Corrections or additions?
This article was prepared for the July 25, 2001 edition of U.S. 1
Newspaper. All rights reserved.
Hope for Mom & Pops
d>Jon Schallert, a business consultant specializing
in advice for retailers, says most retail businesses that fail would
not have to close if they had adapted to easily recognizable
marketplace
changes and focused on becoming consumer destinations. Schallert
speaks
on “Creating a Destination Business,” on Wednesday, July 25,
at 6 p.m., and on “If They Stop Here Once, I’ll Sell Them
Year-round,”
on Friday, July 27, at 11:30 a.m. Both free talks take place at Thomas
Edison State College. Call 609-393-8998.
Schallert, a graduate of the University of Colorado, has been a
teacher
(English and drama), a detailer, selling gift items to store owners,
the owner of a direct mail newspaper, and a marketer with Hallmark
Cards. He left Hallmark when he was offered a transfer from his home
in Florida to New York City, and started Schallert & Associates in
Sorrento, Florida.
In an article on his website (www.retail.USA.com), Schallert offers
this advice to retailers concerned about keeping ahead of the
competition.
Look at your store from the consumer’s point of view.A positive first impression can be marred by the clutter, grungycarpet,and dusty merchandise that become invisible to an owner who sees itevery day. Other less noticeable items detract also, such as dimlightsor burned-out light bulbs, paint colors that don’t match, and multipleflyers and signs in the windows. Bring in an “outside pair ofeyes” to critique the business and then follow through with thechanges.Become an expert in a profitable niche. Make sure thatat least some items in your store have above average mark-ups of five,10, or 15 times cost. Often this means searching for a special nichecategory and finding suppliers who are just starting out.Make an emotional impact on your shoppers. Most storesand their employees focus on customer transactions, not appealingto shoppers’ feelings. That’s the wrong attitude. Owners must workto make their stores radiate joy, excitement, or some other powerfulemotion. For a shopper today to put up with any inconvenience, theymust love the store they shop.Adapt to changing market conditions. Independent bookstore owners who sit still while Barnes & Noble and Borders movenearbywon’t survive long; they must give book buyers a reason to seek themout. A store might expand its selection of mysteries, solicit authorsfor book signings, and offer personalized gift service that allowscustomers to send attractive, gift-wrapped packages of carefullyselectedmysteries and related items.Don’t try to do it all yourself. Put together a networkof people who can provide technical expertise and specialized advice.”Most retailers become successful by being independent and relyingon themselves. This is often the same trait that keeps a retailerfrom growing his business to new heights.”Follow this advice, Schallert says, and it might just bepossibleto keep moving ahead against the behemoth retailers. “It’s anoversimplification,” he says, “to say that all small Mom andPop businesses are doomed because of superstores, or because of aproliferation of malls throughout the country.Next StoryCorrections or additions?This page is published by PrincetonInfo.com— the web site for U.S. 1 Newspaper in Princeton, New Jersey.
