Consumer and Marketing Trends

Involve Your Customers - Increase Your Sales

Using Multi-Channel Marketing to Engage Customers with Your Business

Today's consumers are getting messages about brands from more sources than ever before- both offline and online. Ask yourself where customers are getting messages about your business?

If the answer is from a static website or a regular newspaper feature - this seminar is for you. In this seminar we'll explore how retailers of all size are using multiple channels to distribute messages about their stores including:

• How retailers can Incorporate Online And Mobile Technology Tools Into Marketing Programs
• How to Use Mobile Technology To Better Serve your Customers
• Learning to use Google To Run location based Search Ads
• How to Create offers, discounts and Coupons that will drive sales to your retail store

Join us today and spread the word about your retail business in new channels starting tomorrow.

Making More Money With Less Marketing Dollars

Using Time Saving Tools and Techniques to Connect With Consumers

As a retailer, connecting with customers today isn't always about spending the most money on marketing tools. It's about using authentic conversations and using engagement techniques to draw your customers into your daily brand conversations to drive sales and profits.

This seminar explores the wide variety of tools (social media, scheduling and other tools) that retailers can use to save both time and effort in order to connect with today's connected consumers. Learn what tools work well - and which ones are time drainers - as you work toward making daily connections with customers to drive them to your store to make purchases again and again.

Going Mobile

We all know that reaching customers where they are is a key to effective marketing. Today that means connecting with customers and marketing your business in the palm of your hand by going mobile!

In this seminar, we'll share why mobile marketing can be an effective tool for retailers to use in their marketing campaigns. We'll also share how to create mobile marketing programs that tie in to your overall store marketing messages and share what tools and apps can help your business connect with your on the go customers - all the time! We'll highlight mobile marketing success stories from other retailers and set you on the course to create your own mobile campaign this year!

Smart Retail 2017

Improving business efficiency via the palm of your hand

1 in 2 consumers who shop in your store already have a smart phone or tablet and are using it daily to make their life easier and more efficient. These connected consumers understand the time saving benefits that a smart device can deliver. But do retailers looking to connect with these wired consumers understand the same thing for their retail business?

In this seminar, we'll share how Smart device technology can improve the performance of your business. Learn how your smart tool can be used to help your retail business with:

• Marketing: Including posts to your social media sites, mobile marketing programs and qr code programs
• Mobile Payment processing: Host out of store events, or use mobile phone technology to speed up processing during busy times of the year
• Inventory management: Learn about retail math applications that can be attached to your smart phone to help you manage inventory easily and effectively

Managing Your Business in the Google� Cloud

Tools to help your retail business flourish

Many small businesses find their competitive advantage by using the same tools that larger enterprises do to run their business. In this seminar, we share 7 Google tools that your business can use to maximize efficiency and gain an advantage over the competition. Learn about these uses for Google and more during our session:

• Manage company projects among multiple users with Google Docs
• Review your website performance with Google Analytics
• Gathering industry information and educational tools via Google Reader
• Improve search engine ranking with Google Maps and Google Places listing
• Use Google Applications (apps) for Email marketing, inventory management, and so much more

Embracing the Economic Challenges of Today

Businesses can thrive during economic downturns and recessions if they know the marketing right strategies to use. Economic slowdowns create opportunities when competitors cut back their marketing efforts, suppliers are more willing to negotiate, and lower interest rates prevail. Doom and gloom will become a self-fulfilling prophecy for those who believe in them. This seminar will show you the strategies that will teach you how to:

• Restructure your marketing tactics to acknowledge but not succumb to negative sentiment
• Focus on retention and awareness strategies
• Reinvent yourself to become a true value driven organization
• Seek out alternative marketing strategies
• Create emotional attachments
• Direct marketing efforts toward key customer types

Preparing For The Future - The Customer Of 2016-2017

Where will your business be in the new world of retail 2016-2017? Now is the time to begin thinking about how will your business be positioned - and prepared - to meet the needs of your future customers.

This seminar will focus discussion around the expected complexities of retailing in 2017. Managing shifting demographics, household downsizing, more educated consumers, new channel formats and strategic outsourcing will all be factors in the future world of retail.

This seminar will focus on helping your business plan for and execute on these trends to produce effective results for your business and will discuss new approaches, new models, new processes and potential technologies can be used to make your business more successful and more adaptive to the changes that are coming. Learning how to satisfy the needs of your businesses' future customers in order to be successful and profitable will be the focus as we lead this strategic seminar for retailers of all size.

