by Alan Rigg
If you have a sales team or are considering building one, at some point you will need to figure out how (and whether) you want to conduct group sales team meetings.
This article answers some frequently asked questions about sales team meetings.
How often should sales team meetings be held?
I'm not a big fan of regularly scheduled sales team meetings. I find it boring to go person-by-person and discuss the status of specific opportunities, the percentage each individual is to quota, etc.
It's one thing if a salesperson is doing something unusual or unique in pursuit of an opportunity and sharing what they are doing would constitute a good learning experience for other salespeople. However, I usually find that most discussions concerning individual opportunities are not very enriching for the other sales team members.
My philosophy is I prefer to bring the sales team together on an ad hoc basis when there is something to discuss that would be of benefit to the entire team. This could be for sales training, product training, important announcements, etc.
With that said, if a sales team is more junior, or if you are in the process of changing your sales culture, or if you want to teach all of your salespeople a specific new skill, then regularly scheduled training meetings can make sense. However, if a sales team is more seasoned, or if it has a mix of people with substantially different levels of knowledge and experience, working with salespeople one-on-one tends to be more productive than group meetings.
How often should I meet individually with salespeople?
If a salesperson is achieving or exceeding quota, I like to schedule a weekly, one-hour meeting. The focus of this meeting is to:
Discuss the progress (or lack thereof) of pipeline opportunities
Discuss new opportunities that have been identified
Strategize how to best pursue key opportunities
Often the greatest value a sales manager can add when dealing with a productive salesperson is suggesting creative ideas for advancing opportunities through the sales cycle more quickly.
For salespeople who are NOT achieving quota (including new salespeople), I suggest that management schedule one-hour meetings as frequently as necessary (including daily) to help the salesperson get on track. Going on "buddy calls" also provides great opportunities to observe the salesperson in action. In these cases the focus should be on determining:
The quantity and quality of the salesperson's activities
Whether their activities are producing the desired results
Sources of and solutions for any roadblocks they are running into
When performance issues are identified, conducting repetitive role plays is often the most productive way for management to help the salesperson become more comfortable executing specific skills and approaches properly. As the salesperson becomes more comfortable with, and more effective at executing, key steps in the sales process, meeting frequency can be reduced until you get to a single, scheduled, one-hour meeting each week.
Should members of the marketing team attend sales team meetings?
Absolutely... especially if you are tryng to instill a "one team" mindset.
When hosting a joint meeting that includes both Sales and Marketing representatives, try to focus the meeting agenda on information that will help the members of the two organizations understand each other better and work together more effectively to produce the desired end result (which is usually increased sales, higher profits, etc.). For example:
If marketing is conducting a campaign to generate sales leads, there should be discussion about what constitutes a qualified lead
If marketing would like the sales team to report information to help marketing gauge the effectiveness of a campaign, there should be discussion about:
The information that is being requested
Whether the sales team is the best resource to provide the requested information
Why marketing needs the information
The accountability sales management will ask the salespeople to accept related to providing the requested information
The frequency with which the information needs to be provided
How sales management will inspect to ensure that the necessary information is being provided in a consistent and timely fashion
There could be many other agenda items, but they will generally fit under one of two umbrellas: (1) helping Sales and Marketing understand each other better, and (2) helping Sales and Marketing work together more effectively.
Conclusion
You have probably attended many meetings that did not feel like productive uses of your time. Don't repeat this mistake with your sales team! Be very clear about your desired outcome(s) for each specific meeting. If you keep the desired outcome(s) firmly in mind, it should be relatively easy to determine who should attend each meeting and whether it should be a group or individual meeting.
©2010 Alan Rigg
http://www.8020salesleader.com/public/273.cfm
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
The Shift Toward Customer-Focused Assortments
Assortment management is an ever-evolving field. Many in our industry are old enough to remember the development of the supermarket format, its mission being to provide all things to all customers. The last decade saw the coming of age of a more consumer-centric discipline that, with the help of new science, is now achieving widespread acceptance.
Certainly, every large retailer still wants to show its shoppers a selection that eliminates any reason to go to another store to meet all their needs. But they've learned -- and the Recession has been a tough instructor for some -- that maximizing variety can lead to diminished returns.
