What's your story?

Everyone has one. 

Do you tell it?

Believe it or not, most people are interested in learning more about who you are; curious about how you got where you’re at and your plans to get where you’re going.  But most are reluctant to ask.

I love when I walk into a brick and mortar and front and center is signage about “their story”.  I enjoy reading about how the brand came to life while standing in its presence.  Many brands do this across diverse industries.  But it is never so evident than when you walk into a retail store.

Every retail brand has a story to tell. 

I was recently in Indianapolis, IN and I shopped at Meijer’s. I live in the Northeast and we don’t have Meijer’s.  For those of you who don’t know Meijer; it is a super center that originally started out as a grocery chain. It is regional and located in the Midwest but has a lot of stores across those states - over 200 of them. 

Proudly on their wall (in the front of the store) they display their story…the humble beginnings as a small independent during the Great Depression, their first milestone to growth, and now after all these years,  how they still connect to their early beginnings by offering a stationary ride for children for still just a penny.

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The Meijer story shows that they started out small with an idea and just $338.76 worth of groceries on credit.  They want to give their brand a personality showing its ingenuity, perseverance and willingness to serve an under-served market.  And, how they continue to run their business by their original values.

Now switch gears to a totally different industry but still retail and let’s talk the CT Cookie Co in Fairfield, CT is another brand that has its story front and center.  Starting out as an online cookie company for several years, CT Cookie Co opened her first retail store in 2017.  When you walk into the store the first image is a poster of owner, Andrea Greene when she was a child.  And guess what she’s baking cookies!

Her brand story is about the emotional connection to her customers.  The poster shares her story …  it transports customers back to a simpler time of baking cookies, spending time with Mom or Grandma baking cookies together, using fresh and whole ingredients and making everything from scratch.  The CT Cookie Co brand is able to carry Grandma’s homemade vanilla recipe to market for others to enjoy. You can read more about her story here: https://www.ctpost.com/living/article/Bowled-over-Edible-cookie-dough-causing-quite-a-11306239.php

The store makes that emotional connection with their customers; and, the brand is more than a cookie shop.  It just makes customers feel good when eating CT Cookie Co cookies and using its vanilla. 

Whether it’s a cookie shop or a super center sharing their brand story it gives customers the chance to know them, learn how they came to being and be a part of their journey. 

So, let’s take a lesson from these brands and be willing to tell our stories.  Here’s mine:   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msWdpvAl2ug

I would love to hear your story too.

 

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and Founder of the eRetailer Summit. Sonya has extensive experience in creating original innovative solutions to overcome major business challenges.  Sonya has spent most of her career visiting headquarters across global industries and has built strong business relationships across diverse brands. 

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Fairfield County Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit.

What have you discovered, lately?

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I was recently in North Carolina and stopped in the local grocery store that is a regional chain.  Most of you know, I love walking stores (and casinos).  It’s an opportunity to explore and I always discover something new. For me, on this given day, it was a bar right smack in the alcohol beverage section of the store. 

It was cute and trendy and was basically a stand-alone bar with fewer bar stools. It just happened to be in a grocery store.  I started talking to the bartender who informed me that this particular bar area was one of the smaller ones; and that Lowes Foods operates Bar Dens in many of their more than 100 stores across the Carolinas and Virginia. 

Interesting.

As I started doing research on the “Beer Den” I also discovered that I’m apparently the one living in a cave because bar-in-a grocery store has been a trend for quite some time; and, has generated interest among shoppers to enjoy craft beer, good in-store cooked food, and enhance their customer experience. And, guess what it attracts more shoppers to come to the store and linger for a while.  The more they linger usually the more they buy.  Here’s a great article from Food Dive that speaks to this trend.

Enhancing your customers experience is easier said than done but discovering Lowes Foods version of an in-store craft beer bar really “wowed” me.  The obvious standard value added experiences around the Beer Den like events, suggesting recipes to be paired with beers, offering a food menu with the beers, etc. are being executed they created more than the apparent experiences for their customers.

Here are some of the “wow” factors that Lowes Foods, in my opinion, got right:

  • It is authentic both in products served and aesthetics of the bar; so, the optics are inviting and right.  The bartender which I also discovered is called a Beer Den host is knowledgeable and dedicated to the Beer Den.  The host is not running around the store doing other things when not busy at the Beer Den.  They also have Master Ben Den host roles; so, there is an obvious road map to attract talent interested in this area.
     
  • They collaborate with local breweries and communicate that to the community.  Both Lowes Foods and Local Breweries are working together to create one-of -a kind, small batch beers.  Community members love to hear that!
     
  • They created their own unique product called the “Beer Den Growler” which is a 64 ounce designed glass jug that is filled with your favorite beer.  The jug only cost $4.99 and you can bring it back the next time for a refill and you’re charged only for the beer.

Authenticity, investment in your community through tapping (no pun intended) into the local businesses expertise and developing a unique product that you can only get at the Beer Den are all experiences that Lowes Foods created to enhance their shoppers’ experiences. 

So, I’m glad I walked into Lowes Foods that day.  It allowed me to go on an interesting journey and learn more about the trend of in-store bars and discover something new (for me at least)!

 

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and Founder of the eRetailer Summit. Sonya has extensive experience in creating original innovative solutions to overcome major business challenges.  Sonya has spent most of her career visiting headquarters across global industries and has built strong business relationships across diverse brands. 

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Fairfield County Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit.

 

 

 

 

Will you remember this time as "back in the day"?

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Back in the day you had to plan your shopping trips from groceries to furniture.  

Now, online retail has changed the way we approach shopping. There is an engaged escalation of buying all kinds of products (and services for that matter) online. Consumers are getting comfortable with making daily purchases online.  Even the rare person that does not buy online surely has someone in their life that brags about how easy and convenient it is to purchase online. A Pew research report shows that eight in 10 Americans are now shopping online (published 12/19/2016).

