DC Business September 2013

DC Business C o n n e c t i o n s

september 2013 Volume 2, Number 3

Welcome to DC Business Debbie Armstrong V o l u n t e e r C o m m u n i t y T e a m N e e d e d f o r I H S A S tat e F o o t b a l l C h a m p i o n sh i p s In less than 100 days more than 32,000 visitors will travel to DeKalb County to watch their favorite high school football team play for a state title. We are hosting the IHSA State Championships for the first time on Nov. 29-30 at Huskie Stadium. It presents us with a prime opportunity to showcase DeKalb County venues and attractions to visitors from across the state.

Sixteen teams will play for titles in eight classes over the course of the twoday event. Games are scheduled to kick off at 10 a.m., 2 p.m., 4 p.m. and 7 p.m. on both days with Class 1A through 4A titles decided on Friday and 5A through 8A on Saturday.

Debbie Armstong Executive Director DeKalb County Convention & Visitors Bureau

The IHSA Destination DeKalb Host Committee and the DeKalb County CVB are recruiting more than 200 volunteers from DeKalb County communities to help make the event a success. We are asking for your help as ticket takers, ushers, parking attendants, team ambassadors and Spirit Zone tent community ambassadors.

Training for the event volunteers will be held at the Oct. 26th Northern Illinois University football game. All volunteers will be able to shadow a football operations event staffer and also receive a free ticket to the game against Eastern Michigan. There will be two other possible training days for those that are unable to attend. To volunteer, go to: www.ihsadestination.dekalb and click on “Volunteers” to sign up. It is automated and will send you a confirmation with your job description, time slot and all the other information you’ll need.

The IHSA Destination DeKalb Host Committee and the DeKalb County Convention & Visitors Bureau will host the community hospitality Spirit Zone for visitors and fans of the 16 teams. The community hospitality tent will need volunteers who are familiar with the area to assist visitors with questions about places to eat and directions.

The hospitality tent will be surrounded by team tents that are set up in

See IHSA football, Page 9

Inside This Issue K i s h H e a lt h S y s t e m Growing with the community Page 2

Lifelong learning institute Page 3

Communiversity W h at d o e s i t m e a n ?

Page 3

R e ta i l B u s i n e s s Happ e n i n g s i n DeKalb Page 4

C o n n e c t, G r o w a n d Prosper in Genoa Page 6

Clinton Rosette Brings community into school Page 7

Industrial Workforce pilot p r o g r a m u n d e r wa y Page 8

Ma r k e t i n g m ak e o v e r Page 10

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KishHealth System

growing with the community DC Business

C o n n e c t i o n s

DC Business Connections is a quarterly businessto-business e-edition that will be sent to over 6,000 readers.

Information is provided by local business leaders from DCEDC, Northern Illinois University, City of DeKalb, DeKalb School District, Kishwaukee College, and more.

These e-editions will be available online all year at daily-chronicle.com.

If you would like to be added to our mailing list, be a guest writer, or submit a photo, please send your information to Lisa Angel at langel@shawmedia.com.

The e-editions will publish as follows: March 15th June 15th • Sept 15th December 15th Deadline for advertising is 3 weeks before publish date.

For rates or more information contact, Lisa Angel at (815) 756-4841 ext.

2236 or at langel@shawmedia.com

Theresa Komitas KishHealth Marketing & Public Relations

DeKalb, Ill. – Over the last year, KishHealth System broke ground for two new medical facilities to help grow and expand healthcare services available to the community: last fall, construction began on a new patient wing at Valley West Hospital in Sandwich to provide healthcare improvements, and this spring, a new 10,000 square foot medical facility began construction in Rochelle, expanding access to local family medicine physicians. Both new facilities are part of KishHealth System’s plan to expand access to quality healthcare service in DeKalb County and surrounding communities.

Named one of the Top 100 Critical Access Hospitals in the United States, Valley West Hospital’s new patient wing includes 19 private patient rooms and two observation rooms. The new addition was designed to modernize and expand the hospital’s ability to take care of its patients. The new wing is part of more than $33 million KishHealth System invested in Valley West since 1998, including other facility renovations and updates, staff education and the building of a medical office building on the north side of the hospital campus.

