Lisbeth Calandrino::

People seem to be out shopping and the retail news seems to be positive. Could it really be true? I decided to call , Rebecca Marion Flach, Vice President of Membership and Communication for the Retail Council of New York State.

As Vice President of Membership and Communication for the Retail Council, exactly what do you do?

I’m in charge of all internal and external communication that supports the Council’s government relations, sales and marketing and membership functions. I’m also in charge of new membership benefit programs and services for the association.

Exactly what is happening in the retail sector, is business looking up?

We had a brisk holiday season and it appears sales grew in the 2-3% range over 2010. Our members gave the season an “A-” letter grade as part of the Council’s Holiday Sales Watch. This is all good news given the state of the economy.

What does this mean for 2012? It’s tough to say although economists are pointing to slow growth next year. Unemployment is down. The stock market is rallying. Gas prices have dropped. All of these factors and many others play a role in retail sales. We’re keeping our fingers crossed for steady improvement next year. 

How do you get your information?

My colleagues and I constantly talk with members to get the pulse of retail. How is business? What trends are members seeing? What new ideas are they implementing in their stores?

The Council also surveys its members during the holiday season. We just wrapped up the 2011 Holiday Sales Watch, which consists of one mail survey and three telephone surveys we conduct between mid-September and the week after Christmas. The mail survey measures our members predictions for the upcoming holiday season, The telephone surveys begin after Black Friday Weekend to gauge what actually happened in member stores at critical points in the season.

Rebecca. I remember when I was in the retail business we always had excuses for why customers did or did not show up. It was either too cold for them to come out,  or  so nice they decided to play golf or work in the garden.

Is there such a thing as  “good” and  “marginal ones retailers?”

The Council only reports what our members tell us is happening in retail and I wouldn’t be so bold as to try to discern the difference between a good and marginal merchant. Our members are the true experts and I’m here to support them. That being said, I’ve learned over the years from members that knowing your customer and treating them like family go a long way toward success in retail.

Successful retailers constantly survey their customers to find out what products and services interest them and what they’re willing to pay for it.  I don’t mean they send mail surveys or call their customers to collect this information (although they could). It’s asking simple questions while customers are in the store or just making observations. You have to know what your customer is thinking and what is influencing their thought process.

I’ve also learned that service makes or breaks the independent merchant. Service is what distinguishes small businesses from their larger competitors and can attract or deter shoppers from coming back. As one of our Hudson Valley member always says, “Treat your customers like family.”

How is technology affecting retailers?                                                                                               

For the last two or three years we have been talking about the use of social media including Twitter, Facebook, and Google Places. Many of our members have started to build Facebook pages and are encouraging their customers to post opinions as well as talk about their products.

Those members that use social media regularly are starting to see a difference in their referrals and customers. It takes time to stay connected but this is the new platform where the consumer is communicating with businesses and other customers. In addition, customers get information about products and reviews from each other so it’s increasingly important to monitor what’s being said about your business online.

In addition to social media, mobile technology is revolutionizing retail. QR Codes are becoming very popular ways to direct customers with smart phones to more information on a product or service. Foursquare and other check-in applications give retailers some fantastic opportunities to communicate with customers. Couponing sites might make a good awareness building tool for some merchants. The options are endless, but the struggle for the small business owner is finding the time to learn about and implement these tools.

Are there other events that are influencing retail?

Small Business Saturday, sponsored by American Express the Saturday after Thanksgiving had a major impact this year. This was just the second year for this event, but some of our members reported customer interest and increased foot traffic as a result.

Our independent merchants tell us Black Friday is a Big Box Store event and I think it was ingenious to create a holiday designed to promote small business. It brought attention to the contributions made by small businesses to our communities and encouraged a “buy local and small” mentality that lasted far beyond November 26.

We had members who capitalized on the free publicity Small Business Saturday generated by offering special in-store promotions, featuring “Made in America” products or talking about their business’ role in the community (job creation, history, etc.)

Rebecca I can only think that Small Business Saturday can only get better as we have a few years under our belt. Retailers who took advantage of it these past years will probably have some great ideas how to make it have more impact on their business.

What about the Wall Street protests? Good Morning America noted that this is starting to have an effect on consumers.

The Wall Street Protests also seem to have encouraged many consumers to reexamine how they spend their money and where. The protests against “big banks” and “big corporations” has brought new energy to independent retail much like Small Business Saturday did. Some of our members told us they had the best holiday season they can remember from a resurgence of interest in supporting local businesses.

