“It’s to bury my mother,” she replied.

Oh. I see.

She taught me a lesson I’ve never forgotten: my most difficult customer was probably having a difficult day before they ever walked into my store. Whatever has made them irate, irrational, insistent or just plain ugly is rarely about me, it’s always about them. There’s always a back-story, its chapters written long before our climactic encounter.

Take the case of Thomas Gunn, a 76-year old Chattanooga man who held two furniture delivery men hostage at gunpoint last weekend. I’m sure there’s more to his story than a simple mattress sale gone wrong. I’d be willing to bet his entire life had gone wrong in the days before he was charged with aggravated assault, kidnapping and carrying an unlawful weapon “over his furniture order being incomplete.”

My sympathy goes to the two men who were forced to drive back to the furniture store at gunpoint to speak to the manager about Mr. Gunn’s order. But when I’m faced with a difficult customer, a snippy salesperson or even a cranky relative, I try to remember the little old lady who needed a pink blouse to bury her mother.

Sometimes Ms. Jones’ problems are not your own.

The “Word of the Week” is written by Amy Lively of The Lively Merchant, R&A’s partner in providing these thought-provoking weekly witticisms.

Wikipedia says a headwind reduces an object’s speed and increase the time required to reach its destination. Don’t I know it! The headwind slowed me down when I was already tired. I debated whether to call my mother or my husband to pick me up. Mom would be sympathetic but she didn’t have a bike rack. I’d never hear the end of it from David (he rides the trail in half the time it takes me).

Are you battling a headwind? Some days, even if you’re on the right path and doing the right thing, life feels like swimming upstream. What’s slowing you down? Chances are, you can’t change it any more than I could change the wind. Are you going to push against it or give up? Ironically, a headwind is favorable in takeoffs and landings. Sometimes an opposing force is just what we need to force us to change direction.

Who do you call when the winds blows? There’s a time for sympathy, and there’s a time for unyielding “you can do it” motivation from people who have been there, done that and kicked butt along the way. Choose your confidants carefully, and weigh your words when someone comes in the middle of their storm.

Despite splashing through a fresh puddle of dog pee on the trail, I made it home. Exhausted, but stronger. And ready to do it again tomorrow.

The “Word of the Week” is written by Amy Lively of The Lively Merchant, R&A’s partner in providing these thought-provoking weekly witticisms.

Having a website that is dynamic, search engine optimized and has layers upon layers of content is not going to drive in business alone.  However, having multiple followers on your Twitter, hundreds of fans and mentions on your Facebook and ping backs on your blog post do not line people up to buy your product and services either.

When I was giving the keynote address at the “Unfinished Furniture Association” annual trade show on July 11th I spoke about the topic “New Economy.  Same Hard Work“.  In this presentation, I touched on how traditional and web based mediums are not counter culture to each other but work together to achieve marketing success.

In this new economy.  There are no quick fixes.

No longer can any one advertisement be thrown out and bring instant results.  The consumer just doesn’t buy on a whim anymore.  Why would she buy off of one advertisement?

There are three questions that are essential when assessing your current media mix and advertising planning:

1. Does your strategic plan focus on marketing? Marketing and advertising are two separate ways of communicating.  Marketing focuses on OFFERING SOLUTIONS to the customer.  Advertising focuses on SELLING SOLUTIONS to the customer.  Today’s economy requires marketing to the consumer—not advertising to her.
2. Does your media mix include digital and traditional medias? Digital medias are rapidly growing and creating more return on investment every single day but it is not an absolute solution.  Traditional medias are dieing and are not nearly as effective as they have been or ever will be again but they are not dead either.  With a strategic plan that focuses on marketing in place your media mix will have to include all the ways that your customer can find out about you that accomplishes the best bang for your buck.  One medium and one direction does not bring results—it brings headaches.
3. Do you have someone helping you out? Retailers are doing too much in their stores today and now combining these digital and traditional mediums together is going to create even more tasks to implement.  It’s time to let someone through the door who is going to help take you where you want to go.  With a strategic plan that focuses on marketing and a media mix that includes digital and traditional mediums the time you are going to have to work on marketing planning and execution is going to dwindle because there will be traffic in your store.  Finding someone internally at the store or hiring outside services will allow you to do what you do best—sell furniture and loads of it.

A key thought process to ditch while these strategic processes are implemented is that success will not come over night.  Hitting the panic button and abandoning ship will lead to consumer confusion about who you are and will make it that much harder to make the transition again.

Which fad are we as an industry going to hold onto?

