Ministering to students requires a little creativity, but it’s well worth the effort

RICK LEWIS
Manager
Logos of Dallas
Dallas

You have likely seen some of the numbers when it comes to young people ages 15 to 29. Sixty percent of them have left the church and have no plans to go back. Only about 1% of college students attend church Sunday mornings. While the majority of them say they believe in God, they also say they are not religious. A number of those kids may be going to one of the growing numbers of house churches or other alternative church styles, yet the numbers are still staggering.

With each new class leaving home and getting their first taste of independence, the population of the traditional church declines. If nothing else, these figures may encourage those of us booksellers who have colleges or universities in our markets to find out how we can help.

PECULIAR PERSONALITY

Logos Bookstore in Dallas is one block from Southern Methodist University (SMU). We have seen the culture of the school and our ministry to the students change in the 38 years we have been here.

In the 1970s and early ’80s, the university was an open smorgasbord of ideas. Every philosophy was entertained, no matter how peculiar (remember Transcendental Meditation?). In the mid ’80s through the ’90s, all of those children of the turbulent ’60s wanted a job and a normal life. So it seemed like the undergrads at SMU were all looking for their MBAs or perhaps their “MRS degree.”

The 21st century has brought with it a new climate on the campus. The academic side is no longer interested in dialogue with opposing ideas. What’s more, the different sides have become entrenched, and debates have become shouting matches trying to drown out the other views. The students still want jobs, but even that is no longer certain as only about half of the graduates will find employment in their field of study—a daunting future.

There is encouragement, though. The groups ministering have ebbed and flowed through the years, but are still fighting the battle. InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Campus Crusade and Reformed University Fellowship have a presence at SMU. These groups are smaller than in times past, but they are making the effort to take the students deeper. I think the days of finding large chapters of these groups across the country are over, but local congregations and denominations are active, too. The Baptists, Episcopalians, Methodists and Catholics each have on-campus unions, and at least six local churches are involved in viable ministry on campus as well, meaning more than just a Sunday morning college class.

No matter the decade, students’ questions remain fundamentally the same: “Where do I find meaning? If I am to have a faith, how do I make it my own? How will it differ from my youth? Will it be relevant? Does someone love me? Does God exist, love me, and how can I be certain? In what way can my life make a difference in this world?”

PRAYER AND THE PARACHURCH

Where do we as booksellers fit into this mix? First, we can pray for these kids, asking God to show us the best fit for meeting their needs through our stores. Then, we can contact the leadership of the college youth groups and parachurch ministries. Ask them how they would like us to engage with their efforts. This should be done frequently, as the leaders of these groups can change like a revolving door.

We offer regular discounts for these folks and occasionally more substantial deals for bulk orders. We have a deal with the InterVarsity staff member. When she brings a new convert in to get his or her first Bible, I sell it to the staff member at cost and she then gives it to the student.

You can also contact the chaplains of the fraternities and sororities and offer help. They are sometimes voted into the position with little idea of what to do. Some of the groups bring speakers to campus and we provide books for their events.

Another part of the equation would be carrying merchandise that speaks to this demographic. Our SMU kids seem drawn to many of the gifts we get from Natural Life and Glory Haus. Several publishers offer books well-suited for students; Baker Publishing Group, David C Cook, NavPress, Thomas Nelson and Zondervan all have great options. Check especially the Likewise imprint from IVP and the Re:Lit imprint from Crossway.

We supply lots of Bible studies for student groups as well. I particularly like N.T. Wright’s studies from IVP. Having the right offerings can help make us the resource center that ministry leaders rely on and a haven of encouragement for the students.

PROMOTIONS AND PACKAGES

Christian retailers must be creative in getting their name before the students. Use the campus newspaper. Create an event. Offer a coupon. We are planning a shop-for-a-cause event to raise support for one of the campus ministries.

Other stores with appealing ideas include The Carpenter’s Shop in Athens, Ga., which offers a free app for the students’ iPhones. There is store information on the app and there will be weekly promotions along with a downloadable coupon.

Signs of Life in Lawrence, Kan., is on the main drag of student life. The store has a café with lots of study space, and both the store and café are open until 11 p.m.

