I remember when I was a
writer for Rue La La. I worked in the
company’s huge warehouse distribution
center. It was a convenient place to house
the studio where we photographed and
wrote about product because all the
product was right there. It was interesting
to be able to see the back end of the
ecommerce machine. In that dark studio,
we were tasked with guessing what the
customer wanted to see, hear, buy and
know. We had to convey a story or advice
to someone we had never met. As you
can imagine, it was quite the challenge!
How could I tell someone how a night
cream was going to make their face feel? I
didn’t know anything about their personal
needs. It was all a guessing game.
And that’s why internet retailers will
never take over the spa world; they’re
constantly playing a guessing game. You,
however, know exactly who your
customer is and exactly what they want,
because you know them. You’ve actually
met them in person. What a concept!
You just have to harness that
relationship into sales success. Ugh, I
know. Sales is a dirty word, but this issue
6
PULSE
■
July 2017
is chock-full of sales and retail tips for
you to use and share with your team
(check out How to Handle Sales
Rejection on page 34 and 7 Steps to
Rocking Your Next Event on page 40).
We also asked your fellow ISPA
members to weigh in on the future of
retail (Trending Retail, page 26) and
asked retail futurist and author of
Reengineering Retail, Doug
Stephens, a few questions about the new
retail experiences consumers crave (Ask
the Expert page 62).
But between all this talk about work
and selling, be sure to take some time for
yourselves this summer. There’s
something about a sunny summer
afternoon that makes you want to hop on
a plane to St. Somewhere and forget all
your troubles. As I write this, I’m both
recovering from a week-long trip to Los
Angeles, California for our West Coast
Media Event and June board meeting
(check out the fun photos in See + Be
Seen on page 32) and preparing for a
quick trip to the Jersey Shore to celebrate
my grandparents’ 60th wedding
anniversary, and it’s only mid-June!
Top: The entire Kelly
clan together in one place to celebrate
our grandparents’ 60th wedding anniversary, which,
of course, is the ultimate adventure! Bottom:
Experiencing what it is like to be the queen of Mardi
Gras on a trip to New Orleans last summer.
Travel can spark innovation and open
our minds to new ideas and possibilities.
I have a feeling this summer is going to
be full of eye-opening experiences and
opportunities, and I can’t wait!
—KELLY HEITZ, EDITOR
What are y’all up to this summer?
Share your adventures with me!
FOLLOW KELLY
@PulseEditor
@ISPAPulseEditor