Our mobile devices allow us to purchase all sorts of things on the go.  I just saw a commercial where it happened in the middle of the desert (and was delivered the same day).  What about the ability to quickly and accurately do a competitive price check without getting in-and-out of our cars? Purchases can also happen from the comfort of our own home, or office.   Definitely different than my Mother’s shopping trips back in the day.

While all of this is true online retail sales still only represents a small portion of total retail sales.  The U.S. Commerce Department reported that consumers spent nearly $350 billion online in 2016; that’s up double digits from the previous year but only 12% of total sales. 

I believe that online shopping is elevating the consumers experience in-store because brick and mortar retailers know that they have to compete.   They compete on merchandising, on customer service and you can name whatever physical in-store shopping benefit is important to you.  It's new to them but they are fighting to understand it, figure it out and gain more customers for their stores through the online retail marketplace. Each shopping experience educates the shopper and makes us better customers for all types of retailers. How retailers embrace our shopping behavior and leverage our preferences to create loyalty is up to them. 

Please do not get me wrong. I am not pushing online shopping.  I am merely stating the obvious that shoppers are benefiting from the evolution of retail.  And, most shoppers, like myself, find it liberating to have choices.   For example, I love shopping stores and experiencing the merchandising, lay-out and customer service. Sometimes I just need to see it, touch it and talk face-to-face with a floor salesperson. Other times, I like shopping online.  Whether it is an easy buy and I need it in a hurry; or, I do not have the time or energy to run from store-to-store. So, I order it online.   (I confess I have ordered a couch or two online). It is nice to have options. 

So, I wonder how my daughter’s era (who are referred to as digital natives) and history will look back to our days and refer to our retail shopping experiences?  This is surely just the beginning of the evolution of retail.  I am sure I will fondly remember this time and refer to it as “back in the day”.   

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and Founder of the eRetailer Summit. Sonya has extensive experience in creating original innovative solutions to overcome major business challenges.  Sonya has spent most of her career visiting headquarters across global industries and has built strong business relationships across diverse brands. 

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Fairfield County Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit.

When's the last time you checked out?

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Recently, I checked out. I literally checked out of my day-to-day life for a full week. I left my family and my business behind on a sad minute's notice to focus on one priority - my Mom.

You see hospice called to inform us that my Mom probably had little time left on this earth; and, she lived a plane ride away. My amazing husband and daughter supported my hectic effort to catch the next available plane to spend time with her. 

The last week of her life I was with her. I was not thinking about anything else but my one priority, my Mom. Focused on being present, breathing the same air, sharing the same space, making sure she was comfortable and well taken care of.  But most importantly talking to her and letting her know what a wonderful Mom, friend, counselor she had been to me all of these years. 

I have never checked out before where I had one sole focus.  I was thankful I had the support that I could do it. Being present for my Mom's last breath was a blessing to me and I pray for her too. 

Now, I'm trying to be more present in all that I do. Whether it's listening to my daughter's complex school stories; or, watching a game winning play of my husband's favorite team that he DVR'd for me; or, being empathetic about a customer's challenge and figuring out how to be part of the solution.  

There are times in our lives where we must pause. 

This was a time where I stopped. I stopped everything including Sonya's blog. 

I want to let you know that I had a good reason. And, that the blog will resume being published every other Thursday starting today.  

I have officially checked back in. 

 

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and Founder of the eRetailer Summit. Sonya has extensive experience in creating original innovative solutions to overcome major business challenges.  Sonya has spent most of her career visiting headquarters across global industries and has built strong business relationships across diverse brands. 

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Fairfield County Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit.

 

Do you believe?

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My daughter who is 10 asked me if Santa Claus is real?  Before I answered the question I was curious as to why she was asking. Well, a classmate (a year older) told her Santa didn't exist. My next question to her was "do you want the truth?"  She assured me that she really wanted to know if Santa was real. 

I explained that while there is not a man in a red suit steering a sleigh and distributing gifts across the world that the spirit of Christmas is REAL. It's a special time celebrated around the world that gives hope and happiness to many. The season also gives us reassurance that "believing" crosses all aspects of our lives including business. 

But when it comes to our businesses what are we believing in and how are we showing it? Is there an initiative that is done because it's the right thing to do but your margins aren't necessarily the company standard?  Or, are you doing pro bono work offering your services to a group within your community that needs your services? 

I have a dear friend who has inspired me to believe even when it's not Christmas!   He has run successful businesses over his career; and, he knows how to creatively put things together and get things done. He spearheaded an idea that would give back to the community in a big way.  Jerid O'Connell led the charge to create the trail through the H. Smith Richardson Wildlife Preserve in Westport identifying and organizing volunteers and local environmental nonprofits. (http://www.westport-news.com/news/article/EPA-grant-to-help-restore-coastal-forest-in-12397970.php) The project was based on cleaning up, clearing out and getting scores of businesses to participate from the donation of new trees to organic juices. 

As I was looking out over the field of new trees I thought this is my friend, his family's and the community's legacy. The trail will be shared with so many generations and will exist long after each era is gone. 

Believing in something bigger than ourselves drives us to be better and do better. It also challenges us to make a difference wherever we decide to invest our time and talent. 

And, while my daughter didn't take the truth very well about Santa she made the ultimate decision to still believe...I hope you still believe in something too...

Merry Christmas!

 

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and Founder of the eRetailer Summit. Sonya has extensive experience in creating original innovative solutions to overcome major business challenges.  Sonya has spent most of her career visiting headquarters across global industries and has built strong business relationships across diverse brands. 

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Fairfield County Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit.

What about you?

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The other day I was sitting in an airport waiting to board my flight and I overheard a business man on his cell say "we are well aware that there are many things we don't know."  That was refreshing to hear. 

I was on my way home from a conference and I had just had that same conversation with another attendee. We spoke about the fact that it's important to get out and attend industry events. It gives us the opportunity to learn, meet new people, and to look at things from a different perspective. Truth be told, all of us fit into the bucket of "we don't know what we don't know". But so many of us (me included) think we know it all; and, we don't want anyone else telling us anything different. 