Three Trends Leading Assortment Planning into the Consumer-Centric Future
Assortment management has traditionally been focused at the product category level, the aim being to provide a depth of assortment across a wide variety of categories. But this view of categories is moving steadily in a consumer-centric direction. Three trends exemplify this change:
1. SOLUTIONS CENTERS
Categories used to be defined primarily by product attributes -- purpose, ingredients, temperature ... even package form. Now the mindset is evolving toward a focus on solutions and consumer need states.
Merchants and manufacturers continually ask the question:
What does the shopper really need and what different products can address that need?
Where the shopper need used to be "fresh chicken," today it may be "convenient meals." Where it used to be "liquid floor cleaners," now it may be "home cleanup solutions."
Retailers are increasingly looking at groups of categories in an effort to provide shoppers with solution centers.
2. NEW CATEGORIES
Retailers are revisiting the basic business question:
What other categories should I be offering?
Category space allocation has been relatively stable for quite a few years and, as a consequence, so has the number of categories offered.
In years past, merchandisers and grocers added whole departments, like florists, banks, video rentals and dry cleaners, to name a few. Now, more are asking what other items should be offered to better meet shopper needs. Are there new opportunities in nontraditional categories, like jewelry, green products, kids’ clothing, gift cards, hardware?
3. MACRO SPACE MANAGEMENT
A new emphasis on "big picture thinking" gets to the core of Space and Assortment and how they are intertwined. Retailers are reconsidering how much space to give to each category or solution area, and how to manage variety within that space.
In order to get at that question comprehensively, they need to understand the marginal benefits from each new category and each item within each category.
Instead of making assortment choices solely within categories, they take a comprehensive, cross-category view. The new question becomes:
How much profit do I get out of one more SKU in this category versus one more SKU in the next category?
Only by understanding the marginal contribution of each SKU can retailers reallocate space to be more efficient -- on a section, aisle or store basis.
Shelf space is a finite resource. When considering which SKUs to add or eliminate, retailers run directly into dimensional constraints. Different SKUs may occupy different amounts of space. Faster-turning items may require more facings to meet demand.
It is evident that retailers need a space-aware assortment process. This objective is greatly aided by tightly linking assortment planning tools and methods with space planning tools and methods.
Certainly, every large retailer still wants to show its shoppers a selection that eliminates any reason to go to another store to meet all their needs. But they've learned -- and the Recession has been a tough instructor for some -- that maximizing variety can lead to diminished returns.
Three Trends Leading Assortment Planning into the Consumer-Centric Future
Assortment management has traditionally been focused at the product category level, the aim being to provide a depth of assortment across a wide variety of categories. But this view of categories is moving steadily in a consumer-centric direction. Three trends exemplify this change:
1. SOLUTIONS CENTERS
Categories used to be defined primarily by product attributes -- purpose, ingredients, temperature ... even package form. Now the mindset is evolving toward a focus on solutions and consumer need states.
Merchants and manufacturers continually ask the question:
What does the shopper really need and what different products can address that need?
Where the shopper need used to be "fresh chicken," today it may be "convenient meals." Where it used to be "liquid floor cleaners," now it may be "home cleanup solutions."
Retailers are increasingly looking at groups of categories in an effort to provide shoppers with solution centers.
2. NEW CATEGORIES
Retailers are revisiting the basic business question:
What other categories should I be offering?
Category space allocation has been relatively stable for quite a few years and, as a consequence, so has the number of categories offered.
In years past, merchandisers and grocers added whole departments, like florists, banks, video rentals and dry cleaners, to name a few. Now, more are asking what other items should be offered to better meet shopper needs. Are there new opportunities in nontraditional categories, like jewelry, green products, kids’ clothing, gift cards, hardware?
3. MACRO SPACE MANAGEMENT
A new emphasis on "big picture thinking" gets to the core of Space and Assortment and how they are intertwined. Retailers are reconsidering how much space to give to each category or solution area, and how to manage variety within that space.
In order to get at that question comprehensively, they need to understand the marginal benefits from each new category and each item within each category.
Instead of making assortment choices solely within categories, they take a comprehensive, cross-category view. The new question becomes:
How much profit do I get out of one more SKU in this category versus one more SKU in the next category?
Only by understanding the marginal contribution of each SKU can retailers reallocate space to be more efficient -- on a section, aisle or store basis.