Another store [Store name?] has teamed up with a local cookie shop to provide student care packages. They wrote to the parents of incoming freshmen to offer to deliver baskets to their child for his or her birthday, at exam time or for any other special occasion—love sent from home. Priceless.

Yet another store [Store name?] is creating a space that they say will have a L’Abri type of atmosphere. The ministry will offer weekly group discussions on relevant topics and provides a safe haven where kids can bring their questions.

Each campus has its own personality. See what fits the students where you live. One caution I would share: Meeting the needs of college ministries and the students they serve may very well require that you get outside the four walls of your store, but you will find the risk well worth the effort.

As I think about this next generation’s struggle with finding their way in the new, independent environment of school, a C.S. Lewis quote from The Weight of Glory comes to mind.

“It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses, to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and a corruption such as you now meet, if at all, only in a nightmare. All day long we are, in some degree, helping each other to one or other of these destinations.”

By God’s grace, we can nudge these students toward His glory.

Servant leaders must lead with vision, passion and ownership

MARK HUTCHINSON
President,
Blessings

For a retail team to be successful, it requires a 100% commitment from the leader/owner of the organization. A successful retail team begins and ends with the vision, passion and ownership lived out and demonstrated by its servant leader.

As the leader, your team, however large or small, observes your behavior. They will see and recognize your body language. What does your body language communicate to them, and how do you personally live out the following practices?

Vision: How do you articulate the vision of your store(s) to your retail team? I believe this statement: “If you can dream it, you can do it.” Do you believe it?

Passion: How enthusiastic are you about the potential before you? Do you live out your passion before your team, customers and even potential customers?

Ownership: For your retail operation to really take off, the owner/leader has to “own it, live it, breathe it, drive it.” As a key leader, you must articulate and demonstrate a clear vision plan for your team.

A team cannot buy into a vision if they do not even know what it is or are not part of its development. I endeavor to involve and seek feedback at all times as we continually live out and work on making clear the vision for our Blessings stores. Five years ago I involved our small leadership team in crafting a vision to take us from a bankrupt company to a thriving retail entity, and as a team, we have accomplished our five-year goals and vision. We are now all involved in crafting our next five-year vision—that’s teamwork!

I love my work at Blessings, as we do our small part in helping to spread the good news of Jesus through God-honoring products. I firmly believe in servant leadership; I will never ask or expect any member of our team to do something that I would not be willing to do myself. I want to do everything in my power to create a culture of “we are all in this together.” Team members are all stakeholders, and all have value and input into the overall success of our organization.

I also believe that our team extends beyond Blessings and includes our suppliers and publishers. We all need each other and must work to support each other to ensure that we are all able to be an effective vibrant retail team. It is vital to have regular interaction with suppliers and publishers ensuring that all parties are getting the best deals available. For a store to be successful, the retailer must gain good margins to compete with the online and big-box competition.

TEAM ROLES

One of the phrases I live by is: “Begin with the end in mind.” The end here is a successful retail team. TEAM=Together Everyone Achieves More.

As you aim to form a successful retail team, build in structure that will last and will support the overall team effort. Ensure that the team has clearly defined roles; everyone must know who is responsible for the various factors of the organization. Regular and constant communication is vital to keeping each member of the team informed. Be careful to champion the wins—small and large—since everyone likes to be part of a successful entity.

As you build a team, look at your strengths and weaknesses, then as you recruit, ensure you fill positions with individuals who complement your team’s weaknesses. Always “hire up.” I live and breathe by this recruiting statement: “Hire for attitude and train for skill.”

TEAM ROTATION

Try and work yourself out of what you currently do every three to four years. This practice creates a living, breathing organization and frees you to expand and work on new ideas and projects. It also allows other team members to continually grow and expand their skill set, value and purpose for your retail team. Continually seek feedback and ideas—remember, no one has the monopoly on ideas. The more you do this, the more ownership others will take.

As you build and develop a successful retail team, I know you will not be able to pay top dollar, as you simply do not have the dollars available. However, I do encourage you to do the absolute best you can for every team member. Pay as much as you practically can, reward team members with a sales bonus and with excellent working conditions, offer healthy employee discounts, provide as many paid vacations as you possibly can, host fun social events and continually involve team members with the development of your store. Regularly provide positive feedback and encouragement—affirm when you see team members going over and above what is expected. The more you can give to your employees, the more they will give back to you.

