Flooring The Consumer: November 2009

Tuesday, November 24, 2009

Maria Palma On Bridging New & Old: Social Media Marketing Series

My latest guest for Flooring The Consumer's social media marketing series: Bridging New & Old is Maria Palma.

Maria Palma is intensely passionate about customer service. It comes across throughout her many blogs [~ 13!] and touches all of her varied interests that range from music, fashion, art and creativity [she is a gifted artist], to real estate, online business & legal resources, Audis and creative inspiration. Like Terry Starbucker, Maria contributes to Joyful, Jubilant Learning.

I 'met' Maria through her CustomersAreAlways blog, where she shared invaluable customer service related wisdom [it unfortunately no longer exists, a casualty of the demise of the KnowMoreMedia blog network]. This was early on when I started blogging. I really appreciated her support and was delighted when she joined me as a fellow contributor to the first Bathroom Blogfest in 2006. She has been a faithful participant ever since!

Luckily, Maria Palma lost no time launching People2PeopleService [which is just about 1 year old!] to continue the conversation about the importance of customers and service.

C.B.: Maria, how/why did you get involved in social media?

MP: I first tapped into social media back when MySpace was big. I saw it as an opportunity to connect with friends and family, plus let people know more about my business and what I do. I started blogging back in 2004 and spent a great deal of time online, so it was only natural that I would become involved with the entire social media scene including Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.

I saw blogging as a great way to express my thoughts and share my experiences with the world. I also viewed it as an opportunity to market my art and jewelry business. The more I blogged, the more I realized just how much I enjoy writing. My passions and interests vary...

I got started writing about customer service when I saw an opening for a customer service blogger over at KnowMoreMedia.com. They hired me to write for CustomersAreAlways.com for a couple years, then I branched off on my own and started People2PeopleService.com. I feel very passionate about customer service and learned so much about it during my 13 years of working in the retail industry. I probably learned the most about customer service while working in sales at Nordstrom.

Everything I do and everything I write about is connected to service. Before I sit down to write, I ask, "What can I do to be of service today?" Whether I'm writing about fashion or internet business, my main goal is to offer information that can either inspire or help another person.

KnowMoreMedia.com ceased operations last year, so I no longer write for their fashion blog. Because most of my experience in the retail industry was fashion-related and I understood the business side of the industry, they allowed me to write for two blogs.

Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn is my form of socializing and networking. Not only do I use it to connect with friends and people I know on a personal level, I use it to connect with customers and people I know on a business level.

I use Twitter and Facebook more than I use LinkedIn. Most of the time I'll share interesting articles, posts, or videos I come across. I also love to post inspiring quotes. Other times I'll share current projects I'm working on.

C.B.: What do you like most about social media?

MP: What I love about social media is that there are so many ways to share information - and anyone can do it. Media is no longer in the hands of the "elite" few such as corporations and big-time publishers. If you have something to say or share, it can be done with the click of a mouse...literally.

C.B.: What do you like least about social media?

MP: With so much information out there for people to read and share, it's easy to become bombarded with too much information. And because I love to read, I often suffer from information overload! This is especially true when you are connected to so many fascinating people. I want to read everything they have to say, but it's just not possible.

C.B.: How has social media changed how you interact with the marketplace as a consumer or customer?

MP: Social media has definitely changed how I do business with companies. It's so easy now to do an internet search and find reviews and experiences that people have with a company. I can even share my own thoughts about companies via my blogs - which I do often! I don't have to rely solely on what a company says about their products or services. I can do my own research online and make informed purchasing decisions. In addition, I can connect with those companies via social networking websites. Social media has made business more personable.

C.B.: What 5 suggestions do you have for companies to implement so they can more effectively bridge old media with new media and connect with end users?

MP:
1) Establish relationships with bloggers in your industry and give them access to information you normally offer to the regular press. Nowadays bloggers have a tremendous amount of influence in the marketplace and are able to make a more personal connection with end users.

A great example of a company who does this is Audi. They give bloggers access to their news media site which contains press releases, exclusive video, and photos. Bloggers can use this information on their blogs and share their opinions about Audi's vehicles.

2) Get active in social media. Even if you don't start a company blog, at least become active in networks such as Facebook or Twitter. Not only is it a great way to get to know who your customers, you can get valuable feedback on your company's products or services.

If you look at President Obama's campaign for the presidency, I think that new media contributed a great deal to his success. Because many young Americans are interacting online, President Obama's campaign managers saw the opportunity to connect with them. They used Twitter, Facebook, and Youtube to help spread messages and influence votes.

