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Publisher’s Note
What is the Store Owner’s Job?
To sell birding products and make a profit
BY RAY DAVID | Editor/Publisher
I had a long conversation with Terry Allen at For the Birds and our tech expert Sam Crowe early this year about how nature products retailers can grow their business in a down economy.
Everyone in retail these days is dealing with the same issues – reduced store traffic, competition from the big boxes, ever escalating costs, finding good help and a hundred other things. Such a host of problems taken together can seem intimidating, but coming up with an equal list of possible remedies can be quite heartening, especially if you can do it together with someone who knows and cares about your business. Talking about the things you can do rather that what you can’t do puts you in a positive frame of mind to begin with, and helps the ideas flow.
Rather than think about new ways to make the cash register ring, think for a minute of how your customers perceive your business. Then think of ways to strengthen your appeal to those customers. If you can create a compelling reason for them to keep coming back, the cash flow is bound to improve.
Easily said, certainly, but how do you make that happen? Well, think of yourself as a coach instead of a store owner. What would a coach do? First, educate the team, which is you and those who work with you. Then educate the fans, your customers. Your key role is to help them expand their enjoyment of birding and nature. You are the experts and you can educate, guide, facilitate, inform and challenge your customers to improve their understanding and love of nature.
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Ask questions and listen to their answers; that will give you a measure of their interest level.
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Do a survey, either in-store, through e-mail or on your web site.
• Hold workshops with guest speakers.
• Do school visits.
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Create an annual event calendar to promote a regular program of educational opportunities.
• Arrange birding trips.
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Do a tour of customers’ homes that feature successful backyard feeding stations.
• Challenge yourself to come up with more ideas you haven’t tried yet.
Before you do these things, let your local newspaper and other media know what’s coming up so they can help you increase the participation. A press release doesn’t cost you anything but can bring a huge benefit in free advertising. Don’t forget, your local media want to be the source everyone turns to, to find out what’s going on in town, and if you tell them, you’re helping them do a better job.
Also in the April issue...
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Longdown Management, Inc. • P.O. Box 1440 • Land O' Lakes, FL 34639 • (813) 995-2804