TEAM REINFORCEMENT

You must ensure that all team members have solid and ongoing training. With the right attitude and core competence, you can train team members to be part of your success, and remember, success is a team sport. A critical area of team training and development is ensuring all team members fully understand the value and importance of interacting/engaging customers with true and genuine enthusiasm and care. The higher the level of customer care, the more your customers will want to revisit your store. This must be a cornerstone of team development.

Stop and think of the most successful retail organizations you know, and ask yourself: Why are they successful? I would suggest that they have a strong team and customer service culture and not a silo, stand-alone culture. I believe you will find this exercise very insightful.

Your team members compose a key asset that is equal, if not more important, than the physical asset of your inventory. That said, keep in mind that a team is only as successful as its weakest link. It is so important for a team to understand their roles and responsibilities, ensuring all are empowered to accomplish their tasks and at the same time fully understanding that each one is interdependent upon the other.

Communication is vital, and it’s important to use every method of communication at your disposal. As one of the key factors in developing a successful retail team, team members must be able to say: 1. We all know our roles, 2. We all fully understand that we are interdependent on each other, and 3. We communicate continuously. When vision, policy and goals are communicated, the whole team wins.

For a team to be relevant and continually developing, all of them need to be encouraged to be alert and looking for new trends, new directions in retail and new technology, feeding information back to key leadership so it can be crafted into the organization’s goals and vision. A successful retail team is nimble and fluid, ready to accept and embrace change, and adopting the latest methods of marketing and communication.

In summary:

• Be a servant leader who is passionate about the business, and be involved not only with business, but also show love, care and attention to all team members. The Marriott Corporation has lived by this adage, and it’s a good one for the hospitality industry and for your store: “Give to your employees and they will give back to you.”
• Train and continually provide training support and mentoring to your team. Set and develop solid policies and procedures that are ultimately customer-focused and driven. Hotelier J.W. Marriott Jr. offered this reminder: “The devil is in the details; success is in the systems!” Set clear expectations and let your team know what matters most in delivering exceptional service in a vibrant retail environment.
• Empower your team, but do not micromanage. You must release, encourage and build from your personal servant leadership and hands-on work.
• Enthuse your team to be passionate and let your team see your passion for retail. You will be amazed at the results.
• Communicate at all times. Be open and honest. Navigate with integrity the tough questions that will come from your team.

Bringing a fresh version of God’s Word to market involves careful decision-making

JAMES F. COUCH JR.
Vice president, reference, curriculum and translation development
Thomas Nelson

Launching a new Bible translation often starts with the question, “What is needed in the 21^st century church to truly translate God’s Word to today’s readers?” In the midst of the numerous publishers of Bibles and the even more numerous translations available, deciding if the market actually needs another Bible translation really depends on who is asking.  If the person asking is actively using the Bible and cannot imagine an improvement with his or her preferred translation, then the answer is maybe not.

If the person asking the question is actively using the Bible and cannot imagine an improvement with his or her preferred translation, then the answer is maybe not. If there is flaw in the translation or it is not being read because of a cultural disconnect, then the answer is probably yes.

We live in a very complex society with an enormous number of theological subgroups and yet biblical illiteracy is still growing. The real questions to be answered then are: What is the motivation for introducing the translation? Who is the primary audience, and is that audience being adequately served? How does this translation meet the specific and real needs in the primary audience?

AVOIDING A ‘VERY EXPENSIVE MISTAKE’

We say in Bible publishing that the best Bible is the one that is going to be read. Virtually every Bible translation is created by people who care deeply about God’s Word, and the result is a trustworthy representation of the Scriptures. But if the translation is simply in existence to bring income to the publisher or to take market share away from other publishers in an area that is presently served effectively, then the publisher is making a very expensive mistake.