3) Pay attention not only to what is being said about your company in newspapers and TV, but what people are saying about you on blogs and forums. This gives you the opportunity to connect with those people who have expressed concerns or issues about your company. There's nothing more damaging to your company's reputation than to have a bad experience published on a blog go viral and shared with hundreds of thousands of people on Twitter or YouTube!

4) Let people know you're online. If most of your marketing channels are in old media such as newspapers and TV, make sure to include a website URL that people can visit online. If applicable, encourage them to visit your social networking pages as well.

5) Be transparent and honest. In old media, sometimes you were at the mercy of an editor who can twist and turn a story, but with new media you can tell people exactly what is going on with your company. People know that things won't be perfect all the time and you have the opportunity to let people see how you overcome challenges. You can tell the story from your perspective and not hear the story from a journalist's or TV reporter's perspective. Telling a story from your perspective helps establish credibility and trust with your customers.

C.B.: Any other thoughts to share about the effectiveness of social media in forging stronger relations with customers and how best to do so.

MP: Social media is not just a marketing fad and companies shouldn't ignore all the opportunities to connect with people. Social media is here to stay. I truly believe those companies that do embrace social media and build relationships with customers online will thrive no matter what the economy is doing.

Thank you, Maria!

Comments? Questions? Feedback?

Maria makes a really important point in saying that her "goal is to offer information that can either inspire or help another person." How do you go about doing the same?

What do you think about her advice to get active in social media... so you can get to know who your customers are and get feedback from them. How are you currently doing this if not through social media tools?

For additional insights from other participants in the Social Media Series: Bridging New & Old, please visit the Entire Bridging New & Old series, which includes a link to the e-book based on the first 26 interviews in the series.

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Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Listening To Women Customers

Woman aircraft worker from Library of Congress

How do you go about listening to your customers, particularly your women consumers?

I'm focusing on women because women make or influence over 80% of the purchase decisions in the United States. That means that they - and what they say - really matter to retailers and to flooring retailers in particular.

Listening is one thing, though. The more challenging task is interpreting what you hear, making sense of it so that you can truly deliver a memorable experience for your customers.

Thanks to a Tweet from Learned On Women's Andrea Learned, I came across this article by Mary Lou Quinlan titled Listen Up, Marketers: Women Aren't Telling You The Whole Truth.

I've heard Mary Lou speak several times and love how insightful her whole truths and half truths are. Check out these two previous posts: Mary Lou Quinlan, Whole Truths, Half Truths and Marketing With Women and Marketing To Women... Online. I wasn't disappointed with her article.

What I particularly appreciated are her ideas for listening more carefully to and better interpreting what woman customers say:

+ Spend more quality time with your women consumers.
+ Challenge any of your assumptions about your women customers.
+ Immerse yourself in the world of your customers [i.e., Walk In Her Shoes or try in-home ethnography - as Grant McCracken describes].
+ Pay attention not only to words, but also to body language and to what you're not being told!

How do you go about listening to and interpreting the words, actions and body language of your core women customers?

Image source:
Woman aircraft worker, Vega Aircraft Corporation, Burbank, Calif. Shown checking electrical assemblies (LOC) originally uploaded by The Library of Congress

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Monday, November 16, 2009

Higher Calling For Retail Brick-and-Mortar Stores

Did you catch the 9/28/09 article from AdAge titled Boost, Microsoft market via bricks, mortar [registration required, but here is link to pdf of the full article]? It's mostly about cell phone providers, with a dash of banking thrown in, but it includes significant insights for flooring and non-flooring retailers alike. Particularly those with brick & mortar stores!

More specifically, according to Wachovia Bank research, "brick-and-mortar investment was the single biggest contributor to customer acquisition, outpacing advertising..."

Now, that does that capture your attention? It did mine.

Why brick-and-mortar stores are so important.

They represent an effective means for communicating with customers. Particularly for complicated categories, a store represents an opportunity for a customer to get one-on-one time with a sales representative for guidance and to help make sense of the plethora of choices.

Stores are where the brand comes alive, where you can demonstrate your commitment to customer service and truly humanize your brand, where you deliver your customer retail experience and demonstrate marketing value. Stores are much more than just distribution points .

Note the five recommendations for enhancing the retail brand experience in-store:
1. "Present your merchandise in a way that helps shoppers navigate through the sea of products."
2. "Help customers feel comfortable with their choices and decisions."
3. "Train store reps to be knowledgeable."
4. "Define what customer enjoyment is for your brand and express that in your physical environment."
5. "Provide great customer service."