The other day I was sitting in an airport waiting to board my flight and I overheard a business man on his cell say "we are well aware that there are many things we don't know."  That was refreshing to hear. 

I was on my way home from a conference and I had just had that same conversation with another attendee. We spoke about the fact that it's important to get out and attend industry events. It gives us the opportunity to learn, meet new people, and to look at things from a different perspective. Truth be told, all of us fit into the bucket of "we don't know what we don't know". But so many of us (me included) think we know it all; and, we don't want anyone else telling us anything different. 

We've been there done that. 

Really?

We think we've seen it all and there is little information that we don't know; but, that is simply not the case.  Regardless of what school we went to, the circles we travel in or the position we may hold there is always something new to learn. 

Whether you are at the beginning, in the middle or heading towards retirement age continuing to learn is important. Having and/or making time to do it is the challenge. 

I believe in face-to-face events for many reasons that contribute to building strong business relationships. I have talked about it a lot in previous blogs and articles.  

In 2016, I founded an event that focuses on ecommerce and gaining intelligence, and sharing insights specifically created for the $350.5 billion dollar home improvement industry. The concept was developed directly from customer feedback along the entire distribution channel. Each wanting to learn how to optimized the internet as a distribution channel by identifying the right channel partners and making the right connections all while gaining relevant intelligence and insights from the leaders in the e-trenches. 

My vision (based on customer insights) is that the Home Improvement eRetailer Summit is where you go when you don't know what you don't know about ecommerce and the home improvement marketplace. It's about connecting, learning and collaborating in an intimate gathering. 

The Summit (now in its 2nd year) is happening right now at the Rosen Shingle Creek in Orlando, FL. If you are interested in up-to-date information and speakers' viewpoints please follow us now on twitter @eRetailersummit. 

Please make sure that you make the time to attend industry events that are relevant to your interests and career growth.  Like the businessman, I confess that I don't know what I don't know but I'm willing and interested in continuing to learn. What about you?

 

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and Founder of the eRetailer Summit. Sonya has extensive experience in creating original innovative solutions to overcome major business challenges.  Sonya has spent most of her career visiting headquarters across global industries and has built strong business relationships across diverse brands. 

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Fairfield County Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit.

Do you shop small?

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Do you make an effort to shop small in your local community?  

It's true that small businesses are the backbone of the US economy. Did you know that small businesses represent 99.7% of all US businesses?  Not only do small businesses make up nearly half of non-farm GDP they cumulatively employ roughly 48% of the US workforce. All these facts are reported by Small Business Profile in the US Small Business Administration Office of Advocacy.

American Express founded an annual movement back in 2010 that promotes the importance of supporting smaller businesses in communities across America. It's called Small Business Saturday and is now considered a holiday shopping tradition. Small Business Saturday takes place the Saturday after Thanksgiving.  This year the movement will land on November 25, 2017. 

Did you know that for every $100 dollars spent locally with independent businesses that $48 gets reinvested back into the local community?  While, the opposite is true when you spend that same $100 at chain stores, a mere $14 gets reinvested back into the community.

If we take all of the above mentioned data out of the equation, independent businesses give back so much more to our communities. Besides the investment in the local economy, they also bring new ideas, innovation, and a commitment to invest in our communities. But more importantly as Paul Nugent writes for ShopKeep small businesses help create the community's identity, and they keep the tax dollars within the community among a whole hosts of other reasons.

This not only true on the consumer side but the North America Retail Hardware Association and Independent We Stand recently completed a study where it shows the same is true for the professional side of home improvement.  Builders, contractors and trades people can impact their local communities by buying local.

The bottom line is that small businesses keep our local economy strong and that just feeds into the national economy. And, it's all personal because the small business customer represents your friends, relatives and neighbors. If you think about it, it's odd that we have to be nudged to shop small.  Because small businesses often have the unique items and customized services. And, who wouldn't want those?

I really do love independent businesses. Because you find a passion and energy that is contagious; and, makes you want to be part of something that is different and personal. 

So after we come out of our food coma from Thanksgiving let's think BIG and shop SMALL and join the Small Business Saturday movement on November 25.  I know I will!  

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and Founder of the eRetailer Summit. Sonya has extensive experience in creating original innovative solutions to overcome major business challenges.  Sonya has spent most of her career visiting headquarters across global industries and has built strong business relationships across diverse brands. 

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Fairfield County Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit.

What's your CAUSE?

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Whether you are an independent business, big corporation or an individual what's your CAUSE?  What are you fighting for to help your employees, customers, community, or even the world become a better place?

Does that sound cliché?  Well it’s not.  Did you know that @engageforgood recently reported that Cause Sponsorship will reach $2.06 billion in 2017?   

Many companies will support charitable initiatives that have been declared “the cause” for that particular month.  Other companies will contribute to a lot of different charities while not committing wholly to any one cause; and, that works for them.  While, others have a cause that reflects their mission statement and keeps them on track in representing their values both internally and externally by consistently contributing to a pre-determined charitable cause. Still, there is another group that evolves in the causes that they represent.  It all depends upon the season that they are going through (in their business or in their lives) whether the disease, natural disaster, etc. is affecting them or someone they know. 

Whatever charitable cause you choose to connect your brand to please make sure that it's genuine and that you truly believe in it. A recent Unilever study shows that 33% of consumers buy from brands doing social or environmental good.  The major objective shouldn't be to drive traffic to your store, casino or website. Or, to increase sales because you're doing something charitable and want credit for it. If you are genuinely in it to make a difference all of these benefits are by products and will happen if you are committed for the long run. 

Be fickle, uncommitted or fake and your efforts will be seen as that... 

Be true, committed or real and your efforts will be seen as that...

The choice is yours. 

