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Embracing the Ordinary

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July 18, 2016

In a recent interview for a possible article for the Museum Store Magazine, I was asked about the importance of providing an excellent customer experience during the holiday season.  Yawn.  Was I about to write another blur of words regurgitated by almost every retail store about how they give “outstanding customer service” by offering up what almost every other retail store does?  When “everyone” is doing it, it makes it rather ordinary, I thought.
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Invent An Event!

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July 11, 2016

In these days of a million competing offers from stores and the web, it is vital to create some “buzz” around your business – and one enticing and direct way to do that is by crafting events that (1) target your customer, (2) dovetail with your institution’s vision, (3) “raise the profile” of your store – and (4) add to that all-important revenue stream.
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Museum Store Memories and Mementos

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June 27, 2016

My staff regularly discusses the mission of our museum store, and the way our products create a lifelong link to the visitor’s experience in our museums, and their memories of that day. We find, sometimes to our own wonder, that many of those experiences hold deep meaning and significance decades after a museum visit, and it’s fun to revisit those memories again as professionals in the industry.
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Customer Service Blog 6.20.16

Developing a Customer Service Philosophy

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June 20, 2016

While we all have (or should have) a retail mission statement that emulates the mission of our institution, have you ever thought about a customer service philosophy? One of the most important aspects of a retail operation is its customer service and its philosophy about that customer service. What exactly do I mean by philosophy of customer service?
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Five Steps for Contented Content

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June 6, 2016

As you have been expanding your marketing to increase your presence online, you may have added a blog to your website. Of course now that you have your blog, you’re probably struggling to maintain a high level of high-interest content. For everyone who’s ever been faced with producing a regular blog, content is probably one of your biggest challenges (along with just maintaining a regular schedule). Read more →

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What’s in Store For Stores

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May 23, 2016

If you read trade journals and newspapers, you start to get the feeling the future of retail may be dramatically shaped by two things: technology and the Millennials.  If Walgreens is now located at the corner of Happy and Healthy, then future retail will soon live at the corner of Technology and Millennial. It pretty apparent that technology and Millennials go hand-in-hand.

Okay, I know, yet another blog musing on the affect Millennials may have on the future, but stick with me on this.  So far, many of the predictions made about the Millennial’s impact have been surprisingly accurate. Read more →

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Managing Your Customer’s Experience

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May 16, 2016

If you Google “customer experience” you’ll be surprised by the number of hits you get labeled customer experience management.  Who knew your customer’s experience needed to be managed?

It wasn’t that long ago that you simply put merchandise on the counter, turned on the lights, opened the doors and… voilà, instant customer experience.  Oh sure, somebody would throw in some clever visual merchandising to spice things up, but in the end the customer’s experience was pretty much unmanaged. Read more →

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Six Tips from the Best in the Business

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May 2, 2016

Last week, the Business Journals interviewed 11 of the top small business owners and asked them for tips for success in running a successful company.

These business owners were honored as last year’s Small Business Persons of the Year in their respective areas.  While their businesses may differ from an operation like a nonprofit retail store, it is easy to apply much of their advice to all types of operations. Let’s see how we can adapt their ideas to boost your museum and institutional stores. Read more →

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Pay It Forward

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April 25, 2016

Remember the old days when the cash register was literally a work of art?  Those old monsters that were made by National Cash Register and a few other companies.  Many of these devices were lovingly cast in bronze, while others in plated in brilliant nickel.  They came adorned with flowers, filigree’s, and even characters like cherubs.  For most retail establishments, they were the star attraction planted proudly at the front of the store.

Despite their size, some were nearly three feet tall, they didn’t really do much. As late as the 1970s, many cash registers did little more than record a sale. They didn’t even add and they certainly didn’t help manage the inventory.  Yet, for all their shortcomings they were the anchor of the store. When you saw them in all their glory you knew exactly where to pay and where to find a sales person.  Read more →

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5 Ways to Grow Your Business and Yourself

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April 11, 2016

As the operator of an institutional store, you’re in a unique position to grow both your business and your professional self… often at the same time.  In retail, you never know what the future will bring.  Every day is a new adventure, every year is a new challenge, and fortunately, every challenge is a new opportunity.  But you have to be ready.

The Business Journals recently ran an article, Six Quick and Affordable Tips to Grow New Business.  After reading the article, you begin to understand that the success of the business and the success of the business manager are often inherently linked.  If you follow professional sports, you begin understand that when a team wins, the value of the individual players usually goes up.   In business, being associated with a winning team and a successful enterprise, often increases the value of the people who are directly responsible for the store’s success. Read more →