http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html Retail news podcast brought to you by J.D. Associates. We Know Retail. On the second Wednesday of each month, we publish the acclaimed Point of Saler e-newsletter and podcast, designed specifically for retailers to help you succeed in the competitive world of retail. Stay on top of the retail industry with the latest news, trends and innovative ideas from renowned retail experts. Business Management & Marketing en Copyright 2007 don.capman@jdapos.com (Don Capman) lynn.stanikmas@jdapos.com (Lynn Stanikmas) http://www.jdapos.com/images/jdlogo-w-retail144.gifhttp://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html Wed, 13 Jun 2007 13:20:21 GMT Wed, 13 Jun 2007 13:20:21 GMT RSS DreamFeeder v 2.0.2 Trends come and go and sometimes it’s hard to get a handle on how they apply to your business. You may feel disconnected from general market changes as you concentrate on day-to-day operations. http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/07June/article3.html Wed, 13 Jun 2007 13:19:47 GMT Steve Pruitt manual:1181740821931:9772466472097372:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html/RSS/07posaler2.xml The other day a reader unsubscribed to my newsletter because, as she put it, "We don't sell in our store so quite a bit of what you write about doesn't pertain to us." She doesn't sell? Well, if she doesn't she's not going to be in business much longer. The only way a customer can buy products from a retailer is if the store is selling those products. The fact is that we're all in sales. http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/07June/article2.html Wed, 13 Jun 2007 13:18:30 GMT Doug Fleener manual:1181740772962:6889729904859289:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html Don’t you find it refreshing when you think about something other than retail? Most of us live, eat and drink retail all the time. Yes, we love it, but, at times we can become obsessed with it. When we are obsessed with something, we can get so preoccupied that we end up shutting everything else out. Our thinking can get cloudy; we forget our priorities; relationships can suffer; and we begin to lose energy. Ever hear the statement that "all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy"? Well, not only can Jack be dull, but he can be less and less effective the more he buries himself in his business and shuts out the rest of his world. I know, you don’t have time to add anything else to your hectic schedule. But think of it this way, if you are becoming less and less effective, you must make time for something different. Volunteer work can be a great diversion. http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/07June/article1.html Wed, 13 Jun 2007 13:14:57 GMT Don Capman manual:1181740542539:7297660221135515:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html By now, most of us have probably given up on our New Year’s resolutions. I can hear it now: "I need to get out and exercise more but my one pair of jogging shorts has a hole in them." "I am going to read more but my dog ran off with my glasses."  "I am going to go on a diet as soon as the new Chinese restaurant in my neighborhood raises its prices."  "I am going to spend more time with my family, but they really stress me out". "I want to increase my business by 15% this year, but I don’t have a clue how to accomplish that."  Why do resolutions most often fail? They may be unrealistic to begin with. Setting the bar too high will only set you up to fail. Who wants to fail? http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/feb07/article1.html Mon, 12 Feb 2007 20:27:00 GMT Don Capman manual:1171313326951:5321084571542611:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html 1. Segment Customer Lists Carefully analyze past buying behavior of your customers and categorize by their buying habits. Basically you will be slicing and dicing your database list. Discounts may motivate your customers better than premiums, vice versa for others. Study your list and break it down to create special offers for different customer groups. http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/feb07/article2.html Mon, 12 Feb 2007 20:26:00 GMT Debbie Allen, All Rights Reserved manual:1171313917920:3685657799304699:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html Mander, Inc. dba J. D. Associates is pleased to announce the consolidation of our offices to a much larger and completely renovated space within our current location at the Longview Corporate Center in Leominster. Our address remains 80 Erdman Way, but as of January 19th, all operations are located on the third floor, with reception in Suite 300. http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/feb07/article4.html Mon, 12 Feb 2007 20:24:00 GMT Linda Donaldson manual:1171314056126:29642314998164350:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html 1. It is okay to admit to your customer that you made a mistake. We all make mistakes. Most of us hate to admit that fact to customers. Maybe we said we would ship something out and we didn’t, or said something about a product to only discover we were mistaken. Customers will almost always forgive you for a mistake if you own up to it. They’ll rarely forgive you if you don’t admit to an error or try to cover it up. http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/feb07/article3.html