Last year, I was able to participate in the local Alzheimer's Walk to help raise money and awareness about this terrible disease in honor of my Mom. When my friend and I arrived at the walk area there was a huge Dunkin' Donuts tent with complimentary coffee, donuts and muffins.  That jarred a pleasant memory for me that was more than a decade old. Yes, Dunkin' Donuts supported a breast cancer run that I had participated in for years in Central Park; and, I remember that I never knew that Dunkin' Donuts sponsored this event until the year I ran it as a breast cancer survivor. As a survivor, I had access to a VIP tent that offered complimentary Dunkin' Donuts treats. 

Yes, a donut VIP tent was an awesome experience.  Access to donuts, coffee, and special promotional items made me feel special.  And, I have to believe that subconsciously that was one of the reasons that I started making it a point to frequent Dunkin' Donuts.  So, whatever your CAUSE know that done right it can have a lasting affect and build a loyal customer; all, the while you’re making the world a better place…

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and Founder of the eRetailer Summit. Sonya has extensive experience in creating original innovative solutions to overcome major business challenges.  Sonya has spent most of her career visiting headquarters across global industries and has built strong business relationships across diverse brands. 

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Fairfield County Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsult or @eretailersummit.

Happy Sweetest Day!

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I grew up in Ohio celebrating "Sweetest Day" every third Saturday in October.  In my opinion, it is sort of like Valentine's Day for Ohioans (even though Hallmark says it is celebrated in all of the Great Lakes region).   It was founded by Herbert Birch Kingston, a philanthropist, in 1922.  It's not a state holiday but rather a national holiday.  For some reason, few folks know about it that live outside of Ohio. I'm not sure why that is, other than Mr. Kingston lived and worked in Cleveland, Ohio; so, maybe having a native connection made a difference of its popularity in Ohio. 

The Founder began this holiday by giving candy to those in our society who were "forgotten".  (Did I mention that he worked at a candy company?).  His intentions were admirable. It was to bring, happiness to those who are deprived which at the time of the holiday’s creation was defined as orphans, shut-ins and the underprivileged.

Well, somewhere along the line the intention got muddled and it became a second Valentine's Day for Ohioans. We had school dances, gift giving and romantic expectations centered all-around Sweetest Day. Not once, did I ever think the “sweetest” was for someone other than a sweetheart.  Sweetest Day was a big deal in my community growing up, but quite frankly it never caught traction in other parts of the country.  

I didn't realize until college that everyone didn't celebrate Sweetest Day. When I would bring up the national holiday, I would be met with "what's that"? 

So, as Sweetest Day approaches this Saturday, I'm wondering why do some holidays make the annual published calendars and others don't?  And, it's not that they just don't make the cut these holidays are seen as obscure.  

Like anything created to fulfill a need there are expectations that it should evolve and be sustainable for the long term.  Unless, we’re talking about fads.  So, founding holidays are much like creating a service or developing a new product.  Here are some questions that we should ask ourselves when creating “new”:

·         Does it fill a national or global need or it is contained to your local area?

·         Can it survive on its own merit/benefits?  Or is it a “me too” brand because it’s not that different from its competition?

·         Does this (fill in the blank) fulfill a short or long-term need? 

·         How do you gain awareness and interest to create a long lasting brand?

These are not yes or no questions to answer; rather, they are questions to challenge us to think.  Where are we going (the objective) and how long will it take us to get there (milestones); and, what is the endgame (goal)? It doesn’t matter whether it’s a new holiday, product, event, or service it is essential that it delivers on a missing “need”. 

While, Sweetest Day isn’t celebrated where I live now.  Every year on the third Saturday in October, I smile and remember all of the Sweetest Days of the past that I celebrated.  October 21st will be the 95th celebration of Sweetest Day.  So, Happy Sweetest Day!

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and Founder of the eRetailer Summit. Sonya has extensive experience in creating original innovative solutions to overcome major business challenges.  Sonya has spent most of her career visiting headquarters across global industries and has built strong business relationships across diverse brands. 

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Fairfield County Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsul or @eretailersummit.

                                    

Did you get your flu shot?

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It’s that time of the year for a flu shot.  And, thankfully everyone in my household is healthy enough to get one.  So, for the first time as a family we received our flu shot together from our local CVS Pharmacy.  I believe they call them Minute Clinics.  It was a new experience for us.  We generally get our flu shots in the doctor’s office.  My husband pointed out the savings of getting our flu shots at the local pharmacy.  So, on a lazy Sunday afternoon we drove over to CVS.

It was an easy process since no appointments are necessary; and, an interesting experience that cost less than half what a flu shot in the doctor’s office charges.

While we were registering on the check-in kiosk two other customers came up.  One customer wanted a flu shot; the other was a mother with three young children and one of the kid’s was sick.  I didn’t realize that you could get more than a flu shot at CVS.  Not only do they provide vaccinations.  They provide treatment and diagnostic services and even prescribe medications.  I started talking to the CVS nurse who is a Nurse Practioner and basically she sees “patients” all day with various ailments.  It’s basically a walk-in clinic within the CVS store created by and run for CVS customers.

So, contrary to some of the news and some analyst beliefs, brick and mortar retail continues to transform itself. Relevancy is key and no-where is that more evident than when you look at chain drug stores.  In the midst of our country’s continuous healthcare debate, drug chain stores are strategically positioning themselves as a health care resource to the communities they serve.

They are filling a vacuum that they see exist; and, it’s my opinion that they are quietly establishing themselves as an alternate healthcare resource.  I’ve always seen the flu shot promotions but I didn’t know that the drug stores designed an easy access walk in clinic within the store.    And, not only is CVS doing this so is Rite Aid; and Walgreens.  They are leading a subtle change in the US and reshaping the landscape of healthcare.  

Attracting “patients’ allows them to create loyalty among their customers; while, driving traffic into their stores from all types of prospective customers.  There are some obvious business lessons that can be learned from this by asking yourself the following questions: 

  • Is the market creating an opportunity for you to leverage your brand by developing an offshoot product or service that is needed? 
  • Do you have the resources in place that you can test this opportunity to decide if customers will buy the product or services offered? 
  • Lastly, will it help you market your core product and/or service? 