Shelf space is a finite resource. When considering which SKUs to add or eliminate, retailers run directly into dimensional constraints. Different SKUs may occupy different amounts of space. Faster-turning items may require more facings to meet demand.
It is evident that retailers need a space-aware assortment process. This objective is greatly aided by tightly linking assortment planning tools and methods with space planning tools and methods.
Creating a Unified View of the Customer
Whether in-store, online, via catalog or smart phone app, consumers draw on all touch points when formulating an overall image of a retailer. Can retailers say the same about their multi-channel customers?
To provide what customers demand -- a seamless experience across all channels -- retailers need a unified view of their customers. Retailers should, for example, be able to draw on behavior learned about a customer in one channel and apply it to a targeted offer relevant to the shopper in another. And so, a successful multi-channel strategy must not only provide a comprehensive view of the shopper's activities but enable the deployment of cross-channel tactics. In essence, what is needed is a unified customer engagement platform.
Many chain retailers have been building out their online (and now mobile) commerce efforts over the last decade. How are they doing so far with their cross-channel integration? According to the 2009 RIS Cross-Channel Tech Trends study, over half (55 percent) of retailer respondents say they have no integration of their CRM/customer database across brick and mortar and online channels. Another 36 percent say they maintain only a loose integration. And for loyalty applications, 36 percent have no integration, while 43 percent have loose integration across these channels.
ACTION ITEMS: Unified Customer Engagement
In the recent RIS White Paper, The Cross-Channel Imperative, the following action items are recommended for retailers looking to develop a unified customer engagement platform:
#1: Work toward a single customer view.
Bridge departmental silos to create a single database that captures customer preferences and transactions across channels. That's accomplished by ensuring customers can enroll in, and gain access to, the unified customer database from whichever channel they frequent. Tagging all transactions with a unique customer ID marker is an important component of the process.
#2: Concentrate on actionable analysis.
Retailers can leverage business intelligence and customer analytics to: determine which items customers are most loyal to, channel by channel; improve personalization of offers; and engage in relevant and timely conversations with customers across channels. Further, a unified customer engagement platform can feed the analytical results into other enterprise systems, including merchandising, inventory and promotion, thereby creating greater value for the customer.
#3: Unify infrastructure around customer engagement data.
The unified customer engagement platform can be used to map points of integration with customer touch points in the store, online, catalog, call center and the mobile channel. In this way, retailers can develop web services, composite applications or services-oriented architecture to seamlessly cross channel boundaries (e.g. a cross-channel search function).
#4: Provide a single view of the retailer to the customer.
Standardize the view that the customer gets of the retailer across all channels, thereby improving customer convenience and ease of use. The same must apply to the customer views of promotions and communications from the retailer in all channels, while also leveraging the uniqueness of each channel.
To provide what customers demand -- a seamless experience across all channels -- retailers need a unified view of their customers. Retailers should, for example, be able to draw on behavior learned about a customer in one channel and apply it to a targeted offer relevant to the shopper in another. And so, a successful multi-channel strategy must not only provide a comprehensive view of the shopper's activities but enable the deployment of cross-channel tactics. In essence, what is needed is a unified customer engagement platform.
Many chain retailers have been building out their online (and now mobile) commerce efforts over the last decade. How are they doing so far with their cross-channel integration? According to the 2009 RIS Cross-Channel Tech Trends study, over half (55 percent) of retailer respondents say they have no integration of their CRM/customer database across brick and mortar and online channels. Another 36 percent say they maintain only a loose integration. And for loyalty applications, 36 percent have no integration, while 43 percent have loose integration across these channels.
ACTION ITEMS: Unified Customer Engagement
In the recent RIS White Paper, The Cross-Channel Imperative, the following action items are recommended for retailers looking to develop a unified customer engagement platform:
#1: Work toward a single customer view.
Bridge departmental silos to create a single database that captures customer preferences and transactions across channels. That's accomplished by ensuring customers can enroll in, and gain access to, the unified customer database from whichever channel they frequent. Tagging all transactions with a unique customer ID marker is an important component of the process.
#2: Concentrate on actionable analysis.
Retailers can leverage business intelligence and customer analytics to: determine which items customers are most loyal to, channel by channel; improve personalization of offers; and engage in relevant and timely conversations with customers across channels. Further, a unified customer engagement platform can feed the analytical results into other enterprise systems, including merchandising, inventory and promotion, thereby creating greater value for the customer.
