READER RESPONSE ++++

coming out shortly. The newsletter is one large sheet, with columns on both sides. I’ve designed it so it can be folded into thirds, and it becomes its own mailer. From time to time I’ve put a discount coupon on the newsletter. This lets me see how effective it is.”

“We organize and host an After Hours Annual Private Sale,” shared Tammy Garner, The Master’s: A Parable Christian Store (Clovis, NM) owner/general manager. “We serve refreshments, give away door prizes, and mail out a coupon to be used during that event only with their invitation. We ‘touch’ our core customers at least once a month with a catalog or flyer that has specials and coupons included.”

Kelly Maigaard, general manager at Wellspring (Des Moines, IA), sends “thank-you cards and gift certificates to our top 50 customers each month. I always make a point to acknowledge our best customers and introduce them to others saying, ‘This is Jeff; he’s one of our very best customers!’”

“There are many times, when we’re moved by the Spirit, that we give a customer a ‘gift’ from the store that might pertain to something they’re going through,” said Kathleen von Thaden and Debbie Cavacchioli, owners of The Christian Corner (Bethpage, NY). One such customer “was having a hard time caring for her elderly parents…we prayed with her and gave her a ‘Foundations’ Caregiver angel to bless her.”

UNDERSTANDING AND TRACKING NEEDS

CBA Retailers+Resources: How do you evaluate the current (and future) needs of your core customers?

“I listen to what they say about other places they shop or what they seem to like about our store over other stores,” said Proctor. “We carry specialty Christian jewelry, and once I saw a lady in town and noticed the bracelet she had on came from our store. I approached her and asked her where she bought it, and she said it came from the church bookstore down the street and she loved it. We try to carry a few unique items you can only find in our store.”

“We note comments made at the POS,” said Pittman. “Things they say they saw somewhere else, ideas they have, items they wish we had, etc.”

“I’m encouraging customers to e-mail us or fill out a store survey called ‘Tell the Bookstore Owners.’ We also reach out and survey homeschool parents, church Sunday school and VBS program coordinators, as well as pastors,” said Hatch.

Cline, like many of his colleagues, is finding this aspect challenging, especially among his “next-gen” customers: “This is the problem isn’t it?” he said. “We can define the buying patterns and needs of our customers about as well as the industry defines the ‘relevant’ generation, and the ‘emerging church.’ I won’t say it’s impossible, but it does seem to be about

10 times harder than 10-15 years ago. It’s a generation that wants everything but desires nothing, and if you can explain that then you can help me define it.”

Faith Center Christian Book & Bible Store (Moreno Valley, CA) Manager Craig Smith evaluates customer needs “by talking to my customers [and] looking at sales trends for key merchandise, especially products that show increases that weren’t expected. Melissa Barth, manager of Tree of Life (West Chester, PA), suggested retailers “ask questions, and get to know [customers] and their families. Stay up-to-date on new releases, and order those they may be interested in.”

“We’re a rather small store, and we make sure we ‘know’ our core customers,” said Heather Willis, manager of Haven of Rest Christian Store (Aiken, SC). “We try to really listen to them, their needs, and their lives: Do they have kids? Are they leaders in their church? What are they purchasing the most? By simple good customer service and Christian friendship, we’re able to evaluate the needs of our customers. We don’t want to simply sell them items, but provide them tools.”

The Good Book Store (Sequim, WA) owner Christine Rich evaluates “the needs of core customers by engaging them in conversation, finding out what’s going on in their lives, remembering which authors they like, and what

18 CBA Retailers+Resources | ⁰⁸.⁰⁷

The Official Magazine of CBA