It should be noted that introducing a new translation is a difficult, costly and highly risky task. The decision to begin a new translation must be made carefully. A number of critical factors must be considered: Who is the primary audience? What makes this translation uniquely suited to that audience? What style of translation is needed for this audience (formal, dynamic or functional, use of religious terminology, gender inclusiveness, use of variant text, identification of supplied words, doctrinal orientation, traditional or contemporary English style, among other considerations)? More recently, how the text is to be displayed on the page and whether it is delivered in a printed or electronic medium should be considered. The most critical factor is identifying a truly unique place in the landscape of Bible translations.

Chris Seay, a pastor from Houston, Texas, brought the concept of The Voice translation to Thomas Nelson and then formed Ecclesia Bible Society to sponsor the work. Normally the translation organization completes the task and then turns over completed text files for the publisher to use in creating the individual Bible products. In this case, Ecclesia and Thomas Nelson worked together throughout the development phase. In this way, both organizations were able to speak into the entire process.

When the decision was made to begin work on The Voice, we looked at many of the elements discussed above. Several of the distinctives did not become clear until we were more than a year into the project.

We started with a market reality that drove everything else. There is a growing biblical illiteracy in the U.S. and an increasing decline in Bible reading by Christians. In doing our due diligence, we discovered that according to the Center for Bible Engagement, 34% of Christians never read their Bible, and an additional 32% read it very seldom. This means that 66% of Christians are not active Bible readers.

After further research, we found a large number of young believers were not satisfied with either the dumbing down of translations or the “evening out” of the writing style. Either the translation felt out of style or it used contemporary jargon that was uncomfortable to readers. Our goal for The Voice became to reach a younger audience that was either outside the church or in the church, but dissatisfied with their Bible. We purposely did not try to replicate what was done in an existing translation.

These assumptions led us to use aspects of Bible translations that had been employed on the mission field, but never in English Bibles. We translated a number of terms left untranslated in English Bibles (Christ, baptism, angel, apostle, among others). We paid attention to the literary style of the original manuscripts, we formatted the text to help identify the speaker and to aid in public reading, and we incorporated skilled writers in the translation process.

Recent English translations have focused on other markets, such as congregants from liturgical denominations, people with lower reading proficiency, individuals from a specific theological background or a specific age group. These submarkets led translators and eventually publishers to make various decisions to make the translation more useful for its intended audience.

One interesting response that Bible publishers receive when introducing a new translation is criticism that the translation is different from the critic’s preferred translation. This usually follows the first question of, “Why a new translation?” Well, if the translation were not different, then there would be no need to publish it. And if it is truly unique for an unreached market, why is either question being asked?

‘THE PROOF IS IN THE READING’

For a successful introduction of a new translation, several things must be communicated: the validity of its audience, the uniqueness of the translation and that the first two points will serve the body of Christ. I have been involved in the introduction of four English Bible versions: the New King James Version, The New Revised Standard Version, the Contemporary English Version and The Voice. The challenges were completely different for each. The things that were in common were that the Christian marketplace was, and remains, very skeptical; the market believes a negative message more readily than a positive message; and on the whole, the church is not aware of the lack of Bible use by believers.

So, how do you introduce a new Bible translation? First, you need a translation that meets an authentic need. Second, you have to clearly and fairly state the case for the translation. Third, you have to tell you story to as many people in the primary audience as possible. We have found that the proof is in the reading. Only through active use can the traits of a translation be experienced. Until people experience the translation, they do not believe the marketing communications.

How do you make “raving fans” of retailers? You don’t; they have to discover the value of the translation for themselves. It must be a personal choice. All you can do is provide the opportunity. The retailer must be able to separate personal bias from customer needs. That is totally in the hands of the retailer. Fortunately, most Christian retailers are sold out to serving the customer, and their work is a labor of love.

Will a translation be accepted into the marketplace? It will find its place if there is a truly unique need. The publisher and the retailer alike must get the translation before the right decision-makers and into the hands of as many of those in the primary audience as possible. The great thing is that with each proper placement, a person is set on the road to being a faithful follower of Jesus through reading God’s Word.

Stores who reach out to congregations can maximize marketing and heighten sales

Mike Meadows
Director of trade marketing,
Warner Press

Attending various industry shows, perusing the pages of trade publications and searching online for Christian products sometimes leaves me with a slack-jawed, glazed-over expression as I ponder the dizzying array of products available in the Christian marketplace.

