| Take a lesson |
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| Monday, 13 June 2011 10:20 AM America/New_York | |
Your guide to the educational opportunities at CBA’s summer show
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| International Christian Retail Show exhibitors |
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| Monday, 13 June 2011 10:03 AM America/New_York | |
Plan ahead for your floor time with suppliersFull exhibitor listingAbbott Hall, #239 Abbey Press, #1619 Abingdon Press, #828 African American Expressions, #1518 Alpha Omega Publications, #521 Amazing Facts, #1447 Ambassador International, #947 American Bible Society, #318 AMG Publishers, #801 Anchor Distributors, #709 Apex Trading Co., #1929 Artistic Manufacturing Corp., #618 B&H Publishing Group, #728 Baker Publishing Group, #539 Barbour Publishing, #529 Bargain Books Wholesale, #328 Berg Christian Enterprises, #2033 Bezaleel Gifts Co., #2001 Black Family Press, #341 Blossom Bucket, #2005 Bob Siemon Designs, #1711 Book Depot, #242 Booklog, #827 Bookstore Manager Software, #1410 Bowman Art, #1906 Bridge-Logos Foundation, #331 Bridgestone Multimedia Group, #1100 Brownlow Gifts, #1710 Cactus Game Design, #1919 Carolina Retail Packaging, #1706 Carpentree, #1701 Cathedral Art Metal, #1511 Catholic Book Publishing Corp., #232 Central South Distribution, #1104 Charisma Media (formerly Strang Communications), #819 Christ for the Nations, #500 Christian Art Gifts, #1727 Christian Focus Publications, #1246 Christian Life Outreach, #1147 Christian Media International/The Spoken Word of God, #1046 Christian Small Publishers Association, #338 Christian World, #1313 Christianaudio/Hovel Audio, #339 CLC Publications, #646 CNI Distribution, #1009 Comfort Publishing, #451 Concordia Publishing House, #409 Creation By Design, #1001 Crossway, #321 Crown Financial Ministries, #210 CTA, #1604 Dake Publishing, #905 Danteck Group, #1247 David C. Cook, # DaySpring Cards, #1521 Destiny Image, #211 Dexsa Co., #1611 Dicksons, #1821 Discovery House Publishers/RBC Ministries, #951 Eikon Bible Art, #1546 Ellie Claire/Summerside Press, #1507 EMI CMG Distribution, #1103 Emkay Candle Co., #900 EP Books, #547 E-R Productions, #1146 Evergreen Press, #1542 Every Good Gift, #1708 Exotic World Gifts, #2118 Faith Library Publications, #431 FaithWords/Hachette Book Group, #719 Fireside Catholic Publishing, #1438 Foundation Publications, #903 Franklin Electronic Publishers, #405 Fun Express, #2022 G.T. Luscombe Co., #1608 Gardenfire, #2027 Gifts of Faith, #96 Glory Haus, #2010 Gospel Light/Regal Books, #611 Gospel Publishing House, #847 Gregg Gift Co., #1719 Group Publishing, #909 H.J. Sherman Co., #1503 Haggai Books, #1639 Harrison House Publishers, #345 Harvest House Publishers, #639 Hendrickson Publishers, #400 Heritage Lace Inspirational, #2019 Hermitage Art Co., #621 Holy Land Gifts, #1902 Howard Books, #208 Howard Imprinting Machine Co., #230 Ideals Publications, #218 Imagine Design, #1905 Inspirational Closeout Solutions, #324 Integra Interactive, #1003 InterVarsity Press, #303-311 James Lawrence Co., #1613 JMS Marketing & Sales, #724 Kerusso, #1409 Kingstone Media Group, #649 Kirkbride Bible Co., #702 Kregel Publications, #610 Left Behind Games, #1207 Levy’s Leathers, #2112 Lighthouse Christian Products Co., #1907-1913 Lion Hudson, #511 Mach III/Color-Ons, #1609 Merch-it!, #1925 Milestones Int’l Publishers, #200 Montco Packaging, #238 Moody Publishers, #701 Munce Group, #833 Murphy Cap & Gown Co., #830 New Day Christian Distributors, #1303 New Hope Publishers, #722 New Leaf Publishing Group, #1039 No Greater Joy Ministries, #1338 Noah’s Ark Distribution, #1403 The Northampton Press, #1443 Not of This World (NOTW), #1526 Oasis Audio, #313 OM Ships International, #227 Outline Bible Resources by Leadership Ministries Worldwide, #1343 Outreach, #1539 Oxford University Press, #904 P&R Publishing, #603 P. Graham Dunn, #1627 Parable Franchising, #1339 Positive Productions Plus!, #1442 Praiz POS/Extreme POS, #322 Precious Moments, #2030 Pro Pueblo, #1509 Protec, #1904 Provident-Integrity Distribution, #1006 Pure Flix Entertainment, #1419 Rainbow Publishers/Legacy Press, #720 Revival Literature, #625 R.H. Boyd Publishing Corp., #1049 Rhythm Band Instruments, #1923 Rhythm U.S.A., #2032 Robert Spooner Galerie, #1811 Rose Publishing, #438 Royal Consumer Information Products, #1341 Saber of Truth Ministries, #1538 Scripture Candy, #1602 ScriptureWear, #2013 SDS Design Associates, #1507 Servant Marketing, #2009 Singer Co., #1601 Solid Rock Jewelry, #1805 Spirit & Truth Christian Jewelry Designs, #1532 Spring Arbor Distributors, #419 Standard Publishing, #939 STL Distribution North America, #1138 SW Press Co., #401 Swanson Christian Products, #1346, 1901 Tabbies, # 519 Talicor, #2018 Tecmark Corp., #1311 Thomas Nelson Bargain Books, #340 Tier Toys/Krazy Houze, #1607 Trinitarian Bible Society USA, #624 Trinity Broadcasting Network, #1002 True Potential Publishing, #204 Truth Book Publishers, #449 Tyndale House Publishers, #501 Union Gospel Press, #206 Universal Designs, #1700 Valtim Marketing Services, #1605 Vermont Christmas Co., #1606 Vision Street Publishing, #548 Warner Press, #201 Well Versed Gifts, #2003 Wesleyan Publishing House, #1439 WestBow Press, #623 Wholesale Christian Books, #231 Wilton Armetale, #2021 WinePress Publishing, #439 Word Distribution, #1111 WORDsearch Corp., #1340 World Wide Printing, #607 Worthy Publishing, #1545 Xulon Press, #747 Zondervan, #739