The Rochelle location, which faces Route 38 on the Wal-mart Supercenter property, will open later this year. The facility will include family medicine practitioners from KishHealth System Physician Group, a lab collection center operated by KishHealth System Laboratories, and a community room for health education.

“Many residents of Rochelle already seek care at Kishwaukee Hospital in DeKalb, and making it more convenient to access services seemed to make sense,” said Joseph Dant, KishHealth System vice president of business development.

Public open houses for both facilities are scheduled for this fall. For more information about both facilities, please visit www.kishhealth.org.

A message from KishHealth System You’ve probably noticed that the KishHealth System logo has changed.

But what hasn’t changed is our priority to provide patient-centered care with safe and effective outcomes. We know patients choose where they receive care and we strive to empower them with the information, resources and knowledge to feel confident in seeking care within KishHealth System.

That will never change.

We have consolidated 16 individual entity websites into one and strengthened our internal processes to make it easier for you to access KishHealth System and the many facilities, services and physicians who are part of our family. We want you to know that you can rely on us for education, fitness and nutrition instruction, chronic disease management, emergency and primary care, home care, and so much more. KishHealth System is the power behind more than 15 local healthcare facilities, with everything from innovative diagnostics to board certified specialists across a wide range of care and services. You trust us to care for you when you’re sick, but also let us provide you the resources to keep you well. You’re the most important member of your healthcare team, let us join you.

KishHealth System. Be Health Empowered.

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As those rock disc jockeys used to yell – “the hits just keep on coming!” Following another record-breaking term this spring and summer, the Lifelong Learning Institute (LLI) prepares for what looks to be another round of “hits” for the fall session.

As a retiree, I’ve really enjoyed LLI as a way of keeping my mind active, while making new friends and learning new things, “just for the fun of it.” There are no exams, no attendance taken, just right for those of us who enjoy a flexible life style. LLI is totally member-driven and gets administrative support from NIU’s External Programming Office.

JERRY SMITH

On tap are a host of study groups, promising a wide array of different topics. Each group will run anywhere from 4-8 weeks, starting on September 17, 18, or 19, with four on Tuesday, three on Wednesday, and five on Thursday. Here’s a quick look-see …

On Tuesday mornings , long-time LLI convener Carol Zar will host Influential Women in the 20th Century, an examination of how the fairer sex has influenced government, politics, religion and social action. Also on the day, retired NIU business professor Lynn Neeley will convene Innovation and the Third Industrial Revolution. She’ll describe how we may have a printer make a new pair of shoes or how we may drink that new artery repair!

Tuesday afternoons will feature In Their Own Words, an exploration of ways writers and thinkers like George Orwell, Susan Sontag, and Sigmund Freud talked about themselves and their work. This will be convened by Lise Schlosser, an NIU doctoral candidate in English. Also on Tuesday, music educator Glenda Cosenza will convene Listening Creatively and Critically to Rock Music, a kind of show-and-tell as we share the music of our lives.

See Lifelong Learing, Page 9

Communiversity • What does it mean Message from - Matt Duffy

You’ve probably heard the term Communiversity used by different people and media around the area. The term is not a new one but rather one that has taken more of a meaning recently with the changes in leadership both at the City of DeKalb and Northern Illinois University.

DeKalb is a great community and one that has a lot to offer to residents and students alike. Northern Illinois University is a terrific university that provides unique opportunities for the students and faculty. Together just think of the endless possibilities.

MATT DUFFY

What each side brings is something that the other should take advantage of and not take for granted. The melding the community and university into one is an opportunity that can really be great. If you have seen the new banners lining the streets of Annie Glidden and Lincoln Highway or the new window graphics throughout the blocks of downtown DeKalb, it helps remind you of what great partnerships are in place that tie the university and community together.

Events like those for move in weekend, Huskie Football gamedays, or NIU Cares Day are just a few examples of how the excitement resonates from the city to the campus and back. Additional volunteer opportunities, internships, job fairs and research projects are other ways that the students can benefit from what DeKalb has to offer.