Exclusive medias separate from one another? Or, maybe we can find a way to make it all work together to get us the best results possible?

I’m clueless about cuteness, as said daughter frequently points out. “People just don’t wear things like that anymore, Mom,” she explains. I’m slowly catching on. Sometimes all it takes to send me back to the closet is her not-so-subtle eye roll or exasperated sigh. (Other times, I wear unapproved goods just to tick her off!)

I am never going to have the flair of a teenage fashionista. And you know what? That’s okay. Unless, of course, it’s my job to make teenagers buy fashion… then I need all the help I can get.

What do you do when you need a clue about Ms. Jones’ heart, mind and soul? Who’s your advisor about her lifestyle, her passion, what she loves, what she hates, what makes her buy, what makes her cringe? We’d be remiss not to mention Meet Ms. Jones™ demographic studies and customer personas, but you don’t have to spend a cent to get a glimpse into Ms. Jones’ world.

Start by taking your team on a field trip to your local bookstore. Ask for the 15 top selling magazines. As you flip through the glossy pages, make note of the topics in the cover articles, the predominant colors, the angle of photography, advertising layouts, fonts and decorative elements, language and idioms.

Now watch television. Google the top shows, and set your DVR or rent an entire season on DVD. How do the characters talk? What do their homes look like? What do they wear? Who’s advertising during prime time? What do they talk about? Take advantage of the millions of dollars and mindboggling research that’s already being spent to woo Ms. Jones.

Unlike wearing my favorite t-shirt to the grocery store in spite of daughter’s scorn, Ms. Jones won’t excuse your faux pas—fashion or otherwise.

The “Word of the Week” is written by Amy Lively of The Lively Merchant, R&A’s partner in providing these thought-provoking weekly witticisms.

The first store was flanked by two salespeople standing behind a sofa at the front door. “Hello,” they said in unison, then continued their personal conversation. We asked for their teen catalog and looped through the store.

The second store was so cavernous and bare we thought they were closed for remodeling. The pale, wispy salesperson startled us as she whispered, “Hello,” from behind a catalog rack. We marveled at $1,600 lamps that took up half a room and quickly left, our voices echoing off the gray walls.

The third store was a mass of color and creative ideas. We took off our flip-flops to bury our feet in thick shag rugs as our daughter choose this and this and that to go in the someday home of her own. Two salespeople left a pile of fluffed pillows and straightened shelves in their wake. They may have said, “Hello,” over their shoulder as they whisked past.

Little did they know this 80-pound teenager was packing a couple hundred bucks she had saved to redecorate her bedroom. We were prime for their products, but we never made it past, “Hello.” The limited vocabulary of the short-sighted salespeople missed a probable sale and ruined a potential lifetime client—not to mention her mother’s business.

There’s nothing wrong with “Hello.” It’s a great first line. What’s your second favorite line? And your third? How long can you talk to Ms. Jones before you blurt out something about product, price or promotion? How do you start a conversation with Ms. Jones that’s all about her and nothing about you? Do you talk about the weather, the local hockey team, her hat, her kids, her running shoes/golf shoes/cute shoes, etc.?

Before you know it, she’ll tell you how you can help her before you even have a chance to ask.

The “Word of the Week” is written by Amy Lively of The Lively Merchant, R&A’s partner in providing these thought-provoking weekly witticisms.

There was no way I was going to make it. My flight landed at 8:24 am. The conference started at 9:00 am—but Mapquest said it was 29 minutes, 20.2 miles away. Dozens of passengers departed before me and we made our way to baggage claim. I used the restroom and returned to the carousel to find my hot pink suitcase sitting all by its lonesome by the belt… no other bags in sight. The bag and I headed to the curb to hail a cab, where cab driver Damona Szada whisked me off to the hotel with a minute to spare: we arrived at 8:59.

Serendipity! We were at the right place at the right time.

The next morning, I prayed that God would help me meet a particular woman. “Lord, I need Jeannie Burlowski. Please send her my way!” A few hours later, I was at the wrong place at the wrong time: instead of being seated in a classroom, I was wandering by the elevators. I heard Jeannie’s distinctive voice coming around the corner, “I wondered why it was taking me so long to get down to breakfast,” she said. “Maybe God’s got someone for me to meet!”

Serendipity!

You might believe in coincidences, you might believe in God-incidents. Regardless, can you recall a serendipitous moment, an accidental event that turned the tide? Did you feel that the eyes that made the universe were glancing your way?