CVS hands out $5 coupons for every $25 spent; and, all ages receive the coupons.  This incentivizes the “patient” to return as a shopper to use his/her $5 coupon.  So, we got flu shots and $15 worth of coupons when we spend $75!  So, I’m heading back to CVS.  This time to use my coupon. 

By the way, did you get your flu shot?

 

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and Founder of the eRetailer Summit. Sonya has extensive experience in creating original innovative solutions to overcome major business challenges.  Sonya has spent most of her career visiting headquarters across global industries and has built strong business relationships across diverse brands. 

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Fairfield County Connecticut.  

Follow Sonya on twitter at @jarvisconsul or @eretailersummit.

 

 

 

What happened?

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What happened?

I pre-ordered the new Hillary Rodham Clinton book, What Happened, and was looking forward to the delivery.  And, as I was reading the book, I felt as though her assessment of what happened could be applied as an evaluation process for any business or project that has failed. How many times have we been profoundly disappointed in the outcome of a project?  I know I have had major failures over the course of my career. While we can point to important accomplishments it's always the ones that we couldn't achieve that haunt us. We didn't reach our goals and deliver on the promise to our business, the company, and our employees.  We all can fill in the blank. You get the picture. We couldn't make it happen.  End of story. Or is it really the beginning of the story? 

How many of us take a step back and truly attempt to do a deep dive into why we were unsuccessful?  I know for me, I always think I have it figured out along the way when things are going right. There's always one to two reasons why the initiative failed or the project didn't get off the ground.  But, truth be told it's hard to really do an honest post-mortem. Now, I have my excuses for not engaging fully in that process too. And, it all centers on time since there is never enough in one day. But if I (and I suspect all of us) want to be honest it's hard to do a thorough self-evaluation.  It's a difficult process to confront our own disappointments. But we have to force ourselves because it allows us to exercise an opportunity to clear that skeleton out of the closet. That's the only way it won't haunt us. It also helps us to stop making the same mistakes and avoid pitfalls that are indicative of how we approach situations. 

So, I believe anyone in business can identify with the words, emotions and self-evaluation in the book What Happened. No one hits the mark a 100% of the time. 

As I continue to read this book, it has inspired me to dig deep and ask tough self-evaluation questions of my projects and my business.  To really put myself out there and examine what I did or didn't do to contribute to missing the mark. It's hard to do but at one point or another I believe we can all challenge ourselves to ask, what happened?

What do you do for fun?

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At the beginning of the summer I took a ride with my husband to the local Home Depot.  He usually goes in, purchases what he needs and leaves. When I go with him he knows it'll be more of a discovery stroll. For fun and entertainment, I like to walk through the store (any store) and find out what they have new, hopefully get inspired through merchandising displays and in this case find any potential DIY project ideas that might be relevant to our home "to do" list. Well, we had been thinking about an outdoor gazebo area for a while; and, the Home Depot had one displayed.   

No, I really mean it. They had ONE displayed. There was no assortment of products which is out of character for the Home Depot. 

The displayed product didn't look that sturdy and we were disappointed that there weren't more to see. But, I realize gazebos are just one of those products that take up a lot of floor space. Essentially, it is prohibitive to line-up and display an assortment.  When I actually looked closer at the displayed gazebo I saw that one of the columns of the structure had a wrap-around promotion sign. On that wrap they were promoting additional gazebos that are available at homedepot.com.

Good idea!  

The sign had colorful photos with descriptions and specs.  Which brings me to the beauty of online shopping and the assortment choices offered. Online is not limited to floor space or accommodating other merchandise in the area.  There can actually be a limit-less number of gazebos online for me and my husband to consider to purchase. The negative is that we can't touch it, feel it, stand in the middle of it - you get the picture. We can't physically experience the product. 

By showcasing the Home Depot assortment of gazebos on a column wrap that you can find online tries to offer the consumer the best of both worlds. 

Since we experienced a display of the gazebo at the store it gave us a “feel” for the merchandise.  So, physically standing in the middle of one gave us a great sense of the product details of the others.   But the Home Depot offered the opportunity to explore, virtually, at our convenience, their gazebo assortment online. The store brought it to our attention that we have more than what you are seeing. 

It's a good idea because they are not relying on the consumer to take the leap and think to look online; or, waiting for a Home Depot associate to tell the customer that there is more online. 

I believe as we move forward in this ecommerce world that cross merchandising in-store with online will be the ultimate in capturing product sales; and customer loyalty.  And, as more and more physical stores begin to offer an online shopping experience we will see more of this in-store marketing tactic.  We see merchandising evolve as the retail world continues to change. 

By the way, in case you're wondering we didn't purchase the gazebo...

 

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and Founder of the eRetailer Summit. Sonya has extensive experience in creating original innovative solutions to overcome major business challenges.  Sonya has spent most of her career visiting headquarters across global industries and has built strong business relationships across diverse brands. 

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Fairfield County Connecticut.

What's your excuse?

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We headed down to Hilton Head, South Carolina for the last vacation before school starts, but when we booked our trip we didn't realize that South Carolina was the only state that the Eclipse would appear in its totality.  So, when we arrived at the airport and proceeded to our rental car counter we had no idea what was in store for us. As a Preferred Avis loyalty member we are accustomed to whizzing into our car and driving out of the airport. Nice and easy, right? Well not this time. 

First, this particular Avis location does not have preferred service where you proceed directly to your car; but there is a designated line where they have your car rental agreement and keys waiting and ready to go.  Well, our agreement was there, but no keys.  As the representative was waiting on me, it became clear that there was a shortage of cars.  She assured me there was a car for my family, but because of the Eclipse they were sold out and having a hard time turning the cars around as needed.  She asked us to wait and she'd let us know when to go and get our keys and car.  There was a gentleman that was waited on behind me and he too was waiting for the "high" sign that would indicate that our cars were ready.  I asked if he were Preferred and he said yes. He also voluntarily shared that he never experienced this before. Meanwhile, the customer service person overheard us talking explained once again that they couldn't help it. It's not their fault it's "the Eclipse."

