Retailers received a crash course yesterday during the second Super Session on how to make "customer evangelists" and attract college-aged consumers.

"Core Customer 'Evangelists': Experience>Loyalty>Sales" was the subject of the event, which featured Leonard Sweet, author of The Gospel According to Starbucks (WaterBrook Press); a panel discussion on drawing young consumers; and Ben McConnell, author of Citizen Marketers (Kaplan Business), who spoke on how word-of-mouth marketing improves customer loyalty.

McConnell told the crowd of approximately 250 people that there are several ways to determine if a customer is a "volunteer" who evangelizes for a store. He said a shopper must spread the word about the store, recruit new customers, offer helpful suggestions to the staff, defend the store from criticism and feel a sense of ownership about the store.

McConnell also emphasized the importance of relationships. "People are the message," he said. " ...People are loyal to people, not just brands. Be remarkable and then you will create customer evangelists."

David Moody, manager of Betterway Christian Books & Gifts in Stockbridge, Ga., said McConnell's message "hit home," adding, "It's something that we need to put into practice."

Betterway's owner Judy Meyers agreed. "I think we need to encourage our customers to be evangelists," she said. "Since we're a ministry, why not encourage them to be part of our ministry?"

"Who is the Next Generation of Christian Consumers?" was the topic of the panel discussion, led by Relevant Media Group founder Cameron Strang. He moderated a dialogue with several book marketers and editors who specialize in the demographic and psychographic makeup of young consumers.

When asked how to attract customers of that demographic into stores, Scott Heagle, marketing manager at Zondervan, encouraged retailers to group products together.

Additionally, an "easy way is to connect with a twentysomething" store employee, Heagle said. "Let him be the expert (on reaching young consumers). I think he will run with it."

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