You mentioned community teamwork; how would you define this?

We are hearing from our members that consumers have reawakened to shopping locally, and we’re also learning of retailers’ willingness to work together to promote each other’s businesses in a way I haven’t noticed in the past. Business owners seem more willing to cross promote with neighboring businesses or businesses with a natural tie-in.

I’ve talked to members who are sharing brochures and coupons with neighboring businesses, hosting joint events and co-branding marketing materials. It’s a great way to spread the word about these local businesses, help them develop new customers and foster a sense of community.

It certainly is good to get some other opinions from the world of retail. I hope that this continues and we continue to see growth. Maybe Rebecca will revisit us in a few months with an update.  

10 Tips for Revving Up Your Business for the New Year

Based on my conversation with Rebecca, here are some ideas to explore for implementation in your business in 2012.

1.      First, have an open mind. Start thinking, what are others doing that are bringing in customers? Are these good ideas for my business? Should I be joining with other retailers, sharing coupons and inviting them to share in events?

2.      Think community. Who do I know that I could “pair up with” and have an event? Is it a restaurant, caterer, jewelry store or the local candy maker?  What type of event could we hold? Can we swap coupons or give out gift cards advertising each other’s stores? How will “being green” help your community and are you doing your part?

3.      Think about what’s cutting into my customer’s spending. If food purchasing is taking a bite out of their budget how about giving grocery coupons or partnering with a grocery store? I remember when we were in business; food was always a good gift during the holiday season. We used to give out coupons of different values based on how much the customer spent. Giving away turkeys was always a big hit.

4.      Know your customer as well as you know yourself. Many retailers are afraid to ask for email addresses or if the customer is on Facebook, they feel like they’re being intrusive. How will you get know them better if you don’t find a way to keep in touch?

5.      Get involved with local activities and don’t forget Small Business Saturday.  It’s not too early to start thinking about next year, how you can market to your customers and what can you do better? Talk with other business on your block or in your neighborhood, how can you all join forces?

6.      Get moving with social media. If you’re doing social media explore how you can do it better and take advantage of new programs. Don’t forget Four Square and other programs which offer free gifts to customers. I have a friend how used Groupon and had so much success they were overwhelmed. They couldn’t believe the response.

7.      Develop your “small business hat.” Continue to talk about how shopping in small locally owned businesses and how it can help your community.

8.      Review your customer list from past years. Who are your good customers, who is giving you business and how can you keep in touch?

9.      If social media isn’t “your thing,” review the pros and cons. What are your objections, is it helping other businesses, how can you get your salespeople involved in getting your customers to “brag” about you on line. Talk with successful businesses and ask about their on line customers; what are customers talking about?

10.  Look at new ways to communicate with your customers. Are you using video regularly, are you reusing your television and radio commercials by linking them to your social media sites. Don’t forget that YouTube surpassed Yahoo for the first time in total U.S. search queries, making it the 2^nd largest search engine in the U.S. next to only its owner, Google.

Have a great New Year; maybe retail is really looking up!

Lisbeth Calandrino is a retail consultant and business coach. She can be reached through her web site or at redhotcustomerservice@nycap.rr.com.

I think these things only happen to me or I’m the only one who pays attention. Last week I was in a Doubletree Hotel and overheard a conversation between the hotel manager and a group of women waiting to be seated. The women were complaining about how long it was taking to be seated, one woman said it was a 1/2 hour but seemed like an eternity. Up comes the manager who asks if they had been waiting long, to which one woman replied (with a smile on her face) “at least an hour!” The manager’s reply, “well we’re not busy so it must be because we’re lazy.” I was  horrified but if there was a sarcasm contest going on he won.

Everyone chuckled as the women were seated. By the way, he was correct, the waiters weren’t doing anything other than  rearranging the napkins while the women glared.

I know that humor can lighten up a situation and everyone gets attention for their “cleverness” but sarcasm seems like a  power play to me. It reminds me of comments from managers to their lazy help; “hey don’t work so hard!” Boy the way,  I added a couple of jokes to see if you have a sense of humor.

Here’s the problem, when a business chooses to be sarcastic in this type of situation they miss an opportunity to give what I call “red hot customer service.”  If you take the comment seriously you get to make a bigger  power play! You get to make relationship points by showing the customer how observant and thoughtful you are. But if you choose sarcasm and  want some tips you should listen to  Groucho Marks.  He was the king of sarcasm. 

