Brought to you by the Council of State Retail Associations
Looking for some inspiration? A solution to a nagging problem? The Retail Council’s Retail University Webinar Series may be for you. Our free events have been designed with retailers in mind to give you a refresher on core business principles while also providing practical tips and new ideas you can implement in your store. All events start at 8:30 a.m. ET.
Click on a webinar for more information:
Wednesday, May 23
Presented by Nicole Leinbach Reyhle, Founder & Editorial Director, Retail-Minded
From the moment a customer enters your store, you and your employees have an opportunity to roll out a red carpet and provide outstanding service. Learn the five steps of exceptional Red Carpet Treatment designed to thrill every customer and better the odds they’ll come back.
Customer service is an evolving experience for both an employee and a customer. Expectations from both sides of a customer service experience are important, and will be discussed so you can train your employees to deliver Red Carpet Treatment. Better yet…why not invite your employees to participate in this event?
Nicole Leinbach Reyhle - Nicole Leinbach Reyhle is an experienced retail and wholesale professional who has worked with such companies as Adidas America, Sears Corporation, Franco Sarto Footwear, Nordstrom and many independent retailers and wholesalers nationwide. After holding both regional and national management roles, Reyhle founded Retail Minded in 2007 as an effort to support independent retail focused businesses throughout the United States. Since then, Reyhle has worked with national retail organizations, privately held brands, countless retailers and wholesalers and leading experts in various retail sectors. She is a frequent contributor to a variety of retail trade publications and speaks regularly at conferences and expos worldwide. Her passion for independent businesses is the driving force behind Retail Minded, which includes support through consultation services, trade writing, and speaking. The Retail Minded Magazine is the real passion of Reyhle, combining the expertise of her own experiences and her many trusted industry sources in an effort to help small businesses thrive. In addition to Retail Minded, Reyhle teaches Retail Curriculum at Columbia College Chicago.
Tuesday, June 12
Presented by representatives of the New York State Insurance Fund
Did you know business owners are required to provide workers’ comp for any independent contractor who does not have their own insurance and proof of coverage? Did you know family members who work in your store – even your teenage children – must be covered by workers’ comp?
These and other questions business owners rarely think to ask will be covered in this presentation by representatives of the New York State Insurance Fund (NYSIF), underwriter of the Council’s Safety Group 493.
In addition, NYSIF representatives will discuss how to file a claim, tips to help you keep your workers’ comp costs as low as possible, identifying and reporting fraud, and support services available through NYSIF and the Retail Council. A question and answer session will end the discussion.
Thursday, September 27
Presented by Beth Adamson, Executive Director, Prairie Family Business Association
One of the ongoing challenges of a successful business is how to plan for an effective transfer to the next generation. How do you keep the business growing while deciding on the next generation’s role, if there is one? When executed well, succession planning can create a proud and honorable legacy of principles and prosperity. If done poorly, the same can turn a healthy, profitable, growing family business system into a veritable nightmare of irrational decision-making and wealth destruction.
Based on personal experience with families throughout the Midwest, Beth will provide you and your family with knowledge, tools and takeaways that can be applied immediately.
- Understand the system and WHY the process can be so complex and difficult
- Principles and best practices to follow when planning for succession
- The varying timelines for ownership transitions and the types of retirement styles
- How to overcome the odds against successful transition to the next generation
- Passive and active ownership scenarios
- Principles for choosing the next generation of leaders
- Alternatives when family succession isn’t an option
After this webinar you will better understand how to ensure your family business ultimately ends up as a true legacy and source of prosperity, influence and harmony for generations to come.
Beth Adamson – Beth Adamson works with business owning families and professional advisors in the areas of family communication, business development and family ownership. For the past eleven years, she has led the Prairie Family Business Association, an organization that provides educational programs throughout the Midwest. On occasion, Adamson teaches a Family Business Dynamics class at the University of South Dakota. Her experience growing up in a family business provides a unique and personal desire to provide both networking and educational resources for business owning families. She received her certificate in Family Business Advising from the Family Firm Institute in 2004. Adamson holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Music Therapy from the University of Minnesota with eighteen years of experience in sales, management and management training with the United States Chamber of Commerce.
Wednesday, October 3
Presented by John Mayleben, Senior Vice President Technology and Product Development, Michigan Retailers Association
Just in time for the holidays, a national expert on credit card processing will discuss how to keep your business protected from credit card fraud and make sure the information you collect from credit cards remains secure.
John Mayleben – John Mayleben is Senior Vice President Technology and Product Development for Michigan Retailers Association (MRA), where he manages the organization’s electronic payment vendor channels and internal IT solutions. He is also extremely active in the merchant processing industry, serving on a number of committees within the Electronic Transactions Association and the Retailers Advisory Group for the State of Michigan’s Electronic Benefits Transfer Program. His expertise on new processing technologies dates back to 1987, when he installed MRA’s first electronic credit card processing terminal.
Q. How long will each webinar last?
A. Each speaker will spend 30-45 minutes presenting on his/her topic. Speakers will then take questions from the audience via computer. We anticipate each event will last approximately one hour.
Q. How do I access the webinar the morning of the event?
A. When you registered for the webinar you received an email confirmation that provided directions to access the event. You will also receive email reminders as the event approaches and these provide the same directions to access the presentation and audio. Please note you will need both a computer with Internet access and a telephone to see and hear the webinar.
Q. Do I need to be at a computer to participate? Can’t I just listen to the webinar by phone?
A. Yes, you can listen by phone, but the speaker may reference his/her presentation from time to time (which you won’t be able to see). You also won’t have the opportunity to ask questions. You will receive instructions on how to access the event by computer and/or phone after you register.
Q. What if I have a conflict or emergency and can’t make a webinar?
A. Don’t worry, each event will be recorded. Simply contact our office to receive complimentary access to it.
Q. Are these webinars truly free?
A. Yes! We offer these seminars as a benefit of membership in the Retail Council. Attend one or all events – they are free.
Q. Who is sponsoring these webinars?
A. The Retail Council is working in conjunction with the Council of State Retail Associations (CSRA) to bring these events to fruition. CSRA represents state retail associations all over the country. By working together the associations are able to provide great speakers discussing relevant topics at an affordable cost. You can anticipate retailers from nearly every state will participate in these events.
Q. Who do I call if I have questions?
A. Just call our office at (800) 442-3589 or send an email to rflach@retailcouncilnys.com.
Contact Rebecca Flach for a recording of any past webinars – (800) 442-3589.
Social Media: Answers to the most common questions for retailers – April 25
Presented by Braden Russom, Client Advisor/Web Marketing Director, Burst Marketing (a Retail Council endorsed vendor)
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google+, check-in applications – the options for marketing your business using social media are endless. How does a business owner decide which of these tools to use? And once you take the social media plunge, how do you use your limited resources for maximum results? What results should you expect from social media anyway?
Following this webinar geared for novices you’ll know the answers to these and other social media conundrums. You’ll also walk away with tips and resources to make your foray into social media a bit easier.
Braden Russom – Braden Russom has worked in marketing since 2006 when he launched a freelance business building and implementing marketing tactics. As a writer and designer, he built a unique one-stop shop that saved clients time and hassle. After a few years as a sole proprietor (and realizing he didn’t like the lifestyle it demanded), Russom was offered a position as the first employee at Burst Marketing, now one of the largest marketing agencies in New York’s Capital Region. Since his hire, Russom has managed Burst’s largest projects, and reinvented the web marketing department, quadrupling its revenue. In his role as client advisor, Russom helps some of the Capital Region’s largest businesses drive sales and generate leads.