While many organizations are debating whether or not the recession is affecting us here in the Maritimes, retailers know exactly what the score is. Before last weeks ‘I’ll Buy That’ retail forum we asked many of our retailers how things were faring and here are some of the answers:

1. What concerns you most? Consumer confidence and labour costs.
2. How has buying behaviour changed? Everyone is looking for a deal because the public knows it is a buyer’s market.
3. When will the recession end? The beginning of next year at the earliest.
4. How many have some kind of expansion plans for this year? 80 per cent.

“I think that good retailers have evolved into a group of business people with a heightened real-time sense for how their business is doing and how it got there,” explained Mark Gascoigne during his presentation.

“They have very simple dashboards that they look at every evening without fail. In retail, it is very simple, either they bought today or they did not. Retailers do not talk about leads or sales funnels. They talk about receipts.”

The day wrapped up with peer leadership and business communication guru Don Khoury who gave the group an entertaining and insightful presentation centered on non-verbal communication.

Don proved that nothing beats face-to-face communication with customers and clients by pointing out some of the subtlest cues hidden within a person’s body language.

In direct communication, we derive 7 per cent from speech, 38 per cent from vocal cues or tone of voice, and 55 per cent from non-verbal actions. Don uses politicians as an example. In photos, when politicians are shaking hands, the person with their hand facing outward to the camera appear to be in control. The smartest politicians make sure they’re always in that position of authority, even if they’re not on the right side of the picture.

You quickly learn from Don’s presentation that he knows what it means to be an effective communicator — and you also realize that when you’re around Don, you need to be careful where you put your hands.

For more information Don’s programs, e-mail him at don@acceleratemc.com.

Originally from New Brunswick — though she now considers herself a Haligonian — Lindsey Bunin has a combined honours degree in journalism and political science from the University of King's College. She worked as special features editor for The Daily News until the paper's unfortunate closure in 2008. Some of her other publication credits include The Hill Times, Business Voice, Metro Halifax and The Weekly News. Lindsey came to Trampoline as Online Content Coordinator to lend her talents to our clients’ web content and assist in the development of social media strategy. Some of her clients include The Vault Jewelry, Saint Mary’s University, The Chronicle Herald and Nova Scotia Health Promotion and Protection. When Lindsey isn't busy writing or editing, she's usually doing something crafty or exploring the great outdoors with her husband.