Did I tell you manager commented on the fact that it looked like I had licked my plate clean? Well I hadn’t.

If you want to create outstanding service for your customers I believe you have to take all comments seriously. It was obvious that the customer was annoyed but what did she get for it? Just a dose of sarcasm with her iced tea. I would have suggested that the manager ask if they had really been waiting for an hour, to which she may have confessed to only a 1/2 hour. He could have said ”it doesn’t matter how long, you really shouldn’t have to wait when we’re not busy.”  His next line might have been,  “how about we give you a free appetizer for your inconvenience?” She would have either backed down or agreed. In either case she looks really powerful to her friends and the manager gets to practice his super great customer service skills. Frankly I’m not sure if he attended that part of the customer service training particulary after his comment about my plate.

Hey I like a good joke but it’s better if it has nothing to do with me. I loved the story about the man  in Vegas shopping in Macy’s and asking if he could have the bottle of water at the cash register. The clerk replied  he could if he had a $1.50, oh how funny. Apparently the clerk included the “eye rolling” for free with the sarcastic remark. The customer said he was embarrased and decided he would not return to Macy’s men’s department anytime soon. Again, another missed opportunity. I like “hold on, I’ll get you one right away” much better.

Today I had my own “red hot customer” experience while having lunch at my favorite tavern, The Red Barn. I was painfully aware that I was almost, very almost out of gas and mentioned it to the owner John. He missed his opportunity to say, “you need new glasses so you can read your gas gauge honey ,” and instead went with “try coasting down the hill to the gas station, it’s about 5 miles but  it works and if it doesn’t call me and I’ll come and get you.” Bingo the Red Barn has gone from a great restaurant to my favorite!

My suggestions: train your employees to listen carefully to customer’s annoyances and take the customer seriously. I think I would have called AAA before John but it sure was a nice gesture. By the way, after he went back into the kitchen the server said, “in addition to being a great cook, John is a really nice man.” Ding ding on the point scale for the Red Barn.

Give your employees something to work with. A free drink, appetizer, a gift certificate to Starbucks or wherever just to show they’re listening. I think that winning the sarcastic rating may not get you the customer and being “right” means someone else is wrong. Most people won’t stay in a relationship too long if they’re always wrong. And business is about creating realtionships and it’s not always easy to do. I like Remarkablogger’s ideas about using your blog to create relationships. By the way, if you’re blogging you should be reading Remarkablogger’s posts.

Some people are “thin skinned.” That means they are easily hurt. I know, maybe they should be in therapy but that’s not the point of this article. Most women don’t play the sarcasm game like men. They would consider sarcasm nasty and wouldn’t engage in a conversation about how bad Bob looks with his new crop of pimples. My experience is that many women think that men treat each other badly. If we hadn’t seen a friend in a while it’s doubtful that we would say “hey snake what rock have you been living under?” It’s just not our style. While boys were beating each other up on the playground, many women were on the side lines yelling, “don’t do that it hurts.” That doesn’t mean that  girls weren’t  throwing punches but they were few and far between.

By the way, I don’t think anyone really likes a bully do they? I can’t wait to hear your comments. 

Lisbeth Calandrino is an award winning author, trainer and blogger. She is author of the book, Red Hot Customer Service, 35 ways to heat up your business and ignite your sales. Lisbeth can provide customer service and sales training using the principles of her book at your place of business or through the web.



While talking with some retailers about their business  they showed me  a thank-you note with the above as the greeting. Inside the note was a small packet of espresso coffee. Really clever huh?

How about World Nutella Day? This isn’t until February 5, 2011 but what could be better? You have plenty of time to buy up all the Nutella for your customers.

How about create your own special day? I just read that  Buca di Beppo is announcing spaghetti day. Is Meatball Day far behind?

I keep thinking I’ve seen everything but it’s not true. There are so many creative and fun ways to thank your customers and most of the great ideas have come from people like yourself.

The holidays are  upon us, it’s time to get in the swing of things. What will you do to thank your customers? Check out foursquare a mobile application for your business.

What is your passion; is it coffee, fishing, hunting, playing golf, making doll houses? Build an event around what you love and it won’t be difficult.

What about your customers; can you build around their passions? Do you know what they love?

