We want our downtowns and our retail stores to be welcoming for all kinds of customers. We’re especially interested in bringing young families downtown for shopping and for special events. To do that, we have to think from their perspective about what keeps them from coming downtown. Their answers might surprise you. Jennifer Carlson…
I was talking with a friend about finding work as an independent professional. He was talking about finding work speaking for corporate clients, and together we came up with these questions. I think these questions might work for rural professionals like you, too, so I wanted to share them. Who are the next…
Dateline: Aberdeen, South Dakota Reporting: Becky McCray and Deb Brown Subject: Nacho Business Deb and I can’t resist shed businesses, especially with great names. We stopped for nachos. We told him we had to, just with that name. “We hooked you with name alone?” he said, clearly gratified. Then he dumped a bunch more marketing…
No doubt about it: We all like to have a “wow” customer experience. Yet research has found that, while the “knock your socks off” experience is one you remember, what gets customers back in the door is when they receive ongoing solid, good service from your company time and time again. Consumers like consistency. They…
How often have you entered a store only to experience one of these two scenarios? You can’t find anyone to help you or a salesperson descends on you and just won’t go away so you can shop. You hear a lot about the importance of customer service. Yet, much of what you read and hear…
Rural OmniLocal. It’s the new buzzword. I know because I made it up. It means small town retailers using multiple channels to reach their customers. This article is an excerpt from an interview with Bob Dunn. Hear the whole interview or read the transcript at BobWP.com In the world of big retail companies, “omni…
Guest post by Deb Brown How well do you know your clients? Here at the Chamber our clients are our members. This year I’ve made a concentrated effort to spend some time visiting with our members. Not just when I run into them, or when we need something (although we do visit then), but in…
Small town store owners, does any of this sound familiar? “I feel bad when customers tell me they can’t come during my hours. We have had a couple successful events in the evenings that brought customers in, but most attempts have been a bust. A shop I follow on Facebook recently tried for a…
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