Welcome to our May issue

My family was able to enjoy a spring break trip to Florida, where four generations enjoyed fun in the sun -- a pleasant escape from the Michigan winter! 

  O f course, we took tons of photos. Do more than 500 images and two full memory cards sound obsessive to anyone?  We also shared photos and memorabilia for our family scrapbook -- an intergenerational project to preserve wonderful memories we will all treasure through the years. For help, we turned to an expert -- a scrapbook retailer just like yourself, who advised on products, design ideas, and so much more. We're just a handful among thousands of scrappers who turn to their local scrapbook retailers!

Elaine Truman, PSRO Executive

  By now, you'll all be gearing up for a busy summer, as customers enjoy graduations, summer weddings, family picnics, vacations, and so much more -- then recording and cherishing those memories in their scrapbooks. May is an especially wonderful time to celebrate, with National Scrapbooking Day and National Photo Month, as well as Mother's Day -- and Father's Day coming up fast next month!

  That's your goal: to help customers enjoy their passion for scrapbooking. To help you succeed, PSRO offers a Retailers Operations Guide, marketing research, books and articles about scrapbook retailing, videos, business and marketing tools, education, PSRO Retailing News, and much more. Visit www.psro.org and check out all we have to offer.

   PSRO recently sponsored speaker Tamara Lipori, author of A PSRO Guide to Scrapbook Retailing, at a retailer education event held at Open Page Wholesalers Inc. in Mississauga, Ont., Canada. It was great  for us to welcome more Canadian retailers to our PSRO "family," and to meet and greet existing members.

  Our "In the spotlight" store this month is  Craft Queen in Orange, New South Wales, Australia; and still on a "Down Under" theme, the PMA Australia 2008 Imaging Technology Show will be held in Brisbane, May 29 to June 1. 

  We love to hear from you. Please feel free to email me at etruman@pmai.org.

Warm regards,

Elaine Truman

PSRO Executive

Crucial tip for emarketing

Nearly 22 percent of consumers indicated unwanted emails pose a significant challenge, and 70 percent of consumers stated a combination of the subject line and the identity of the sender determined whether or not they would open an email, according to the 2007 Scrapbooking Consumer Trend Report, available on the PSRO website.  It is clear the identity of the sender is more important than the message line; however, the subject line is key to piquing a consumer's interest about a particular email.

  What to do? Ensure your identity as the sender is clearly stated. Constantly review the open rates of emails to determine which subject lines are the most effective, and reuse these in future emails. A dhere to the mailing schedule in effect at the time consumers opted into the email program.

Ask Tamara

Tamara Lipori

Dear Tamara,

I feel like I'm losing the battle. I'm overwhelmed, overworked, underpaid (not paid at all is more like it), and can't see any end in sight. Maybe I'm just not cut out to be in retail -- it's much harder than I expected. I am so deep in this store financially, I can't just walk away. Any suggestions?

Worn out in Wisconsin

Dear Worn out,

I hear this same lament at least a couple times a day. Sometimes things are so bad there are no alternatives to closing and finding a way to deal with the debt, even if that means talking with a bankruptcy attorney. But it often isn't so bad. What may actually be going on is a lack of some crucial elements for any businessperson: perspective, time management, and asset management. Let's look at these one at a time.

Perspective

Are you maintaining your numbers as recommended in A PSRO Guide to Scrapbook Retailing? Recently, a store owner who felt every year in business was worse than the last finally was persuaded to do her numbers. It was like pulling teeth -- she kicked and screamed the whole way. When they were done, she saw for the first time, in 2007, she had a 50 percent increase in sales from 2006; and in 2008, she is currently on track for a 20 percent increase from 2007. Her perspective just changed in a really big way!

  If sales are truly down after you do your numbers, and your debt is overwhelming, get in touch with a professional who can help turn things around.

Time management

I have never met a successful businessperson who wasn't skilled at time management. They didn't usually start out that way, but learned the skills needed to get that way! Do just two things differently, starting today.

   First, make a list on Sunday evening, and maintain that same list all week. Cross things off as they are done, and add things as needed. Don't worry about color coding, prioritizing, or special forms; the back of an envelope works fine! Just keep a list; and next Sunday night, transfer undone tasks to the new list if necessary. Obviously, the goal is to have no carryover; but when you do, just rewrite them. If it can be delegated, do it!

   Second, whenever you get frustrated, worried, or overwhelmed, pull out the list, and ask yourself just one question: What is the most important thing I can do for my business right now? Then do it. It might be to go for a walk, have a big glass of water, or change the station on the radio to change your attitude! You'll automatically begin prioritizing. Just the act of writing down what needs to be done allows your brain to begin accomplishing the mental part of the jobs. They go faster and more easily when you do them. You'll be surprised.

Asset management

Your assets include not only tangibles, such as money in the bank, inventory, fixtures, and mailing lists, but also those very valuable intangibles, such as your time, knowledge, reputation, skill set, and staff. By properly utilizing your staff, you are able to manage your time better and use your knowledge and skill set where they are most needed. By managing your inventory well, you increase consistent cash flow and turns. A great business and personal reputation allows your business to grow, to change, and to meet the needs of a greater percentage of the community. A known expert in a particular field is more likely to have a press release noticed and an event covered. Asset management is overlooked and ignored by many businesspeople, and instead of actively running their businesses, those who don't understand how to utilize all their assets effectively usually end up running around putting out fires all day, every day. Sound familiar?

 Good luck -- you can make this happen!