Celebrating Transitions: Skill Sets
for the New Economy
Dr. Cynthia Pilcher
Dr. Kay Lynn Tettleton
LSU AgCenter

Goals for employees & employers
in transition
• Develop skills for coping with changing
economic environment
• Increase awareness of economic reality
• Understand trends in retail trade
• Explore technology as a business tool
• See business from a customer’s perspective
• Find ways to improve efficiency
• Manage stresses at home and on the job

What is the Real Economic Reality?
• Agri-tourism and Agri-tainment
• Geographic differences
• Global economy
• E-commerce
• Strip malls and shopping centers
• Major malls
• Gasoline prices
• Misconception about competition
• National name-recognition companies
• Small businesses & entrepreneurs
• Niche marketing & diverse merchandise
• Service, service, service

Coming or Going?

Businesses and communities
may need:
• Customer relations skills
• Marketing savvy
• Entrepreneurial know-how
• Knowledge of regional history

Staying in Business
• Research shows that service is more important than
price to 66% of consumers.
• 40% of consumers say service is poor, which reflects
a need for improved customer relations.
• Businesses spend 6 times as much time and money
on potential customers as they do on repeat sales,
even though established business makes long-term
profits possible.

The Bottom Line. . .
• Business creates revenue
• Revenue supports infrastructure
• Infrastructure attracts more business
• Attitude of cooperation and collaboration brings
success to the business community
• Quality of life for families improves
• Business retention, expansion, & entrepreneurship
contribute to rural economies

Current Trends in Retail Trade:
• Customers desire the authenticity of
experiences and service found in small
businesses.
• With trends towards e-commerce, customer
service skills become even more crucial for
brick and mortar businesses.

Six Characteristics of Businesses
That Work . . .
• 1-Look & act like a business
• 2-Maintain attractive appearance
• 3-Include local advertisement
• 4-Keep in touch with customers
• 5-Sponsor local events of interest
• 6-Include some type of link to technology

Employee Influence on
Business:
• Makes the first impression
• Seizes the opportunity to inform the visitor
• Shares the community amenities
• Promotes other businesses
• Develops community leadership
• Attracts visitors to return for business or
pleasure

A customer :
• is the most important person in our business.
• does not depend on us- we depend on them.
• does not interrupt our work, but is the purpose of it.
• is a person with feelings, emotions, likes and dislikes.
• is not someone with whom to argue or match wits.
• will bring us specific wants; it is our job to fulfill them.
• is deserving of the most courteous and attentive
service we can provide.
• is the life blood of our business.

Customer Relations:
• Definition – the art and practice of attracting and
retaining customers through successful human
relations
• Purpose: to increase shopping at home and retain
local businesses
• Impact: potential to increase tax base, improve
community communications, and promote tourism
and income from outside sources

What? When? Where? How?
• Know your community
• Remembering names
• Communication
• Handling complaints
• Ethics
• Marketing

Loyal Customers
• Over 65% of people who leave a business do
so because they encounter poor service or
perceive an attitude of indifference.

Customer Relations Workshop:
• Understanding tourism
• L.A.S.T. method of customer service
(Listen, Apologize, Solve, Thank)
Source: The Difficult Guest, Media Partners Corp.
• Team building
• Communication skills
• Community asset mapping

Feeling almost “trapped”?
• Information overload
• Different sources of information
• Different perspectives
• Different cultures
• Different expectations
• Different opinions
• Different personality types
• Different types of conflict

Time Savers. . .
Make Lists
Turn off phones
Organize
Begin today
Say “no”
Plan

It’s up to you.
• Become informed about the economy.
• Take an objective look at your business.
• Use trends in trade and marketing.
• Explore e-business and technology resources.
• Think like a customer and adjust practices.
• Get organized.
• Seek ways to cope constructively with stress.

Dr. Cynthia Pilcher
Area Agent
Community Rural Development
LSU AgCenter
Dr. Kay Tettleton
Area Agent
Community Rural Development
LSU AgCenter