Yellow Pages to Web Pages: The New World of Marketing for Retailers Today

Marketing tactics have changed dramatically over the past 3-5 years. The growth of social media tools now allow businesses of all size to communicate with their customers and prospects in real time. Consumers have dramatically changed the way they shop and thus demand a new consumer experience.

In the 60 minutes discover:

• How to develop an actionable plan for the social media development of their business
• The basics of creating social media content
• How to leverage content across multiple social media platforms
• How to integrate social media into other marketing tactics and the overall consumer experience
• Multi Generational Marketing- Getting Boomers To Bust Out Their Wallets And Generating Moohla From The Millennials

This seminar provides an in depth look at the consumers of today. Dealing with critically important factors on why and how consumers spend money is the key for your business as it seeks generate revenue from the shopping public.

Learn what motivates each generation to spend money today and learn how to develop marketing messages that will attract each generation by focusing on the message and what media to place it in.

Partner For Profit; Commit To Your Community.
Marketing 2.0 For Your Business

This seminar will be your guide to learning how to create unique and specialized sales and marketing programs for retailers of any size. Special focus will be paid to creating special events and building long term community partnerships that can and will help your business grow. Walk away with actionable steps to implement for your store to gain an immediate sales return.

• Defined actions: learn the executable steps to enable your store to gain an immediate sales return for the marketing dollars you spend
• Identify opportunities: discover key sales opportunities that exist when stores utilize customized marketing events
• Share best practices: learn key lessons from other independent retailers on how tailor your store's marketing messages for long term gain

Consumer Crossroads. Rousing Success Demands Retailer Rethinking

What will consumers buy today and tomorrow? Where are consumers shopping? What are the right methods to most effectively reach consumers today? How do stores optimize the consumer shopping experience?

These questions need to be answered by every retailer to insure their success.

This seminar dives into the changing consumer marketplace to help retailers understand what is going on with consumers today. By understanding what motivates consumers to shop and to spend their precious money, retailers can effectively position their products and marketing efforts to capture these almighty dollars!

Ready. Aim. Target.
Defining Your Target Market In Today's Changing Retail Marketplace

The question most retailers need help with is: Who is my target market and how do I reach them? A clearly defined target market is the most effective tool a retailer can have for success. Understanding The products, services, and marketing messages you're your target market will respond to helps retailer Of all size deliver the sales and profits they are looking for.

This seminar will help retailers learn how to research and define (or refine) their target market, and then review the steps necessary to effectively focus their products and services to their audience.

Profit By Performing.
Creating Customer Experiences That Wow And Win Big Sales!

Big Box merchants have the power of the people when it comes to price. Low cost merchandise is dominating the retail landscape. Can you compete? Absolutely! Independent Retailers have what Big Boxes never will. The ability to get up close and personal with EVERY single customer that walks in the door! This program will help retailers to connect with creative and value added services that provide a customer experience unparallel in any big box store. Learn how to create customer experiences that will increase customer loyalty for a lifetime in your store.

The Consumers Of Today - What Are They Possibly Thinking?

Consumers and their shopping behaviors are changing like never before. Where people shop, how they shop, how much they intend to spend, and where they intend to spend their dollars are up for grabs on any given shopping day. This seminar focuses on the psychographic and psychological changes that are making customers behave differently today. Learning how to anticipate consumer's needs and understanding their shopping habits will give any retailer the best chances and competitive advantages the market has to offer.

The Store Of Tomorrow. Are You Preparing Today?

How is your business prepared to meet the needs of consumers in the coming years? This seminar will ask and answer key questions to determine your store's readiness for the future.

1. Experiential retailing rules the day; how will your business engage customers again and again?
2. Improved in-store content supports consumer experience - digital signage, open concept shopping space? Is your location (or brand) ready and able to participate?
3. Retailers will become suppliers-suppliers will become retailers - what steps must you take to prepare for this day? Merger? Acquisition?
4. Unprecedented industry consolidation continues - who should your partners be?
5. Technology and Distribution logistics - are you capable of expanding your systems?
6. E-Commerce drives brand recognition and integrates consumers more than it will enhance bottom line profits - Is your brand web ready?
7. Consumers will have access to better information and more control over the entire shopping process - Where and when will your store deliver its brand message?

Connect With Your Customers And Deliver More Cash To The Bottom Line

This seminar focuses on maximizing your marketing spends by using the Appropriate Methods to Connect with your customers.

Learn how to:

• Identify Marketing Methods Based on Business Needs
• Produce Messaging to Meet Needs and Marketing Goals
• Define Campaign Goals Clearly based on business goals
• Choose Correct Medium for Delivery
• Track and review the effectiveness of your marketing campaigns
• Re-strategize based on results for the Next Campaign

Differentiate To Dominate. Become A Destination Business.

