You glance at the clock. It's 8:30 a.m. and your first cashier is half an hour late for their shift – again. Your cashier is wonderful with the customers, knowledgeable about natural foods, but you can never count on them to be on time. They always have an excuse: the car broke down, the dog ran away, there was traffic, there was a long line at the post office...

By no means am I a social media expert. Calling me one would be the equivalent of saying because I have a computer and a TV that I am an electronics guru. I use social media. I see the value for a business and I appreciate it as a consumer. I will share my thoughts on it for your business and some "universal truths" I have uncovered. I will preface this article by saying everything you read below is true about Facebook and Twitter.

I have been given a lot of gifts in this lifetime: for example, I am intelligent, I'm a great reader, I can string a few words together to communicate ideas, I am a kind and loving mother, I have a healthy and strong body – and I am grateful for every single one of these gifts.

The beloved warm season is over and although your summer holidays and that nice summer breeze still vividly play out in your mind, it's time to put away the sun care and insect repellent products and focus on the next season - back to school.

In The Bond by Lynne McTaggart, she references a study (pg 92, 93) that concluded both negative and positive emotions are highly contagious. However, positive emotions stimulate a group to be cooperative and make more positive decisions, while negative emotions resulted in the opposite. It was suggested a business could make more money within a culture of positive emotion because it would positively affect the entire workforce.

When it comes to retail merchandising, the end cap display is one of the most highly coveted spots that a supplier can obtain within your store. These tend to be highly visible, and act as a showcase for a product line, drawing attention, and increasing sales to whichever line is featured. It’s a great opportunity within the store to reinforce other marketing efforts, and when done properly, can greatly enhance sales.

When it comes to retail merchandising, the end cap display is one of the most highly coveted spots that a supplier can obtain within your store. These tend to be highly visible, and act as a showcase for a product line, drawing attention, and increasing sales to whichever line is featured. It’s a great opportunity within the store to reinforce other marketing efforts, and when done properly, can greatly enhance sales.

It is the PEOPLE – not the products – that ultimately make the difference. When I travel to visit health food stores, I am continually reminded of the incredible people who work in our stores serving customers. From owner-operator stores to large retail stores with staff in the hundreds, there are dedicated, hard working, well-educated, passionate people helping bring wellness to their customers.

Why do some people enjoy a job and stay with it for years while others seem unhappy and leave—or stay on but complain, come to work late, and call in sick more than others?

As you read this, the majority of our country is in sub-zero weather. For some, winter is a blessing as they enjoy all the outdoor pleasures, while others appreciate sitting indoors by the fireplace, watching the snow falling on the other side of the window. Whether we're inside or outside, winter has a specific effect on our skin. There are many natural personal care products that you carry which are winter-specific. Are you giving these products the right attention?

The 'Customer Loyalty Resolution' is a concept which defines the many reasons why a customer chooses – or in many cases, why they choose not – to shop at your store. You have likely spent countless hours and untold amounts of marketing dollars to entice consumers into your store, now the payoff should surely follow... absolute customer loyalty. But alas, it hardly ever works out that way.

Did you know that behind the scenes, there are a small handful of dedicated hardworking people working to help bring new customers into your store? These people coordinate travel schedules, book hotels and airfare, book lecture halls, send out press releases to local media, coordinate with sales reps and spokespeople and book radio, print and TV interviews. Though they receive little personal recognition, they are responsible for bringing our health message to millions of Canadians across Canada each year.  Beth Potter, Shelley Armstrong, Toby Aysslinger, and Renee Neilly are a few who have worked the past decade helping build many of the leading product and health experts like Udo, Sam, Dr. Cass, Lorna, Brad, Dr. Lyons, etc.

No, this article isn't about health care, gun control or politics. It is a collection of ideas from my travels across the continent. This year, I have spent over half my time in the US learning from retailers. It is easy to think that we have very similar business styles and admittedly, I believed that when I first started working on Sequel's US business in 2007. However, over the past three years, I have noticed slight differences in the way the US retailers operate compared to us here in Canada.

As we take a final look at 2010 before embracing the new year, it's important to look beyond the spreadsheets. Sure, you can't argue with numbers as you determine whether you made your financial goals, but numbers don't tell you the whole story. Whether or not you made your goals, they don't tell you why. And the why, of course, often involves your marketing plan. Was your marketing plan successful, or is there room for improvement?

Our products are safe, they work and have been safely sold for decades.  So... where is the problem?

Here we are in 2010, and I cannot believe we are still justifying our choice to shop in health food stores. After five decades, safety has not been an issue and today manufacturing far exceeds anything prior. So, if safety is not the issue, what is?

Sept/Oct 2010

You've been asked to speak at an upcoming event. What a fabulous opportunity for you to demonstrate your expertise or engage a new group of people. Unless you're planning to lose the attention of the audience shortly after you are introduced. If that's your goal, follow these important steps...

I saw the most incredible display of upselling...   

Studies prove for every 10 customers offered a suggested add-on, six will purchase. If the add-on value is $10, you increase daily sales by $100 for every 10 people. This will add up fast if you make the effort to train your staff on how to up sell. Now, I am sure some of you will be saying – 'I do not like to be pushy with my customers.' I understand that, as no one enjoys being pushed into buying something they do not want....

Settling on something for reasons of convenience is an all too common practice. Have you ever stood in front of the mirror at the clothing store, looking at a new outfit, knowing it's not exactly what you wanted, but you purchased it anyway? Not surprisingly, the last time you wore it was the day you bought it....

Nov/Dec 09
When it comes to getting media attention, there is a hard truth you simply have to accept: most media types don't really care about helping you. What reporters care about is presenting a really good story with a clever angle that will interest a wide audience. Reporters want news. They want you to make their jobs easier....

 Nov/Dec 09

In 1984, shortly after what was then thought to be the most devastating recession since the Great Depression, an advertising executive by the name of Jay Conrad Levinson published a book entitled, Guerilla Marketing: Secrets for Making Big Profits from your Small Business. This book outlined ideas, anecdotes and strategies small businesses could employ to help them maintain sales and generate consumer interest during a very difficult economic period. This book and the series of books that followed sold over 14 million copies and became the best-selling marketing series in history....