Do you truly have a destination business? If you don’t, Jon Schallert will show you how to get one.
Schallert, the creator of Destination BootCamp and a well-known speaker on creating successful businesses, will be the featured speaker this month at June 20-23 Lightovation – Dallas International Lighting Show.
“Jon Schallert: The New Rules of Business Success - Capturing Today's Consumers as a Destination Business” is set for Wednesday, June 20, at 10:00 AM in the new SMART Center (Trade Mart 4826), powered by Dallas Market Center and the American Lighting Association.
We interviewed Schallert in advance of market to get a preview of his presentation.
- What exactly is a Destination Business?
A Destination Business is a business so compellingly different that consumers decide they absolutely have to buy there. We know there are certain buying preferences that consumers have that cause them to prefer a Destination Business over purchasing online or going to a larger competitor, and when I teach my 14-step Destination process, we are magnifying and marketing those differences to consumers.
- How do you identify your most valuable customers, particularly if you are a small retailer without sophisticated systems?
A smaller retailer does not need sophisticated programs or systems to focus in on their top consumer prospects. There are a variety of ways to target what I call “Top 10%” customers, those who a business can attract with a minimum amount of marketing dollars and reap huge financial benefits when the customers come in and spend. In some communities, there are “economic gardening” programs that local economic development organizations have that are often free or low cost that any business owner can access. There are also companies like InfoUSA that have this information for purchase at an affordable cost.
- Many retailers have tried loyalty programs with varying degrees of success. What attributes does a successful program have and are there some best-in-class examples you can provide?
The problem with loyalty programs is that when you pick a reward or incentive, it won’t appeal to every consumer, and for most retailers, price discounting is often their first choice as a reward, and that doesn’t create loyalty at all: price discounting actually attracts the least loyal, lowest spending consumer. The most powerful loyalty program I’ve ever seen is Fivestars.com and our company goes directly to their National Territory Manager, Ian Peters, who demos the program for retailers. I’d suggest every retailer take 30 minutes to learn about Fivestars by contacting ian.peters@fivestars.com.
- You believe free publicity is a great tool. What are some techniques to achieve this?
Everyone wants free publicity because it costs nothing, and when it’s compared to advertising, it’s 12 times more believable to a consumer. But free publicity rarely just happens. You have to pursue it and position your business for it. You see, publicity happens when a business makes its uniqueness evident to consumers and when a business shows off how it’s really one-of-a-kind. Once that happens, publicity naturally follows. The media is always looking for one-of-a-kind businesses with great stories. Most owners just have to learn to tell their story better, make their businesses stand out from the masses, and then, pursue the media outlets where they want their story to be heard.
- What role do events and activities play in making a business a destination?
Events and activities can be important to creating a Destination Business, but I’m not talking about creating huge sales events. A sale is the most overused event and the most forgettable. Events have the tendency to bring in consumers in a one-time surge, but I prefer having businesses use all the other “hot buttons” you can push with consumers to attract them to your showroom, rather than giving up the profit margin every independent business needs today to succeed.
- Everyone talks about the Millennial shopper. What specialized tactics do you recommend to reach them?
I know that a lot of consultants focus on Millennials, but it’s important to realize that they as a collective group have less purchasing power than so many other consumer groups. But if a business is intent on reaching Millennials and attracting them, you have to talk their language and use the media tools that they follow and respond to. For many lighting showroom owners, this means they’ll need to outsource and find someone in or outside their organization that knows social media well.
Schallert’s complimentary, CLC-accredited presentation is going to be a popular choice on the Lightovation SMART Center seminar schedule so make sure you pre-register with this link: https://alamembers.com/Professional-Education/Course/CourseId/1044