Nationally known speaker visits borough to offer merchandising, marketing advice
Bob Phibbs, the “Retail Doctor,” addresses a group of Kennett Square businesspeople.
“The Retail Doctor,” also known as Bob Phibbs,made a house call to Kennett Square last week.
Phibbs, a nationally recognized expert on business strategy, customer service, sales and marketing, presented a workshop to 30 of Kennett Square’s shop, gallery and restaurant owners. The 90-minute presentation was hosted by Historic Kennett Square and held at the Kennett Flash in the early morning, before most stores opened, said a news release from Historic Kennett Square.
Using interactive techniques such as red balloons, paper airplanes and chocolate cake, Phibbs demonstrated his points about attracting and engaging customers on Tuesday. He addressed issues of store design, employee training, merchandise displays and marketing resources that helped the merchants focus on building effective relationships with retail customers to counteract the online shopping trend.
Merchants asked questions about individual problems, and Phibbs offered advice based upon his 30 years of experience of assessing effective business practices, the release said.
Following the workshop, Phibbs visited businesses in the Kennett Square shopping district, doing short one-on-one business checkups with specific recommendations on how to be more successful. For example, Flickerwood Wine Tasting Room took Phibb’s advice and immediately changed its display window to indicate its intended image of wine and rock more clearly. Lynn Sinclair of the Sunrise Tearoom and Café noted that the visit was “an impetus to never stop looking at your business and ask what am I trying to sell here,” the release said.