Holding on to your  customers is a lot of work. It  takes more than Constant Contact and an email to keep in touch. Connect a video or an offer to your email and create something special. It may take  some creativity on your part but there are plenty of ideas in cyberspace.

Your marketing budget should also include funds for a survey of lost customers or an advisory panel of your customer advocates.  Unless a business is paying very close attention defecting customers will be lost forever. Unfortunately they don’t let you know when they’re leaving. If you believe your business is about outstanding customer service you must practice it 24/7. Don’t forget your on line customer service; the internet is open 24/7 also.

What can you do to give back over the holidays?  Have you thought about caroling? Get a group of customers and take to the streets. The key is to turn customers into evangelists.

How about raising money for your local food pantry? You have plenty of time to plan,  it’s never too early for Christmas in July. Think what you can do for others. Get a group of customers together and deliver meals-on-wheels for the holidays.

What about Memorial Day or July 4th? Everyone is dying to know what you’re doing for the holidays. Drop me your ideas and I’ll post them!

“This is the start of a movement,” said Kenneth Chenault, CEO and Chairman of American Express since 2001. November 27th has been proclaimed Small Business Saturday.  ”Small Business Saturday” is being spread on Facebook and Twitter with American Express extending an offer of $25.00 card credit to the first 100,00 who sign up to to use their American Express to make a purchase.

The “Small Business Saturday” initiative was launched this week on social networking websites to help participants spread the word about the impact of local spending.  According to advocacy group The 3/50 Project, $68 of every $100 spent in small businesses remains in the community.  It is also estimated by the federal government that 2/3rds of all new American jobs over the past two decades have been created by small businesses.  The idea behind shop locally and the 3/50 Project was spearheaded by Cynda  Baxter.   Check out her blog, Always Upward.

These days the Internet makes it a lot easier to start a movement, states  Nathan McGee,  in his blog about starting a movement.  The Harvard Business Review talks about creating movements, taking charge and learning how to lead.  Here’s a download-able pdf file, from Corporate Performance Resources, that talks about leadership and responsibility. With leadership, goes responsibility and a certain amount of stress. Leadership isn’t for everyone nor is the stress that can come with leadership.  Of course, there’s good stress and bad stress.  Making something happen is definitely good stress.

As “Small Business Saturday” approaches, make the most of it for your business.  Post “Support Small Business Saturday” on your Facebook. Twitter and blog about it.    Let’s turn it into something that makes consumers pay attention.   As small business owners, this is another opportunity for us to join in and promote our “smallness” and our “uniqueness”.  It also is an opportunity to show we’re united.

Does it work for the floor covering industry?  I spoke with Joan Cocuzzo of Flooring American in Franklin, MA .  She’s all for it!

“Anything that gets the customer out is a good thing.  In my 15 years of experience, I find that customers are buying electronics and toys after Thanksgiving and not flooring. Of course we will certainly be open on Saturday supporting “Small Business Saturday” and welcoming our customers,” says Joan.

What can you do?  Join up with your business neighbors and create a cross over promotion; they say two heads are better than one.  We know that two pocketbooks are better than one.

Celebrate your business; have a birthday party for your store!

Celebrate small businesses everywhere, help customers see that you’re proud to be a small business.

Don’t forget to have special coupons or give-a-ways for the day.

Plan for special demonstrations, gift cards, bands, give away poinsettia plants  or Christmas trees.

You’ve got plenty of help with the day; remember American Express is spearheading the event and the last I looked there were almost 900 people on Facebook  ”liking”  the day.

I hope this article is timely for you; it is for me.  For many of us the  economy is still moping along and we’re trying to figure out what to do next. Consumers are changing their buying habits, myself included. Friends are downsizing their lifestyles and examining their life choices. The recession may be over, but the landscape has changed.  In many ways it’s unfamiliar; at least it is to me.   I’m in a different place too. It’s not a bad place, it’s just a different place and different doesn’t always feel right–especially in the beginning.

Change is good. Well, change is interesting but it’s more interesting if it’s happening to you rather than me. In my case, I find when it’s time  for a change I put more hours in at the health club! Somehow I know it’s a safe place for my mind and my body. I feel less stressed after my workout and  feel I’ve done something good for me.

