The Boston Gift Show team has announced 13 finalists for the coveted Pride of New England Awards.  From these 13 finalists, six honorees will be announced during the Pride of New England Awards Reception, Saturday, March 24, at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.  Honorees will be selected based on excellence in customer service, creative merchandising and community involvement.  A special display on the Show floor will spotlight the 2007 winners.  The 13 finalists are:

• Chatham T Co., Inc. – Chatham, MA
• Copacetic – Providence, RI
• Cottage Designs – Ocean Park, ME
• Dedham Women’s Exchange – Dedham, MA
• Laro’s New England Specialties Shoppe – Quechee, VT
• New Hampshire Made Shops – Hampton, NH
• Off the Wall – Newbury Port, MA
• Quantum Books – Cambridge, MA
• Snow Goose Shops – Sandwich, MA
• Southern New Hampshire Medical Center Auxiliary Gift Shop – Nashua, NH
• Susan’s Secret Garden – Sturbridge, MA
• The New England Sampler – Manchester, NH
• Toadally Country – Cumberland, RI

Complementing the 2007 Awards is a roundtable program featuring the 2006 Pride of New England Award winners.  Moderated by Gifts & Decorative Accessories Executive Editor Caroline Kennedy, the roundtables will explore the specific techniques that made these retail establishments successful.  Register to attend the reception and/or roundtable discussions at www.bostongiftshow.com/content/programs.cfm.

Attendees of the upcoming Boston Gift Show will find new exhibitors within each of the Show’s seven divisions, as the market continues to serve as a premier destination for discovering one-of-a-kind gifts and decorative accessories unique to the New England region.  Taking place March 24-27, 2007, at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center, the Boston Gift Show will present more than 50 first-time companies among its 500 total exhibitors, promising a dynamic buying experience for more than 7,000 retailers.

Among the new exhibitors are Ann Judge Design (stylish totes), Beit-Nir Jewellery (jewelry inspired by Israeli culture), Candlevida (handcrafted candles), Crafty Baby™ (handcrafted items for babies, toddlers and children), Little Giraffe (luxury loungewear and accessories for children and adults), Marie Courant (handcrafted home décor) and Nature’s Eye Photography (natural photographs without digital enhancement). 

Acadia Shops of Bar Harbor, Maine
2006 Pride of New England Award Honoree
Dave Woodside, President

1) What is the secret to your success?
“The secret of our success is paying very close attention to what our customers, the visitors to Bar Harbor and Acadia National Park, are looking for.  With eight stores, our buyers are not always in direct contact with our customers, but we are constantly seeking feedback from our shop managers and staff based on what the customers are asking for.  Another important element for us is visiting other National Parks and tourist destinations to see what works in other areas of the country.”

2) What makes your store stand out from the rest?
“We try to make our shops stand out by developing unique products only available in our stores.  This is accomplished by developing unique designs for apparel items and by custom labeling on foods and other gift items.”

3) How was the store’s theme conceived and what was the inspiration?
“All of shops try to reflect the unique character of Maine and particularly Acadia National Park.  Maine and Acadia have a mystique of a rural mix of the north woods and rugged coastline - we seek to reflect that in our shops.”

4) What is your advice to a start-up retail operation?
“The successful start-ups I have seen have found a niche of their own.  Too many start-ups have too broad a mix of merchandise borrowed from other successful area retailers.  The successful ones have a vision and develop into an identity of their own.”

5) What is the value of the Boston Gift Show for your store?
“The Boston show showcases New England products while providing the opportunity to work with local New England sales reps and organizations.” 

What Makes People Successful?

Register today to attend Rick Segel’s seminars at the Boston Gift Show!

Great leaders are great teachers.  Retailing today has become a job of teaching and training because the turnover rate of employees has hit record levels.  Few people stay at a job very long today.  I recently met a young man who worked in seven different stores at one mall within 18 months.  We talk about customers not being loyal, but what about our employees?  It is easier to attract good customers than it is to attract good employees.
I recently coined a new definition of what good customer service is.  I believe it’s the difference between just making the sale and having the customer return to the store again to purchase more.
The question is how do we train our employees to be able to deliver the kind of service that will keep the customer coming back again and again?  It comes down to explaining what to do, having the employees try, fail, be corrected in a positive manner, and try again.  Or repetition, repetition, and more repetition.
There is one other concept that I call The Stages of Learning which I learned years ago, and it has always helped me put training in perspective for both myself and the employee.  It works because it lets everyone know where they are at in the training cycle.  Basically, it controls everyone’s expectations.
These are the 4 stages:

• Stage 1. Unconscious / Incompetence
  This is the stage that the brand new employee is at.  They don’t know what to do and don’t know how to do it. Or in simple terms, they are clueless.
• Stage 2. Conscious / Incompetence
  This is the stage that the employee is at after they have been taught how to do what they are to do.  So they are aware of what has to be done, but they don’t know how to do it yet.  Or they have a clue but they don’t have any experience and have never really done what is expected of them.  They are at least aware of what has to be done.  The mistake that happens here is when we expect our people to perform at high levels.  They just can’t yet, but they are getting there.
• Stage 3. Conscious / Competence
  This is the stage where you are aware of what has to be done and you can do the job but you have to think about what you are doing all of the time.  Or you are slow.  It is the same as when you first learn to drive, when you have gone out with a teacher or a parent and just got your license.  You know what to do but have to think about it all the time.  If you expect too much from your employee here, you will lose them out of frustration.  Just knowing and understanding this stage will help you better understand your employees.  This is also the place where positive reinforcement and compliments go a long way.
• Stage 4. Unconscious / Competence
  Your employees are aware of what has to be done and they can do the job without even thinking about what to do.  They have become a master.  This is the point we strive for – when you just do what you do and don’t really think about the process.  Three years ago (actually it’s 151 weeks ago), I struggled with writing this column.  Now after writing 151 columns I look forward to this Sunday night writing time.  I don’t have to think about the mechanics of writing - I just write.  Looking back, I never thought I was ever going to get to this point, but I did.

Your employees will get to Stage 4 if they know where they are and you know as well.  THIS WORKS!  Try it.

Looking to explore Boston during non-show hours? 
Visit http://boston.citysearch.com/ for great restaurants, shopping, events and more!

Have you booked your hotel room for the Boston Gift Show? 
Visit http://www.bostongiftshow.com/content/travel.cfm for fast and easy reservations!

Automated Packaging Systems, distributed throughout New England by Hill Packaging, has received a prestigious product design award for its AirPouch Void-Fill Pillows with EZ-TearTM perforations.  The award was presented by the National Institute of Packaging, Handling and Logistics Engineers at its annual conference in Baltimore, MD.  Look for them in booth #1369 at the Boston Gift Show!

KASHMIR invites you to experience a world of exquisitely handmade, handcrafted, and folklore products at the Boston Gift Show in booth #635.  Selection includes artistic papier machie, chain-stitch rugs and cushion covers, hand-embroidered Kashmir shawls, stoles and jackets, hand knotted silk carpets, jeweled tapestries, hand-carved marble items inlaid with semi-precious stone, copper and silverwares.