Which author has given us the next best-seller? Which giftable will be that “must have” item that everyone will be clamoring for this Christmas? Which new music artist do I need to familiarize myself with because they’ll be in big demand in the coming weeks? This kind of speculation is not for the faint of heart. It’s enough to overwhelm even the most seasoned retailer.

I want to invite you to take a step back from all that uncertainty for just a moment. Take a deep breath and clear your mind because I’d like to take you to church. That’s right, let’s go to church! I’m not talking about your own weekly church experience, but something much broader. Let’s look at the church market and the value church customers have to your retail ministry.

First of all, Christian retailers and the church have a lot in common, don’t they? Reaching people with the Word of God, encouraging others in their daily walk, giving fledgling Christians wings to fly, nurturing those little seeds of faith into something greater—aren’t these reasons we all have in common for doing what we do best? While we each have our individual parts to play as publishers, distributors, retailers or other entities in the supply chain, our missions often overlap in a variety of ways.

This common mission means that none of us is an island, including local churches, which need partnerships with Christian retailers. While the individual parishioners may be browsing your bookshelves, CD racks and gift collections, churches are looking for core products to keep their ministries going. I’m talking about worship bulletins, certificates, Sunday school and classroom supplies, record books, teaching resources and all of those other items churches use on a weekly basis that are easily taken for granted.

If you’re not stocking a portion of your shelves with products for your church customers, then you’re missing a ministry opportunity as well as an additional revenue stream. In this day of increased competition, lagging economies and trends that come and go more quickly than sweet potatoes at a church potluck, a solid church-customer base is one key to a healthier, more vibrant retail business. Here are some of the reasons why:

INCREASED TRAFFIC

When you broaden your customer base to include local pastors, church secretaries and lay leaders looking for church resources, you’ll discover they not only shop your church resource section, they undoubtedly browse the rest of the store as well. Good connections with these church leaders lead to a good reputation and valuable relationships with their congregations, which means additional traffic and sales for your store.

REPEAT PURCHASES

Churches need resources for their ministries every week. From worship bulletins to offering envelopes, churches have a steady appetite for a variety of renewable items that still have a viable place in the life of most congregations. That means a steady revenue stream from customers you can expect to see time and time again throughout the course of the entire year. These multiple touchpoints and creative ways to reward repeat purchases will build loyalty with your church customer base, which leads to a healthier bottom line.

RECIPROCAL BENEFITS

Not only do you, the retailer, benefit from the additional sales, but also the church benefits from a trusted source of supplies they can count on every week. That means a lot to busy pastors and secretaries who are always strapped for time and resources. By really getting to know your church customers, you will gain a wealth of knowledge regarding the products and services you need to offer. Think of it as having your own marketing research team. The exchange of information between you and your church leaders can be invaluable to both parties.

MAXIMIZED MARKETING

Statistics show that a great number of churches don’t have local access to a Christian bookstore, and with the recent trend of store closures, this situation isn’t improving, so take some time to think and redefine your marketing area.

Does local mean your neighborhood, your city or your county? Could it mean several counties? While it may not be cost-effective to blanket a wide geographic area with marketing efforts to thousands of individuals, it can be very worthwhile to target the dozens of churches in those same geographic areas. Your marketing dollars are likely to go farther with less waste with this group of customers.

For churches outside your immediate area, build a web presence and email relationship with them to keep them apprised of specials and new products. Check with your suppliers to see if they can drop-ship to these customers, and you may not even have to handle the inventory.

RECESSION RESISTANT

Supplying your church customers doesn’t depend on the here-today-gone-tomorrow trends of some of your other product lines. The shelf life for church products tends to be longer and not as affected by the whims of what is popular for today. This means much less volatility in your inventory, making it easier to manage in terms of volume and cash flow.

Is this approach recession proof? No. However, even with all the changes that churches are experiencing structurally, societally and economically, very few are self-sufficient to the point where they no longer need their Christian retailing partners.

