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| Roy Prevost News - March 2011 |
Retail Today
Local communities in North America have been lamenting the demise of independent
retailers for decades and, as much as I have been attempting to defend and support a
new breed of retailers coming of age, I must admit that some days it was an uphill
battle. That is, until Marche St. George showed up and validated my opinion on the
subject. (By the way, enterprises like Marche St. George are springing up more and
more across the continent.)
My wife Sarah and I decided to pay a visit to Marche St. George for two reasons:
- To support them in their new endeavor.
- To understand how and why they embarked on this journey.
Pascal Roy and his wife, Janaki Larsen, are new-style retailers that have created
a business and a community. They purchased a 100 year old building with a
grandfathered grocery story on the main level and have turned it into a gourmet
grocery/coffee bar. They have connected with a local baker and a sausage maker
and a farm in Agassiz, BC, who supplies natural cheeses and free range eggs. They
stock preserves and canned fruit from Mission Hill Winery (who knew they make
preserves?) and jams and jellies from Wild West Coast Rainforest Preserves. They
have contracted Inner City Farms to cultivate the back yard into a garden in
exchange for fresh produce which they will sell. They also have a beehive which
produces 40 pounds of honey annually.
This is a family affair - the family lives in a suite behind the grocery area and
upstairs rooms are to be turned into a farm kitchen for cooking lessons and parties.
His sister-in-law manages the coffee machine, making exquisite lattes.
Where does the community fit in? This tiny store is filled with people from the
neighbourhood chatting over coffee and picking up fabulous products. Pascal took
us on an enthusiastic tour of the property and showed us his plans for future
development which includes a unique picnic area near the sidewalk in front of his store.
Welcome to the new breed of independent retailer who is creating community, supporting
the green movement, and getting back to locally produced food items.
Bravo!
Marche St. Georges is located at 28th and St. Georges in Vancouver, BC.
A Changing World
In the last newsletter, I sent a futurist view of commonplace services that will be
disappearing due to what I call "disruptive technologies". I received some interesting
comments and thoughts on this newsletter and I appreciate the feedback.
Today, I am sharing a video that Sony showed at their last shareholders meeting. This
video shows the world going through the exponential growth phase and speaks to our
need to be aware of the changing world order.
I personally find this very exciting and it offers huge opportunities for those with
the right attitude. By the way, I offer an inspiring keynote for any organization who
might be interested. Please feel free to have them contact me at
roy@royprevost.com.
This article was written by Roy Williams, who I consider to be an avant garde
thought leader in North America.
The Four Faces in Every Store
"You can be anything you want to be," was once the anthem of America. But we seem
to have twisted that sunlit dream into a shriveled demon that whispers, "Hurry,
hurry, hurry and you can be everything you want to be."
Too much to do, too little time. Tossed and turned by a too-much world, we're as
tired as a termite in a yo-yo. And all along, we were just trying to find our way home.
"Why am I here? What is my purpose? Who are my people? Where is my tribe?"
Branding is built on our need to belong. The majority of our decisions-to-purchase
revolve around self-definition. We buy what we buy to remind ourselves - and tell
the world around us - who we are.
And most of your customers are doing exactly the same thing. What are you doing to
brighten the mirror of who your customers believe themselves to be? Do you even know
who they believe themselves to be?
Successful Branding is to:
- Know your customer.
- Reinforce their self-image.
- Make them feel they've found "home."
Overlay Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs onto the preference profiles of the Myers-Briggs
Type Indicator and you'll soon recognize the four faces of your customers. And each
of them is looking for something different from you:
Leader
Early Adopter, wants to be first-on-the-block.
Approximately 10 percent of our population.
Show them things that "just came in." Hang a sign on every New Arrival.
Outsider
Goes his-her own way, proudly stands alone (with all the other loners).
Approximately 9 percent of our population.
Follow his/her lead. These people will strongly resist any attempt to direct them.
Analyst
Skeptic, looks for details, facts, and statistics.
Approximately 24 percent of our population.
Have credible data available for them. Answer their questions precisely as asked.
Follower
Member of the Club, wants to be part of the "In" crowd.
Approximately 57 percent of our population.
Show these people "what's hot."
NOTE: Very few people are willing to define themselves as followers, even though
they admit they're attracted to best-selling items.
Leader, Outsider, Analyst, Follower: every business attracts these four faces.
Your business category likely has other, more specific customer personas that
are unique to it. And each of these comes to you for different reasons and
with different expectations.
Do you keep your customer personas clearly in mind when creating your ads?
Are you prepared to sell each of these customers "their way?" Have you trained
your staff how to recognize each type of customer and how to serve each of them
differently?
If your business is average, your people are closing the sale slightly more
often than 2 times out of every 10 customer encounters. If you could help them
get just 1 more smiling "yes" from the remaining crowd of nearly 8 unsold
customers, your sales volume would increase by 50 percent... with no increase
in advertising and no additional store traffic.
Finally, in order to provide a little levity in this newsletter, I have chosen
to send you this video. Although it is an ad, it speaks to parents on the flight
of time and how fast our children grow up.
Enjoy!
To your success,
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