Rick Segel is back, as well as the annual Pride of New England Awards reception!  Add value to your market experience by attending one or both of Rick’s business-building seminars, and end your first day at the market with champagne as the winners of the 2008 Pride of New England Awards are announced.

• Million Dollar Advertising Ideas on a Shoestring Budget
  Sunday, April 6, 12:30 – 2:00pm, BCEC Room O-51
  $10 in advance / $20 onsite (participants encouraged to bring their lunch)
  Presented by best-selling author Rick Segel, this seminar will explore all forms of advertising, including newspaper, magazine, radio, television, direct mail and the internet. The strengths and weaknesses of each will be highlighted, along with basic “how-to” strategies that make advertising affordable and create an image larger than life within a limited budget.
  
  
• Signage: The Overlooked Killer Resource
  Monday, April 7, 12:30 – 2:00pm, BCEC Room O-51
  $10 in advance / $20 onsite (participants encouraged to bring their lunch)
  Rick Segel returns to discuss how effective use of signage can have the largest impact on your store. Signage is a secret weapon – a silent salesperson that can produce more than your strongest salesperson. This forgotten and much overlooked topic can turn your business around! Participants will learn the three categories of signage, how to improve the shopping experience with creative signs, how to create a buying frenzy, how to increase sales 10-500 percent with the I.S.E.E. Formula and how to keep customers lingering longer to increase sales.
  
  
• 2008 Pride of New England Awards Ceremony
  Saturday, April 5, 6:00pm, Pride of New England Display
  As opening day comes to a close, attendees and exhibitors will gather for the announcement of the 3rd annual Pride of New England Award winners. Retailers from New England states will be recognized for excellence in customer service, creative merchandising and community involvement. A special display on the Show floor will spotlight the 2008 winners.

Registration for these programs is available by clicking here.  Attendees registering in advance for both Rick Segel seminars will receive a one-day complimentary parking voucher, which will be provided onsite at the Saturday, April 5, 2008, seminar.

Get your game on and save at the Boston Gift Show Hole-in-One Tournament! Retailers are invited to try their luck at a 24-foot putting green, with the first 40 retailers to sink a hole-in-one receiving $100 towards orders placed during the spring 2008 market. For each hole-in-one, $50 will be donated to cancer research and care in the greater Boston area.

The League of New Hampshire Craftsmen, returning to the Boston Gift Show in April to showcase the exquisite collections of handcrafted glass, textiles and pottery of its members, will present demonstrations for the first time during this market.  One demonstration will focus on painting ornaments, while the second will feature surface design on fabric.  Additional details will be available online at www.bostongiftshow.com in March.

What is the Most Important Decision You Could Make This Year?
By Rick Segel

What decision could you possibly make that could effect your business, your success and your financial ability to do all the things you have ever wanted to do? It’s simple. It comes down to the people you hire. Great people make great businesses. Having said that, we can’t rule out the effects managers and supervisors have on turning average employees into superstars. Yet the greatest of coaches can only train and motivate so much—they have to have the right talent to succeed.

I know what you’re saying– “I can spot a great employee but I just don’t see enough of them to hire.” When was the last time you interviewed someone you thought was going to be great but turned out awful? I have on way too many occasions. On the other hand, we have all probably hired someone just because they were the only one who applied and this employee stayed for 20 very productive years. That has happened to me as well. I once hired three 9^th grade girls as stock clerks and they stayed with me almost 10 years. They were bright and had a wonderful way of looking at the world. One became a journalist, another a doctor, and the third is a senior buyer for TJ Maxx. They inspired me and produced great work. However, if you asked me when I hired them how long I thought they would last, I would have told you, “Just till the end of the school year.”

