Local Marketing Mastery: A Proven System to Help Retailers Create Loyal Customers & Accelerate Profits
With Lauren Goldberg
Retail Marketing Expert & Founder, LSG Marketing Solutions
Frequently Asked Questions
How long have you been doing what you do, and how did you become a Retail Marketing Coach?
To answer this question, it’s probably best that I share with you a defining moment, and a resulting “compelling story”. In 2018, from the outside it looked like I had it all…..a great job, two amazing sons (ages 4 and an infant), a terrific husband and beautiful home. But I was anything but happy. I was completely burnt out. My ‘great’ job was working as a marketing executive for a Fortune 500 retailer. To anyone else, it sounded amazing….flying on corporate jets, presenting critical marketing projects to C-Suite executives, and being paid well. I loved my team and my work, but the grind was not sustainable. I was working 60-hour weeks, in addition to raising my boys (one of whom I was breastfeeding and still waking up during the night) and my father was critically ill. I felt like I was one of those hamsters on a treadmill - waking up at 5am to get myself together, prep my kids backpacks and lunches for the day, doing the day care drop off, getting to the office in time for back-to-back-to back meetings where I often ate lunch in the few minutes in between, then sprinting out the door at 5PM to pick my kids up from day care. The evening was a quick dinner and getting my kids to bed and then logging on to my computer from 9 until midnight. Some nights I was doing my work from my fathers’ hospital bedside. I was anxious and constantly on the verge of tears, losing weight (not in a good way) and starting to get sick. I felt like I was running and running, but nothing of substance was getting done. Working for such a large company had its perks, but the bureaucracy and levels of decision making can take a toll. When needed to have a call with my boss on a Saturday morning from my bedroom closet (one of the only places my kids wouldn’t barge in) and I was asked to update a presentation for the 12th time (it was literally version 12 of the file) and realized I had to work instead of visiting my father in the hospital, I knew something had to change.
At the same time my father ended up losing his battle and passed away, with the support of my husband, I was able to leave my job and take a breath. I asked myself what I could do to serve others in the world. I knew I wanted to work and help others in the area of marketing and this break gave me the time to reflect on the parts of my career that I enjoyed the most. I spent almost all of my 15+ year career in retail marketing. I had managed sponsorships with professional sports teams and athletes. I partnered with some of the world’s leading brands (Nike, Coca-Cola, HP) to create sales driving promotions. I had created and led cause marketing campaigns for both national and local charities, where millions of dollars have been donated. I launched and managed a retail loyalty program for approximately 20 million active members, which generated over $1 BILLION in sales. I coached and mentored countless employees, with many of them being very successful and getting promoted. But the part of my career that I loved the most was local retail marketing. Providing a reason to create a deep connection within the community and providing value to my customers on a local level. Working with the store managers to provide the tools to empower them to serve their community and create those loyal relationships, which in turn led to sales. My team and I worked with over 1500 store managers and put tools & systems in place that generated over $40 million in annual sales.
I asked myself, how can I take my talents & experiences to serve independent retailers? That got me to where I am today. I have since made a commitment to dedicate the rest of my professional life to helping retailers like you to target and focus your marketing, be part of the community and create a connection, build a loyal customer base, which leads increased sales.
Since then, I’ve worked with private clients, spoken in front of countless groups, written articles & contributed to industry websites. I am living my dream of making a difference to the clients I serve, while being present for my family; and I have created “Local Marketing Mastery: A Proven System to Help Retailers Create Loyal Customers & Accelerate Profits”, a series of 9 strategic steps every local retailer needs to apply drive traffic on a local level and build a loyal customer base, which leads to increased sales & profits. I’ve been down this road many times and I’ll show you proven strategies, as well as what you should avoid.
Who are your clients?
I work with people just like you who are:
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Independent retailers
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Store managers
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Local/Regional Marketing managers
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District Managers
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Franchisees
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Restauranteurs
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Service providers (salons, gyms, private schools, etc)
What makes you different from other marketing coaches?
Although we will occasionally touch upon time management and other “business coach- y” things, you have me as retail marketing expert and consultant. I work on the inner and outer principals for success and look at your business and your sales results from a strategic and holistic perspective. I have found that most small business owners are in business because they are passionate about what they sell or do – not because they love marketing, processes or analyzing results. I will make sure that we tap your passion for your product/service and create authentic branded programs that resonate with your core customers. It’s your business….it needs to be a reflection of you!
What this means to you is that you get an enthusiastic-cheerleader-meets-kick-butt authentic marketing coach. I’m also very personal and I don’t pretend to hide it either. Because I’m not delicate, you’ll always get a straight to the point quick and honest response from me.