CBA Marketsquare tables Augsburg Fortress, table 6 Barbour Publishing, table 1 Copenhagen Publishing House, table 4 Josh McDowell Ministry, table 5 Thomas Nelson, table 2 Zondervan, table 3
Debut Avenue booths Ancient Essence, #da38 Be Salty, #da23 The Carpenter’s Woodshop, #da22 The Christmas Angel, TBD Coastline Imports, #da3 DVB New York, #da24 Earthwood, #da21 FaithViews, #da5 Fundex Games, #da6 Gifts and Talents, #da4 Heart on Your Sleeve Design, #da20 Heaven Sent Infant Wear (Miracle Maternity Wear), #da2 Intertech Marketing, #da26 Jeweled Cross Co., #da1 Keys to Prayer, #da8 PAJ dba Prime Art & Jewel, #da37 Poof-Slinky, #da19
CBA Marketsquare booths Abridge International, #ms14 Armour Publishing, #ms43 B&H International, #ms9 Baker Publishing Group, #ms46 Banner of Truth, #ms20 Barbour Publishing, #ms23 Beacon Hill Press of Kansas City, #ms13 Bill Noller International Publishing, #ms26 Crossway Books & Bibles, #ms18 Destiny Image, #ms1 F.J. Rudy and Associates, #ms21 Gospel Literature International, #ms2 Great Value Books, #ms37 InterVarsity Press, USA, #ms3 InterVarsity Press, UK, #ms27 IPRINTING, #ms34 Life Publishers International, #ms5 LifeWay International, #ms31 Messianic Jewish Publishers, #ms35 Riggins International Rights Services, #ms29 Scandinavia Publishing House, #ms22 Thomas Nelson, #ms24 Tyndale House Publishers, #ms7 WingSpread Publishers, #ms36 Zondervan, #ms4 |
| Going digital with God’s Word |
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| Monday, 13 June 2011 09:36 AM America/New_York | |
Non-print Bibles—a growth category that stores need to understand
The digital publishing revolution isn’t just about newly written books. The Bible has been presented as an award-winning audio project in recent times and is proving increasingly popular among e-reader users. We discussed the growth of the non-print Bible market, and the opportunities and implications, with leading suppliers in the category. Joining us for the conversation were:
Shawn Carroll, COO of Immersion Digital (Glo Bible) Marianne Gelski, vice president, retail channels, WORDsearch Aaron Linne, executive producer of digital marketing, manager, B&H Publishing Group Len Williams, vice president of sales and marketing, Danteck Group (NowBible)
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: WORDsearch has been in non-print Bibles longer than anybody. How have things changed since those early days? Marianne Gelski: WORDsearch has been publishing electronically since 1987. Our readers, which run on your PC or Mac, would be Bible Explorer and WORDsearch. Basically we electronically publish the books that we’ve licensed from various publishers. I think retailers looking at electronic publishing are probably overwhelmed: “What does this mean? Where are we going with this?” The younger generation is embracing it quicker than the older generation. You can do so much more with digital print.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: Is the trend being driven by technology alone? Carl Amari: I have to concur. I haven’t bought a paper book (in some time) other than The Men and Women of the Bible, which I found very useful in casting the roles. Other than that, I don’t think I have purchased one. I have a Kindle and that’s how I do it. I think it is absolutely a lifestyle and that’s where it’s all going. Already with the new Bible we just did, Truth & Life, we are getting email from people asking why it’s not on MP3 and when is it going to be on iTunes? So I definitely think it’s moving rapidly to all digital. Shawn Carroll: Absolutely, one of the things that we discovered is the nonlinear nature of digital media ... being able to dive in, explore and get context. Being able to share your experiences is also hugely Linne: Sharing is so important; that really is the future of reading even, I would say. I was working at a camp in 2001 and the pastor there, one of his messages was that at the core of us, we have this question of who am I and what do people think of me? Ten years ago you couldn’t control that. But in today’s world, I am what I tweet and I can broadcast the message of who I am to my followers and friends. So for me, I have it automatically set up that when I play a video game on the Xbox, it tweets what game I’m playing. But I also have it set up that when I’m reading a book on the Kindle for my master’s course, then I can share with people my notes. So people are saying, “Gosh, he’s reading some strange books.” That’s what I want people to know about me.