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Local Christian Bookstore versus Local Church Bookstore

As I was wrapping up a conference in Buenos Aires I did as I normally do and just walk around to the different lunch tables and thank everyone for all they are doing in their region or country. It is usually a time where we try and out complement each other with words of gratitude for the other. 9 of the tables this was the case. Then I got to my 10^th table.

I was quickly asked to sit down and to be the definitive answer on (in their words) “why the Local Church Bookstores where unfairly practicing a trade and where undermining the Local Christian Bookstore.” OK, hornets’ nest, not a topic that usually ends with happy people on both sides. So I took a look around the table and saw that it was 3 Christian Bookstores versus 1 Church Bookstore. The three were convinced that the 1 was taking away customers from their stores and had hugely unfair advantages such as rent, salaries and utilities that were all covered by the church.

So I was told- “what should we do about them?”

And after a thoughtful deep breath, here is what I answered.

What is the role of the salesperson in the near future and long term?

Several months ago a member of our sales team asked me about the future and how it related to him as a sales person. It was a very good question and one that, if you are in sales, (remember—we are all in sales) you should pay attention to. The issue at hand- electronic downloads of both audio and video content from our authors as well as the next phase, which is well underway, digital downloads of the written product via Kindle and PDF’s.

 

If you have been anywhere but under a rock, these were some of the same issues that heavily affected the structures of the music industry, forever erasing the lines of ownership and distribution. I have included the three questions asked- but save your time- jump to the third question- that is the key question.

 

• 1.    In the Thomas Nelson website (our corporate site) we are selling downloads but are we the ones getting the sales, (meaning Thomas Nelson) or is it any other company? 

[>>>LAD]       We are as Thomas Nelson though our internet channel, they are also available through Audible, iTunes, i-amplify and many others.

 

• 2.    If our distributors would like to develop the idea in their own website, can we help with the technology to do it? If not how can it be done? Will we sell the license so they can have the product to be download by their customers?

[>>>LAD]     We already have developed the technology for them. And they can start selling tomorrow / actually today. Note that I am testing it on my blog. I simply followed the quick and easy steps – though I am doing mine as a freebie only directing everything to TN. But they can fill out the form and get a certain share of the sale. We hold the server. Check out the upper right column of my blog to see example. But we will not create new technology for them- they just need to become an affiliate (no, they don’t get a normal discount – it will be much less - but no inventory at all J) and copy and paste into their site- they can literally be up and running today.

 

• 3.    This question came to mind as I was doing these questions. How do you think this initiative will affect our roles as sales people in the near future and in long term?

[>>>LAD]      First of all “Near Future and Long Term” let me just say in the future. We are changing to quickly right now to differentiate much past 18 months. For right now- sell, sell, sell! But shortly - In the future we (as sales) will need to become providers of content for different vertical groups. You MUST become an expert in an area. That is to say- how do I begin to understand all the needs of specific groups of consumers, and how do I get them connected to my author’s content. Example: Leadership Books – driving down to business groups , Small Business Associations, entrepreneurs, managers, and many more… how do we reach them and make them fans of Maxwell and business content. Could we see a day shortly where they eventually sign up to be “mentored” by Maxwell daily with our content? Right now we are Horizontal as a publisher and even more so as an industry. We sell a wide variety and it is displayed widely in a bookstore waiting passively for people to come in and browse- scan the horizon. We must become Vertical – that is we must know:

1) who is our authors core customer base, we must know

2) how they want it delivered to them, we must know

3) when they want the product delivered to them,  and finally

4) at what price they want the content delivered to them.

This may be 5 years off- or it may be 18 months off. These are exactly the questions that the “digiready©” team at Thomas Nelson is tackling right now.

The most important phrase in all of customer service.

As I continue reading WOW: Deja al cliente boquiabierto con un servicio fuera de serie – I am struck by the chapter that focuses just on saying thank you. This is such a very important phrase that we often take for granted. No matter the country, the culture, or the language; a simple “thank you”, “gracias”, “obrigado”, “danke”, “merci”, “na som”,  “grazie”, “arigato”, “tack”, or “cheers”, it is a powerful connector that we have often overlooked.

Here is a reminder of several opportunities you have to say a simple heartfelt “thank you” to your customers.

