Customers Today Need Special Care

Business strategies have to literally "go with the flow." What worked yesterday in a great economy needs to be adjusted to work in today's. The first thing that will bring you the desired results is to analyze your client base. If your customers range in the senior, baby-boomer, or retired range, then these are people on fixed incomes. While their activities may be curtailed a bit because of high prices, unemployment is not a problem for them, and most likely their homes are almost paid for.
If your customers are young families or individuals in the pre retirement range, then job security, as well as closed factories and foreclosures will bring buying power to lower levels, as more important bills will take any extra cash they may have.
Understanding your most precious commodity - namely, your customers, is your number one priority during these times. Of course, they should always be maintained with the highest regard, but especially now. Whatever the product or service you are providing, whether in street establishments or on the internet, this is the time to re-think strategies.
Advertising is a big ticket item in any business. With newspaper readerships dropping, the internet is an upward moving media. There is, and always will be, direct mail as well. When you place something in a person's mailbox, this is more individualized and a more personal approach. Offering a "club" membership to your regular customers as well as to any new customers that might be joining you, is not only a great incentive to shop at your place of business, but this is a direct way to track customer activity and to make adjustments as well as improvements in what you offer. If you see a certain product or service being used by more than half of those in your exclusive "club", then that is the motivator and the starting point to increase sales and consider it a "draw-in." The products or services that are not moving need to be removed or revamped. This managing tool is a very vital means of knowing what your customers like about your business and what they would like to see changed. You could offer "club" membership with their very first order, or you could offer it with coupons or rebates on certain products, to join or not, if they so desire.
The current "wave" of interest as well as statistics pointing to the fact that it will continue on into the future is organic, pure, and as basic as possible. People want to feel soil between their fingers and know where their food comes from, they want crafting possibilities so that they can be creative and they appreciate innovative ways to keep the earth green. If any of your products fall into these categories then your attention to these areas will be well worth your effort. Also, it doesn't hurt to offer something for "every" age group. There could be "senior" discounts as well as "children" offers. You could even suggest ways to entertain at home, or to make the most of their shopping dollars. Samples work very well in this environment because people can actually try and see if they like what you are offering. This doesn't necessarily have to be food items, it can be gardening, or paper products, as well as car repair or house repair items.
The economy can be your motivation to get to really know your customer base and work with them and for them. It can bring your business to become a "friend of the family" and really mean it. Today's savvy customers can tell a phony deal a mile away and once they get the scent of dishonesty, then it is almost impossible to regain what you have lost.
In today's business world, you too must use your creativity and look to your employees to provide even more inspiration and ideas. From top manager to store room clerk, everyone has different interests and different contacts. Make the most of these diversities by offering incentives to employees who come up with great ideas or whose plan to have an open house to free movie tickets for a family size purchase, will bring you the best of all worlds. You will have customers who will sense that you do care about them as individuals and not as just seeing the cash register ring and you will have employees stretching their imaginations and output so that with your success, they too gain not only monetarily with job security but with respect and being treated as truly "part of the business." A perfect way to go down the highway of today's business world.
Something to think about ©Arleen M. Kaptur April, 2009