#3: Unify infrastructure around customer engagement data.
The unified customer engagement platform can be used to map points of integration with customer touch points in the store, online, catalog, call center and the mobile channel. In this way, retailers can develop web services, composite applications or services-oriented architecture to seamlessly cross channel boundaries (e.g. a cross-channel search function).
#4: Provide a single view of the retailer to the customer.
Standardize the view that the customer gets of the retailer across all channels, thereby improving customer convenience and ease of use. The same must apply to the customer views of promotions and communications from the retailer in all channels, while also leveraging the uniqueness of each channel.
Think Like a Rich Person
By Dennis McCafferty on 2010-09-22
Books about getting rich often seem to work better for authors than readers, so any tome on the subject should be approached with considerable caution. But a new book, How Rich People Think (London House/Available now), provides a fresh perspective on this well-worn topic. Author Steve Siebold isn't pretending to unearth the secrets of the next big investment boom, or hawking some new Ponzi scheme. How Rich People Think is more about understanding the philosophical grounding and practical mindsets of the wealthy, in order to get a sense of how their intellectual and emotional DNA is programmed for financial success. Unlike other classes of society, Siebold writes, rich people aren't afraid of money or ashamed of it. They don't believe that luck plays much of any role in success, and they don't expect to be rescued by a guardian angel if they get into a tough spot. Siebold is a consultant for Fortune 500 companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble and Toyota. Here are his nine realities of achieving wealth:
1. Middle class people wait for their ship to come in; rich people buildtheir own ship.Fortune smiles upon those who create their own opportunities. Adapt an action mentality, not a lottery one.
2. Success comes from working for fulfillment, not survival.Those who excel do so because they love work, as opposed to just earning apaycheck. Donald Trump and other players have a passion for the deal.
3. Money isn't about education. It's about knowledge.Target training and advanced degrees for the end result of maximizing yourvalue in the market.
4. Hard work doesn't equate to money. Leverage does.Tap your greatest strengths and pinpoint how to make them more salable.
5. Referrals create millionaires.Use success with one relationship to create 10 others just like it.Encourage a referral system to deliver opportunity upon opportunity.
6. Money is a tool that must constantly be re-used. Money is infinite. Accomplishing a financial milestone should immediately befollowed by a re-investment plan to make more.
7. Logic, not emotion, guides wise investment decisions.Use panic-inspired market sell-offs to invest in companies and industrysegments that likely are down only for the moment.
8. Rich people are better at keeping their money than the working class.They study and seek advice on protecting earnings from taxes. They know, forexample, that a Roth IRA beats out a traditional one in the long run.
9. Appreciate the value of invisible wealth.Cars, clothes and status objects do not define wealth or success. Assets,strength of portfolio do.
The ultimate anti-rich thinker was George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life, who wanted to be wealthy but set himself up to be poor.1. He let others dictate his path instead of taking control of his destiny.2. He had great vision, but never used it to make his own fortune.3. He wanted to build skyscrapers, but ended up plugging holes in financialdikes.
http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Intelligence/Think-Like-a-Rich-Person-825538/?kc=BLBLBEMNL09282010STR8
Books about getting rich often seem to work better for authors than readers, so any tome on the subject should be approached with considerable caution. But a new book, How Rich People Think (London House/Available now), provides a fresh perspective on this well-worn topic. Author Steve Siebold isn't pretending to unearth the secrets of the next big investment boom, or hawking some new Ponzi scheme. How Rich People Think is more about understanding the philosophical grounding and practical mindsets of the wealthy, in order to get a sense of how their intellectual and emotional DNA is programmed for financial success. Unlike other classes of society, Siebold writes, rich people aren't afraid of money or ashamed of it. They don't believe that luck plays much of any role in success, and they don't expect to be rescued by a guardian angel if they get into a tough spot. Siebold is a consultant for Fortune 500 companies such as Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble and Toyota. Here are his nine realities of achieving wealth:
1. Middle class people wait for their ship to come in; rich people buildtheir own ship.Fortune smiles upon those who create their own opportunities. Adapt an action mentality, not a lottery one.
2. Success comes from working for fulfillment, not survival.Those who excel do so because they love work, as opposed to just earning apaycheck. Donald Trump and other players have a passion for the deal.