It’s no big secret that the key to a successful communiversity is engagement from both the community and the

See Communiversity, Page 9

• September 2013

Realms That Almost Were: Geographies of Daydreams and Desire is the title given the study group convened on Wednesday mornings by Joe Gastiger, pastor of First Congregational Church in DeKalb and a veteran of LLI classes.

Joe promises that attendees will go looking for lost Atlantis, Agartha and other vanishing empires….and may learn

D C B USINESS C ONNE C TIONS • D e K a l b C o u n t y, I l l i n o i s

Lifelong Learning Institute

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Retail Busin ess Happen ing s in D e K a l b Message from Roger Hopkins Working with the International Council of Shopping Centers and its Illinois State Chapter, retail business expansion is continuing with the economic recovery. An illustration of expanded confidence in the economy is shown by comparing the number of retailers looking for locations in 2013 versus 2011 and 2012. In 2011, there were only 119 retail and service businesses registered with the ICSC Illinois Chapter as looking for new locations. By 2012, that had grown to 160 businesses. By the spring of 2013, the businesses looking for new locations had grown to 260 companies.

Roger Hopkins

Leading the growth of businesses looking for new locations has been the “fast casual dining” category, led by emerging concepts that appeal to young affluent middle to upper middle income consumers that want to eat on the go. Retailers have focused their efforts on the high income locations that are in densely populated neighborhoods of Chicago and the suburbs.

In the DeKalb area, this has produced new openings for Subway, Dunkin Donuts and Jersey Mike’s. DeKalb continues to pursue Chick-fil-A, Sonic, Five Guys Burgers and Fries, and several other sandwich, deli and ethnic food businesses. Chipotle, Panda Express and several other private restaurants have been successful in the area, catering to either the college neighborhoods or the community center areas such as the Sycamore Road corridor.

Another category is the “full service casual dining” category. Locally, remodeling and expanded hours has been in evidence with the success of Buffalo Wild Wings, Tapalaluna, Applebee’s, Ruby Tuesday, Eduardo’s, and the announcement of Texas Roadhouse to open in Sycamore soon. The City of DeKalb has been continuing to pursue Olive Garden, Chili’s, Bloomin’ Brands (Outback, Carrabba’s, and Bonefish), Red Robin, and a few national and regional micro-brewery restaurant concepts.

Apparel and accessory stores have been on DeKalb’s radar as well. With only a few clothing stores such as Maurice’s, Rue 21, and the larger department stores, there is a lack of trendy fashion merchandise for younger age groups and for more fashion conscious women and men.

The City has been reaching out to representatives of Joseph A. Bank, Dots, Cato, Ann Taylor Loft, Dress Barn and other retailers. However, as we have found with Old Navy, these retailers are also struggling to consistently succeed in smaller demographic markets like DeKalb.

Grocery stores have been the leading anchor stores in many neighborhood and community strip malls, but the DeKalb area market is regarded as too small demographically for many of the regional chains due to the density of grocery stores that have good produce, and specialty foods offerings – such as Hy-Vee and Schnuck’s. Wal-Mart and Jewel have lions share of the middle of the market saturated. Inboden’s has developed a strong following in the specialty meats and grocery business.

The area’s weakest showing is in furniture and home goods. The closing of Small’s Furniture accentuated the void in the market. Unfortunately, outreach to other neighboring community independent furniture operators has been unsuccessful – they attract enough customers without the cost of opening a local store. For other tastes, we are small demographically, and close to national chains in the Fox Valley or Rockford markets. We continue to solicit furniture stores to locate, and applaud the recent effort of Redeemed Furniture to begin selling home furniture products in their East Lincoln Highway showroom at Pen’s Point Market.

If you have suggestions for retailers that would fit our local market – please call DeKalb’s economic development staff, or send an email to: Jennifer Diedrich, Economic Development Coordinator, 815-748-2365, jdiedrich@cityofdekalb.com, or Roger Hopkins, Economic Development consultant, 815-748-2363, roger.hopkins@cityofdekalb.com.