Special Occasions Demand Special Gifts

Celebrations are an enjoyable part of life. These special days highlight milestones in a person's life and accomplishment. Whether it is a birthday party, anniversary, or national holiday, taking the time to be part of a "celebration" is a privilege.
Gifts are usually part of any party and they are paramount when it comes to children being the guests of honor. Many people feel that it is the amount that a gift costs that leaves the best impression. While that may be true to some, it has taken a back seat to another manner of showing how much you care and what a person means to you. This new "wave" in today's economy, is simple - it is creativity and inspiration. If you are handy and can paint, sew, knit, or make things out of wood, then you have a store right there at your fingertips. If, you feel that this just isn't you, maybe you just haven't tried it out for size. Personalizing a gift is by far the more meaningful memento of any occasion. Store bought gifts are appreciated, but they soon find their way onto shelves and into boxes. It is that "special something" in a hand-made gift that stands out and is a source of joy and remembrance for a very long time. Hand-made is and always will be heart-made, but if you are a bit unsure of how to begin, then begin with what you can do. Going to tag sales or yard sales is a great way to "shop" for truly wonderful gifts. Keep in mind the interests and even the favorite colors of the person you are shopping for. When you see an object that "is just so" that person, let your creative mind take over and make it a one of a kind find. Embellishing is a fantastic way to begin "making special gifts." You can glue a picture, use sparkles, ribbons, lace, and even fish lures to create a special occasion treasure. With regard to those fishing lures, if you find an "outdoorsy" box or container, placing fishing lures or other sporting items in this special box, then decorating it to "personalize" it is all it takes to become part of this new way of celebrating. Ideas are everywhere and you can visit scrapbooking or crafting stores for supplies such as glitter, paints, and even emblems, monograms, and even insignias. Enhance your special find to fit the person it is going to, and have fun with it as well. Enrich it so that you make a point of just how special this person is and how great it is to be part of their lives.
Cards have always been "greetings" for special occasions and holidays. It seems that e-cards can be fun, but they are not the type of cards you want to store in a "treasure" box and check out once in a while when life just gets in the way, the way it has a tendency to do. Hand-made cards are not suppose to be difficult and only for the artistically inclined. They are choosing a picture or drawing that "means" something, or is symbolic of the occasion, and adding "your" greetings, your special "words" and feelings. When you use e-cards or store bought cards, some total stranger is making the "wish." If you, no matter your expertise at writing, adds a "memory" such as a special event, or meeting to individualize your card, this just adds more feeling to your "card." Photographs are sure-fire choices and even a favorite poem from a book you both might enjoy or even from a favorite movie or trip. It does not have to be "classical literature." It only has to come from the heart.
Gift wraps and ribbons - now here is a great way to add to the beauty of your gift. Wrapping a gift in a newspaper with the special day's headlines (only if they are uplifting), or even with a place mat from a favorite restaurant is first-rate. Ribbons can be plain that you have "added on" to with stickers, or sparkly add ons. They can be twine, lace trim, braid, yarn, or even a chain made from pine needles (great for that sportsman). The point is you match all the "extras" to the person and their interests, likes, and enjoyments.
People are unique and special - each one different. Gifts should follow suit. A gift from a store shelf will go to a lot of different people, but it is the same item to a myriad of personalities. Therefore, the gift is not highlighting the distinctive qualities of the celebrating person. It is a one size fits all instead of one of a kind delight.
Now is the perfect time to rethink gift-giving. It is the best opportunity to shop with meaning instead of wallet power, and to change your store bought gifts into true special day or holiday memories. It doesn't have to take a lot of time or effort, it just has to take quality time in looking for an item, and the effort of making it one of a kind.
Something to think about
©Arleen M. Kaptur March, 2009

Vintage, Antique - Old Is Today's Gold

With the change in weather from winter's cold, brutal wind and driving snow, Spring ushers in that longing to go treasure hunting at tag and rummage sales. Churches, towns, and civic groups also feel this tug to begin tossing out winter and bringing in "new." Today, however, "new" does not have to be literally just off the manufacturer's assembly line. New to the savvy home-maker of today means vintage, antique, and gracefully charming items that "breathe" that feeling of "home" and "gracious living."
Something as simple as throw-away windows from Victorian era homes are a "find" that you should grab and run with. They are versatile and can be a part of any room in your home. As the weather brings back sun, and balmy breezes, antique water cans, porch swings, and even garden gates will put your homefront in your neighborhood's Home and Garden Special Places. Even terra cotta flower pots in varying sizes are used not only on porches and "Florida Rooms" but in the kitchen, bathroom and in your craft/sewing room.
If you are fortunate to find leaded glass windows then you have a myriad of possibilities to highlight and delight family and friends. These unique windows are a virtual rainbow in their own right, but added to your home decor they can take the place of painted pictures. Adding a bit of extra charm is if you showcase them with additional "vintage" items such as antique quilt blocks, or even old-fashioned handkerchiefs or table doilies. Check on the web for laundering instructions for delicate needlework or ask a dry cleaning establishment what they would recommend in case you have a "yellowing" of the fabric or any stains on the needlework.
Once you begin the challenge of bringing the "old" into your home, you will begin to realize just how "right" it seems to have these "vintage" items displayed and treasured by today's generations. So when the weather begs you to go outside, check out those flea markets or even architectural "scrap" stores that have the most fascinating door knobs, cabinet hardware, and yes, most assuredly windows and their frames. Consider this a fun way to bring true charm and captivating decorating accents into your home, no matter the style. You won't be disappointed and just think of how proud you will feel when everyone notices and thinks you are truly a decorating genius.
Something to think about
©February, 2009