The last Eclipse like this was 99 years ago; so, they knew this one was coming.  It didn't take the world by surprise.  When once in a lifetime world events happen in your business path you best get prepared.  To think you can handle the situation like Christmas or Thanksgiving minimizes the largess of the event.  You not only want to optimize revenues but maintain your customer service levels and protect the integrity of your brand.  Customers are rarely forgiving even if they are loyal.  Customers just want what they want when they want it; and, figure since they paid for it they should get it - no excuses.  

So, while you might not have made excuses about the Eclipse, think back about the last excuse you made to a customer about why your business didn't deliver.  We, of course, knew that the Eclipse was happening later that day but what's that got to do with us not getting our car rental that we booked a month ago?

Customers don't care but here's some tips for Avis or any business facing an external activity that has the potential to compromise your customer service:

  • Get ready and adjust processes for that day
  • Alert customers who might be affected when they book the reservation
  • Remind customers the day before that there might be delays through the volume of Eclipse watchers 
  • If you're face to face thank the customer for their loyalty, reiterate what's happening but don't use it as an excuse 
  • Send them a follow up thanking them, apologizing if the customers experienced delay

So, the next time you're explaining to a customer why they aren't getting "whatever", stop, change the conversation to why you value them, why their loyalty is important to you and your business, and why you will continue to work hard to earn their business.  By the way, viewing the Eclipse (and our vacation) was an amazing and memorable experience, very much worth the wait!

 

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and Founder of the eRetailer Summit. Sonya has extensive experience in creating original innovative solutions to overcome major business challenges.  Sonya has spent most of her career visiting headquarters across global industries and has built strong business relationships across diverse brands. 

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Fairfield County Connecticut.

Are you hard to find?

It is summertime and we live in New England. The creamery farms in our area are amazing. So, we are always looking to experience as many homemade ice cream shops as possible. Well, we just found a farm that serves homemade ice cream that is less than 5 miles from our house.  I couldn't believe it.  We drove by this farm for more than a decade and we didn't know that they also make and serve their very own ice cream.  Why didn't we know about this before?  I'll tell you why.  There is a small road sign that hangs on the side of the barn that faces the road.  Once you turn down the road and into the driveway that leads to the farm a whole new scene opens.  It's an outdoor farm and Ice Cream Shoppe. It's complete with farm animal smells and a house rooster who is the farm's mascot.  He roams around and visits customers. It's a very unique environment that clearly is different from the typical Ice Cream Shoppe. 

I made it a point to talk to the lady taking our order.  I explained to her how close we live to the farm; yet, we didn't know that it made and served ice cream.  She seemed surprised.  She told me that they have been there forever and that she was glad we found them.  I made the mental note that the customer service was genuinely friendly too. 

The following week, we took a 20 mile drive to one our all-time favorite Ice Cream Shoppes that we had found on a lazy Sunday drive.  That's when I noticed a stark contrast to the place near our house.  They had a huge sign by the road accompanied by a huge life size cow hence the name Holy Cow Ice Cream.  Passing by or pulling into the parking lot you knew what it was a homemade Ice Cream Shoppe.  It was cute, inviting and clean. 

We have all been in that situation where we expect customers to find us.  Or we think they
should immediately make the connection and know what our business is providing or serving.
Whether we're an independent local business, a national or global brand we can always re-
evaluate the exposure we're actively seeking for our business. 

Here's some tips in making sure our customers don't have to work so hard to find us or
understand what we provide. 

  1. Call your business or product what it is.
  2. No matter how big or small your business please develop a marketing plan.
  3. Make sure the plan is executed and course correct when needed.
  4. Talk with and listen to your customers to find out how they discovered you, how often they come/use your products/services and adapt your plans based on their feedback. 
  5. Be objective.  No, really be objective when evaluating whether your advertising and promotional efforts are working. 

Sometimes we're so close to our business that we think we have done our job with promotion
through signage, Twitter, Facebook posts, or whatever is your favorite mode of promotion.  But
we have all fallen short (at some point in time) in achieving maximum exposure for our products or services.  So we need to ask ourselves, how hard is it for prospective customers to find us and understand what we have to offer?

 

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and Founder of the eRetailer Summit. Sonya has extensive experience in creating original innovative solutions to overcome major business challenges.  Sonya has spent most of her career visiting headquarters across global industries and has built strong business relationships across diverse brands. 

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Fairfield County Connecticut.

Do you take advantage of teaching moments?

My daughter is almost as tall as me now; so, she needed a better beach chair.  While we were in Walmart one day we went out into the lawn and garden area and started shopping beach chairs. It's an understatement to say that the merchandising area was a mess. 

I remembered that my husband and I bought our Rio Beach chairs long before our daughter was born and she is going on 10. We paid a little less than $40 each and we purchased them at a regional grocery store. They have been frequently used and are still in great condition. So, we were happy to see that Walmart had a wide variety of Rio Beach branded chairs. The pricing was all over the place and we were surprised that there were Rio Beach chairs under $13. 

My daughter selected a great chair. It had a cup holder and a side pouch for a cell phone, wooden handles with big pink flowers. You get the picture a great dream chair for a girl's first real beach chair.  Well, we get to the check out and the chair rings up as $38.88.  We told the cashier that was incorrect. She called for help.  I walked back with the supervisor and showed her the rack.  There was one more chair hanging on the rack with the same price as the one my daughter selected. She said it's that chair. I said okay then I'll get that one because it was the same chair just a different color. 
 