MULTIPLICATION EFFECT

When you’ve built solid church relationships, you suddenly have the ear of exponentially more people. Are you having a book signing or welcoming a new artist to your store? Do you have a special promotion you’d like the public to know about? Tell your church customers! When they announce these events to their congregations, you’ve suddenly reached hundreds or thousands of people by communicating with just a few.

Such communication might even go a step further when that popular local pastor recommends a particular book he purchased from your store. Be ready with plenty of inventory!

These are exciting, albeit challenging times. That’s not news to any of us in the Christian marketplace. Let’s face those challenges head-on by leaving no stone unturned. In the case of Christian retailers, this means finding ways to connect with and build a solid base of church customers. It’s good for your store, good for your customers and furthers the overall mission of your ministry.

Even skeleton crews can find ways to flesh out a beneficial ‘sweet spot’ emphasis

If there’s one theme shared by everyone who manages a small business, it’s that there is never enough—never enough time, money or space to do all you want or need to do. 

Part of the key to success in small business involves learning how to focus your energies and attention on things that work—like fine-tuning core inventories and building good customer relationships.

But there’s one resource that many businesses—large and small—typically under-utilize: the human potential that lives inside every person on your payroll.

SWEET SPOTS

Baseball bats have a distinct spot on them where the grain of the wood and the shape of the bat coincide to deliver maximum force. Connecting bat and ball at this precise spot drives the ball farther. The player exerts the same amount of effort, but gets a much better result.

People have sweet spots, too. The psalmist David wrote that God had “knit [him] together” in his mother’s womb. My vision of this is that God handcrafts every individual with an intentional purpose. When you knit something, you touch every thread and pay attention to every knot. You don’t just start knitting and wonder what it’s going to be. 

There’s plenty of evidence in Scripture to suggest that God has plans for everyone, and that each person has been “knit together” with unique gifts (talents) to accomplish those plans. He even provides clues to those plans by giving us appetites and desires. He promises to satisfy the desires of our hearts if we live out His plan for us. The story of Eric Liddell is a great example of this. 

Liddell was an Olympic runner with an intense appetite for his sport. He believed God had given him the desire to run and told his sister, “When I run, I feel His presence.”

Running fast was Eric Liddell’s sweet spot. He was not only good at it, but he also had an appetite for running. The intense physical exertion may have exhausted his body, but the nourishment he got from satisfying his appetite gave him the will and stamina to run even faster.

STRENGTHS

The Gallup organization conducted a 25-year study on worker productivity and the findings might surprise you. They found that pay and benefits were not necessarily common elements among highly productive teams. They also found highly paid teams that didn’t perform at the highest level, and in contrast, very productive teams that weren’t well paid. 

The most effective teams were those where each and every person on the team had the opportunity—every day—to work on something that energized them. These teams were 38% more likely to have higher productivity than other groups in the same company. They also earned better customer satisfaction scores and had 50% less turnover. 

In Donald Clifton and Marcus Buckingham’s book Now Discover Your Strengths, the authors define a “strength” as an activity that energizes you, something you look forward to, that nourishes you. Their research proved that workers who are given a chance to “play to their strengths” are more productive. 

STORE STEPS

Staffing levels at Christian stores have been cut to a point where two people are often doing the work of five, and it may sound ludicrous to suggest that employees be told to focus on fewer tasks. 

But there’s a common misconception that encouraging employees to “play to their strengths” will leave a lot of necessary jobs undone. In fact, the outcome is often an increase in worker output.

You see, it’s not about employees doing only what energizes them. It’s about looking for each employee’s sweet spot (strength) and giving them the opportunity—every day—to use it. 

Here’s an example: Perhaps you have a frontline employee who is the ultimate “people person.” You notice she has an amazing knack for making even the most difficult customers feel comfortable. 

She may even spend too much time helping people. Talking to shoppers seems to be a sweet spot for her. She’s not only good at it, but it strengthens her as well. It satisfies an appetite that God may have given her before birth.

What if you gave this frontliner an opportunity to channel her people skills by taking 20 minutes every day to call 10 customers and just thank them for shopping with you? Her calls would be good PR for the store, but the greatest benefit will be the added boost she gets from playing to a strength—a boost that will carry over into her other assignments.