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• September 2013

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Connect, Grow, and Prosper in Genoa Message from Kristie M. Mulso It has been an amazing year here in Genoa, not only for our Chamber, but in fact for our entire community. It has been a year of building stronger relationships and change. We have encouraged all of our city officials and dignitaries to connect so that we may all continue to grow and prosper here in Genoa.

The Genoa Chamber membership has significantly grown in the past year and a half from 92 members to 141. A larger membership holds a stronger value not only to our members but also our community. Adding additional referrals, more education and many more resources for all of us to connect and succeed in business. It also serves as a resource tool for our local and area residents to search for products and services needed locally. With that being said we began a branch of the chamber called Explore Genoa to help further promote and educate our mission to “Think Local!” Feel free to visit our website directory at www.genoacc.com On April 26th we welcomed a new mayor to our city. Mayor Mark Vicary was sworn in taking the place of former Mayor Todd Walker who served our community for 12 years. Mayor Mark Vicary is very excited and proud to serve our community and work with all city entities to help Genoa continue to grow in all areas including economic development.

The Genoa-Kingston School District #424 continues to stay current in technologies to help further prepare students for their future. Providing IPADS to staff and students for classroom research and learning, as well as social media resources to communicate with faculty, students and parents. Genoa-Kingston School District #424 has also taken the lead in our state building strong relationships with our manufacturing companies to integrate students into programs that will serve as a launching pad to further their careers. Genoa-Kingston Schools continues to focus on challenging themselves to meet the needs of their students in an ever changing instructional environment.

See Genoa, Page 9

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Brings Community into School

DC Business C o n n e c t i o n s

The e-editions will publish as follows:

December 15th March 15th • June 15th September 15th

For rates or more information, contact

Lisa Angel at (815) 756-4841 ext. 2236 or at langel@shawmedia.com

The start of this school year has brought several new school-community partnerships to Clinton Rosette, many involving students from Northern Illinois University.

“Having NIU in our back yard provides a wealth of resources for our schools. We have reached out to several organizations at NIU to maximize services and supports for our students and staff. As budgets have become smaller, family and community partnerships with schools have become central to student success,” according to Brooke Condon, Assistant Principal at Clinton Rosette.

One such partnership is the NIU Student Athlete Mentoring Program. Clinton Rosette has partnered with NIU student athletes to offer mentors to middle school students. The student athletes come from various teams, including football, wrestling, gymnastics, soccer, golf, softball, and tennis. The athletes have committed to a minimum of one hour each week to meet with a student to provide positive role modeling, as well as to help further explore and develop the students’ interests. The NIU students are paired either on one-to-one basis, or with a small group of CRMS students. Additionally, the Northern Illinois Football team has adopted Clinton Rosette Middle School. The team comes to Rosette each Friday afternoon, working alongside classroom teachers to reward students who have had positive impacts on the school community.

• September 2013

When Clinton Rosette Administrators Tim Vincent and Brooke Condon sat down this summer to map out a vision for the upcoming school year, community involvement in the school quickly became a theme.

“At the heart of the Clinton Rosette experience you will find our students and teachers working, learning, and exploring together in an environment that fosters the development of curious, lifelong learners.

Bringing community into the school only strengthens that development,” Tim Vincent, principal at Clinton Rosette, reports.

Deadline for advertising is 3 weeks before publish date.

D C B USINESS C ONNE C TIONS • D e K a l b C o u n t y, I l l i n o i s

Clinton Rosette

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Oktoberfest

at the DeKalb Airport on September 17 from 5 to 7pm.

Free Helicopter Rides* Check out the Kishwaukee Education Consortium Flight Simulators* Free food, refreshments and drawings Check out a corporate jet and other vehicles * Must be 18 & Older to participate.

You can find out more information visit

www.dekalb.org or call (815) 756-6306.

e

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Industrial Workforce Pilot Program Underway Message from Paul Borek The ability to identify steps and take actions to positively impact economic activity is fundamental to the work of development organizations and communities. We at DCEDC believe that our county and surrounding areas have ample room for growth and improvement and have carefully considered strategies to improve our performance.