As I write this, we are in the middle of the National Football League playoffs and Tom Brady of the New England Patriots has won just about every award a football player can earn. He is now being called the greatest quarterback to ever play the game. He has also broken all of the existing quarterback records. So if he is so good, why did 32 professional scouts, general mangers, coaches and owners not hire Tom Brady– not once but six times? They all had the opportunity. Tom Brady was a 6^th round selection in the draft and the 199^th pick overall. Another interesting fact is that he replaced a quarterback who was the #1 pick in the first round, Drew Bledsoe. Poor Drew ended up retiring early because no team wanted him.

Now for all those people who are saying, “Well for the money he makes he should be that good.” There are eight other players on the Patriots roster who make more money than Tom Brady and a few of them earn twice as much. He is not only great, but a bargain.

Well I can’t help the National Football League out but I do know a little bit about business and retailing.  The more I work for larger retailers, the more curious I have become about asking them about their hiring process.  I have been getting similar responses and one thing keeps popping up. That is the use of assessments. Assessments have been around for a long time but rarely used by many independents. Today, using assessment tools has never been easier and there is also a much higher degree of accuracy than ever before. These tests are so sophisticated today that they even score the probability of errors and can determine when someone is answering questions the way they think you want the answer to be. They can tell when someone is trying to rig the test.

Let me explain the process a business goes through in order for assessments to work. First, they ask you, the retailer, what you want in an employee. What do you want them to do or not do? The assessment wants to find out what are the acceptable and preferred behaviors.

Second, they assess your current successful employees to determine what their characteristics are and then compare these characteristics to the desired ones, checking for alignment. The third step is when the prospective employee takes the assessment. Does the applicant fit into any of the molds you have already established? Many times they don’t but that is not necessarily a reason not to hire them. Wouldn’t it be so much easier leading or coaching a person that you understand better? Some people learn from just reading something, some people need to be told what to do, while others need to do it hands-on.

These assessments will actually suggest questions to ask perspective employees to find any areas of concern. The results will also suggest the best way to work with the employee if you end up hiring them and what would be the best job for them. In addition, these assessments will uncover hidden talents or skills you might not have known. They ask questions in the six behavioral characteristics that are critical to retailing: trust, tact, empathy, conformity, focus, and flexibility. Then they evaluate a person’s proficiencies in communication and produce the Job Match Percentage. That tells you how good a fit for the job they are. BUT you still must make the decision whether to hire or not.

You will know how they compared to yourself, your existing employees and the rest of the retail or business world. An assessment company can only do that if they have been in business a long time and have the data from hundreds or thousands of other similar businesses and situations.

I am sharing all of this information because I am in the middle of writing the second edition of Retail Business Kit for Dummies, updating all of the information in the book. Just as the internet has changed retailing so dramatically, so has the use of effective assessments. They are being used in the most positive of ways: to put the applicant in the right job, with the highest probability of success, and to know how to deal and manage that person after you hire them. I still think the most fascinating aspect is knowing the type of person who succeeds in your business.

Rick Segel is a seasoned retailer, owning one of New England’s most successful independent women’s specialty stores for 25 years.  He is the author of eight books, including “Retail Business Kit for Dummies”, “Laugh & Get Rich”, “How to Become the Preferred Vendor”, “How to Run a Sale” and “The Essential Online Solution: A Five Step Formula for Small Business Success”.

The Tea Leaf, Waltham, MA
Sally Collura, Owner

What makes your store stand out from the rest?
Since we are three businesses in one, a retail tea and gift shop as well as a twenty-seat tearoom, we automatically stand out from the rest. Many tearooms focus only on tea and food while we however, also feature unique gifts, hats, handbags, jewelry and accessories, bath and skin care, Victorian art prints and greeting cards in addition to the vast selection of teas and accoutrements. Customers comment on the large selection in a small shop.

What is your customer service motto?
Personal service and attention is my motto. We greet customers when they enter the store ad ask if they are looking for something in particular or just browsing. This almost immediately opens the dialog.

What is your advice to a start-up retail operation?
Explore established businesses and look at what they are doing. Find the right location for what you plan to offer. Research costs for renovations, fixtures and products to decide what will and won't work for you. Then write a good business plan that will direct and guide you and don't be afraid to review your plan and make adjustments after the first couple of years.