Each of us is building new roads, repairing our highways and hopefully avoiding serious pitfalls.  I’m convinced that sharing this journey with positive friends who have good intentions will make our journey more pleasant and safe. It’s time to re-cultivate your the garden and  get rid of the weeds that might be choking you from making new decisions. Sometimes, these weeds come in surprising forms–forms we call “friends.”

Just as I’m writing this article, I received this from Kevin Clancey a Realtor in Albany, New York from his Monday Morning Mojo:

The biggest obstacle to creating a wonderful life is self-limiting beliefs. A self-limiting belief is an idea you have that you are limited in some way, in terms of time, talent, intelligence, money, ability, or opportunity. - Brian Tracy

At times we all have limiting beliefs, and there’s nothing to fear except fear itself and fear can be defined with the acronym “false evidence appearing real”. So, now what, where do you begin? It’s time for you to become your own coach, a good coach.

Speaking of coaches, one of my guests on Red Hot Customer Service Show was John Stahl from The Growth Coach of New York  serving business owners throughout the Northeast. John talks about limiting beliefs. Of course, beliefs simplify our lives but limiting beleifs dis-empower and hold us back. John talks about “getting comfortable with being uncomfortable” while making changes. If you’re talking about business challenges, Johns says the biggest challenge is between the ears of the business owner. I think this is a problem that many of us share.

Coach Vincent Lombardi once said that the difference between a good coach and a bad coach is the good coach always knew what the end would look like. If you don’t know where your want to go, how will you get there? If you get wherever “there” is, how will you know it’s the right place? In Warren Bennis’s book, “View from the Top“, he examines ninety leaders and found that one of key strategies was “attention through vision.”

What’s vision you ask? Vision can be a simple act or a thought; what do I really want out of life?

What makes me happy?

What are my dreams, my goals or my purpose? What would I like more of in my life?

I know I want more time at the lake.

Sometimes visions are statement for the future, a destination that you want to achieve. Last year I joined Toastmasters. I have competed in several events and recently joined the advanced Toastmasters Group. My goal is to continue to advance my speaking craft–I love speaking. The club gives me the opportunity to test new topics, get feedback and make changes. It’s a way to continually focus on something that’s important in my life.

Your vision may be simple. If you are invested in the outcome and feel ownership over your vision, then the happiness is in the journey– the appreciation of the uniqueness of the components it takes to get there.

It was reported that two kittens, Snowyday and Winter somehow dented the bell on a $5000.00 bass trombone.

Trouble in river city.

How did they do it? They probably used a  a chair. The owner, Anthony Giles, a professional trombone player, felt dented, just like the bell but unexpected events often lead us to new discoveries and new ideas.

Did  Edison really sit on the light bulb to create its unique shape? The best brass repair guy was called in New York City. Everyone knows  The Brasslab, Chuck Alexander, the master of Red Hot Customer Service. The “bone” was packed up for its trip to New York City.

An immediate diagnosis indicated that the bell needed to stay for  repair. This is not good. So, the trombone player, Anthony Giles went searching through through his “spare bells” and came up with a 10 year old  bell which turned out to be a better fit for his playing. I’m told that, as a musician, you’re always looking for ways to improve; By accident he had found one.

I think the kittens are not only off the hook but may be psychic and  were trombone players in one of their other lives.

So what  does this mean to the rest of us mortals? Can we possible train our mind to move from “victim” to being “proactive?” Stephen Covey in his book, Seven Habits of Highly Successful People  talks about “mindfulness.”

Make lemonade out of lemons, the obvious.

Realize that even a seemingly a  disaster can be a new path for your life.

Be always thinking and wondering.

Life and success is all about attitude; never let circumstances dictate your feelings.

Think out of the box, why do you even need a “box to think out of ?”

Did I  say, don’t leave your trombone on the floor?

Can you give it away and make more money?

The other day I took my video camera to Best Buy. I was looking for a microphone to add to it as well as a stand. By the way, I didn’t buy it at Best Buy but you can always find an associate that will help. I usually ask, “Who’s the  best electronic person in the store?” and someone comes running. Being confident is at least 1/2 the sales game. A confident and friendly sales person is what most customers are looking for when they shop. He booted up his computer to tell me that a microphone wasn’t available for my camera , but he offered to print me out the instruction book, which was, of course, long gone. I asked about my flip camera, which I carry with me all the time just in case. We talked about it’s resolution as well as the  new wireless flips. As a side note, if you’re doing a closeup interview the flip is great; it also takes still photos which are better than your phone photos. If you’re taking serious videoing, it should be  done with a high definition Camcorder. I asked if there were classes available, so people like me can learn how to use what they buy.  He said they tried. They even offered to let the customers shop before the store opened and gave them the employee discount. The problem? No one came for the classes.   I see different types of training in various Best Buy stores  but nothing live in  Crossgate Mall, in Guilderland, New York. Maybe they didn’t try it long enough or put out enough publicity?

