Out of the Loop

The newest CBA (the association of Christian retailers and product suppliers, for those not in the know) issue is trust. I think they're right on the mark. They've sent out several surveys via email over the past couple weeks, and I've got to tell you that I've faithfully filled out every one. It's really important to give CBA (and any other associations we're members of) as much info as we can.
The trust issue has been in the front of my mind for the past couple of years as I've been working with my suppliers. As a retailer, I need to trust my suppliers, and hope that they have our best interests in mind. I trust that they want to see our store succeed, just as I want to see the publisher succeed. No publisher, no books.

I have to add at this point, that the person who represents a certain supplier or publisher, for example, my regular phone rep or road rep, or just a general customer service phone rep, is just that - a representative. They represent the company they work for, and in most cases, is my only contact with their company. It's a huge responsibility. It's no different with my staff. My staff represents me (when I'm out of the store), as well as our store and who we are, and why we are. If my staff fails in representing us right, we lose customers. Plain and simple. In the same vein, the reps from the publishers can make or break a relationship with a store.
With that said, I've got to say that almost all of my reps are wonderful. They're real, and caring people. I've only had maybe 2 or 3 reps that I won't work with again. So, for the most part, my experience over that past 7 years is that I can trust most of the reps that I work with. This is good news.

To keep a positive spin on things (so I don't get depressed), I've decided to evaluate the suppliers that I'm working with, and I've established (at least in my mind) some base requirements...
1) that they have a heart for ministry, and care about the ministry that happens in and through my store
2) that they want to help drive business to our store (which in turn means selling more of their products)
3) that they will not circumnavigate our store with direct marketing that doesn't even give the option of purchasing their products or special offer at any local Christian retailer

But what I'm finding out is that not every publisher that I've been working with cares about my store, or even if it is still open for business a year from now. As I've said, it seems that the reps care, but the actions of the publishers (outside of the rep realm) say otherwise. I'm not sure about the publisher's concern for their own people either. One of my really good reps was let go because her "numbers weren't high enough". It's sad. She cared about my store, and wanted to make sure that their books (which are really good books) were always stocked - with the right titles and the right quantities for our size store. This was a rep that wanted to make sure that we had the right book for the right person at the right time. I can't ask for more. But for now, I don't have a rep with that publisher... and I don't know what their plan is from here on out either.

At least once every 2 weeks or so, I'll get a mailing straight to my house (my personal abode, the place where I live when I'm not working at the store), directly from a publisher. It will be some new book club or some other new offer. Nowhere is there any mention that we could go to our local Christian bookstore for the same offer. It's as if Christian bookstores don't even exist. The most recent offer came in just this week. A book publisher has teamed up with a card company (I don't know if I'm allowed to mention their names, so I won't) and sent out the offer that was very personalized. The offer talks about how it is inconvenient to make it to the store to pick up a card for someone

"And it always seems like it's a couple of days before I can run by the store and hopefully find what I want."

So now, you can buy these new cards and have them sent directly to your home, and

"you do so at cheaper than retail prices!".

This offer is really good. I'm a busy guy. My wife is busy too. For that matter, who isn't busy? Everyone I know is busy with something or another. And you know, it would be nice to have some cards delivered to my house. The cards are nice, they give you a free devotional with your order, and a cool newsletter with each order. Even as I'm typing, I'm just about selling this offer to myself, I personally would have a hard time refusing.
...Except for the fact that I'm running a Christian bookstore, that carries a lot of cards from this card company, and I also stock many books from this publisher as well as including some of them in our store's core inventory (just an aside, a book has to be pretty good to be included in my core inventory, I'm picky).

This direct-to-home marketing offer has totally circumnavigated my store. Nowhere in this offer does it give an option to get these really nice cards, free book, and newsletter from your local Christian bookstore. I'm absolutely positive that I have customers that would come in for this offer - they wouldn't mind making the drive to the store. Some of our customers drive quite a distance just to be in our store. They like the atmosphere. They leave encouraged.

When a publisher sells direct to the consumer, the consumer doesn't buy from the store, the store doesn't buy from the publisher, and the publisher fires it's reps for not having better numbers. Not so pretty is it. But the publisher is making some extra money to keep the doors open. Is it worth it? How much money do we need to make to stay open anyway? (That's a whole other blog post I think)

So, I'm at a point where I don't know what to do with this. It's not the first time this has happened. It's been more than one publisher too. I understand that the publishers are trying to make more money, they need to so they can continue operating their businesses. But so do I.
I really don't have an answer at this point on how to make the situation better. I feel like I've been totally left out of the loop.

Maybe this will be my 4th requirement when looking for a publisher to work with...
4) that they don't leave me out of the loop

~Shane