Mon, 12 Feb 2007 20:25:00 GMT Doug Fleener manual:1171314017634:15503464041197000:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html Yesterday I was talking with a store manager who told me that she feels like her staff is just tuning her out. Her exact words were “sometimes I feel like I’m talking to the door.” I assured her that she’s by no means the only manager who has ever felt that way; it can happen to the best of us. I shared with her the good news and the bad news, which in both cases is that the problem isn’t with the staff but with her. That’s good news because it’s something you can easily fix yourself. It’s bad news because it would make us feel better if it were a staff issue. There are a few reasons the staff tunes us out: http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/mar07/article3.html Mon, 12 Mar 2007 20:46:37 GMT Doug Fleener manual:1173732455621:7928455518625042:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html Daylight Saving Time (DST) is a system of handling the changing amounts of daylight throughout the year. According to the Energy Policy Act of 2005, the DST will be extending by approximately four weeks beginning in 2007. DST will start three weeks earlier (2:00 A.M. on the second Sunday of March) and will end one week later (2:00 A.M. on the first Sunday of November) than what had traditionally occurred. In 2007, the start and stop dates will be March 11 and November 4, respectively. The Daylight Saving Time modification will impact organizations in the United States, Canada and possibly those with customers, partners or operations within North America. http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/mar07/article2.html Mon, 12 Mar 2007 20:45:04 GMT Jaime Gray manual:1173732314485:26955481595568676:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html Does anybody out there remember Emily Post? I do. Oops, I guess that says something about my age. C’est la vie. Emily Post lived from 1872 until 1960 and wrote a book and a syndicated column on etiquette. In short, etiquette is a set of rules about how we should behave in a civilized society. While I don’t intend to make this article a commentary on the death of etiquette in our society, I do believe that, in many ways, we are in a sharp state of decline from a kinder and gentler place. There are many ways to communicate. Most commonly, we communicate verbally. http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/mar07/article1.html Mon, 12 Mar 2007 20:43:08 GMT Don Capman manual:1173732209845:809981880948456:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html As a retailer, what do you think about when you hear “CUSTOMER LOYALTY”? It’s certainly the latest buzz in specialty retailing. But it really started to gain momentum in the early ‘90’s. When most of us think about customer loyalty, we think about how we can create a loyal customer base that will continue to shop in our stores with increased regularity and respond to our “customer incentive programs”. In this article, I propose that we look at a fundamentally different approach to customer loyalty. Rather than ask how loyal your customers are to your store, ask how loyal you are to your customers. http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/apr07/article1.html Wed, 11 Apr 2007 04:52:15 GMT Don Capman manual:1179151040149:8831746676701782:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html Are your customers loyal to you? Here’s how to insure they will return again & again & tell others about you! How would you feel if you could build a one to one relationship with each and every customer to the point where they then become an advocate for your business? Actually, if you have a database marketing list of your customers, you’re already on the way to building one to one relationships...here’s how: Secret #1: Get to Know Your Customers Small Businesses today are finding that in order to survive super discount competitors and huge conglomerate advertising blitzes they must go back to the relationship building of the good old days. In cities and towns of yesteryear, the shopkeeper knew his customers by name and the type of merchandise they needed and made certain he had it in stock. This kind of relationship coupled with personalized customer service and a genuine empathy with customers, is what keeps them coming back to you instead of your competitors. http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/apr07/article2.html Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:02:05 GMT Allan J. Katz, The Loyalty Coach manual:1179151371271:0:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html For more than a decade I have had the opportunity to interact with thousands of salespeople and I have discovered a few myths that many of them have fallen prey to. Here are just a few. http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/apr07/article3.html Wed, 11 Apr 2007 14:45:36 GMT Kelley Robertson manual:1179153961943:14683322:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html I consider myself very fortunate to live in a contemporary house full of big windows in the hill-country of Central Massachusetts. Every morning I open all of the window shades and have breakfast while looking outdoors at the changing beauty of nature. My house is in a very forested area in the New England countryside surrounded by ancient stone walls. I