The other night I awakened at 4am and turned on the television. I started watching the Home Channel Shopping and there was the best pitch man selling my flip camera. I got up, grabbed my camera and watched while they walked me through every phase of the camera; it was so close up I thought I was on the show. They also shot a video, played the sound and showed the final  so I could see how it sounded and looked. I actually bought my nine inch Dell mini computer during one 3AM show!  I love it and by the time I received it I knew about it’s idiosyncrasies.

When you call the Home Shopping Network they make you feel like family; they encourage calls and ask if you’re a “regular”. Now you know you’re family.

What does this mean for your business? Is there a market for the “do-it-your-selfer?” Can you show the customer how to do simple installations of your products?

If you’re selling kitchen appliances, can you hold a cooking demonstration show to sell your wares?

How about a design clinic for your floors, walls and window treatments?

Are you a mechanic? How about a clinic on “car noises”, what to look out for like the Click and Clack the Tappet Brothers?

If you’re in the floral business, how about teaching the customer to design a simple holiday wreath?

There’s an interesting concept called “Freemium”. The Freemium model works off the premise that you give a way big stuff.  To some extent, The Freemium business model goes against what many of us have been taught. We’ve been taught to give away “little stuff” in hopes that the customer will come back for the “big stuff.” (Skype) is the best example of this business model, connecting millions of us with online video telephone connections  around the world. The site also offers a “premium service” at a fairly low rate. This is truly a great service. How many people use Skype? According to WikiAnswers , there are approximately 480 million people using Skype and 42 million making daily phone calls! Skye sells video cameras, phones, computer-to-land minutes and tons of other stuff. They make a ton of profit just from offering part of their basic service for free!

If you get a minute check out the Freemium model and see if it can help your business.  Remember giving customers what they want is true red hot customer service and great customer service is how you  build your competitive advantage. Why not make money too?

Have you ever tried to get unsubscribed from an e-mail list? I have a site that I’ve been trying to get rid of for one year, and I can’t do it. The best I can do is getting the message to go to my spam box!

How come subscribing is so much easier than unsubscribing? Isn’t customer service giving the customer what they want? Maybe companies don’t check out their own policies or take their own suggestions.

When I get done unsubscribing I really hate them for putting me through all the nonsense.

My friend told me of his experience with Kmart and Sears; I think it’s a good lesson on “unsubscribing warfare.” We pick up the conversation as it gets juicy (my comments in italics).

Dear Mr. Valued Customer, (names have been altered to protect K-mart!) Thank you for contacting kmart.com. (Hmn, I wonder if its so?)

We apologize for the inconvenience of receiving unwanted emails. Please send your full address and we will remove you from the email and call list. (Simple enough, like he hadn’t sent it at least 4 times before?)

We do appreciate your business but understand this frustration. Please have a great week.

> Gloria B.>> >>>
Kmart Customer Care
help@customerservice.kmart.com
1-866-KMART-4U (1-866-562-7848)

My friend’s response:

>>
>
> >Original Message Follows: ————————
>When I insert my email address as you describe, your system will not recognize my address (even though it continues to send emails to that address) so I cannot get your system to forward to me my unknown password.

Are you starting to get a picture….there appears to be no way for ME to end this.

I never signed up for your emails (I didn’t even shop at Kmart & now most certainly won’t).

I don’t know my password to stop them, & apparently, even if I did know the password, your system wouldn’t recognize my email & password, allowing me to stop them. I didn’t ask for this,

I didn’t create this, I don’t want this, I can’t stop this; Kmart created this… (K-mart gone wild! I don’t think its girls gone wild.)

Kmart needs to stop this.

From Kmart:

Original Message —–
From: Kmart Help
To: Valued Customer
Sent: Tuesday, February 17, 2009 10:30 AM
Subject: Re: Unsolicited emails (KMM3172974I15977L0KM)
> Dear Customer,Thank you for contacting Kmart.com. (You think?)

We are sorry to hear that you would like to unsubscribe from our marketing list.

