Managing our response to inevitable change

Paradigm shift, downsizing, long tail, “co-opetition,” change management—the buzzwords created and used in business today are just a way of helping us cope with and describe our response to the changes that are being thrust upon us. In spite of the last entry on the list above, many of the changes that life throws our way aren’t really manageable, are they? Instead, many times what we are forced to do in business, as in life, is manage our response to change.

I have been around the Christian bookselling world for more than half of my adult life (yes, I am over 40). Starting out in the early ’90s as a book buyer for an independent Christian bookstore was an eye-opening experience. The industry was in its heyday and Christian bookstores (we were still called that back then) all seemed to be doing very well. I was around during the “stack-’em-high and watch-’em-fly” craze all the way through to the “Just-In-Time inventory management” days (a much-needed change-response to bloated inventories and high-return rates).

In 2006, I moved to a new position with the Evangelical Christian Publishers Association (ECPA), where I learned that publishing and retailing are completely different worlds. That’s not to say that there aren’t competent, skilled, dedicated and mission-minded individuals in both arenas, only that the actual business processes conducted by each were completely different, and necessarily so. The lines that separated the two were distinct, the roles were well-rehearsed and executed.

Last year I made yet another move, this time to David C Cook. Designated the director of digital content, my new job included the role of “strategist,” someone who could evaluate all of the changes taking place and recommend a course of action, a change-response, to the rapid expansion occurring in the digital marketplace. It’s in this role that I can finally see the common change-response that publishers and retailers must adopt.

I propose that our common change-response should be as follows: To survive in the digital age, publishers and retailers must add value between the author and the consumer.

Consumers seek out value, plain and simple. Notice I didn’t say gimmicks and tricks, but true value. In publishing, that value exists in the way we connect content creators to our expert ability to help craft a story, design a product and bring it to the marketplace.

Retailers have the same challenge before them, respond to the change by leveraging the ways you add value to the equation. There are many ways a retailer can do this, and they are as unique as each individual market they serve. Having said that, I don’t want to leave you without some practical ideas of what this might look like.

Here are three strategies you might consider:

Dig deep. As a Christian bookseller, readers need to know that you are a content expert. Consider placing more emphasis in your store on merchandising hand-selected backlist and lesser-known authors. These titles can practically serve as an exclusive product, as you can be sure your digital competition isn’t doing anything to feature them.

Welcome the little children. The digital space just doesn’t have a good solution for delivering printed content to children. Besides this, kids are tactile creatures; it’s why we’re always telling them, “Look with your eyes, not with your hands.” Make sure your kids’ section is front and center. Let kids touch and then follow up those touches with a gentle nudge to mom or dad who will help them make that purchase decision.

Host the party. Some of my fondest memories as a retailer were the impromptu Bible studies, prayer meetings and discussion groups that would just “happen” in our store. This is really something I think Christian retailers should capitalize on—make your store the place for folks to gather. Be careful though, doing this intentionally means you cannot meddle too much in what it looks like. Instead, seek out “tribal leaders” in your community—people who are leading the discussions—and offer them your store as a place to visit.

It’s true that the digital shift has brought about unprecedented change. With that change are sure to come more adjustments to your product mix, but it should not affect how you add value—by intentionally loving and serving your customers.

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