Winning strategies in the retail business

»We love technology. We hate expensive.«
Saturn, one of the leading Consumer electronics retailers in Europe
»We love food.«
EDEKA, Germany’s No 1 in food retailing
»I’m looking forward to it!«
Galeria Kaufhof, one of Germany’s leading department store chains
»I’m lovin it!«
McDonalds

A number of advertising campaigns show that emotions, passion and enthusiasm play an important role in the differentiation between brands and companies.

But how can these slogans and promises reach customers and employees not only through the colorful world of advertising but also through real-life everyday experiences? How are their messages perceived in the store or in the office? And what does it really mean to love technology or food? Or what should I be looking forward to in a departments store as a customer of as an employee?

Why internal marketing is so important

»Tell the right things about you – and you gain a customer. But only if he tells the right things about you will you keep him.«

KarlHeinz Karius, (*1935) author, person and advertisement consultant

Of course marketing and advertising departments as well as the management board have answers to these questions. But often times marketing is focused only on the visible promotional demonstration, and it fails to consider the people who are supposed to live and experience the emotional message on a daily basis. A strategy to involve and reach both customers and employees is often lacking.

A slogan for your store?

With or without a slogan, the following questions must always be considered:

What does your business stand for? What does it represent and what makes it special? Which noticeable benefit and surplus value, which emotional feelings does it provide? And how are they perceived by your customers and co-workers? What should they tell others about your store or your company? How are the relationships between company and employees, employees and customers, customers and company? Wherein lies the uniqueness? Why should customers become and remain your passionate fans? And how do you reach that goal? Which activities and action, which instruments and procedures and which culture and leadership style are necessary to succeed?

Two German marketing specialists Wolfgang Merkle, PhD and Ralf Kreutz, PhD state in their recent book Die neue Macht des Marketing:

»Only an organization that holistically understands which feeling its brand shall convey is able to consequently and consistently deliver this feeling.«

One of the most basic requisites for successful branding is understanding the message you would like to deliver. Another very important aspect is the way employees actually experience this feeling in their daily work environment. And last but not least how the staff, in return, can deliver positive emotions and the company spirit in each interaction with the customer.

When you are working towards a positioning strategy which makes employees and customers become passionate fans of your business, Kiehne-Neuberg Consulting can help.

Our strategy consulting includes the following services:

• Analyzing the company and/or store vision and mission particularly with regard to your customer focus
• Integrating emotional aspects in your existing vision or new development of an emotional positioning strategy
• Analyzing the gap between expectations and actual experiences of customers and employees
• Developing a personnel strategy including recruitment, training, talent promotion, leadership culture and motivating staff events
• Developing marketing and sales strategies, including for example defining the crucial, personal and emotional interactions between customer and company (employee!) and how they should be carried out and experienced
• clarifying possible changes in organization and procedures; establishing lines for effective communication between customer, employee and company; as well as designing customer events
• Constantly supporting and monitoring of the strategy realization process

If you wish to learn more about our strategy consulting or how we might be able to help you as an independent retailer or as a decision-maker in a retail company, let’s talk! Contact us now.

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