To stop receiving e-mail promotions from us please visit our site and click on the “My Profile” link located in the top left of the website. You will then need to follow the steps listed below:

1. Enter your e-mail address and password. 2. Click on “My Information” link located on the left. 3. Scroll down and select “I would like to receive special offers, updates and sale alerts.” under “E-mail Specials” located near the bottom of the page. Make sure the checkmark is removed from the box. 4. Save and return to Overview. Once these steps have been completed your e-mail address will be removed from our mailing list within a few business days. We thank you for your patience. We appreciate your business and again, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may have caused you.

Look for great bargains throughout the store and find Kmart exclusive brands like Martha Stewart Everyday, Thalia Sodi, (Thalia who?) Joe Boxer, Route 66 and Jaclyn Smith.

(Hey, good salesmanship; never miss the opportunity to resell the customer.)

Kmart Customer Care
help@customerservice.kmart.com
1-866-KMART-4U (1-866-562-7848)

From my friend:

>
>Original Message Follows: ————————
>That’s ridiculous. If I have a password I don’t know how I got it or what it is.

On EVERY email you send me I go to “unsubscribe” & do so yet the emails continue to roll in. Why doesn’t that stop the emails?

PLEASE REPLY TO THIS QUESTION! Call or send my password to XXX, It’s obvious my initial email wasn’t completely read as there’s no way I’ll be looking at any “great Bargains” or brand names at Kmart. (No crap)

From Kmart:

—– Original Message —–
From: Kmart Help
To: XXX
Sent: Monday, February 16, 2009 11:46 AM
Subject: Re: Unsolicited emails (KMM3157376I15977L0KM)
Dear XXX

Thank you for contacting kmart.com.

We appreciate your recent correspondence. We welcomed the opportunity to email you our many in-store and online specials. (OMG)

We are sorry to hear that you would like to unsubscribe from our marketing list. To stop receiving e-mail promotions from us please visit our site and click on the “My Profile” link located in the top left of the website. You will then need to follow the steps listed below:

1. Enter your e-mail address and password.
2. Click on “My Information” link located on the left.
3. Scroll down and select “I would like to receive special offers, updates and sale alerts.” under “E-mail Specials” located near the bottom of the page. Make sure the checkmark is removed from the box.
4. Save and return to Overview.
Once these steps have been completed your e-mail address will be removed from our mailing list within a few business days. We thank you for your patience. We appreciate your business and again, we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this situation may have caused you.

Look for great bargains throughout the store and find Kmart exclusive brands like Martha Stewart Everyday, Thalia Sodi, (Thalia who?) Joe Boxer, Route 66 and Jaclyn Smith.

Angie D.
Kmart Customer Care
help@customerservice.kmart.com
1-866-KMART-4U (1-866-562-7848)

Ok, so, if the customer doesn’t get it the first time, send them the same message under another name. And don’t forget to try and sell them….again!

So my friend responds:

Original Message Follows: ————————
 I want a person in a position of authority to call me at XXX (And who might that be?)I have currently been “unsubscribing” to your unsolicited emails for several weeks each time I receive one. In addition, I’ve emailed this address & requested to be removed from your email list a minimum of two times. I have already resolved NEVER to make another purchase from Kmart, Sears or any associated stores.

I will now start a verbal & electronic campaign with everyone I know to boycott your stores. Upon receiving the next email from Kmart I will locate the proper governing body & complain to the government of your harassment. (Now it’s gone global, maybe it’s the wrong country?)

Apparently Kmart is so inept your E system doesn’t automatically delete my email automatically with my request & the personnel either are overworked, incompetent or uninterested.

Go for it XX!

I believe XX is currently alive and well after receiving a call from the President of Kmart who personally unsubscribed XX!

Please feel free to forward this off to anyone having a problem unsubscribing or needs a good laugh!

Are you running after BSOs (Bright Shiny Objects) rather than sticking with the tried and true strategies that built your business? If your strategy revolves around your past customers, it still works; it just may need an update. There’s no need to change your strategy in midstream. I know customer service might sound boring to some of you, but great customer service still works. The words are the same but the stakes are higher and what passes as customer service is passé.