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: Should we lump all non-print Bibles into the same category, or do we need to recognize there are some differences? Len Williams: I think it’s a lot about the word immersion. You just look at the capability of a (new) product versus a traditional print product. Look at WORDsearch, look at Glo—you can just learn so much more by using that software. Take a product like the NowBible or a portable device—they are giving you immersion because now can read and listen and follow along anywhere you go, on the train, on the plane, wherever is convenient for you. Should they all be lumped into the same category? Not necessarily, because the number-one question we get is, how can a product like the NowBible survive in Christian retail and onward with devices out there such as the iPhone and the Droid and the iPad and the Kindle? That’s where we very simply say the NowBible—it doesn’t try to be all things to all people. There’s still a generation out there, still a lot of users out there who are somewhat afraid of technology. They are not necessarily embracing the smart-phone craze, the e-reader craze, the tablet-PC craze, but they still want something cool. They want something to use in church, convenient text and audio. That’s how we have been able to establish a niche with the NowBible. Linne: A product like the NowBible is so essential for that. When I’m reading on an e-reader, that keeps me focused, but even still I have those optional things, I have other books here and things that can distract me, especially with something like an iPad or a smart phone. But with something like the NowBible that is so concentrated on this. It is my Bible, it’s just got a screen on it. That’s so important to have, to keep that focus.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: Is there a danger that technology can become more about entertaining us with the Bible rather than taking us deeper into it? Linne: You can use those same potential issues (of being able to skip from one thing to another) as benefits to studying the Bible. B&H uses a site called Mystudybible.com, where we use that ability for the rising generation (who) like things to be jumping and like things to be everything at my fingertips. So when you scroll to a passage on mystudybible.com, we present to you a whole list of other places you can go look for deeper information. Carroll: What we have actually seen is a term I used when I worked at Disney: edutainment. It’s kind of at the crossroads between the two. Truthfully you have to have the people engaged, first of all. However they get there, we are not quite that concerned. But what we found with Glo is that everything is based on the spine of the product, which is the Bible. Off of that solid core we have reading plans and journals that allow people to have that experience of study, using media to augment what they are doing in a nonlinear fashion, but at any point in time they bounce back to their reading plan. Amari: When you talk about engaging the listener, I think a dramatized version has proved to be more engaging than a single narrator. I’ve always, growing up, listened to single-reader Bibles and there are some really good ones. When you put the elements of actors—really professional actors—and original scores and sound effects, I think it engages them. It takes them back to the time ... it creates a sort of a first-time feeling for them.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: Are people choosing print or digital or embracing both? Gelski: Personally, for doing Bible study I read my (print) Bible, but for in-depth Bible study, I use my WORDsearch software program. I can learn so much more quickly than I could in using a print Bible. The key thing that we need to remember is we are all so busy, and you can study faster digitally than you can by flipping through your Bible or commentary and spending hours looking for the same thing that you can search digitally.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: What does the digital trend mean for retail? Williams: Christian retail is definitely embracing the NowBible, and I think they are starting to embrace a lot of the technology products. … But what I think is important for every retailer out there to realize is that they need to not only invest in the nontraditional Bibles and books and technology products, but they need to also learn and become as proficient as possible on these features. The danger is people are putting these products on the shelf and they are trying to let the packaging do the work. Good packaging and good marketing can only go so far. It really comes down to managers and frontliners needing to at least have a basic grasp and understanding of how these products work and at least some of the very short sales points and highlights of the product and what makes them user friendly, what makes it appealing to a customer. These technology products are going to produce more questions than the average traditional book; if you don’t think so, go talk to a sales representative at Best Buy or Radio Shack. You don’t have to be technology experts, but at least get a little more of a grasp of some of these newer products. Carroll: Spot on. Our experience with the launch of Glo at Christian retail was there is a huge difference between having the spine out and the category called Software in a store versus the notion of this is something that needs to be seen. We are trying to think of new and better ways to give customers the ability to see the product