-By Sherry Hoffman

Today's trend in family shopping is box stores. Most times, they're less expensive, offer a huge variety and the convenience of one-stop shopping. But they don't have and will never have what the independent seller has: your distinct personality, your passion, your presence and your willingness to go the extra mile. In short, the desire to excel at giving customers what they want and how they want it. In the following pages, we will give you some ideas you can implement right away, and others that take some planning; there's something here for everyone.

Before Their Very Eyes
E-mailing and text messaging on mobile phones is becoming the preferred method for mobile marketing. Research firm eMarketer projects that the global market for ad-supported mobile messaging will rise from $1.5 billion in 2006 to $12 billion by 2011. More texts are sent per day than pieces of mail delivered by the U.S. Postal Service. So capitalize on this burgeoning trend by using text messaging to send coupons, give news about sales or convey updated store information.

To prepare for this technological ad campaign, offer customers a percentage off or gift in exchange for their e-mail address. This is the start of building your e-mailing list. You may also want to rent a list from a list broker. He or she will go over your demographics in detail and provide you with an appropriate list.

A national ice cream store recently sent text messages to its customers with a coupon good for one free cone but only on the day of the text message. To receive the free cone, they had to show the text on their cell phone. The response was overwhelming. A pizza parlor in Utah sent a text offering a chance to win a pizza party. Over 1,000 people responded. That is almost unheard of with any other promotional advertising.

E-newsletters can also be effective but they may have already reached their peak due to the hundreds being delivered, as you know from your own inbox. To make yours get noticed, you'll need to provide valuable information and incentives to help your customers become better consumers. The content needs to be crisp and easy to understand, and the information must be cutting edge, not "yesterday's news." Hopefully, the newsletter content will send them to your Web site. Put the current date on the home page. Let them know the information there has not been sitting there for weeks or months.

In addition to regular e-newsletters and texts, e-mail blasts provide constant contact with your customer base. Ask questions. What do your customers want from your business? What are they happy with? What are their complaints? Don't bombard them with questions, but ask one or two per e-mail.

There are a number of online businesses that make all of this extremely easy. One, Constantcontact.com, will blast your information, do online surveys, etc., and they even have an informational program so you can familiarize yourself with the services.

Once you get comfortable using this technology, it will become easy to deliver valuable information that will get customers to your Web site and into your store.

The Metamorphosis
Mobile messaging will get customers through the door but once they're there, you want to make them feel they made the right choice. Give them a new experience. Although your merchandise changes frequently, for the most part, the layout of your store remains the same. Surprise and delight customers and draw in new ones by moving the merchandise around every few days. Your regular customers will see items they've never seen before. Changing up the entrance will be the first surprise; and when repeat customers come in, they'll immediately walk around the store to see what else is new.

Attitude Counts
After you've done all the hard work to get the customer through your door and given them a new experience, don't blow it. Teach your staff to treat each customer as though they were the biggest celebrity they can think of. If a member of your staff had Oprah standing at the checkout counter and the phone rang, would they answer the phone? No. Then they shouldn't answer it if a non-celebrity is standing there either. Face it, most of your customers are non-celebrities who want to be treated like celebrities.

The phone rings and your salesperson says, "Do you mind if I get this call?" The customer will most likely say, "Sure, no problem." But what they really want to say is, "No! I'm here in person and deserve more attention than someone who's calling." So your salesperson takes the call, finishes up with the in-person customer and that customer never returns. Consider this: When a customer has a bad experience, they tell 10 people. When they have a good experience, they tell two.

But you don't want to miss the call and possibly lose a future sale. Here's an easy solution: When the phone rings and the customer flinches because they know what's coming, have your salesperson look them in the eye and say, "I'll let that go to voice mail." You'll have one surprised and delighted customer who now feels important, as he or she should.

To retain the phone as well as the in-person customer, put this message on your outgoing message: "Don't hang up. If you leave a message, two things will happen: We'll call you back before the end of the day and we'll give you a code good for (either) a free gift or 10 percent off your purchase when you visit the store. Leave your message and don't forget to include your phone number." You will impress the customer with your honesty, your generosity and your commitment to service as well as wow the in-person customer. Chances are the caller will come into the store and never mention the code, but if they do mention it but have forgotten what it was, honor it anyway.

The following are a few very easy ways to make a better connection with your customer:
Look the customer in the eye. Give the customer a little personal time and space to adjust after they walk in the door before approaching them. Never ask, "Can I help you?" It's too easy for the customer to say, "No thanks." Pay attention to what the customer is looking at and comment on that. "That's a great potato peeler, but let me show you a newer design that may be a little easier to work with." Make physical contact with the customer. During your exchange, touch them gently on the arm or the back. It makes a positive difference in the way the customer reacts to your store.
Be Outrageous
Take risks. Without sticking your neck out, you'll just be another head in the crowd. You'll get bored, your staff and customers will be bored, and you'll be offering the same old same old. No one succeeds without risk. It might work, and it might not, but see what it feels like to be on the edge. Try doing the "unsafe" thing. You may, by accident, create the next big thing. You've built your business. The very fact it exists is a testament to your creativity, your ingenuity and your passion to excel. Be bold. There's greatness in it.