A manager then came over and explained Walmart's policy.  He said if there is one or more of the same merchandise listed at the incorrect price then Walmart will honor that price.  As I thanked the manager for clearing up the situation, I saw two employees in lawn and garden talking and appearing to be bored.  I thought to myself that Walmart just lost margin on an item because the merchandise area was a mess and product had the wrong pricing.
 
As I was walking out the area so too were both supervisors.  One had to go and give the okay for the Cashier to ring up my item at the "incorrect listed" price.  The other was going out to handle the next thing.  But wouldn't my situation have been a great teaching moment for the lawn and garden associates who were just standing there talking?
 
I believe employees need to understand the dollar and cents of their actions and in this case their inaction. The more employees can understand how they contribute or don't to the bottom line and how essentially that bottom line affects them the better off the employees and the business.  For example, what if the Manager could have taken the two employees aside and quickly explained the financial result of displaying merchandise in the wrong area?  That it cost the company x dollars which trickles down to affect them by x dollars in their pay?  Letting them know how much margin the company is losing by something they have done or failed to do helps them understand their contribution in the process of the profitability of the company. So, the next time there is a teaching moment take advantage of it, I know I will. 

 

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and Founder of the eRetailer Summit. Sonya has extensive experience in creating original innovative solutions to overcome major business challenges.  Sonya has spent most of her career visiting headquarters across global industries and has built strong business relationships across diverse brands. 

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Fairfield County Connecticut.

Buy a truck. Get a gun...

I was visiting my Mom down south driving down I70 and I couldn't believe my eyes. I asked my husband to pull over so I could take a picture. There is was clear as day a big promotion sign that said:  

"Buy a truck. Get a gun". 

When promoting your products and/or services and you want to develop an incentive to drive higher sales, remember geography matters. This Ford sign would get little traction in the state I live in. It perhaps might even get the community worked up and yield a protest or two. But, it appears to work where it's at. Now, of course I haven't seen any results but I was recently back in that state a few months later and the same dealership had a different promotional sign. This time the sign said:  "20% off trucks plus get a gun."  So, that tells me that the gun promotion must be helping to drive truck sales at this dealer.  

More now than ever in the current state of our country it's important to not only know your customer demographics but their psychographic preferences too. What value system does your product or brand help create?  Or, that you can tap into that resonates with your customers?  What attitudes and beliefs truly make that connection to your brand or products?

When looking at the Ford profile of a customer it too differs along geography. That is why there are more trucks sold in certain states than others.  Of course, there are cross-over demographics and psychographics.   But you should really know the profile of your customer to help you understand what will motivate them to buy. 

I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw the sign because I'm not their customer. The sign wasn't talking to me. The promotion incentive was not developed with me in mind. But, it was a reminder to me that geography matters. 

 

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and Founder of the eRetailer Summit. Sonya has extensive experience in creating original innovative solutions to overcome major business challenges.  Sonya has spent most of her career visiting headquarters across global industries and has built strong business relationships across diverse brands. 

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Fairfield County Connecticut.

Even Wonder Woman needed Steve & crew

Have you seen the Wonder Woman movie, Rise of the Warrior, currently playing in the theaters?  My daughter saw it while I was away.  I can still hear the excitement in her voice about the movie when I called home that night to check-in. She said that the Wonder Woman movie "inspired" her. I asked, how?  She went on to tell me about the movie and how Wonder Woman was brave, courageous and fought for what she believed.  So, I told my daughter I would like to see it too; and, she eagerly agreed that she would go with me. 

Later that week, when we saw Wonder Woman together, I was proud of my daughter because for an almost 10 year old she summed it up pretty good. Wonder Woman was brave, courageous and willful. Arguably she possessed all of the characteristics of a leader. A leader who cares for her team, their mission and the greater good. Every true leader, in my opinion, also realizes that they are contributing to something that is greater than oneself and clearly Wonder Woman recognized that purpose. 

In the move, Wonder Woman happens to team up with a character named Steve who was a spy.  The important thing that she learned from Steve was that she couldn't go it alone.  Steve and Wonder Woman became partners in the mission. Each needing one another. Steve also knew to be successful they needed to form a complete team.  Each team member he selected possessed the skills needed to help them accomplish the final objective.  So, while Wonder Woman sometimes led with blind courage her focus was always on accomplishing the goal. 

Believe it or not, there are some valuable take away lessons from Wonder Woman's leadership skills that can be applied today, specifically team members:

  • Need to understand each other's weaknesses and be empathetic supporting one another 
  • Should have each other's back regardless of the circumstances because they recognize the greater good they are trying to achieve 
  • Need to respect decisions made as sacrifice to achieve the results 
  • Need to band together and be grateful regardless of the outcome

Ultimate success and failures lay at our feet as leaders.  But as we know, teams are important in accomplishing objectives and achieving results.  And, no one person can do everything, all the time, consistently and excel.  So, when you think you can go it alone; remember that Wonder Woman even needed Steve and crew to end World War I. 
 

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and Founder of the eRetailer Summit. Sonya has extensive experience in creating original innovative solutions to overcome major business challenges.  Sonya has spent most of her career visiting headquarters across global industries and has built strong business relationships across diverse brands. 

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Fairfield County Connecticut.

What have you done lately?

What have you done lately to market your brand, products and services in a big way?  I mean really big?  I have witnessed two really good examples in the last month that made me think and I'd like to share them with you. 

Here's the first encounter.  I was recently walking through the Charlotte Douglass airport in North Carolina and saw this big, bold, beautiful promotion board.  It was attractive and simple but what really drew my eye was the largeness of the board. Plus, the promotion drawings matched the physical size of the board. We (operative word here because I mean me too) have a tendency to promote our products and services consistently but do we go big and bold?  Are our services big in the face of our prospects?  Or do they have to look to find our services?  Are we bold in showing our current clients what we have accomplished to move their business forward?  Or do we feel like that's what we are being paid for; so, why highlight the success?

Here are some great tips to help us stretch ourselves to be big and bold that are best practices that I learned from this experience. 

