When we asked our Retail Stars what made the biggest difference in their business over the last year, we were amazed at the similarities in their responses. These weren’t the typical industry coded answers — each retailer had thoughtful, unique ways to describe how they bettered their business. But while the way each implemented these choices might have been different, the concepts themselves were incredibly alike. We found seven key approaches that, across the board, transcended store size and location:

— EXCEED YOUR CUSTOMERS’ EXPECTATIONS

— ENGAGE YOUR EMPLOYEES

— DON’T LOSE SIGHT OF YOUR PASSION

— BRAND YOUR STORE AND VALIDATE YOUR POSITION

— EMBRACE THE FLEXIBILITY YOU HAVE AS A SMALL BUSINESS

— WELCOME THE RELATIONSHIP-BUILDING ASPECT OF YOUR JOB

— SIMPLIFY YOUR PRODUCT OFFERINGS SO YOU CAN BE THE EXPERT

Like our Stars, how you accomplish these things will be customized to your customers and situation. But if these concepts have already proven successful for our Stars, they’re surely worth a closer look for your business, too.

The 2012 Retail Stars share what business strategies have worked for them, what sets them apart — and how they've made it through a prolonged recession.

We call them retail stars, but to them it's the customers who shine through. These retailers have taken customer service cliches and revamped them to fit their stores and their clientele.

In our third annual retail stars edition we have expanded to cover nine regions of North America. Each year we have the pleasure of featuring talented and enterprising hot tub retailers with the goal of passing on nuggets of knowledge that they have learned along the way. It is one of our favorite stories of the year and we hope that you look forward to it as well.

Passion in all phases of business. New retailers, veteran salesmen, single stores, multiple stores, stores that focus on service or owners who operate like the energizer bunny — what do they all have in common? This group of retailers have an incredible fervor for what they do. To them, selling hot tubs is not a means to an end, but a public service.

So you think you can’t make money in this market? Are you just waiting out the storm? These innovative, hard-working hot tub dealers might change the way you think about your business.