In order for a business to succeed today, it must be different than its competitors and stand out in the crowd. This program will explore the ways to differentiate a business and make your store special, different and talked about by your customers. It will also help businesses define what their next level is and create a path to that level by offering various differentiating strategies and techniques.

Learn the eight major categories to differentiate your business: product, presentation, promotion, advertising, people, education, community involvement, pricing, and procedures. Learn the tips in each of these categories to make your business stand out.

Opportunity Knocks: How To Capitalize On The Evolving Retail Marketplace.

Change is everywhere in the retail marketplace. Where consumers can and want to buy products, what products consumers want, and how to reach consumers with relevant marketing messages are just a few of the challenges facing retailers of all size on a daily basis. The key for successful retailers today is to successfully target niche marketing and to have the right products for these consumers to buy once they do come in to the store.

This seminar is a call to action for any retailer that wants to succeed over the long term.Walk away with actionable steps to implement for your store to gain an immediate sales return.

• Share Best Practices: Key Lessons On How To Drive More Profits For Your Store; Tailor Your Store's Product Needs And Marketing Messages
• Identify Opportunities: Key Sales Opportunities Created By An Evolving Marketplace
• Define Actions: Executable Steps To Enable Your Store To Gain An Immediate Sales Return

Partnership Prevails. A New Way To Drive Sales For Your Retail Business.

Partnerships are popping up all over the world of retail today. Smart retailers understand that synergy and sharing are the new buzz words of retail success. And it's not only about vendor partnerships any more. Today's best retailers know the value of partnerships with local non competing businesses. This seminar share ideas on creating profitable partnerships with vendors in China and from the store down the street.

Is Your Business Having An Identity Crisis?

Who is your business marketing to? Have you ever determined if your marketing is reaching the targeted audience? Do you know who the targeted audience even is?

This interactive workshop will focus on marketing and branding efforts for small businesses today.

• Explore how to develop branding strategies that match customer needs with retailer product offerings
• Learn to develop clear concise messages focused on helping meet your customer's needs that will drive retail sales.
• Learn how market positioning helps your business by educating your customers about your products offered.

Marketing For Success This Year-1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th Quarter And Beyond

In the world of retail today, it's tough for any small business to survive. Prosperous and profitable results in the 4th quarter are especially important for the long term survival of small businesses. Attend this interactive seminar and learn specific 4th quarter tips that will increase sales for your store at any time of the year - and for YEARS to come.

By creating unique and specialized sales and marketing programs, ANY small retailer can compete against the store next store, or the big box down the street!

Learn how to:

• Create unique marketing events for your customers and learn how to partner with local businesses to showcase your products and services
• Plan early so can save you big money from your marketing efforts
• Understand how one email a month can generate thousands in sales for your store yearly

The Changing Nature Of Marketing And Advertising For The Independent Retailer

How to spend marketing dollars for maximum reach and effectiveness.

Consumers are changing like never before. The personalization of shopping, the changing consumer demographics, and the changing attitudes and behaviors of consumers are affecting independent merchants and how they need to connect with consumers via their marketing messages.

This interactive seminar will address some key trends affecting consumer shopping behavior today and give retailers practical lessons on how to strategize and deliver marketing campaigns that will reach targeted audiences with maximum effectiveness. Learn some key ways to connect with shoppers of all ages across a wide variety of categories today. Begin making the marketing changes necessary for your store to compete effectively for every customer in town!

Thinking Big For Your Small Business

We are a retail nation based on Mom and Pop retailers scattered down Main Street, USA. Yet this segment is under tremendous pressure from larger competitors across town and across the internet. Learn how successful Independent businesses are thinking out of the box to beat the big box retailers at their own game. This seminar shares grassroots sales and marketing programs that don't cost a fortune but will deliver profits like never before to the bottom line.

Change Happens. What Is Your Store Doing About It?

The retail marketplace is changing every day. Connecting with customers is getting harder every day. Even the savviest of merchants are struggling with the best ways to connect with the fickle consumer in The retail marketplace today.

This seminar dives into the question: How can your store respond to change?

Learn to:

• Understand and respond to Consumers who Are More Sophisticated And Discerning than ever before
• Discover How you can better understand today's consumer buying Patterns
• Learn how to adjust to spending shifts BEFORE they happen
• Learn how to anticipate changing consumer needs and attitudes about shopping today
• New Methods Of Building Brand Awareness to attract more customers