3. Money isn't about education. It's about knowledge.Target training and advanced degrees for the end result of maximizing yourvalue in the market.
4. Hard work doesn't equate to money. Leverage does.Tap your greatest strengths and pinpoint how to make them more salable.
5. Referrals create millionaires.Use success with one relationship to create 10 others just like it.Encourage a referral system to deliver opportunity upon opportunity.
6. Money is a tool that must constantly be re-used. Money is infinite. Accomplishing a financial milestone should immediately befollowed by a re-investment plan to make more.
7. Logic, not emotion, guides wise investment decisions.Use panic-inspired market sell-offs to invest in companies and industrysegments that likely are down only for the moment.
8. Rich people are better at keeping their money than the working class.They study and seek advice on protecting earnings from taxes. They know, forexample, that a Roth IRA beats out a traditional one in the long run.
9. Appreciate the value of invisible wealth.Cars, clothes and status objects do not define wealth or success. Assets,strength of portfolio do.
The ultimate anti-rich thinker was George Bailey in It's a Wonderful Life, who wanted to be wealthy but set himself up to be poor.1. He let others dictate his path instead of taking control of his destiny.2. He had great vision, but never used it to make his own fortune.3. He wanted to build skyscrapers, but ended up plugging holes in financialdikes.
http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/Intelligence/Think-Like-a-Rich-Person-825538/?kc=BLBLBEMNL09282010STR8
11 Ways to Create an Effective Facebook Page for Business
Building relationships at the social networking site instead of just redirecting people to a Rosetta Stone page makes it easier to connect with customers and potential customers, because hardcore Facebook users are more likely to converse on a Facebook page than they are to follow a link to an external website. In the process, says Jay Topper, senior vice president of customer success at the language-instruction software company, Facebook has become a new channel for sales. Rosetta Stone is among the first enterprises to address the challenges of Facebook in a systematic way. Is your company ready to do the same?
1. HAVE A PURPOSE
Presence isn¹t enough. Align social media strategy to business goals andtrack them; use analytics to measure your progress.
2. BE TRANSPARENT
Any customer contact from any source can end up on your wall, and everythingyou post on Facebook is public and can be disseminated to live on elsewhere.
3. BEND TO THE MEDIUM
Respect the new culture. Don¹t annoy users by making your own rules, meetthem on their turf.
4. BE INVITING.
Good news and interesting topics are desirable, but keep bad news up front,too. Allow people to post on your wall‹many companies don¹t allow thissimple function.
5. CREATE A COMMUNITY, NOT A SALES PAGE.
Facebook is not about one-way marketing; sales-speak turns fans off. RosettaStone wants conversations about language learning, with support andcompany-specific tools built in.
6. BE A THOUGHT LEADER AND GUIDE THE CONVERSATION
Don't try to control everything. Post links to articles or thought-provokingconversation starters, and let the community have an open, organic dialogue.
7. LET PEOPE SPEAK THEIR MINDS
Rarely turn away a comment, including criticism of the product, unless itviolates pre-determined principles.
8. RESPOND QUICKLY
This demographic expects it, They also expect the responder to be savvy andfollow unwritten social media guidelines.
9. ASK FOR FEEDBACK
Then show Facebook fans how you use it.
10. PROMOTE YOUR PRESENCE
Let people know about your page across all your online assets.
11. KEEP IT FUN
Recognize the special culture of Facebook instead of just imposing your owncorporate culture upon it.
http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/IT-Management/11-Ways-to-Create-an-Effective-Facebook-Page-for-Business-279753/?kc=BLBLBEMNL09282010STR5
1. HAVE A PURPOSE
Presence isn¹t enough. Align social media strategy to business goals andtrack them; use analytics to measure your progress.
2. BE TRANSPARENT
Any customer contact from any source can end up on your wall, and everythingyou post on Facebook is public and can be disseminated to live on elsewhere.
3. BEND TO THE MEDIUM
Respect the new culture. Don¹t annoy users by making your own rules, meetthem on their turf.
4. BE INVITING.
Good news and interesting topics are desirable, but keep bad news up front,too. Allow people to post on your wall‹many companies don¹t allow thissimple function.