I’m concerned with how to get you loyal customers and profitable sales. You may not like what I have to tell you – but you can be sure I will always tell you the truth. The truth about what’s standing in the way of your success and how to get rid of it FAST so you can start getting results in record time (and I throw in a healthy dose of humor and confidence-boosts, which always helps!).
What type of personality do you work best with and what is expected of me?
The “Local Marketing Mastery: A Proven System to Help Retailers Create Loyal Customers & Accelerate Profits” workshops, products and programs were created for retailers who are absolutely excited and dead serious about creating a loyal customer base, while being part of their community – it means not running around all day long, beating yourself up anymore saying: “This won’t work….I can’t compete with national retailers!” They were created for you to put systems in place within a few months (sometimes weeks!), which will eventually lead you to that loyal customer base, who will value what you do and don’t just shop you when you’re having a massive sale.
Being a hard-working go-getter myself, I’m known to work best with other smart, passionate, generous and creative people who are committed to their success no matter what who are super-ready to get going and just want to know exactly what steps to take to have a profitable retail business. My clients often tell me – “just tell me what to do and I’ll do it!” Consider what you’ll do with me to be a high-octane crash course on everything you need to know to connect with your customers and get them in the door again and again! You will be expected to take serious and consistent action. No excuses anymore, just a very different way of thinking and full support while you achieve this incredibly exciting goal: a profitable store that is a fixture in your community for years to come!
For what type of professionals are your programs NOT going to work?
Please know I’m very selective in who I work with and I cherry-pick my clients, choosing to (gently) turn away people who aren’t suited for my programs and won’t get the results for which they would have signed up for. (It wouldn’t be fair to them.) The “Local Marketing Mastery: A Proven System to Help Retailers Create Loyal Customers & Accelerate Profits” programs are NOT for business owners who have no money coming in and are absolutely, financially desperate, at least not right away. It’s been my experience that people in financial crisis do not trust the recommendations I give them and do not do the work (probably because they spend so much time worrying about where they are going to get next month’s rent check or how they are going to make payroll). If you fall within this category, it’s absolutely OK. We’ve all been in times of financial crisis at one point or another. Do yourself (2) favors:
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Join my free Facebook Group here. The free information will get you started towards your goals until you’re ready to work with me one-on- one.
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Subscribe to my blog at www.LSGMarketingSolutions.com/blog and check out some of my articles on the state of retail, what is working in retail and best practices for local & digital marketing.
Doing these two things will really help you get primed for our work. When you’re ready, call me and we’ll get you started. (I’m in no rush and will be here when you need me.)
And other types of personalities I won’t work with (without exception) are the whiner or the chronic skeptic, as well as individuals who consistently make excuses for not getting their assignments done or challenging every aspect of the program. Also, if you are only in business to sell and make a profit in the next 12 months – you won’t see the long-term vision that I’ll provide. If you are one of these people, I gently and respectfully ask that you not call and I hope you understand why. We’ll probably just not work well together and I wouldn’t want you to waste your time or money. Is that fair?
What exactly does the “Local Marketing Mastery: A Proven System to Help Retailers Create Loyal Customers & Accelerate Profits” include?
“Local Marketing Mastery: A Proven System to Help Retailers Create Loyal Customers & Accelerate Profits” begins with understanding of what motivated you to go into business & your passions and taking an honest look at the current state of your business, then getting clear on your ideal customer, your competitive landscape and creating your unique brand proposition, which will guide everything from your customer experience to marketing messaging. Then we will dig in and work through the most effective marketing strategies, such as social media and grassroots marketing, to create engagement, build loyalty and drive customers back in again and again. Here’s what the System gets you to do:
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TAKE A STEP BACK – Reflect on WHY you went into business. Harness your PASSION to meet your goals and tap into your AUTHENTICITY.
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OPEN UP – Take an honest look at your business PERFORMANCE, including marketing, merchandising and operations. Acknowledge learnings, set baselines and identify key GOALS for businesses success.
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IDENTIFY YOUR TARGET CUSTOMER – Become LASER-FOCUSED on your customer target without alienating anyone. Use common data sources to CONFIRM that your target is viable for growth.
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ASSESS YOUR BATTLEGROUND - Competition is good….it makes you better! Learn how to ASSESS your competitors and identify OPPORTUNITIES to differentiate from the pack.
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BUILD YOUR BRAND – Learn to create a STRONG BRAND position to put a stake in the ground how your business provides VALUE to those target customers. This will drive your customer experience and be present in everything you do – from your product assortment, your staffing model & your marketing messages.