What is the value of the Boston Gift Show for your store?
HUGE! It’s something you cannot place a value on. The Boston Gift Shows helped me to launch my business from concept to reality. I was able to research products, manufacturers, representatives and distributors. The Show allows me to see, touch and evaluate products before deciding what to purchase.  I try to attend every Boston Gift Show to see the latest offerings and trends in retail.

We Want To Hear From You!

Need to arrange hotel accommodations for the Boston Gift Show?
Visit http://www.bostongiftshow.com/travel/index.html for the best available rates!

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

For the latest information on the Boston Gift Show, including an exhibitor search and seminar information, visit us online at www.bostongiftshow.com.

The Boston Gift Show is right around the corner and we’re gearing up to present a market that not only showcases the latest products, but also provides opportunities for professional development, networking…and fun! Rick Segel’s seminars are must-attend programs, and the announcement of the 2008 Pride of New England Award winners will generate buzz throughout the four-day market. In addition, look for new features this year! For the first time, the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen will present craft demonstrations, and 40 lucky buyers will win $100 towards orders placed during the Show by sinking a hole-in-one in our new putting green. For every hole-in-one, $50 will be donated to the Jimmy Fund. Read on for further details…we look forward to seeing you in April!

Morse Code Jewelry™
(Booth 1041) is being worn inside some of the most exclusive media circles from Washington, DC, to San Francisco, and like those sneaky little subliminal ads outlawed in the 70’s, countless Americans may have been exposed to its “secret” messages and don’t even know it!

Dunitz & Company Inc. (Booth 1132) will feature its leather and macrame bracelet, a new introduction for the spring 2008 season. The bracelet features macrame, seed beads and leather with a toggle clasp.  Currently available in 14 color combinations!

B K Enterprises / Paper Scissors Rock (Booth 674) will feature clocks with whimsical designs which are reproductions of original paintings by Northwest artist Pamela Corwin.  Each 2-inch square alarm clock has a round face featuring one of the original designs, with a floating second hand. For example, the cat alarm clock features the second hand as a tiny mouse which runs around the cat.

Isabelle Grace Jewelry (Booth 1014) will make its first trade show appearance at the Boston Gift Show in April.  The company is thrilled to launch its wholesale business and debut its distinctive line of casually chic jewelry.  The collection of handmade jewelry features semi-precious stones, sterling silver, vermeil, 14 carat gold filled, crystals and more.

Cayana Home (Booth 536) is a distributor of beautiful home décor and giftware in fine bone china that adheres to the strictest international and traditional standards.  Using only natural materials, all Cayana products are made by hand, delicately crafted by artisans who are passionate about upholding a tradition of exquisite beauty and elegance.

Alice Sturzinger (Booth 766) is now working directly with a designer in Venice, Italy to offer an exclusive line of Murano Glass jewelry and accessories. The line will be shown for the first time at the Boston Gift Show.  Don’t miss this opportunity to come by and see the latest designs!

Brian & Company (Booth 533) will introduce three new lines at the April 2008 edition of the Boston Gift Show. Room décor and accessories from Room It Up, frames and home décor from Swing & Sacchi and garden accessories from Ancient Graffiti will be added to their product lineup.

Eagle Dragon Development (Booth 639) will introduce two new lines at the Boston Gift Show, including a pet product under the PetPickupBags.com brand and a new consumer product under the LorLanSpiders brand. The pet product line is a convenient re-sealable pouch of 20 pet pickup bags, which fits comfortably in a pocket or purse. The consumer product line is handmade beaded spider collectibles for women and girls.


Be on the lookout for Message in a Candle (Booth 718) products at the Boston Gift Show, which can be identified by their clever packaging.  The small 4”x 4” boxes are fun and unique in that the box is made to look like a stamped envelope en route to your loved one!


Jerry Leigh (Booth 339), an official licensee of Disney products, will showcase Hannah Montana and High School Musical merchandise.  Stop by the check it out!