Some strengths aren’t as obvious. You should schedule time with each employee and ask them what specific activity at the store gives them the most satisfaction. Ask what tasks they’d like to spend more time on. Be persistent and don’t settle for generalities. Everyone has desires. 

Fine-tune their answers by asking follow-up questions. Let them know you are looking for one or two specific things that they love doing so you can design the work schedule to give them more chances to do what they do best.

STRATEGIC FOCUS

A weakness is not necessarily something you don’t do well. Just as a strength is an activity that energizes you, a weakness is an activity that drains you—regardless of your abilities. 

You can be very good at something for which you have absolutely no desire.

Don’t feel guilty about an activity that drains you. God does not want you to be miserable. The apostle Paul admitted to having a “thorn” and he prayed to have it removed. 

When an employee tells you that a certain task zaps their energy, celebrate their candor and then look for ways to manage the weakness. 

Could they trade assignments with someone? Could they look at the task from a different perspective and apply a strength? You’re not looking to ignore the weakness, but to acknowledge it and mitigate its effect.

Nordstrom: Mastering Multi-channel Shopping

Upon entering retailing, I made it a practice to let myself go shopping several times a month. I didn’t always spend money, but what I came home with were priceless ideas that I have put to use every day as a manager and buyer. These ideas were not cheap, though—in fact, they cost someone a lot of money.

As a result of these visits, I have learned where to place my sale merchandise, the importance and positioning of signage, how to treat customers and how to 
merchandise with a small budget.

One of my frequent stops is the local Nordstrom store in a nearby shopping mall. Years of watching and shopping this high-end retailer have supplied me with hundreds of things I implement every day in our bookstores.

I was prompted to take an even closer look, however, when I read that the company’s 2010 fourth-quarter earnings rose 35%—an amazing feat in the state of our present economy. The reason for such financial positives was not obvious on first glance at my local store. No major changes seemed to be taking place there. Shelves were stocked and business appeared normal. The same excellent customer service was being presented. Store publicity was arriving at my home frequently.

I discovered that Nordstrom had rallied when others had not during these troubled economic times because of a plan that involved changing the way that it handles inventory. Leaders realized that there were many things they could not change: the economy, the fact that they were not a discount retailer and their stores or locations.

But one thing they could revisit, they determined, was how they handled their inventory. They started by looking at their Web site, its traffic and the habits of online shoppers. They decided that they were not content to lose a customer to another vendor because they did not have the item in stock. They reasoned that they had 115 brick-and-mortar stores across the country and chances were one of them had the sought-after item. And so began the 
reinvention and positioning of inventory.

In September 2009, Nordstrom added individual stores’ inventory to its Web site. So, if a shopper was looking at a blue handbag on the Web site, the site would indicate where the item was available at nearby stores—and reserve it for same-day pickup. If there was just one handbag left in the entire company, a store employee would fill the order and ship it to the online customer.

With all of the stores acting as warehouses for the online store, immediate results were seen. The percentage of customers who bought merchandise after searching for an item on the site doubled on the first day, and has continued to grow at a rapid rate. The company-wide warehouse approach also benefited physical stores, which could arrange for its out-of-stock items to be shipped to customers from other locations that did have the products available.

Going even further, Nordstrom offers online chat with representatives who will email details of alternative stores that may carry an item it does not.

Admittedly, in the Christian retail world, we may not have the scale that Nordstrom enjoys, but similar multiple ways of using inventory are a possibility for all of us. Many of our distribution houses and even some of our publishers provide us with all types of tools for warehouse-to-home and direct-drop shipments. I have even heard of stores that link with other Christian retailers in their area to be able to offer help with out-of-stock items or recommend those stores to customers.

We must cease thinking that all we have to offer is what we stock on our shelves. Multichannel shopping is the key to keeping our stores open and financially sound.

I plan to use my store’s Web site and joint ventures with publishers and gift vendors to the fullest, so that I can have a non-ending stream of product that will fill all my customers’ wishes. And if I can’t get the item, I will make sure that I tell my customer where he can find it. It’s just good business.

Deb Graham is co-manager of Prestonwood Bookstore at Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas, and a member of Christian Retailing’s editorial advisory board.