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ACT LOCAL – discover PROVEN grassroots strategies and tactics that will endear your business to the local community, such as strategic partnerships & events.
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GET DIGITAL – Digital marketing can be totally overwhelming. Understand the (4) pillars you should FOCUS on and how to execute in less than an hour a day.
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SHOW THE LOVE – Learn how to identify TOP CUSTOMERS and how to show your APPRECIATION to create brand advocates
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PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER – Discover how to create, measure and assess an integrated retail marketing plan.
Does this really work?
Yes! The result of our work is an approach to shifting your mindset and your marketing to be customer-centric, so with time and consistency, you will have loyal customers who will gladly shop you, not just because you are having a sale to compete with the national brands, but because you are a vital part of their community. (See Testimonials)
What results can I expect?
You can expect to:
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Have big breakthroughs and ah ha moments
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Get crystal clear on who your ideal customers are who will gladly pay you for the value you provide
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Identify your competitors and learn to exploit their weaknesses into opportunities for you.
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Create a compelling brand proposition, which will guide everything from customer experience to marketing message, that will make your ideal customer say, “Wow, that’s for me!”
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Create greater exposure and visibility for your business
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Create your optimal offer strategy & marketing plan
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Reach your ideal customers effectively through digital and grassroots marketing
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Become part of the fabric of your community, with people asking you to participate in high visibility events
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Generate a highly-loyal customer base who will see the value you provide and not just shop on price.
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Get proven techniques you can apply right away to not have to reinvent the retail marketing wheel on your own
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Gain unshakeable confidence in yourself – (a lot of my clients tell me that is worth the investment alone).
Can I contact some of your former clients & partners to see what it’s like to work with you?
Yes, I encourage you to! Please go to the Testimonials page and read all of them. See which ones you feel drawn to, either because the person has gotten the results you want to get too, or perhaps because that person is in a similar situation. Then feel free to email or call them and ask what they got from working with me and my programs.
Also, feel free to review recommendations from my LinkedIn profile to understand how I’ve contributed to others’ success throughout my career.
How quickly can I expect results?
That depends on how quickly you can make those behavior shifts. Some clients are ready to go and see incremental traffic & sales in a very short time frame, sometimes even a few weeks while others have a bit more work to do first. It also depends on your business’ seasonality and other business factors. Note – long term customer loyalty does take time to measure.
How can I guarantee myself that I will get more customers & profits in record time?
Do all of your homework. Be totally committed to your success. Understand that this is a process, a proven one, that works if you take action and implement all of the steps. All my clients who have diligently applied every step of “Local Marketing Mastery: A Proven System to Help Retailers Create Loyal Customers & Accelerate Profits” have successfully have seen increased customer traffic & sales, which led to long-term customer loyalty in much less time than they would have on their own AND have made a real difference in their community.
Lauren, based on everything I’ve read and heard about you, I know you’re the one I want to learn from. What are my options for getting started with you?
Congratulations on making a decision for success! I’m happy to work with you to achieve your business goals... The best way to work with me is in my 90-day program, “Local Marketing Mastery: A Proven System to Help Retailers Create Loyal Customers & Accelerate Profits”. Here’s some of the results you can expect...
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Have big breakthroughs and ah ha moments
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Get crystal clear on who your ideal customers are who will gladly pay you for the value you provide
-
Identify your competitors and learn to exploit their weaknesses into opportunities for you.
-
Create a compelling brand proposition, which will guide everything from customer experience to marketing message, that will make your ideal customer say, “Wow, that’s for me!”
-
Create greater exposure and visibility for your business
-
Create your optimal offer strategy & marketing plan
-
Reach your ideal customers effectively through digital and grassroots marketing
-
Become part of the fabric of your community, with people asking you to participate in high visibility events
-
Generate a highly-loyal customer base who will see the value you provide and not just shop on price.
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Get proven techniques you can apply right away to not have to reinvent the retail marketing wheel on your own
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Gain unshakeable confidence in yourself – (a lot of my clients tell me that is worth the investment alone
OK, I’m ready to do this for myself & my business, but I have a couple of additional questions. Can I call you?
Good, sounds like you’re ready to be pulled into your future! Yes, if you have a couple of questions, just email me at lauren@lsgmarketingsolutions.com or schedule a call with us here. I’ll be happy to walk you through the different options to see which one will be the very best for you. I can’t wait to see you succeed and am honored to be the one to help you. Let’s get going!
Best,
Lauren