somehow—whether it’s visuals, a kiosk or a store PC loaded with the product. Gelski: I totally agree. What we have done recently is create a frontliner training program with each of our brand products where they can go to our Web site and review our training videos, and then each frontliner will be rewarded with a free copy of one of five titles. Hopefully that blesses them, but also helps the retailers increase their electronic Bible category. Frontline training is essential. Linne: B&H just released a study Bible for which we built a site called mystudybible.com and we gave it away to anyone. There was also a nice big sticker on the print study Bible, on the outer packaging, that said, go visit mystudybible.com. The reason we did that was because we believe that content markets content. And we believe if someone is questioning, should I be interested in this study Bible, is it relevant, that they should be able to have a taste of that and explore. Not everyone is like me and lives only in the digital world. Many, many people like carrying a physical Bible with them, so they will go back to the store and say, “I do want that. I do like the content.” So there are ways that we can partner as digital Bible providers with the traditional print media.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: Is it realistic to think there is going to continue to be a strong market share for brick-and-mortar retailers as non-print develops? Williams: Absolutely. I just wish we could see more investment in technology, demo units, point-of-sale displays, kiosks, things along those lines. Right now it feels like we are not showing a customer what the product is, we are just telling them about it. Many of these products have trailers of “the making of.” It’s a game changer when people can actually see, here’s Jim Caviezel in the studio (for The Word of Promise). Just like my old, freshman English’s teacher creative-writing class: Show, don’t tell. The majority of stores don’t have a way to implement that, and that’s kind of the biggest hurdle I’m seeing—not just from the smaller independent stores, but even from the big ones.
Linne: Right, and that kind of surprises me. There are a million and one videos that are relevant to the products that are in retail stores. All it would take is downloading those videos, putting them into an iTunes playlist, making it stream and hitting play on a computer monitor while you are around the store. There are so many opportunities to share the message and so many publishers are creating great marketing content that I’m surprised I don’t see more of it in the actual physical stores.
Carroll: One of the things we have done is position Glo as a digital bible. We don’t talk about it being software because we want to break out of that category. Brick-and-mortar stores could certainly attract additional customers and skew younger and stay much more relevant were they to just take a 10-by-10 spot and make it the digital corner. Make it an exploration place. It’s all about that ability to explore and to see something. Linne: An online consumer is scanning. If they walk into a store, there is a difference there, because they are expecting the people there to be experts. So as they can do their own research online, when they walk into a store, they are hoping for human connection, saying, this is my need, point me to the right place.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: Digital is challenging for suppliers as well as retailers? Linne: The hardest for both us and retailers is figuring out the new roles, the new opportunities and which one is going to be the right one. For us, we’ve discovered that the digital consumer is much more interested in growing a collection and purchasing bite-sized content. We have a Beth Moore app for the iPhone that’s a daily devotional, and we have found that consumers are much more interested in purchasing 30 days of devotionals for $1 rather than spending $10 for the 365 days. They would rather almost spend more, but get the content when they want it and how they want it, in that smaller segment. So we have to repurpose our materials and figure out what that means for when we are developing internal projects. Williams: We probably face more struggles in just increases in technology and hardware since we are dealing with actual hardware that has software on it as well. That’s been a challenge for us. We have also tried coming out with some newer lines that have a lower introductory price points than our full-size (versions), but still some of the same capabilities. We also face challenges with a product that has both text and audio, trying to have software that combines those two very delicate mediums. There’s a lot of work involved there. Carroll: We are chasing on multiple fronts. Regarding the digital consumer buying chunks of content and adding it to a library, one of the things we are very interested in about that model is, what does that do for a lifetime value of a customer? Because, rather than just buying it once, you have an opportunity to have (an ongoing) relationship with that customer and continue to have multiple content suppliers offer top-up content.
