near the end of this article I have featured the work of a brilliant copywriter that had some terrific ideas we can all use. Her name is Donerae Testa, from Ohio. Make sure you read her ideas. She is great!

But I have a problem. I received so many good ideas that I can't pick the winners. So I am going to ask you to vote on the top 12. The complete list will follow with the names of the people that entered them.

Vote for your favorites and again, thanks for everyone's participation. Just email your selections for first, second, and third place and any comments you might have to me at rick@ricksegel.com.

Mason's Jewelers:

1. Intensely Exquisite and Unpredictable
2. Dynamic jewelry for the dynamic woman in you.
3. Some women wear accessories. Our women wear statements.
4. Classically Impulsive/Uniquely Designed
5. Mason's Jewelry: Where style and success meet.
6. Exceptional designs for exceptional women!
7. Innovative looks for innovative lives
8. Imaginative looks for innovative women
9. Punctuate your life
10. For women who shape history!
11. Wear your accomplishments
12. For women who want it all...and more

Here is the compilation of the entries, with the duplicates removed. There is so much here that I just had to share it with you. I have also highlighted the top 12 responses in red.

• Mason's Jewelers
  1. Intensely Exquisite and Unpredictable
  From Daniel Hanson
• Mason's Jewelers
  Absolute Brilliance, Just For You
  From Ken Cavanaugh
• Mason's Jewelers
  Enjoy looking brilliant
  From Laura Firestone
• Mason's Jewelers
  Bright women, bright jewels.
  From Robbie Grady
• Mason's Jewelers
  Show your brilliance.
  From Robbie Grady
• Mason's Jewelers
  Brilliance Shows
  From Kay Alger
• Mason's Jewelers
  Designs to shine your light
  From Deb Matthews
• Fashion Forward Jewelry Designs
  For The Confident Woman
  From Sue Miller
• Mason's Jewelers:
  2. Dynamic jewelry for the dynamic woman in you.
  From Steven A. Diamond
• Mason's Jewelers:
  3.Some women wear accessories. Our women wear statements.
  From Steven A. Diamond
• "For your life's brilliant moments."
  From J J Ensley
• Design with Panache for the Stylish Woman
  From Deb Kneale
• Defining Your Success
  From Dirk Fecho
• Power Jewels for Powerful Women
  From Dirk Fech
• Let us help you complete your statement
  From Dirk Fecho
• Mason's Jewelers - "We want to share in your success"
  From Bill Horschel
• Mason Jewelers - Wear your success with brilliant jewelry designs
  From Kathy Steerman
• Be someone special--we will show you how!
  From Robert Saquet
• Fashion Forward ... Wrapped In Small Town Charm
  From Nita Bales
  (This is a good idea but this store is located in a big city. This can work for lots of other business very well.)
• 4. Classically Impulsive/Uniquely Designed
  From krwooden
• Catchy couture
  From Holly Collins
• Mason Jewelry:
  "You're the jewel that makes us shine..."
  From Bud Spoerl
• Rocks that Rock!!
  From Wendy Lavallee
• Unexpected Brilliance
  From Kirsten Seidl
• Masons - Designs with the Distinctive Woman in Mind
  From Cheryl Jordan
• Masons: Exquisite jewelry for the exceptional executive!
  From Anne Puthoff
• Masons Jewelry: Where brilliant gems meet brilliant women!
  From Anne Puthoff
• You've earned a trip to Mason's Jewelry!
  From Anne Puthoff
• Celebrate your success with a style from Mason's!
  From Anne Puthoff
• Mason's Jewelry:
  5. Where style and success meet.
  From Anne Puthoff
• Treat yourself brilliantly at Mason's Jewelry!
  From Anne Puthoff
• Brilliant Designs for a stunning you!
  From Anne Puthoff
• 6. Exceptional designs for exceptional women!
  From Anne Puthoff
• Mason's Jewelry:
  Brilliance for the Brilliant!
  From Anne Puthoff
• Serendipity in alpha jewelry
  From Greg Cross

The following collection were all created by Donerae Testa from the Place in Medina, Ohio. There are some absolutely terrific ideas here. Donerae must have been a copy writer in another life or has a burning desire to write creative copy. The reason why I love her work so much is because:

1. Most of her ideas are focused on the customer not just boosting about the business
2. These ideas inspire other ideas. She gets you thinking about other ways to make it better. Here is an example of what I mean:

Donerae wrote "Bling for the upwardly mobile" which misses the mark BUT inspired "Bling without the Bling" (by me). It says a lot with its symbolism. A winner? Not really, there are much better ones. BUT this could be used in some other copy or the fact she introduces an interesting word. That's the type of person you want when you are brainstorming.

Look at this list and ask yourself how you could use some of her concepts. These are more than just for jewelry. If anyone adopts any of these (there are no charges or royalties so don't get nervous!),I would love to pass it on to Donerea. We might have just discovered America's new Advertising Idol.

• Mason's Jewelers
  7.Innovative looks for innovative lives
  From Donerae Testa
• Mason's Jewelers
  8. Imaginative looks for innovative women
  From Donerae Testa
• 9. Punctuate your life
  From Donerae Testa
• 10. For women who shape history!
  From Donerae Testa
• Designs to shine your light
  From Donerae Testa
• They will notice (I also like; because they notice )
  From Donerae Testa
• Be noticed
  From Donerae Testa
• For the final touch
  From Donerae Testa
• 11.Wear your accomplishments
  From Donerae Testa
• Specializing in perfection
  From Donerae Testa
• 12. For women who want it all...and more
  From Donerae Testa
  (This is a powerhouse because it leaves so much to interpretation with a strong powerful "take no prisoners feel" with a slight sexual illusion.)
• Sassy, Sexy, Sensational
  From Donerae Testa
• Wear your attitude
  From Donerae Testa
• When the status quo isn't good enough
  From Donerae Testa
• Celebrate you!
  From Donerae Testa
• For the perfect accompaniment
  From Donerae Testa
• Producing wows for xx years
  From Donerae Testa
• Never ordinary
  From Donerae Testa

Remember, please send your votes to rick@ricksegel.com and let me know your first three choices from the Top 12. And again, thanks for your help and I hope that you can use some of these ideas in your businesses. What a way to learn!