There was an interesting article in the New York Times about Miley Cyrus. (What We Talk About When We Talk About Miley, July 11, 2010). According to E-Poll Market Research, Miley’s appeal to her core group of customers, ages 13-17, has dropped from 45% to 24%. It seems that Miley is beginning a new chapter in her life. A seemingly nude photo of her with a short drape wrapped around her chest in Vanity Fair, a whirl around the stripper pole wearing bird wings and black ribbon corset now defines the new phenomenon known as Hannah Montana. The fans are mortified and leaving her for Selena Gomez and other role models more to their liking. They’re embarrassed.

Maybe this isn’t a bad move but the transition might have been a little smoother. The fans that Miley’s after may also have trouble viewing the new, all grown up 17 year old. Apparently Miley was seen in a video post on MTV giving a lap dance to a 44 year old director! The 17 year old isn’t legal to get into a bar to perform. The fans that built her business are leaving her in boat loads; can she replace them that fast? Could she have kept them, grown up with them?
Is she afraid she will get stale? Did someone tell her she needed to grow up; it wasn’t her customers.
Are you afraid your business is getting stale? If you’re having an ongoing dialog with them they will tell you what you need to do to stay on track. It seems that Sam’s Club, a division of Wal-Mart, has been surveying their customers to figure out how they might help them. Many of their customers are small businesses who, according to a survey by the National Federation of Independent Businesses, have had trouble getting business loans. In fact only half were able to borrow last year compared to 90% in the mid 2000s.

In order to do this Sam’s Club must assess if the firms were rejected due to the overall caution of banks or due to their weak balance sheets and cash flow. Maybe the companies are not credit worthy.

There are several powerful incentives to spur Sam’s on. Companies with access to capital are more likely to buy products and service from Sam’s Club so the money carries very little risk. Again, finding what your customers need will help you evaluate your customer service.

Do you know what your customers need? Have you changed accordingly? Toys R Us are pushing their customers to ‘save with them’ for Christmas by offering 3% interest if they open a Christmas savings club with them. Like the old fashion Christmas Clubs of the past they are trying to make sure their customers have money to spend. Target is giving customers 5% off on all their purchases if they use the Target credit card.

Consider redefining your customer service with your customer’s help. What about your small business customers? What are you doing to help them stay in business?

Maybe Wal-Mart is redefining customer service?

Bill Darden opened his first restaurant, The Green Frog, at age 19. From the beginning, Bill’s restaurants focused on quality and service, so he says. With a passion for seafood, it was only a matter of time before Bill and his team opened the first Red Lobster in Lakeland, Fla., in 1968.

Personally, I never liked the Red Lobster, not for a minute. I think it’s the lobsters tied up in the tank as you walk in the door. Until October of 2010, I hadn’t been in a Red Lobster since 1985!

Several months ago at Coverings in Orlando, FL, I found myself in a hotel next to a Red Lobster. My plane arrived late and I’m starving, not having had enough peanuts and pretzels on my Southwest flight. Here I am no car and starving. I look out my window and in front of me is a Red Lobster—oh no, I think, the lobsters! After much trepidation, I decide to go to the Red Lobster — and what a surprise.

The building is new, everyone is smiling and everything is clean, and I mean clean. And did I say packed? I ignore the lobsters; they’re still in the same place and get seated at my table. I order my iced tea and out comes the iced tea with cheddar biscuits. Fluffy, toasted and smelling so good; I can’t believe they’re so good; for one thing, I don’t really like cheese. I talk with my smiling waiter who says, everyone loves our signature biscuits, that’s what we’re known for. (I smile thinking maybe he’s part of the new marketing team and I can get him to take the lobsters out of the front.)

I order my plain fresh catch salmon, no butter please, broccoli steamed, no butter please and a salad, dressing on the side. Oh I forgot, and one more biscuit?

What’s the point? It all goes back to how do you get known, what’s your differentiation, what’s your competitive advantage? Bay State Rug has Alex, an Englishman, with lots of good advice as well as a sense of humor. I went through all the commercials and I think they’re quite cute. I particularly like Alex wrapped up in the drapes. Are commercials customer services? Of course they are? Anything that happens to the customer is either service or not service. What are you doing to provide service for your customer? 

• Do you know what makes you different? 
• Is this difference important to your customers or just your staff?
• Do you know what your customers like, or do you do what you like? It reminds me of a recent conversation, should we stay open on Saturday—no one else does. Isn’t the whole world open on 
Saturday?
• What are you known for, how do you know?
• When was the last time you talked with your customers about your business?

Without customers you’re out of business, period.