The Apple retail experience

One of the best retail experience stories is Apple, and one of the most disappointing - considering its entertainment heritage and its strong commitment to storytelling - Disney. What a delight, then, to learn that the two have teamed up to deliver a reinvented retail experience. Per Disney's Retail Plan Is a Theme Park in Its Stores from the New York Times, "it's time to take risks" and deliver experiences! These may include scent elements [something done in the theme parks], technology and new recreational activities. Some of the Apple touches that will be adopted include "mobile checkout, ... emphasis on community, ... focus on interactivity." The goal, "dream bigger" and turn these brick-and-mortar stores into true destinations.

Retail Customer Experience's Five things any retailer can learn from Apple lists the following to remember:

1. "Product knowledge isn't everything... and the world needs new and exciting retail experiences."
2. To get unstuck, "call in people you respect from a wide range of professional and personal backgrounds and keep an open mind."
3. Experiences represent a competitive advantage - so create a memorable one.
4. "We need to bring the joy back to shopping."
5. "Innovate in downturns."

To those, I add:
+ Don't dumb down your merchandising. Instead, create magic and stories.
+ Figure out how to simplify your processes to benefit your customers.

And, then, make sure you have people in your organization with strong passion for wanting to "make people look good, feel good" as described in Women trust Gamble's fashion tastes from the Poughkeepsie Journal. Gamble strikes me as having a higher calling. "...He connects with his clients by listening carefully to learn who they are and what they want." He's not just selling stuff, he's solving problems.

Would you like more ideas? Then read through this article Mixing It Up from Metropolis Magazine. In it, you'll learn about L.A. based firm Commune and how it combines inspiration and authenticity to create unique brick-and-mortar retail experiences with fabulous photos of three projects: the Ace Hotel in Palm Springs, Juicy Couture in London and Heath Ceramics in Los Angeles.

By the way, Commune equates being a designer to being a therapist.

Sounds like another higher calling...

So, what is your higher calling for your retail brick-and-mortar experience?

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Thursday, November 12, 2009

Meet Bethany Richmond, CRI Communications Manager

I met Bethany Richmond, Carpet and Rug Institute [CRI] Communications Manager, at Surfaces 2009 when we got to talking about writing and communicating stories, particularly as they related to flooring and carpet.

In the back on my mind, I thought I might convince Bethany to get involved in the Carpetology Blog... as a break from the technical writing she was doing. I never imagined that she would become my client.

I'm not surprised, though, that she is as critical a content creator for the Carpet and Rug Institute Blog - which just celebrated its 6 month anniversary [see The Carpet and Rug Institute Blog: 6 Month Case Study]. She has a knack for story telling, certainly in writing and also on video. I'm delighted, then, to introduce you to Bethany Richmond, who truly is a Woman In Flooring!

C.B.: Bethany, tell me about yourself.

BR: I am a Southern girl from a family with deep Southern roots. I love the South, and it saddens me to see the region become paved-over and homogenized. I went to high school in Richmond, Virginia and college at the University of Virginia. After graduating, I worked as a TV news reporter, producer, and scriptwriter for a small market network affiliate. I’ve written for a newspaper, trade journal, and at an advertising agency as a copywriter. Besides my work at the Carpet and Rug Institute, I still do occasional TV and radio voice-overs. I have two sons in college – one about to graduate. I love to cook, read good books, and go to movies. You can read my complete profile on the CRI Blog.

C.B.: How did you get started in the flooring business?

BR: I’ve lived in Dalton since 1984, but my first involvement with the carpet industry wasn’t until ten years later when I started writing stories for Floor Covering News. When my kids got older I started writing for Shaw Industries’ employee newspaper, In the Loop. That’s when I really started to learn about the carpet industry - writing everything from profiles of retiring executives to a feature about an employee who hadn’t been absent or even late for work in almost forty years with Shaw. As the copywriter for an advertising agency, I learned about product marketing and promotion on both the residential and commercial sides of the business. Now, at the Carpet and Rug Institute, I deal with more technical issues, like Indoor Air Quality, Cleaning and Maintenance, and sustainability. I’m lucky in that I’ve been able to gain experience in so many aspects of the business.

C.B.: What do you like most about the flooring industry?