see something new and different every day. Today it was raining but as I was looking out through my front window I thought I saw bright sunlight. Instead, it was a magnificent display of bright golden forsythias in full bloom. What a sight! I never tire of looking out of my windows because I see something new every day. Why do many people shop these stores at least once a week? It’s almost like a compulsion. Don’t you wish you could get that kind of traffic from the majority of your customers? So what’s the draw? So, you ask, what do my views have to do with retail? Have you been to a HomeGoods, T.J. Maxx or Marshalls lately? Why do many people shop these stores at least once a week? It’s almost like a compulsion. Don’t you wish you could get that kind of traffic from the majority of your customers? So what’s the draw? Yes, to some extent bargain pricing is a factor but the real draw is FRESH, QUALITY MERCHANDISE & NEW VIEWS EVERY WEEK! These stores buy brand-name closeout goods to constantly freshen their stock. You can shop these stores every week and see something different and never tire of the experience. http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/07may/article1.html Fri, 11 May 2007 15:00:00 GMT Don Capman, President manual:1179156047745:8306548328598566:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html How do you approach the merchandising of your store? What are your priorities? What is the foremost goal in your merchandising? Most merchandisers work with the right side of their brain-the artistic or creative side. They ponder shop layout, displays, staffing, stocking the right items, promotions and selling techniques. Their efforts are rewarded with complements, happy customers, happy sales people, and happy manufacturers’ reps. http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/07may/article2.html Mon, 14 May 2007 15:00:01 GMT Mort Haaz manual:1179156149469:4703739279000251:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html Maintain a positive attitude towards yourself and your work. When something goes wrong, don’t waste time complaining but work towards its correction. http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/07may/article3.html Mon, 14 May 2007 15:22:59 GMT Bob Phibbs manual:1179156223868:4270449746583921:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html Do you have a gas problem? Well, if you're a retailer, it's entirely possible that you do. The more I read, the more I see articles on how the price of a gallon of gasoline is affecting consumer spending. When we saw gas prices go through the roof over a year ago, the consumer at large thought this was a an aberration that wouldn't last. Retail spending was not drastically reduced. This time is different. Consumer confidence is down significantly and retailers are feeling the impact. http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/07July/article1.html Mon, 14 May 2007 10:00:00 GMT Don Capman, President, J.D. Associates manual:1179156223868:4270449746583923:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html If you've pre-qualified your employees before putting them on your payroll, you can avoid a lot of issues. But there are times it just doesn't work out - they become someone other than the warm, intelligent and open person you saw in the interview. Instead of making excuses, apply these ten indicators in a fair and consistent manner to see if you'd be better off without them. http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/07July/article2.html Mon, 14 May 2007 10:00:00 GMT Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor manual:1179156223868:4270449746583929:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html W'd like to inform you today of older software product versions which are no longer supported by their developers and subsequently cannot be supported by J.D. Associates. (A hard copy of this announcement was mailed in July.) You may or may not be currently using these versions. http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/07Sept/oudated_pos_software.html Wed, 12 Sep 2007 10:00:00 GMT William Deery, VP of Operations, J.D. Associates manual:1179156223868:4270449746583912:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html Are your register receipts in compliance with the law? Do you know the law? If not, it could cost you lots of money and your professional reputation. You can't afford to lose either. J.D. Associates can help you get compliant with the law. Let's start with the law: Fair and Accurate Credit Transactions Act, or FACTA, makes it illegal for a retailer to electronically print more than the last 5 digits, or a credit/debit card number in full, on the receipt. It's also against the law to print the card's expiration date on the receipt; it must be deleted. The account information must be shortened, or truncated. http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/07Sept/FACTA_fair_accurate_credit_transactions_act.html Wed, 12 Sep 2007 10:00:00 GMT J.D. Associates Support Department manual:1179156223868:4270449746583914:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html The other day while reading my NRF newsletter, I came across a quote worth sharing that was made by Arthur Glaskow, author and humorist: "One of the tests of leadership is the ability to recognize a problem before it becomes an emergency." Of course we can't anticipate everything