CHRISTIAN RETAILING: What are some of your plans for 2011? Carroll: One is our Glo 3.0 premium edition, our multi-device edition so it syncs seamlessly between PC Slate devices, the Mac iPad and iPhone to start with. Coming along with that in mid- to late 2011, we are going to be launching our app store, which is that seamless integration of people being able to buy chunks. Not only do you have a portable personal Bible and Bible study and sharing experience, but you’ve also got the ability to add content based on things that you’re interested in. Gelski: We are working on an update for our Mac products, on a lot of our electronically published books in the PC and Mac format for iPad, Kindle, iPhone and other e-readers. Linne: At B&H we have deep value with our retailer partners. We love them and we don’t want any of our digital steps to be a misstep with them, so we are going to continue to look and find some ways to partner with our retail partners digitally, in the store. Williams: We are developing and working on a potential Spanish edition of the NowBible, hope to release that by Christmas 2011. And in addition to our NowBible products, we are working on making other accessories and items available as well, such as protective cases, car chargers (and) FM transmitters to help people listen to their NowBible in the car.
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| The frontliner factor |
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| Monday, 13 June 2011 09:58 AM America/New_York | |
Great staff are the key ingredient in effective ‘differentiation’
There has been a longstanding school of thought that “customer experience” is key for Christian retailers in setting them apart from online shopping sites and big-box stores. Events and in-store extras such as free WiFi and coffee play a part in providing that differentiating factor. But in the end, most of the onus on providing exemplary customer experience falls back on the competency, people skills and attitude of store staff, according to industry leaders, marketing groups, chains and leading independent stores contacted by Christian Retailing.
“That means how retailers connect with people in their store—beyond just selling them something—will be a driving factor,” Riskey said. “Retailers must engage people at the level of their passion for faith-building, ministry, outreach and service, helps and more.” This goes beyond just customer service in the traditional sense of a happy greeting and quick checkout, he added. “It goes to understanding who your customer is, what they do in their life and faith and coming alongside them so they can change, transform, act out their faith or achieve their life passions.”
‘A DIFFICULT CONCEPT’
“But customer experience is a difficult concept because it is really in the eyes of the beholder,” he said. “Customer service is ... the sum of what we offer—gift wrap, Bible imprint, special order, a cup of coffee, efficient checkout. Experience is how the customer feels for having been there, and how she feels about what we do.” Adams said that “the most critical element differentiating service from experience” is the store staff and their engagement with the customer. “Survey after survey underscores the importance of helpful, knowledgeable, friendly people who connect with guests and convert them to customers,” he said. Heather Ogden, customer service representative and stationery manager at the Parable Christian Store in San Luis Obispo, Calif., takes on a mind-set to create “a great customer experience.” “I try to put myself in the shoes of the customer because I know what it feels like to receive poor customer service,” she said. “I always try to make sure I greet someone when they walk in the door, ask if they need help and let them know that they are free to ask me any questions they might have. “I feel that it is important to be polite, sincerely concerned and interested in helping the customer,” Ogden added. “By providing a great customer experience, you can gain a devoted customer and create positive word of mouth.” Parable provides resources for its 112 affiliated stores “to use as they see fit,” Adams said. “We encourage our stores to host periodic staff meetings as they are a vital ingredient for infecting all staff with the enthusiasm, team spirit, mission-mindedness, procedural skills, product knowledge and customer-engagement skills, which define who we are,” he said. “Both individual and group training are essential.” Parable provides guidelines for its stores regarding staff recruitment. “It is important to hire people who are predisposed to the ministry of our stores and inherently equipped for the jobs we are hiring them for,” said Adams, adding that hiring-assessment tools from Leading from Your Strengths (www.leadingfromyourstrengths.com) are “very helpful.” “Insights from these profiles help identify candidates with the ‘promoter-relater’ giftedness that make for good customer-engagement performance in the store,” he said. “As a Nordstrom executive once told me, ‘You can’t train someone to be nice—that’s their mother’s job. Our job is to hire nice people, equip them with knowledge of products and procedures, and then turn them loose to be nice to our guests.’ ”