Images say a thousand words; finding and using the right photography is important in making a bold statement.  In this case, drawing the image. Look closely at the board where there are drawings of menu items. 

Copy in most instances accomplish more with less words. But the words we use should be strong to depict our messaging. 

The second experience, I was watching a reality TV Show (yes I confess to watching reality TV) called Million Dollar Listing New York. 

A real estate agent was trying to convince his client (a developer) to accept an offer. The developer had given him 100 houses to sell within a short period for the asking price; no exceptions!  Which by the way, the agent had exceeded the milestone goals.  There was one house not worthy of the developer's asking price but a buyer had put in a "decent" offer. The client was unwilling to accept the offer and threatened the agent to pull the rest of the business from him. 

Well, the real estate agent had to remind his client exactly what he accomplished in a short period. He showed his client a huge box of signed contracts at the asking price representing more than half of the houses the developer gave him to sell.  

The agent went bold and big in showing through actual materials his amazing results for the client. We need to track and know our accomplishments. And, then share them with our clients.  
So, don't be shy. We all need to go big and bold in promoting our brands, products and services. 

 

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and Founder of the eRetailer Summit. Sonya has extensive experience in creating original innovative solutions to overcome major business challenges.  Sonya has spent most of her career visiting headquarters across global industries and has built strong business relationships across diverse brands. 

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Fairfield County Connecticut.

How are you building relationships?

I took an unexpected hiatus from my bi-weekly blog because I recently lost my father-in-law.  He was a kind and gentle man who truly loved me as a daughter. Losing him reinforced to me that the time we have here is precious. I am a big believer (and you have read it before in my blogs) that spending time with a person, getting involved and making time to understand what is going on in his/her life is priceless.

Building relationships are essential in both our personal and professional lives.  It’s my opinion that we are not here just to take and consume but to give and contribute too. This idea comes from the fact that many of our life values are what we use as our platform in how we operate in business.  Who you are to clients, colleagues, business associates matter.  There will always be a client that might not be happy with you; or a colleague/business associate that doesn’t necessarily like you.  But ultimately, there should never be a question of what your values are, what you stand for, and what your integrity represents.  In many instances, clients, business associates and colleagues who hold those same values dear essentially become life - long friends; so, in honor of my father in law I would like to share some of his wisdom he unassumingly used in building relationships.  My father-in-law was:

  • Interested in everything we did and took it to the next level by getting engaged and encouraging us.  He always made us feel good about whatever we were doing.  Whether it was reading my blogs, commenting on wild life photos my husband shared with him; or, helping our daughter with her math problems.  He was interested and his actions showed that it was genuine.
  • Patient and slow to respond because he sized up the situation before he commented or gave advice.  Some would call this laid-back; but, I always felt like it was a virtue that balanced easy-going with being smart and in-tune to how to respond.  This really showed genuine emotional intelligence.
  • Kind and it’s true that kindness goes a long way.  I never heard my father-in-law utter a negative comment about anybody, thing or situation.  He was always kind.  A lot of people might associate kindness with weakness.  By showing universal kindness despite the situation is truly a sign of strength.  It takes an enormous amount of discipline to achieve kindness all of the time.

All of the above are great life lessons for me to strive to excel in both my personal life and my business dealings.  Each proposes my own unique challenges to overcome.  I will continue to try accomplish each.  Because, I know our time here is limited; and, that each special relationship is priceless.

 

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and Founder of the eRetailer Summit. Sonya has extensive experience in creating original innovative solutions to overcome major business challenges.  Sonya has spent most of her career visiting headquarters across global industries and has built strong business relationships across diverse brands. 

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Fairfield County Connecticut.

What's your brand say about you?

Whether we believe it or not, we are our brand.

I beg you to please remember that when you’re playing, scrolling or working in the social media world.

Our social media accounts (whether personal or professional) offer a binocular view of how our own world turns. We allow all those interested front row seats and the ability to tune in on their terms (when and where they choose). Our followers can keep tabs of what we are going, why we are doing it and where we are doing it. We take them along for the entire journey even well after we have arrived at our final destination. There is no aspect of our lives that seems private. And, we are open; and, more than willing to share everything. (And in some cases I mean everything).

As a suspicious brand marketer, I have always recommended a sense of formality when sharing information on and through the internet. It might be considered old-fashion, but using basic etiquette, convention and customs when communicating helps us protect our brand. A formality that leaves no regrets and pushes us to operate essentially as an ambassador of our own personal brand should be observed. Operating like this helps to protect and uphold the integrity of our brand. It gives us the best opportunity to build our brand through followers who are relevant and meaningful to our brand's long-term success and growth.

So, with that in mind be deliberate and smart when networking and sharing through online platforms. Here are some specific suggested do’s and don’ts:

  • Do go ahead and show the adventurous side through your world travel. It shows that your brand is pursuing interests, having fun and taking risks. All positive traits!
  • Don't post anything that you would be embarrassed to show your parents or an Auntie. Because, most likely, that job interviewer or new connection won't think highly of it either. 
  • Do share just enough to leave a little bit of curiosity. The mystery of "I want to learn more about this person" should prevail.
  • Do share information where your friends, family and followers will beam with pride regarding your “share”. 
  • Don't think too hard or long about whether or not it's an appropriate post. If you have to then there's your answer. Don’t post it!

but…

  • Do at least think about it and make a deliberate decision that it's a smart post or not;

Make sure we're always crafting the right image. Because, whether you believe it or not every post we make reflects our brand.

 

Sonya Ruff Jarvis, is the Managing Member of Jarvis Consultants and Founder of the eRetailer Summit. Sonya has extensive experience in creating original innovative solutions to overcome major business challenges.  Sonya has spent most of her career visiting headquarters across global industries and has built strong business relationships across diverse brands. 

Sonya has a M.B.A. in Marketing. She is married and has a daughter and they live in Fairfield County Connecticut.