Paul Borek Executive Director, DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation

Most recently, we have come to see how critical our industrial base is to our success. Manufacturing is the largest generator of gross domestic product (GDP) in DeKalb County and is the largest source of jobs that pay above average wages. Industrial companies employ over 10,000 DeKalb County residents. DeKalb County has a high concentration of employment in several distinct manufacturing business sectors including primary metals, fabricated metal products, machinery, computer and electronic products, plastics and rubber products.

Despite these strengths, we lag behind the state average for industrial tax base, as a percentage of the total tax base. It is clear that if we want to have a positive impact on our area, we need to attract new industry and support the expansion of our existing industries. We believe the single biggest thing we could do to advance that effort is to improve the quality of our workforce as represented by students graduating from our schools.

To test that theory, and after convening two “Industrial Workforce Development for Today and Tomorrow” summit meetings, an action plan has been embraced a by a broad group of people representing education and industry.

The purpose of this action plan is to show students what types of industrial careers are available, to teach them the required skills, provide them with workplace experience, and to clarify how qualified and motivated individuals can attain careers in advanced manufacturing and industry that are financially rewarding and satisfy the need for accomplishment.

Educators and industry partners from DeKalb and Ogle Counties, all within the Kishwaukee College District, recommended the creation of a Pilot Program with a full-time Career Development Coordinator to facilitate establishing and conducting career development activities. These activities include including school business presentations, company visits and tours, job shadowing, internships, work study programs and apprenticeships. The hope is that a successful Pilot Program will lead to a robust and sustainable program to move our communities ahead economically.

In support of this plan, the DeKalb County Economic Development Corporation resolved to accept private funding for and to administer the Pilot Program. “DCEDC will secure funding for the project so that our partners in education and industry can focus on initiating the program in time for the beginning of the school year this fall,” said Dave Juday, Chairman of IDEAL INDUSTRIES. At the summit meetings, working committees were established to address the following priorities: Soft Skills, Hard Skills/Basic Skills, Career Paths/Work Place Expectations, Education and Industry Communication/Collaboration, and Marketing Today’s Industrial Opportunities.

Participants in the Industrial Workforce Development Summit Meetings included: DeKalb, Sycamore, Rochelle, Genoa/ Kingston Schools and KEC; Kishwaukee College, Waubonsee Community College and Northern Illinois University; a broad base of industry representatives, the DeKalb and Sycamore Chambers of Commerce, the cities of DeKalb and Sycamore; and the Greater Rochelle Economic Development Corporation.

The Pilot Program is a key part of an emerging DeKalb/Ogle County Workforce Development Consortium. The group has already collaborated to create Kish CareerLink, an interactive online program connecting employers with students through Kishwaukee College and area schools. Over 50employers have created profiles on the Kish CareerLink website, with 27 active career coaches and 92 work-based learning activities available.

Summit participants are anxious to begin work on the Pilot Program to see how successful it can be. “This is a program without a lot of precedent. It represents an exciting opportunity for industry and educators to impact the future of our students, our companies and our communities,” added Juday.

A steering committee was charged with hiring an Industrial Workforce Coordinator for the Pilot Program in time for the beginning of the school year. After screening candidates and conducting interviews, the Pilot Program Steering Committee selected Gene Fogle for this position. With a career in business, a delight in seeing youth succeed and a fervor for making things go fast, Mr. Fogle in onboard and reaching out to educators and industry. He can be reached at 815-593-0865 or by email at- gfogle@dcedc.org.

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Communiversity

the Spirit Zone for fans to gather before and after their team’s game. There will be a Spirit Award Competition between competing teams’ fans, who will be encouraged to decorate their tents. Local judges will decide the winners and present them with a plaque. There will also be a performance area for the teams’ bands and pep squads to shine in the Spirit Zone.

university. This includes businesses, residents, students, faculty and staff.

If everyone makes a concerted effort to work together then the return on that investment will be expediential. Businesses will have quality interns and prospective employees to bring on board. Students will have a plethora of opportunities to gain experience locally. Residents will enjoy the arts, athletics and entertainment that a first class university provides. Faculty and staff will be able to explore a variety of research and partnerships within the area to allow their students real world experience. In a Communiversity, everyone benefits.