5. CREATE A COMMUNITY, NOT A SALES PAGE.
Facebook is not about one-way marketing; sales-speak turns fans off. RosettaStone wants conversations about language learning, with support andcompany-specific tools built in.
6. BE A THOUGHT LEADER AND GUIDE THE CONVERSATION
Don't try to control everything. Post links to articles or thought-provokingconversation starters, and let the community have an open, organic dialogue.
7. LET PEOPE SPEAK THEIR MINDS
Rarely turn away a comment, including criticism of the product, unless itviolates pre-determined principles.
8. RESPOND QUICKLY
This demographic expects it, They also expect the responder to be savvy andfollow unwritten social media guidelines.
9. ASK FOR FEEDBACK
Then show Facebook fans how you use it.
10. PROMOTE YOUR PRESENCE
Let people know about your page across all your online assets.
11. KEEP IT FUN
Recognize the special culture of Facebook instead of just imposing your owncorporate culture upon it.
http://www.baselinemag.com/c/a/IT-Management/11-Ways-to-Create-an-Effective-Facebook-Page-for-Business-279753/?kc=BLBLBEMNL09282010STR5
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Fall 2008 Beautification
Our downtown courtyard has been made cleaner, fresher and more beautiful in part by the efforts of two wonderful ladies spearheading this task: Thelma Swiech and Nancy Gmitro. Both have often been spotted consulting with arborists and landscapers as well as planting and caring for new vegetation and flowers. This beautification team was also involved with the new landscaping at the Community House.
Our courtyard fountain has been included in other beautification efforts downtown. Thanks to the hard work and research of the beautification team and Sue at City Hall, we now know that the fountain belongs to the County. Preservation and repair will be done next year.
Stop by and look at the intricate work on the fountain’s centerpiece.
Our courtyard fountain has been included in other beautification efforts downtown. Thanks to the hard work and research of the beautification team and Sue at City Hall, we now know that the fountain belongs to the County. Preservation and repair will be done next year.
Stop by and look at the intricate work on the fountain’s centerpiece.
Fall 2008 Stone House
A permanent park setting and historic site, including the Stone House restored in part or in whole, is planned at the Northern entrance to the community. This open space and historic remnant will greet visitors and natives to an inviting rest area.
The purchase of the property was made possible by a generous donation from John and Nancy Gmitro. A matching fund program in John’s memory continues to support this exciting effort. For this wishing to donate, please contact THE National Bank in Mount Carroll.
Cleanup efforts are underway and will continue throughout the Fall. We always need assistance from volunteers to remove debris, make repairs and plan for this project.
The purchase of the property was made possible by a generous donation from John and Nancy Gmitro. A matching fund program in John’s memory continues to support this exciting effort. For this wishing to donate, please contact THE National Bank in Mount Carroll.
Cleanup efforts are underway and will continue throughout the Fall. We always need assistance from volunteers to remove debris, make repairs and plan for this project.
Fall 2008 Kraft Corner
With dedicated volunteers, funding efforts and a team with a vision, Kraft Building renovations are coming along beautifully. From a full time visitor’s center to retail shops to business incubator, this building will be home to businesses and services that will benefit the community and new ventures for years to come.
Hopefully you have had the opportunity to see how far the Kraft Building has come since last year. Our last newsletter left you with anticipation of locating the funding necessary to replace the badly damaged windows throughout the building. All the windows will be replaced at an estimated cost of $75,000. It is the single largest renovation expense we have encountered.
Hard work and dedication from the CDC team has created a connection with the USDA to obtain a much needed Rural Development Grant for $99,000. There’s still plenty of cleanup work to be done and we hope to be open for use by Spring of 2009. If you would like to volunteer or donate, please feel free to call for more information: 815-244-4401
By Spring 2009 we expect to have a number of businesses on the ground floor. These businesses will be part of our incubator concept. A new, small startup business can use the Kraft Building to kickstart their entrepreneurial journey, or an experienced business can take steps to grow. Beginning business basics will be provided along with marketing, exposure and affordable amenities such as Internet, telephone, office machines, private space, common area and kitchen space.
Our Welcome Center will be open yearround providing accessibility, tourism information, public washrooms and an inviting atmosphere. Along with other Mount Carroll development groups, our Visitor’s Center will have all the resources a guest may need to enjoy their stay.