‘MUST BE READERS’
Customer experience is “a critical issue” for Christian stores,” Almack said. “If customers do not have a great experience in our stores, they will not come back, and they certainly have plenty of other options these days as to where to get their Christian products.” Christian retailers must “view the experience issue from a ministry lens as well,” Almack added. “Are people having their spiritual needs met when they come into our stores? They may need prayer as much as they need a new book. When a church leader comes in, they are looking for resources and solutions—not simply products. I like to say that we are successful if the customer has had a transformational experience with us rather than a transactional one.” Training for CLC Bookcenters’ staff involves multiple methods and approaches, including two days of in-depth classroom time, which reviews the nonprofit mission organization’s philosophy, history and global scope. “An employee handbook and policy and procedures manual are given to each new team member and discussed during the first week on the job with their store manager,” Almack said. “Most importantly, they are paired with an experienced team member for several days, if not weeks, early on, for mentoring and training hands on.” The group also utilizes CBA online training and Bible training programs from Zondervan, Tyndale House Publishers and Thomas Nelson. Additionally, CLC Bookcenters hold an annual staff conference in April for one to two days of “training, fellowship, motivation and fun,” Almack added. Compensation is not the primary reason that people work for CLC, he said. “Our people view it as a vocation, calling and, in some cases, as a mission field. … We never use pay as a part of our strategy for recruitment and … often mention in the recruiting process that sacrifice is one of our core values. If a person is still interested in CLC after hearing this, they are normally motivated by other factors.”
‘POINT OF CONTACT’
“We feel that it is our responsibility to provide an excellent customer experience—from merchandising to store layout and design, to our staff interactions with the customers,” he said. “Every point of contact with the customer must be a great one.” Mardel trains, equips and enthuses its staff by first hiring “great people,” Green said. “Then we spend time with them showing them the functions and responsibilities of their position. We spend time developing and dedicating resources in areas that improve our staff’s ability to do their job well. “We strive to … pay them accordingly,” he added. “We look for those folks who align with our mission, and want to work for Mardel because of what we do, and because they want to be a part of that. If someone is ‘just looking for a job,’ then he/she will have to find that somewhere else.” Green noted that Mardel’s store personnel have “servant’s hearts.” “We know our customers do more than ‘shop’ our stores,” he said. “We are a part of helping them and equipping them in their walk. We are part of the experience of helping them learn, grow and heal and hope. We help renew minds and transform lives.” Customer service is “a priority” for Berean Christian Stores, said Director of Operations David Jordan, noting that the 18-strong chain implemented a mystery-shopper program in 2010 “to give us a snapshot at each store several times a quarter.” The questions are based on overall customer experience. “We feel this has been a great training tool for individual associates as well as the overall operation of the stores,” Jordan said. “The overall scores are shared with each team. Where deficiencies are found, we address them accordingly. We strive by not only serving our customers, but feel that engaging the customer is important as well.” When it comes to training, Berean provides new-hire orientation for every new employee, Jordan said. “The time in orientation is not only spent completing necessary paperwork, but also gives the manager an opportunity to review our policies and procedures with the new employee and answer any questions he may have,” he said. “At that point, the new employee is usually paired up with one of our more long-term, experienced employees to receive on-the-job training.” Besides offering ongoing training at mandatory, quarterly staff meetings, Berean also has a formal recognition program. The Berean CARE Award recognizes those that provide outstanding customer service with an engraved plaque and a cash bonus. The other component is on-the-spot recognition. “Managers have access to $25 restaurant gift cards to immediately recognize an employee for a job well done,” Jordan said.
‘MOTIVATION TO EXCEL’ Berean “believes strongly” in promoting from within, Jordan added. “We have many long-term, dedicated employees, and we prefer to promote these employees rather than recruit from the outside, if possible,” he said. “Our goal is to provide a competitive salary and benefits package to attract new talent, but to also provide ongoing motivation to excel through our current quarterly bonus program.”