Continued from page 1

The time to sign up to help is now. The IHSA state football championships are one of the premiere sporting events in the state. The economic impact is expected to generate from $800,000 to $1 million. We’re asking you to get connected and get involved. Volunteer and help show state-wide visitors we are excited to welcome them to our area for a wonderful event that is sure to provide a memory of a lifetime. We look forward to working with our neighbors and friends to welcome our guests. Together, we will make DeKalb County shine bright!

Lifelong Learing Continued from page 3

more about the hapless wanderers who tried to reach them.

Continued from page 3

With the focus that is been reiterated numerous times by the new leadership at both the City of DeKalb (Mayor John Rey) and Northern Illinois University (President Doug Baker), this is very much an attainable goal. It’s not something that will happen overnight or that is guaranteed for any length of time without participation from all of the groups mentioned earlier.

However, the renewed focus on this is exciting for everyone involved. We look towards moving Forward, Together Forward.

Genoa

Continued from page 6 Our manufacturers have also maintained close relationships with our chamber, connecting to our city officials, school administration as well as our residents for growing the job market. Growing our manufacturing relationships is a vital part of future economic development and growth in Genoa. We encourage other manufacturers to take a look at Genoa for future expansion.

Thursdays will feature four classes lasting just four weeks each, including a pair on mornings – The DeKalb Environment, and The Assassination of Abraham Lincoln. In the first offering, new convener Dan Kenney, a member of the DeKalb Citizens’ Environmental Commission, will present programs on waste management, food systems, and land stewardship. The Lincoln offering will feature Al Ottens, a retired NIU professor with a great knowledge of the Civil War period.

The Genoa Area Chamber invites business and entrepreneurs to take a closer look at Genoa to open a new business or to relocate an existing business. We are centrally located in DeKalb County. Our future site of Amtrak providing service from Dubuque to Chicago will make Genoa a destination for daily visits as well as the place for you to build a business, make friends or create your new home.

Thursday afternoons will be made up of two four-week convenings, Snapshot or Photograph? featuring Tom Smith, a former Chicago Tribune photographer and DeKalb Confectionery founder. The other short course on that day will be hosted by four NIU Engineering Department staffers, Omar Ghrayeb, Clifford Mirman, Promod Vohra and Mansour Tahernezhadi, and entitled Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) at NIU. The eight-week Thursday afternoon class will feature experienced writing teacher Marilyn Cleland, and is called Writing to Remember, Reconstruct and Give Meaning to the Stories of Our Lives. This workshop will allow participants to write narratives of specific events in their lives.

We welcome you to visit Genoa and join us for our 10th Annual Great Genoa Duck Race and Family Fun Event, scheduled for Saturday, September 7th from 10a.m.-2p.m. at Citizens Park in Genoa. As well as Celebrate the Season where we welcome Santa to town with a jingle bell parade and tree lighting ceremony, shops open late, and much more. Friday, December 6th from 5-8p.m.

LLI is open to anyone over 50 years of age, with a sense of curiosity and love of learning. There are four terms within the framework of each year – winter, spring, summer and fall. This past spring, over 125 persons took part, with nearly that many this summer. Most classes are held in NIU’s Holmes Student Center.

Those interested in registering or to get more information can access the Lifelong Learning Institute website at www.lli.niu.edu. Yes, LLI is on Facebook (Northern Illinois University Lifelong Learning)…and the office can even be reached the old-fashioned way, by calling (815) 753-5200.

Come join us…this fall will provide a great way to introduce yourself as a newcomer…or a wonderful opportunity to spend a few mornings or afternoon with LLI friends. And, who knows, you may want to consider being a convener yourself come next term!

50% Off

Shopping • Dining • Entertainment .com

• September 2013

On Wednesday afternoons, husband and wife team Elaine and George Spencer will convene The 1940’s, a potpourri of various world aspects during that time period. The Spencers are retired professors and former chairs of the NIU History Department, and have convened many study groups. Also that day – Our Changeable Northern Illinois Weather, an examination of air masses, cold fronts, jet streams, thunderstorms, you-name-it. Long-time LLI convener Dan Dillman will host.