Hopefully you have had the opportunity to see how far the Kraft Building has come since last year. Our last newsletter left you with anticipation of locating the funding necessary to replace the badly damaged windows throughout the building. All the windows will be replaced at an estimated cost of $75,000. It is the single largest renovation expense we have encountered.
Hard work and dedication from the CDC team has created a connection with the USDA to obtain a much needed Rural Development Grant for $99,000. There’s still plenty of cleanup work to be done and we hope to be open for use by Spring of 2009. If you would like to volunteer or donate, please feel free to call for more information: 815-244-4401
By Spring 2009 we expect to have a number of businesses on the ground floor. These businesses will be part of our incubator concept. A new, small startup business can use the Kraft Building to kickstart their entrepreneurial journey, or an experienced business can take steps to grow. Beginning business basics will be provided along with marketing, exposure and affordable amenities such as Internet, telephone, office machines, private space, common area and kitchen space.
Our Welcome Center will be open yearround providing accessibility, tourism information, public washrooms and an inviting atmosphere. Along with other Mount Carroll development groups, our Visitor’s Center will have all the resources a guest may need to enjoy their stay.
October 2007 Newsletter Kraft Corner
Work at the Kraft Building is progressing steadily but surely. Much has been done to clean up the interior - both upstairs and downstairs. While there is still much work to be done, the changes so far have been significant. Winter preparations are being made to make sure the Kraft Building is insulated against the cold and the roof doesn’t leak. We look forward to opening up a fully renovated Kraft Building as a business incubator. If you would like to volunteer or donate, please see the form at the bottom of this newsletter - or, feel free to call for more information: 815-244-1239
October 2007 Newsletter Land Development
The Property Development Committee has an individual who is funding the completion of an engineering plan, but a developer and investors are still needed to assist. The property being developed is the 25+ acres located from the intersection of Rt. 52/64 and Benton St. heading west.
One of the biggest questions up front is "What do we want the development to look like"? Everything from colors, grassy areas, building sizes and type of construction materials. Especially when driving in from the East going West as you come up the hill and see the Billboard now, what do we want people to see first when entering Mt. Carroll ? What type of business, or building will lead the way into Mt Carroll for the first time curious visitor, or a person that has driven through many times and just was never motivated to stop by. If you would like to help with this project, please call: 815-244-1239
A lot of work has been done and a lot more needs to be done. This is going to be a huge project and we all hope someone will get interested enough to take it over and develop the area.
One of the biggest questions up front is "What do we want the development to look like"? Everything from colors, grassy areas, building sizes and type of construction materials. Especially when driving in from the East going West as you come up the hill and see the Billboard now, what do we want people to see first when entering Mt. Carroll ? What type of business, or building will lead the way into Mt Carroll for the first time curious visitor, or a person that has driven through many times and just was never motivated to stop by. If you would like to help with this project, please call: 815-244-1239
A lot of work has been done and a lot more needs to be done. This is going to be a huge project and we all hope someone will get interested enough to take it over and develop the area.
October 2007 Newsletter Stone House
Built in 1840 by David Emmert, this limestone house is reported to be one of Mount Carroll’s oldest structures. In 1850, an addition was built from bricks fired in a local brickyard. The most unique feature of this home is the natural spring that runs through its bedrock from underground. Routed by way of a trough system that drains outside, the spring once served as an efficient cooling device. Milk, cheese and butter were stored in large crocks which were then placed in the cool spring water to keep from spoiling. The basement also featured a beehive oven and a large fireplace for cooking.
In the 1970’s a partnership was formed to restore the home, but was disbanded in the early 90’s. A private party bought the home with restoration intentions in 2003 and then the front part of the house crumbled. Listed as an endangered site on the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois Website (http://www.landmarks.org/how_for_sale.htm), it was selected based on criteria used on sites threatened due to neglect, deterioration, lack of maintenance, insufficient funds, inappropriate development or insensitive public policy.
The Mount Carroll Historical Preservation Advisory Committee helped list this property with LPCI since it is considered a significant structure in our Historical District.
With the help of a private donation, the Mount Carroll Community Development Corp. has purchased this property with the anticipation of keeping its integrity in place so this important piece of Mount Carroll history does not get lost. With many ideas in the works as to how best utilize the original limestone, bricks and spring, we welcome new suggestions, input, assistance and donations.