but there are things in the retail arena that are clearly predictable yet often ignored until it's too late to do anything about them. Unfortunately, bad or inadequate planning can be very costly. So, I'll ask you a question: Have you started planning your temporary staffing for the upcoming holidays yet? If the answer is "yes", congratulations, but I fear you might be in the minority. If your answer is "no", now is the time to start the process. Considering that most retailers make 80 percent of their annual sales between the end of November and the beginning of January, poor staffing can result in substantial losses. http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/07Sept/hiring_temps_holidays.html Wed, 12 Sep 2007 10:00:00 GMT Don Capman, President, J.D. Associates manual:1179156223868:4270449746583916:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html Of all the acronyms that are tossed around in business, the USP may be the most important and least attended to. Your USP or Unique Selling Proposition is what sets you apart from your competitors and convinces people to patronize your company. A USP condenses the objective of your positioning strategy into a brief, catchy phrase. When creating your USP, use short punchy action words to tells the story of your business. Think "Just Do It," "Got Milk," and "Because you're worth it." http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/07Sept/guerrilla_marketing.html Wed, 12 Sep 2007 10:00:00 GMT Debra Kahn Schofield manual:1179156223868:4270449746583918:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html So, what's all the commotion about with credit cards and PCI DSS compliance? As a matter of fact what is PCI DSS compliance anyway and what does it have to do with me, the retailer? PCI DSS stands for Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard and, if you don't adhere to the standards, you could be subjected to fines that could very well put you out of business. Yes, no matter how large or small your business is, if you are not in compliance with these standards and your customers' credit card information is compromised, you could be on the hook in a big way. http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/07Oct/securing_customer_data.html Thu, 11 Oct 2007 10:00:00 GMT Don Capman manual:1179156223868:4270449746583919:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html One night as I was flipping channels, which is pretty much how I watch television, I stopped for a minute to watch Jeff Foxworthy do his trademark You know you’re a redneck bit. Even though we don't have a lot of rednecks here in the northeast I still find him pretty funny. Not that I equate salespeople with rednecks (except for back when I used to open outlet stores two hours from any city that served real Chinese food) but it did get me thinking about where retailers and rednecks intersect. So with apologies to Jeff Foxworthy, I present: You know you're a Clerk, Jerk, or Retail Pro when... http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/07Oct/clerks_jerks_retailpros.html Thu, 11 Oct 2007 10:00:00 GMT Doug Fleener manual:1179156223868:4270449746583920:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html This past month has been such a sad time for Southern California. The recent fires give new meaning to the word "disaster". Thousands of people have lost their homes and many had no contingency plans even though they were aware that the worst was lurking at their doorstep. One of the natural defense mechanisms of human beings is denial. Denial serves a useful purpose in that it protects us from thinking about all of the nasty circumstances that may befall us in this unpredictable and sometimes perilous world. After all, we could drive ourselves crazy if we worried about all of the possible things that could happen to us. But total denial can leave us in a real mess if and when a disaster happens. One of the California fire tragedies, which received very little press, was the number of businesses that were lost. Some of these businesses were run out of peoples’ homes and many people who escaped the flames left their entire business, including computer backups, to burn to the ground, lost forever. Some of these businesses were retail stores that also gave up their records and backups to the flames. NO RECORDS, NO INSURANCE COVERAGE. OUCH! http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/07Nov/retail_business_continuity_plan.html Wed, 14 Nov 2007 10:00:00 GMT Don Capman manual:1179156223868:4270449746583953:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html Every time you send out a newsletter, you remind people about your products and services. And if your information is useful and relevant, you'll enhance your reputation. While both paper and e-mail newsletters have their uses, e-mail newsletters are a simpler and more inexpensive way to stay in touch with your mailing list. http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/07Nov/grow_retail_business_enewsletter.html Wed, 14 Nov 2007 10:00:00 GMT Margie Zable Fisher manual:1179156223868:4270449746583922:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html This issue is dedicated to the most popular newsletter articles. http://www.jdapos.com/newsletters/07Dec/index.html Wed, 14 Nov 2007 10:00:00 GMT Don Capman manual:1179156223868:4270449746583932:http://www.jdapos.com/news/newsletter.html