Do you look for the opportunity to be someone else’s good luck charm? Letting someone cut in front of you at the intersection. Opening a door. Offering a job. A price adjustment. An early delivery.

We may never know how our actions impact the lives of others, including Ms. Jones. But I agree with Sir William Temple, who said, ““When I pray, coincidences happen, and when I don’t, they don’t.”

I felt punished before I even walked in the door.

Can you picture the corporate level meetings, customer complaints and employee grumbling that led to this policy? I can even understand that it’s necessary to clear up confusion and preempt complaints. But what I don’t understand is why they didn’t find a better way to say it.

How about, “Belly up to the Beverage Bar for just $1.99!” OK, maybe that line needs some work—but you get the idea. State the positive instead of the negative, and your customer will feel like they’re getting a benefit instead of a spanking.

What are your “No’s”? We’ve all got ‘em: No sales without a deposit. No returns. No smoking.
•  Your new furniture will be ordered upon receipt of your deposit.
•  Your order is custom made just for you! Please double check for accuracy as this is a final sale.
•  A smoking patio is provided in the rear of the parking lot.

Parents of toddlers will tell you, saying “No” all day is exhausting. No, you can’t put Cheerios in the toilet. No, you can’t lick the dog.

No, you can’t tell Ms. Jones “No.”

The “Word of the Week” is written by Amy Lively of The Lively Merchant, R&A’s partner in providing these thought-provoking weekly witticisms.

A round of handshakes and hugs at church is one way to spread joy and germs. Turns out you’re also at risk in the local mall, but not from germs. Touching merchandise puts you at risk for buying it, according to a recent article in Woman’s Day. “Research shows that if you touch something, you’re more likely to buy it. That’s why products like stuffed animals and candy are placed within easy reach of children at the grocery checkout, and soft blankets or cozy sweaters are positioned strategically on low tables at a store’s entrance.” The article advised shoppers to avoid touching merchandise, even to look at the price tag, unless they planned to buy it.

As a regular Ms. Jones who’s done my fair share of shopping, I get the point. I touched dozens of items during a recent trip to an antique mall, from soft and faded linens to shiny glassware (I somehow managed to restrain my buying impulses). But as a Ms. Jones who spends a lot of time figuring out how to make other Ms. Jones buy more stuff, I also see how retailers can use this tactile tactic to our advantage.

How can you encourage Ms. Jones to get up close and personal with your merchandise? Watch as she fondles the fabric, strokes the grain, grasps the handle, sinks into a sofa, or caresses a chair. Watch her eyebrows. Do they go up in surprise, or do they scrunch in disgust? Pay attention to her reaction as she touches your product and experiences it with all her senses.

With any luck, Ms. Jones will make a public display of affection by handing over her wallet.

The “Word of the Week” is written by Amy Lively of The Lively Merchant, R&A’s partner in providing these thought-provoking weekly witticisms.

Robert Frost may like the road less traveled, but Ms. Jones usually takes the path of least resistance. Like my meandering trail around the park, she usually goes where you direct her. Take a fresh look at Ms. Jones’ path through your store.

Before she even opens the door she’s already perused your window displays that set the tone for her entire visit. Are your windows fresh? Clean? Well lit? Seasonal?

Once inside, Ms. Jones stops, takes off her sunglasses, adjusts her purse, and looks around. Do you have something pretty for her to see? What does it smell like? Are there welcoming signs or lurking salespeople?

The first item on Ms. Jones’ right is where she’ll form her impression of your pricing. What’s there right now? Does it represent your high end or your low end price range? Ideally, this should be an attractive, affordable display.

There’s a huge likelihood Ms. Jones is going to turn right with she walks in the door. (It might be fun to take a little survey in your store: How many customers turn right at each intersection?) What’s on your right wall? This is your most valuable real estate, where Ms. Jones will spend most of her time. Beyond this area, often called the “strike zone,” she’ll follow your carpeted path past all the add-on merchandise so carefully chosen at the last market until she arrives at your best-selling, high-demand categories which you’ve inconveniently located in the in the back of the store. She finally arrives at the wrap desk, also surrounded by impulse items, strategically placed on the left side of the store where you can see the entire sales floor.

With each new shipment or in-stock sale the path can be shifted a little bit this way or nudged that way… until one day you look up and realize that your original brilliant design is a tangled web of obstacles and obstructions. There’s an art and a science to creating a drive-aisle in your store that drives Ms. Jones to your desired destination.

Can she get from here to there?

The “Word of the Week” is written by Amy Lively of The Lively Merchant, R&A’s partner in providing these thought-provoking weekly witticisms.