• When they buy from you
• When they compliment your company
• When they offer comments
• When they try a new product
• When they recommend you
• When they are patient, and when they are not
• When they help you serve them better
• When they complain
• When they make you smile

And here are 5 often overlooked “thank you’s” within the company:

• Your co-workers
• Your boss
• The other departments you work with
• Your vendors
• Yourself- yes you- you do a great job, thank yourself.

And just a quick additional tip I learned from what I read and am working to put into practice: The most effective “thank you’s” are the ones that are:

• Immediate
• Specific
• Sincere
• Special

Who do you need to say thank you to today?

Six quick tips for creating trust with your customers.

Customer trust grows slowly and develops over time. Conversely, trust can be smashed in a single thoughtless moment or action. The truth is; customers actually grow in trust through perceived fairness.

Here are a few tips from a book on customer service that I am reading now called WOW: Deja al cliente boquiabierto con un servicio fuera de serio. These tips will help us understand their view of trust and fairness, and then how we can act to grow such trust.

How does the customer interpret fairness?

• When they feel listened to and respected.
• When the transactions with you are painless.
• When you keep your promises or over deliver.
• When you treat them ethically.
• When you acknowledge their uniqueness.
• When you put their interests before those of the business.

What are some practical actions you can take to build trust?

• Frequent communication with the customer.
• Be truthful.
• Be open to hear them.
• Be warm and genuine.
• Be confident, not arrogant, but confident.
• Keep your promises, even if it hurts.

Try these actions, and let me know how your customers react to the new you.

Change is the only constant.

It has been stated thousands of times before – “Change is the only constant.” Change is all around us, and ever happening with or without us. Change knows no political, social, language, or economic boundaries. Change doesn’t care about your calendar or even what public opinion states. Change wears no watch, carries no baggage, and claims no special office. Change is neither good nor bad, neither right nor wrong, change just.

In today’s business climate and in our industry especially, change is no stranger.  But what has become increasingly obvious is the speed with which change is now occurring. I won’t take you all the way back to the Gutenberg or the rotary press, but if you even think about the last 10 years and the changes we have all lived through, you really start to smile and even chuckle a bit. Though I must say as a complete aside- the coffee on American Airlines still has not changed. In fact I think they still use the same old stale coffee grounds. But almost everything else has. Think about the way we communicate for instance. We have gone from the written letter in the mail, to the non reliable fax, to the e-mail. Does anyone remember how we used to all get off the plane and rush to the line of telephones to call back to the office to check if everything was under control?

Well get ready folks, I believe in our industry we are going to see drastic change in the next few years. Actually some of these changes are already happening and you may or may not even be aware.

1)      Marketing is an area we all recognize is changing. Already we are seeing the drastic reduction of print magazines. One after another are shutting their doors. A few are attempting to make the move to digital, but some are late in doing so and may not have the revenue stream to support themselves as before. But this is only a symptom of the underlying change. Marketing is going vertical now, allowing you to reach specific core audiences instantly with measured results through social mediums. “Triangulated marketing” will become the course of action. Yes I just coined that phrase J. Triangulated marketing (think GPS tracking of your customer) will consist of social media that composes listening, speaking, and core community stations and platforms.

2)      Publishing formats are changing.

a.       The digital world of downloads and readers is a whole area that others who are much smarter than I are already covering. Plus in the time that I took to write this blog a dozen new digital issues where revealed.

b.      Just know this- we are no longer publishers of books- rather we are content providers. If you can remember that you will be ok through this change.

3)      Traditional Author, Publisher, Distributor, Retailer definitions are changing. Without going into the area of self publishing / self distribution, which is the best option for many authors, I believe that we will begin to see the traditional model of Publisher selling to distributors and or booksellers lines that have been in place for decades begin to blur. I saw in Sao Paulo bookstore that had as its name that of the publisher big and bold and then underneath in smaller letters the phrase “operated by (name of the traditional bookstore). Here you found every single title of the Publisher whether it be front list, back list, or even remainder. Let’s give it a US look for the example: Harper Collins Bookstore… operated by Barnes and Noble. You wanted shelf space- you got it buddy. Wouldn’t that rock some people’s worlds? But I think it will go so much deeper than that.