In The Name of Art
Creating a sense of ownership for your business in the community is crucial. Grab opportunities to be an event sponsor for the nonprofit of your choice. It's a great way to gain publicity and be seen as an integral and caring part of the community.

Artists struggle to get their work seen. Put out a "call to artists" either through your local paper or on Craig's list (craigslist.org), a free service. You'll get more responses than you ever thought possible. Choose the art that best fits the ambience of your store or art that simply excites or moves you. If your budget is tight, don't bother with the expense of framing the art or having the artist go to the expense of framing. Be bold and hang it unframed. Run a clothes line and pin the art to the line. It's very raw and natural, and an innovative way to amend the trend. It will get noticed and copied.

Once the art is in place, have a party. If space allows, do it in your storefront and cause a buzz. Send invitations and, naturally, have the artist invite his or her friends and colleagues, and open it up to the public. Or, to get more bang for your buck, have two separate events. Serve wine and cheese. Guests will be relaxed, they will meet and mingle, and your sales will soar.

Bring In The Kids
Where there are kids, there are adults. Private school families are historically a high-disposable-income demographic. Capture that demographic by inviting the private school kids to perform in your store, preferably in your storefront. This is especially effective at holiday time. The schools will bus in the kids, and the parents and grandparents will follow.

Summer day-camps or children's performing art academies would also be receptive to having their budding performers come to sing or do a small play. This gives the camp an opportunity to showcase not just the kids, but also the camp. And it can also be a boon to your store during a slower season.

More Than Food
Gourmet means more than just food. It's everything related to food. Cooking classes and demonstrations are great customer service ideas; they bring in people and positive word-of-mouth, but they're something lots of stores offer. Expand your customer's knowledge by hosting "More Than Just Food" workshops, demonstrations and classes. These events drive customers, raise the store's visibility and get people talking. They also educate. An educated consumer is an asset, especially for an independent retailer.

Partner with a local florist to offer hands-on workshops in flower arranging.

Bring in a representative of a high-profile cutlery company to demonstrate proper uses for different knives. Let attendees see how much easier it is to slice a tomato with a tomato knife or bread with a bread knife.

Ask a local designer or home furnishing store decorator to lecture on table settings. Customers will be happy to finally learn where the butter knife belongs or if the bread and butter plate is to your right or left.

Many colleges and universities now offer classes in etiquette. Ask a professor or etiquette professional to present a workshop specifically on table etiquette. Run a hands-on, seated-at-a-table class just for children.

We eat first with our eyes, then with our taste buds. A class in food presentation will improve sales of decorative tabletop items. Why put an ordinary batch of cookies on a white plate when you can place them on a three-tiered dish with beautiful doilies set by a tea service with china cups and a flower arrangement? It's also a wonderful addition to your in-store table displays.

Believe
When you come up with an idea, concentrate on how to do it rather than why it can't or shouldn't be done, no matter what anyone tells you.

For inspiration, here's how the birth of FedEx came about, as told by creator Fred Smith. "The original idea for FedEx came when I wrote a term paper as an undergraduate -- not as a graduate student, because I never went to graduate school -- about a very simple observation: As society automated, as people began to put computers in banks to cancel checks -- rather than clerks -- or people began to put sophisticated electronics in airplanes -- society and the manufacturers of that automated society were going to need a completely different logistics system."

Smith received a "C" on the paper. Most of us would have stopped right there. He didn't, and the rest is billionaire history. The moral: Never give up on yourself or your ideas.

The Short Of It
Do you have mission, vision and values statements? Write them on the wall of your store for all to see and to remind your staff what they need to accomplish every day. Make sure you have business cards available and accessible. Put the owner's name and phone number, e-mail address and Web site on them. Save room for "Comments? Tell me." Look around at other businesses that are not in your category and see what they're doing to wow customers, then tailor it to your business.
Network
No one creates in a vacuum. Networking is key, not just for customer referral but for moral support as well. One of the most important things you can do is meet regularly with your peers. The Gourmet Retailer understands this and is committed to helping your business succeed. To honor that commitment, we have put together a first-of-its-kind retreat, Retail 2020. From August 20 to 22, you'll meet other specialty and food business owners, hear success stories from some of the most influential people in the industry, and visit an exhibition floor that will spark your creative energy -- all in a retreat environment at the Mohegan Sun Resort, Uncasville, Conn. For more information, visit www.Retail2020.net.

Comments? shoffman@gourmetretailer.com