Heide’ s stores stand out in her community because of her commitment to carry only Christian merchandise.“ I’ ve tried all kinds of items that are inspirational, but not necessarily Christian, and they just don’ t sell for me,” she shares.
Like most physical retail, e-commerce has affected the way consumers search and shop for products. But Heide has come to view sites like Amazon and Christianbook. com as her ally and often orders products from them. Although she doesn’ t make the margins she would like, she does get free shipping, on-time arrival and points on her credit card for free merchandise. And most importantly, her customers are satisfied.
When Heide opened her first store, she would often work 24-hour shifts just to make sure everything was organized and perfectly displayed. But over the years, she has learned how to pace herself and not get too wrapped up in things being perfect all the time.“ Now I delegate and am happy with what I got done,” Heide says.
She is also a firm believer in asking for help and learning from industry veterans. Last summer, she invited Lorraine Valk, Kevin Ferguson and Rodney Makrill to go through her stores with a fine-tooth comb, looking at her numbers and suggesting how to manage and display inventory. Heide has implemented most of their ideas, although she admits,“ Old habits are hard to break.” But even simple suggestions, like changing the store’ s lighting and putting low bookcases on platforms, have instantly increased her store’ s sales.
By continuing to learn from others, Heide benefits both personally and professionally. The training at CPE has been instrumental in this.“ Attending CPE and other training courses is vital to my mental health and my store’ s health,” Heide shares. Over the past couple of years, she has learned a lot by reading business books, listening to podcasts and participating in sales support programs such as WhizBang! and RETAILMavens.
Heide’ s quest for knowledge has led to the development of her store’ s loyalty program, and her sales have significantly grown as a result.“ Loyalty programs for loyal customers have been the key for me,” Heide says.“ My customers are loyal Christians who enjoy the same mission and vision statements as I have for the stores.”
For Heide, that’ s what she enjoys about Christian retail as well— the customers and the people she works with. Before owning her stores, Heide was a Licensed Professional Counselor( LPC) for ten years. She has a master’ s degree in counseling and specialized in marriage and family and domestic violence counseling. She was working on earning a Master of Divinity when her plans changed. Her community had lost their Christian retail store several years earlier, and Heide heard many friends and family say they wished they still had one.“ After some serious prayer and soul-searching, I decided to make the leap,” Heide says.
Heide’ s role may have changed from counselor to manager, but her heart for helping people has stayed the same. She makes it a practice for her staff to meet and greet every customer when they come in.“ I pray that my customers experience a sense of comfort and peace when they come into the store,” she shares. They listen to their customers’ problems, pray with them and find ways to meet their needs to the best of their abilities. Often that means going the extra mile in unique ways, from looking up the phone number for the mayor’ s office to ordering a nosepiece for eyeglasses.“ Being from a small rural South Dakota community, this makes a huge difference in my sales,” Heide explains. When it comes to customer service, no request is too big or too small.
Of all the things that Heide has learned, the greatest lessons have been to trust God more, to rely on Him for all she needs and to appreciate Him for what He does, even when things aren’ t going her way.“ I’ ve certainly been blessed,” she says,“ and will continue to praise God and pay it forward with Blessings Big and Small.” CRA
www. christianretailassociation. org / CRA today 51