Rather than let another piece of Mount Carroll history die away, please let us know if you can help keep this historic location alive in the memories of those who remember buying slabs of butter in the basement to future generations interested in the rich history behind Mount Carroll and it’s humble beginnings.
Mt Carroll CDC: 815.244.1239
In the 1970’s a partnership was formed to restore the home, but was disbanded in the early 90’s. A private party bought the home with restoration intentions in 2003 and then the front part of the house crumbled. Listed as an endangered site on the Landmarks Preservation Council of Illinois Website (http://www.landmarks.org/how_for_sale.htm), it was selected based on criteria used on sites threatened due to neglect, deterioration, lack of maintenance, insufficient funds, inappropriate development or insensitive public policy.
The Mount Carroll Historical Preservation Advisory Committee helped list this property with LPCI since it is considered a significant structure in our Historical District.
With the help of a private donation, the Mount Carroll Community Development Corp. has purchased this property with the anticipation of keeping its integrity in place so this important piece of Mount Carroll history does not get lost. With many ideas in the works as to how best utilize the original limestone, bricks and spring, we welcome new suggestions, input, assistance and donations.
Rather than let another piece of Mount Carroll history die away, please let us know if you can help keep this historic location alive in the memories of those who remember buying slabs of butter in the basement to future generations interested in the rich history behind Mount Carroll and it’s humble beginnings.
Mt Carroll CDC: 815.244.1239
July 2007 Newsletter Kraft Corner
A cornerstone building in our beautiful, red-brick paved, Historic downtown fell victim to lightning in 2005.
By December of 2006 there had been no progress made to renovate the old, burned out Kraft Clothing Store and deterioration was setting in quickly. The CDC made a decision to buy the building to make sure it would not become demolition material. Replacing the windows has became an immediate necessity. Lack of heat through a winter caused cracking to the point of being a public safety concern. Not a cheap venture, the replacement cost of these first floor windows was estimated at a whopping $37,500.00! To date we have received over $18,000.00 in donations by civic organizations and individuals to help renovate the Kraft Building. Our local volunteers providing labor, materials and knowledge are, and continue to be, an invaluable asset. We look forward to opening up a fully renovated Kraft Building as a business incubator. If you would like to volunteer or donate, please see the form at the bottom of this newsletter - or, feel free to call for more information:
815-244-1239
By December of 2006 there had been no progress made to renovate the old, burned out Kraft Clothing Store and deterioration was setting in quickly. The CDC made a decision to buy the building to make sure it would not become demolition material. Replacing the windows has became an immediate necessity. Lack of heat through a winter caused cracking to the point of being a public safety concern. Not a cheap venture, the replacement cost of these first floor windows was estimated at a whopping $37,500.00! To date we have received over $18,000.00 in donations by civic organizations and individuals to help renovate the Kraft Building. Our local volunteers providing labor, materials and knowledge are, and continue to be, an invaluable asset. We look forward to opening up a fully renovated Kraft Building as a business incubator. If you would like to volunteer or donate, please see the form at the bottom of this newsletter - or, feel free to call for more information:
815-244-1239
July 2007 Newsletter Land Development
The Property Development Committee has met with a number of independent developers to try to gain a more detailed understanding of what kind of development would best benefit Mt Carroll, and potential interested parties, and investors.
One of the biggest questions up front is "What do we want the development to look like" Everything from colors, grassy areas, building sizes and type of construction materials. Especially when driving in from the East going West as you come up the hill and see the Billboard now, what do we want people to see first when entering Mt. Carroll ? What type of business, or building will lead the way into Mt Carroll for the first time curious visitor, or a person that has driven through many times and just was never motivated to stop by.
A lot of work has done and a lot more needs to be done. This is going to be a huge project and we all hope someone will get interested enough to take it over and develop the area.
One of the biggest questions up front is "What do we want the development to look like" Everything from colors, grassy areas, building sizes and type of construction materials. Especially when driving in from the East going West as you come up the hill and see the Billboard now, what do we want people to see first when entering Mt. Carroll ? What type of business, or building will lead the way into Mt Carroll for the first time curious visitor, or a person that has driven through many times and just was never motivated to stop by.
A lot of work has done and a lot more needs to be done. This is going to be a huge project and we all hope someone will get interested enough to take it over and develop the area.
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