“We communicate to our staff that if we don’t take care of our customers, someone else will,” Young said. “We try to stress to them that there is nothing we sell that our customers cannot find at another location, and that they are honoring us when they choose to shop with us.” Christian Supply employees are trained in a class called SERVE—an acrostic for Salutation, Evaluation, Referral/Research, Value-Added and Express Thanks. “Each letter of SERVE stands for a step in the process of ministering to our customers,” said Young, noting that the model was created by the store. For example, during the Evaluation step, customers are asked open-ended questions, and a staff member restates what they expressed as their need, Young added. “When referring them to the right product or right department, we walk them to the product and we never point.” During recruitment, “we look for those who have a genuine interest in the ministry of our store, and we also look for those who we feel would relate well with our customer base,” Young said. “In addition, we try to find those who are self-starters. … I am very diligent in trying to find the right people for the right positions. This is very important to me that we don’t have a round peg in a square hole.”
“We see what we do as a ministry—not just an exchange of goods for cash,” he said. “We hire the smile and train the details. … Great customer experience is not just about finding the right product. It has to be personal and, in some way, reflect the very hope and love that is at the heart of everything this store sells.” |
| Year of the Bible: Foundations for life |
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| Friday, 10 June 2011 04:51 PM America/New_York | |
Developing a passion for God’s Word in young readersChildren’s Bibles are one of the trickier subcategories for publishers and retailers alike, who have to balance multiple factors from price point and presentation to in-store placement to find their sweet spot.
With 22% of the market for that period, Thomas Nelson has sold more than 14.5 million Precious Moments Bibles, featuring Sam Butcher’s iconic teardrop-faced children, in the last 30 years. “Children’s Bibles have grown every year and are a significant part of our children’s product line,” said the company’s vice president and publisher, Bibles, Gary Davidson. Five publishers accounted for 82% of the first-quarter ECPA market, with Zondervan leading (36%), then Tyndale House Publishers, NavPress and B&H Publishing Group following Nelson. Others active in the market include Crossway, David C. Cook, Concordia Publishing House and Baker Publishing Group. The children’s Bible grouping can be a bit “blurry,” noted Ryan Dunham, senior vice president of sales and marketing for David C. Cook. “What we call children’s Bibles are for the most part Bible storybooks” that simplify the Scriptures for non- or early readers.
TEXT EMPHASIS
Zondervan’s focus for ages 6-10 is its New International Reader’s Version (NIrV), a third grade reading level edition of the New International Version (NIV). Naturally, as Bourland observed, “a translation children can easily read and understand is one of the most important ingredients.” While components like visuals and additional content are important in helping foster children’s love for God’s Word, “the editorial philosophy should always be to draw the child into the Bible text” itself, Bourland added. Her emphasis was echoed by Davidson, whose company also publishes the International Children’s Bible (ICB) at a third-grade level. “A Bible kids can read and understand is most important for kids to take God’s Word to heart, as well as application to the child’s life, interactivity with the scriptures, comprehension level of the material.” “If you don’t help kids get the message of Scripture, it doesn’t matter how great other features are,” said Jeffrey Smith, director of marketing, Bibles for Tyndale House Publishers, whose New Living Translation (NLT) has featured in editions like the Kid’s Life Application Bible. However, Davidson also noted the importance of “packaging to help catch their interest,” pointing to the company’s success with its sparkly Princess Bible, now being followed by a series of sequin-covered releases. “We research trends from other industries and then reflect kids’ tastes into the look of our Bibles,” he added. “It is important that kids not be embarrassed to carry a Bible and the cooler it looks, it might just inspire kids to spend quality time reading God’s Word.” TWO TARGETS
Having two “consumers” can create a tension in meeting different demographics, noted Dunham. “We most definitely take this into consideration,” said Bourland of Zonderkidz, “but we have found that the more fun and engaging we make the Bible for kids, the more excited parents are about purchasing it for their child.” “Adults are the primary audience so that affects how we market our product,” observed Kris Wallen, vice president of ministry services for NavPress, publisher of My First Message, which has sold 80,000 copies since its 2007 release. “We want to reach the primary audience.” For those adults who typically do the buying, price point and quality are also important, added Dunham. Parents may also be looking for a connection with the translation they use. Or the reverse—since acquiring the God’s Word Translation in 2008, Baker Publishing Group has heard from parents who “continue reading God’s Word for Boys and God’s Word for Girls after they put their children to bed,” said Publicity Manager Deonne Beron. Publishers have not surprisingly seen success with Bibles that tie in to existing popular children’s brands like Precious Moments. In addition, Zondervan brought out the VeggieTales Bible in the NIV and is prepping The Berenstain Bears Holy Bible in the NIrV for an April release. Both Zondervan and Nelson have produced princess-themed Bibles. Stand-alone editions have done well, too. Notable among them have been NLT Bibles from Tyndale, which recently became the first to use QR codes, in the iShine Bible, to link young readers to additional online content. Zondervan’s biggest achievers include NIrV and NIV editions of the Adventure Bible—third-highest seller in the ECPA list—and the 2:52 Boys Bible and The Faithgirlz! Bible. Gender-specific Bibles are proving particularly strong for ages 9-12, Bourland said.