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IHSA football

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Best Way to Keep Customers From Leaving Existing customers seldom jump ship because of price or functionality. Here’s the real reason they booted you out. Most people think that selling means getting new customers. That’s part of the job, of course, but truly successful companies thrive on their ability to keep the customers they’ve already acquired.

The reason is simple. Finding new customers is expensive and time consuming. Many companies consider

Rose Treml Executive Director Sycamore Chamber of Commerce

a “get new customers” campaign successful if more than 5% of the customers contacted end up buying. By contrast, selling to existing customers is cheap and easy. Sales campaigns launched at a base of existing customers often have success rates as high as 70%, according to the fascinating book Customer Winback.

That’s why losing a good customer to the competition is always a bad thing: You have to work more than 10 times as hard to get enough new customers just to make up the revenue that you lost -- and forget about profit.

Why Customers Leave You Curiously, most business owners and managers have the exact wrong idea about why customers leave. Most people believe that customers leave because:

1. They found a lower price elsewhere.

2. Their needs changed. “Wrong”

According to a classic study by the research firm CRMGuru, here are the reasons that customers give for jumping ship (respondents allowed multiple selections):

75% Bad Customer Service

52% Poor quality

25% Price

15% Functionality or needs have changed

As you can see, when it comes to keeping your existing customers, customer service is three times more important than price--and five times more important than functionality.

That’s ironic, because most companies, especially smaller ones, are obsessed with functionality and price.

Quality and customer service are often afterthoughts. If you want to keep the customers that you’ve got, you should reverse priorities and pay more attention to customer service and quality -- and, consequently, less attention to functionality and price.

Regardless of what you’re selling, your long-term profitability is largely dependent upon your ability to keep current customers, rather than your ability to acquire new ones. And that means keeping your existing customers happy -- which is mostly about how you treat them once they’re already customers.

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B a l c o m - V e t i l l o

D e s i g n

By definition, an APP is intended to be a self-contained program and not dependent on Internet access. But when tied to the Internet, APPs are rapidly becoming the most efficient tool in a salesman’s presentation. Not only can the

Mike Balcom-Vetillo

APP present a complete visual story on a tablet, it can be linked to the cloud, or to an on-line database, and do everything from creating a customer profile, to developing unique specifications, verifying product availability, placing the order, adjusting inventory, sending the invoice and confirming shipment.

We recently developed a sales APP for Petersen Aluminum, Chicago, a company that primarily works with architects.

The APP’s functions gave Petersen

salespeople the ability to (1) identify specific product categories, and then (2) select products within a category. And once a specific product was selected, an accompanying gallery (4) automatically found and organized Case Studies that illustrate how the product was used.

more efficient in relating subsets of features to the main product, more accurate in illustrating usage, and conveniently contain much more information. It often reminds a salesman of features that could be overlooked.

All of that functionality is self-contained on the tablet and can be called upon without Internet access. However, if the salesman has Internet access, we were able to add another level. For Petersen, we added an extra step (3). A dropdown menu opens a portal to the cloud, and allows the salesman and client to upload customized data sheets and spec sheets for the architect to use when making a presentation to their client.

In a business-to-business sales situation, APPs can often help transform a regular salesperson into an outstanding one, and simultaneously help close the sale.

Want your marketing material here? Send us a sample of something you use in your marketing, a piece that you believe needs improvement, is outdated, or has failed in the past. Tell us about it. We will do a makeover, and publish the results in the next column. Easy! Just be aware that there are no limitations - we do whatever we believe is the best approach and you might not see it until it is published. If you like what we do for you, you can freely use our advice/design as you wish. To make it convenient, go to www.balcom-vetillo.com/makeover.

We set up a form there for sending us your materials. (Don’t worry, no salesman will call.) Thanks!

• September 2013

Of course a comparison can be made to a printed catalog. APPs, though, are

D C B USINESS C ONNE C TIONS • D e K a l b C o u n t y, I l l i n o i s

Ma r k e t in g Makeov er