BR: I like living in “The Carpet Capital of the World”. This little town has a fascinating history of innovation and entrepreneurship, and the people who built the carpet industry are, to a large extent, still here. I love the stories of boom and bust, and the adventures of some of the early industry’s more colorful characters [like Said Shaheen, Bud Seretean, Mose Painter, and others]. You can drive through the older parts of Dalton and still see the remnants of the Crown Mill village – the company-built houses and store where Dalton’s original cotton mill workers lived and did their shopping. There’s a lot of history here – of an important American industry that is still made in America.

C.B.: What do you like least about the flooring industry?

BR: What I like least about the carpet industry right now is how much it has been affected by the current economy. It also bothers me that carpet gets a bad rap on issues like sustainability, Indoor Air Quality, and carpet’s alleged connection to increased asthma and allergy symptoms. Some people just aren’t listening to reason.

C.B.: What five things would you do to improve the flooring retail experience?

BR: I’d like to see consumers get the correct information about cleaning and maintenance right at the point of purchase. I think addressing proper cleaning before the carpet leaves the store is a proactive step that consumers will regard as good customer service. To use one of CRI President Werner Braun’s analogies, you know about your service plan before you drive your new car off the lot, so why should carpet be any different?

The Carpet and Rug Institute has a booklet called Carpet Cleaning Tips for Dummies that was published for us by Wiley, the company that puts out all the other “Dummies” titles. It was written by Elizabeth Goldsmith, a professor of family resource management for Florida State University, with input from CRI, The Housekeeping Channel, and the IICRC (Institute of Inspection, Cleaning and Restoration Certification). The thing I like about it is that it’s everything consumers need to know in one handy-dandy little reference. And it’s easy to use – like all the other Dummies products.

CRI sells the CCTfD books on our website, but CRI also has a series of downloadable fact sheets on our website that are free to anyone who has a use for them.

C.B.: What carpet trends and concerns are strongest? Does it vary much across the country?

BR: Without a doubt, I think one of the most important trends in the next few years is going to be an increase in demand for carpet recycling. For a very small annual fee, retailers can join CARE [Carpet America Recovery Effort], and participate in the dramatic growth of consumer interest in environmental issues and recycling. CARE represents, among other things, a network of 65 entrepreneur/collectors who are spread out across the country. Largely through their efforts, approximately 300 million pounds of carpet were recycled or diverted from landfills just last year. Wouldn’t it be great to offer consumers the option of diverting their old carpet from the waste stream at the same time they bought new carpet?

Some parts of the country, like the Pacific Northwest and California, are more enviro-conscious than others, but the trend is growing everywhere.

C.B.: What about blogs, social media, etc.? How do you see them affecting the flooring industry and consumers?

BR: Obviously, I’m a fan of blogs. Consumers are forsaking advertising and conventional marketing channels and getting more and more of their information from their social network – blogs, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc.

The CRI blog is a valuable resource for all the audiences we address – consumers, retailers, the professional cleaning industry, and the carpet industry itself. The most remarkable thing about a blog is that is a two-way conversation. Anyone who reads one of our blog posts can leave a comment, ask a question, or engage CRI in conversation.

And the CRI blog is one of the only places where consumers can read information that balances the often horribly incorrect and sensationalized information that is out there about carpet and indoor air quality. I recently discovered a slew of websites that all “quoted” the same made-up statistic about how a baby crawling on carpet was exposed to pollutants equal to that baby smoking four cigarettes a day. The mud is being flung largely online, and I think that’s where CRI needs to address it – and what better way than by using social media?

Thank you, Bethany!

Follow this link to other Women In Flooring interviews.

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Monday, November 09, 2009

Arthur Corbin's Retail Wisdom

The following post comes from Arthur Corbin, talented retail & lighting wizard and faithful subscriber. He wrote it in response to Behind The Retail Scenes & Anticipating The Holidays and graciously agreed to share it here. In this article, Arthur addresses inventory, story telling, value at retail, social media, the retail experience, lighting, online and why local retailers will thrive. In other words: retail wisdom!

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Retailers (ideally) complete their Christmas planning and buying by late June. Many finalize their Christmas plans in January. Retailers use art and science to plan this far ahead in an uncertain market. Retailers are hedging their bets by ordering less and buying items that suppliers expect to have in stock through mid-November. Retailers may reorder several times as they see what is selling. Great retailers are good with numbers and sell-through is a key indicator of how well holiday buying meets customer expectations and desires.