CLEAR CHOICES
Endcap promotions and face-out positioning help parents see “an age range of products,” advised Davidson, who pointed out that “many families have more than one child, and being able to give them choices for their purchases that are similar is helpful.” Children’s Bibles need to be in the main Bible department, but well defined in their own section, “otherwise they tend to get lost in the sea of adult Bibles,” said Bourland. She also suggested organizing by translation and featuring different titles at key buying seasons, such as back-to-school and Christmas. With the high volume of gift purchases among children’s Bible sales in mind, Jim Stropnik, marketing manager at Concordia Publishing House—with more than a century of publishing in the subcategory—observed: “I’ve seen some success with cross-selling alongside some of the gift items, which can result in an increase in the size of the customer’s purchase.” Kuhn, for whom children’s and youth Bibles are “a growing segment of the Bible business,” observed that “they do well in their own sections.” |
Carl Amari, producer of The Word of Promise audio Bible (Thomas Nelson) and the Truth & Life
important in this era of Facebook, Twitter and MySpace. The idea of an interface that speaks to people in the way they want to interact with media and on the devices that they cart around with them is important. One of the things that we’re doing is going across devices, so the idea of having a seamless experience on your iPhone that then bridges to the iPad and that then bridges to your desktop.
For CBA Executive Director Curtis Riskey, customer experience “increasingly will be the critical differentiator for Christian stores and a crucial strategy to compete against online booksellers, discounters and Amazon.com affiliates selling in their bathrobes.” Engagement with customers “will build the relationship and loyalty,” which will help stores succeed, he said.
Nothing is more important than customer experience in retaining customers and “making them raving fans and evangelists for the store,” according to Parable Group Franchise Coach Steve Adams.
David Almack—U.S. director of CLC International, which runs nine retail and church stores in the Philadelphia area and New Jersey—argues that staff “must be book readers and love people,” he said. “Those two ingredients are not really trainable.”
At Mardel Christian & Education, President Jason Green said that the 34-strong chain sees customer experience as “crucial” to its success. 
At leading independent Christian retailer Chuck Wallington’s landmark store, Christian Supply in Spartanburg, S.C., Director of Sales and Personnel Myila Young said that “customer’s experience is the most important thing.” Founded by Wallington’s father in 1953, the almost-35,000-square-foot store won a CBA Store of the Year Impact Award in 2007 for effective marketing, staff training and merchandising.
Rick Lewis—co-owner of Logos Bookstore in Dallas, singled out for “memorable customer service” with a CBA Spirit of Excellence Award in 2009—said that customer experience is “what sets us apart” from big-box and discount stores.
But there are rewards for those that take on the challenge—
True children’s Bibles, using the full text of translations, really only start at around age 6 “when they are beginning to read on their own and want to carry a Bible that looks more like their parents,’ ” said Annette Bourland, senior vice president and publisher at Zonderkidz, the children’s divison of Zondervan. Children’s Bibles of this type made up 7% of first-quarter Bibles sales, reported the ECPA, with an average price point of $20.51.
Though youngsters are the eventual recipients, parents and grandparents are the typical purchasers of children’s Bibles, which, therefore, have to be created with adult interests in mind, too. “You are selling to the adult (the payer) and the end user (the kid),” said Shawn Kuhn, vice president of P&K Bookstores.
In-store, frontliner knowledge about the options and features is important. “It’s all about engaging customers and asking the right questions,” said Smith. “Asking who the Bible is for and suggesting the one that features the note sets for the unique needs of the child.” Shelf-talkers that direct shoppers the right way when staff is not available are helpful, too, added Dunham.