When I first started in the café industry with Borders my customers would say things like “your drinks taste better than so and so’s” or “I like it when you are here because you make my drinks right!” This used to be a badge of honor but as I grew and learned more I realized it wasn’t. In fact it was an indictment on our whole operation.
As leaders we can be so focused on landing the “big” account, that 10 small ones pass us by. We can be so focused on saving the world that we bypass our children. We can become so obsessed with hitting the home run that we fail to focus on the fundamentals…
Great leaders share many of the same characteristics. You’ve read them or heard them before. Hopefully, a leader you follow shares them, and you probably share many, if not all of them, as well. Leaders are great communicators, trustworthy, influential, decision-makers, loyal, technically proficient, confident, and on and on. Based on lists like this, one [ Read More ]
As we wrap up the year I want to share three tips to help finish the year moving forward. 1. Celebrate your successes This year has been a mixed bag for many stores. Church stores have definitely been impacted, however, we can find something to celebrate. Whether it’s our volunteers (who deserve to be celebrated), [ Read More ]
Capturing basic customer information (name, address, phone number, e-mail, birth date) should be common practice in your store or shop. This is primarily because this very basic information will help you to build two key databases; direct mail and e-mail.
Over the years there have been a few books that have really shaped and impacted the way I see things. One of those books is “Raving Fans: A Revolutionary Approach to Customer Service” by Ken Blanchard. In his well known parable like form, Blanchard identifies three keys to creating a raving fans culture around what [ Read More ]
Twelve years ago, I found myself in a leadership role in my church. At the time, I was a volunteer, with the responsibility of overseeing a team of volunteers. I can tell you now that I had no idea what I was doing and to be honest there was no one coaching or guiding me in [ Read More ]
One of the things that sets a good store apart from a great store is its identity. Do you know who you are? What is your store all about and do your customers get a sense of that when they visit your store? In this big-box world of Wal-Mart, Target, Borders and Barnes & Nobles, [ Read More ]
From time to time, I find it necessary to stop, step back and consider what we are doing and where we are going. What initially prompted (forced) me to take that step back a while ago and look at things was busy-ness. I was busy about many things in the store, busy about responsibilities in [ Read More ]
When things get tough, the economy is impacting your sales, or you are limited by ministry factors in what you are able to do, the guerilla church bookstore manager knows that he or she needs to follow Guerilla Tactic #4 Get Back to Basics (you can learn tactics 1-3 by clicking here). The basics are [ Read More ]