The growing difficulty with inventory is the preponderance of last minute gift buying. This last minute purchasing increases every year. One reason for this is consumers now wait for retailers to announce sales sometime in December. This reliance on sales threatens the profitability and health of retailers. Many independent retailers depend on holiday sales for 50% (or more) of their yearly profits and cannot stay in business with reduced margins, particularly if operating costs increase during the holiday season (more labor costs in order to open for longer hours, more utility costs, more promotional costs, and more wear and tear on stores).

It is better to have a well thought out gift with purchase to reward and thank customers than to rely on discounting; there is no limit once prices are lowered.

Retailers talk about creating stories and realizing those stories in displays either on-line or in store. Example, The Night Before Christmas might feature a fireplace, a tree, ornaments, decor, music, and food. There are at least 30 items that can be sold in this aggregation of goods, chocolate drink mix, cookies, hard candies (peppermint is identified with holiday), chocolates (many types including assortments), fruit cake, gingerbread, egg nog, and custom baking are some of the food choices available.

The essential retail skill is in deciding what to buy, what quantities to buy and how to merchandise and sell what you have bought.

Highlighting value greatly simplifies the complexity of how a consumer makes a buying decision. Buying is highly emotional with all sorts of triggers, nostalgia (cards, and images of holidays past), scent (candles, and food), touch (blankets and nightgowns), vision (a predominance of green and red signals Christmas), and sound (those annoying holiday songs do get you to buy).

Value is market specific and beyond price, a fur coat has value during a Wyoming Winter but no value in Hawaii.

Retailers that focus only on price will fail. There needs to be something additional to create interest and, hopefully, some excitement.

Social media is a fancy title for knowing your customers and developing a relationship with them. Successful stores develop a look and feel that connects with their customers. This requires many elements working together to create a unique and compelling ambiance, Anthropologie is a great example of this nationally, The Gardener in Berkeley, California is a great example locally. Great stores reflect and reinforce customers' own aspirations and success stories. Great stores often have a unique and skilled entrepreneur creating the story and the execution; Alta Tingle at The Gardener is one such person. A visit to these stores will tell you more about ambiance and telling a story than any amount of writing can.

Retail is a verb and not for the faint of heart. 80% or more of retail purchases are made by women. Women have high expectations for the stores they choose to spend time and money in. Stores must have a clear identity and a consistent assortment of goods. Stores must be clean and easy to navigate. Stores must have clean bathrooms and comfortable dressing rooms. Stores must be safe and inviting. Stores must be welcoming and fun. Stores must provide an affirming environment and a heightened reality. Do all this and you have a success.

Lighting is a key tool that is greatly under utilized by retailers. Sales can be increased or decreased by the lighting of the store and the exterior of the building. Lighting invites people in when they look in your windows. Lighting directs people where to look and walk by the use of contrast and pools of light. Lighting creates comfort and safety.

Dressing room lighting is the bane of women shoppers and a few retailers have begun to take notice and have begun to upgrade their dressing rooms, but are those same retailers maintaining the cleanliness and lighting in these new dressing rooms?

There are exciting new choices available for lighting that lower energy use (up to 70%), and extend lamp life (reducing maintenance cost and time) while providing greater control over the look and feel of a store.

[Note: Arthur contributed lighting wisdom to Green Profit - Smarter Selling: Time To See The (Retail) Light by Meghan Boyer.]

Products and stores often have connections. REI connects with the outdoors. Marshall Field’s (now Macy's) connects with Frango Mints, and The Gardener connects with an assortment of carefully selected goods for the home that are timeless, pleasurable, and a joy to see and touch.

On-line is an extension of the store or a unique experience without a store. Amazon, and Zappos upended the wisdom that you must have a retail store to support on-line sales. Amazon has managed to put bookstores on the endangered list and has made the surviving bookstores much more nimble and more in tune with their customers. I see more retail products being sold online and more independent retailers closing. Retailers without a compelling identity and experience cannot expect to survive.

The personal touch and local connections are the reasons local, independent retailers will continue to thrive. Customers respond to personal warmth and concern. We all have favorite sales professionals that we depend on to make shopping easier and more enjoyable. Retailers that invest in the training and reward of exceptional sales professionals understand how important this person is to their continued success.

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Photo courtesy of Arthur Corbin.

Arthur Corbin is a retail and lighting wizard working in the San Francisco Bay Area. Arthur also teaches classes on retail success, lighting, materials, and customer service. You can reach him at arthurcorbin@gmail.com. Arthur wishes everyone a successful holiday season.

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Thank you, Arthur!

Comments, questions, observations? What wisdom would you like to share?

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