So it matters less whether you believe, or even like the changes that you see coming. What matters is how you and your team are adapting to them. And think of it this way- If nothing ever changed in your business, would your business need you?

Inventory, finances, and the cost of opportunity… Part 4

Let me introduce you to Roberto Rivas. Roberto is one of the smartest people I know when it comes to knowing the market and understanding distribution. Roberto is our Director of Sales for the general markets in Latin America and Spain. Let’s listen in as he talks to us…

 

Inventories. What to carry and how many to carry? The answer to these two questions is always our worry as publishers and the worry of our customers and distributors with regard to their clients.

 

In this equation, I would like to incorporate a third element: opportunity, or the opportunity cost. This is a concept that we are normally taught in economics in business school.

Sales - when you believe in what you are selling.

You are part of the sales team. It really doesn’t matter where you are in your organizations chart, you are still in sales. That means that if your job is to sweep the floors, or to pay the bills, or even to work the cash register your principle job is to sell.� And guess what. You don’t just sell on Wednesdays and Fridays or between 2 and 4 o’clock in the afternoon. You are in sales 7 days a week, 24 hours a day. So what are we selling? Perhaps you are selling a product, a concept, a project, a service, or your ability to accomplish. Bottom line though is that to be successful in making the sale, you must believe in what you are selling.

The following video is a classic when we talk about sales and believing in what you are selling.

Circling at 25,000 feet above New York

I am now into the 30^th minute of my flight circling around JFK airport in NY. The last time through here I promised myself I would never return to JFK, but I don’t hold all the power or set the airline flight routes. Now that would be nice…be in control of your own flight routes and flight times. Imagine, flying directly from the municipal airport 10 minutes from my home to anywhere in the world. I guess that already does exist and it’s called owning your own Lear Jet. I just can’t afford it.

What is it though that just makes you not want to return to a certain place? We all have them, these places where you just get a funny feeling in your stomach when people mention it, or you suddenly find yourself face to face with it once again. For some of us it may be a memory of someone saying something or doing something to us. Perhaps an unhappy event took place there and the memory is just too strong. Maybe it didn’t even happen to us, but we were told about it by someone else, and their story absolutely is imbedded in our minds.

We have a winner!

We have a winner! Just a quick note to let you know that we have closed the entries for the “Extreme Store Makeover” and that we have selected a winner. I want to thank so many of you for having shared your pictures and dreams with us for your store. We are humbled and wish we could invest in every one of you with the prize monies. There truly is much to do yet.

The winner will be announced next week during our bookseller’s conference in Miami.

Change the question and increase your sales.

During Colime Mexico Louis Barajas shared with us a story during his presentation about how a simple question helped The Gap clothing stores increase their sales on the retail floor by 25%. The Gap realized that the key lead in question they were asking customers was absolutely a dead question, so they changed it to begin a dialogue. Here is what it used to look like for them, and as you will see, I am probably sure for you as well.

1)      Customer enters the store.

2)      Customer looks around and gets the once over deciding to go further in or turn around.

3)      Bubbly sales clerk with all her customer service training bounces up and says in her perky little voice “Welcome, can I help you with anything?”

4)      Customer invariably answers “No thank you, I’m just looking.”

5)      Game over.

The scene above could be played out across any retail outlet in any country or in any language. I have gotten so good at the interaction that I can even interject and make my “No thank you, I’m just looking“ before sales clerk # 143 even finishes saying “Welcome”. I am that good. You have lived this form both sides. It just doesn’t work.

But, what if we changed the question? So, let’s rewind the above scene and adjust the lead question just a bit.

1)      Customer enters the store.

2)      Customer looks around and gets the once over deciding to go further in or to turn around.

3)      Here she comes again, Bubbly sales clerk and her perky little voice says “Welcome, is this your first time with us in our store?”

4)      Customer realizes his ready answer suddenly doesn’t work. He now has a choice. “Yes, this is my first time” or “No, I’ve been here before”.

5)      Game on.

If the customer answers “yes, this is my first time”, then the clerk answers “Great, let me tell you quickly how our store is laid out. Over here we have… and there we  have our new releases”.

If the customer answers “no, I have been here before”, then the clerk says “great, welcome back, and by the way, we just got in a shipment of new releases that I am real excited about”.

Dialogue open and perky clerk gets a commission. Put it to the test.