Retail Adventures in the REAL World™

Crystals Luxury Shopping at CityCenter Las Vegas

2012-02-23T07:30:00.000-06:00

Each time we visit Las Vegas we spend time devouring its unique shops, looking for what's new in store design, materials, and services. (And shopping. It's one of the hazards of this job.) We've found Crystals at CityCenter to be much more than an ordinary shopping center; it's attention to detail is sublime. From Crystals own website: "Designed by internationally renowned architects Studio Daniel Libeskind and David Rockwell, Crystals will be an experiential environment combining dramatic architecture and design with the world's most elite high-end couture and luxury brands such as Louis Vuitton, Tiffany & Co., Bulgari, Ermenegildo Zegna, H. Stern, Marni and Mikimoto. Add dynamic dining concepts from the likes of master chef Wolfgang Puck, as well as innovative nightlife and Crystals is destined to become one of the world's premier shopping destinations."

Dramatic architecture and design: Check.
Elite high-end luxury brands: Check.
Experiential environment: Check.

Check it out...

You'll find exquisite attention to detail throughout Crystals common areas.
One of the views from Crystals looking out at CityCenter.

Crystals touch screen interactive site maps

make it easy to find your way around.

Touch the screen for more information.

One of the unique sculptures you'll find throughout Crystals.

Ice sculpture that's highlighted by various colored lights.

This sculpture features clear tubes housing a vortex of swirling waters.

Lots of open spaces to highlight the product.

Each store front is distinctly different.

Crystals is reminiscent of fine shops in a luxury shopping district.

Almost every store had a Decompression Zone and Speed Bump displays.

Our favorite store at Crystals. Assouline features fine illustrated books and luxury editions dedicated to fashion, photography, art and design all by Assouline Publishing.

A dangerous store for Georganne and her American Express card!

This display at Assouline almost looks like wallpaper.

Love the carpeting!

Tiffany had the more affordable sterling silver jewelry displayed in cases located at the front right side of the store -- Lake Front Property!

In addition to fine food and the unique dining "basket" overlooking the mall, Mastro's Ocean Club will feature live music in its piano lounge seven nights a week!

A closer look at Mastro's Ocean Club "basket" dining area...

Louis Vuitton is a two-story store. It features a combination of light and space that makes the merchandise pop. The glittering glass sculpture, located near the curved stairway inside the store, is shown below.

Inside Louis Vuitton.

Notice the detail around the upper perimeter of the wall.

This is Marni. Its most noticeable design feature is the large chrome fixture that loops throughout the store. It reminds us of a more elegant version of the apparatus used in dry cleaners. Marni's graceful fixture, however, does not move.

Inside Roberto Cavalli. The center platform glitters, showcasing product.

The store features small rooms -- vignettes -- that house the latest collections.

Check out Crystals the next time you are in Las Vegas. Visit Crystals on-line at http://www.crystalsatcitycenter.com

Mystery Shoppers Make You Better

2012-02-09T11:00:00.000-06:00

There used to be a show on the Travel Channel called “Travel Spies” where three mystery shoppers assume faux identities, visiting hotels, resorts, cruise ships, and theme parks to see how well each does in the customer service department. The chosen properties agree in advance to a Travel Spies inspection, but they have no idea what the spies look like, or when they will visit the property.

In one memorable episode, the Travel Spies visited the Library Hotel in New York City, a hotel that dedicates each of its guestroom floors to one of the ten major categories of the Dewey Decimal System. Each of the hotel’s rooms has an individually chosen collection of art and books that relate to the category of floor it belongs to. One of the Travel Spies, for example, was in a room with a fashion theme, so all of the art and books in the room had a fashion theme. The hotel also offers a huge amount of amenities, including a video library of the American Film Institutes top 100 films.

During their stay the Travel spies rate every aspect of the hotel and generally do their best to drive the staff nuts. They critique the lobby, their accommodations, including its furnishings and extras, the room service menu, how long it takes for your food to arrive, the quality of the food, and of course the staff. They also make out of the ordinary requests.

One of those requests was a call to the front desk to request that a temporary toilet seat be installed for a boss who prefers to travel with his own seat. "Can you temporarily install this toilet seat?” the Travel Spy asked. "It’s for my boss. He won’t use any other, it’s his personal seat." The front desk clerk accommodated the spy’s request to install that seat with the little yellow duckies printed on it. And he did it himself.

During the visit the spies make lots of faces and snide remarks, and before they leave, they give the hotel manager their critique. Their subjective critique. Sure, it has numerical ratings for each category, but it also includes their own comments. We cringed when they told the owner of another hotel that they found his room décor lacking. He thought he had successfully put together rooms that were unique to his resort theme. Judging from the photos he showed, it looked like a pretty cool place.

Can you imagine what it would be like if every customer criticized your business using similar criteria? Yikes.

METHODS OF MYSTERY

We’re no strangers to mystery shops, we do them, too. And we also assume faux identities. In fact, we try to morph into the typical customers that you see every day. We’ve been well-dressed and complete slobs. We’ve been wealthy and cash-challenged. We’ve been nice and we’ve been downright self-absorbed. We’ve shopped with one of us in a wheel chair, a fat suit, and we even have professional make-up artists turn us into 70-somethings. When we can’t pull off a disguise, we hire someone who can. But we’ve never purposely set someone up with a ridiculous request. We believe that there is more to it than judging what a business is doing wrong.

Using a mystery shopper service is a good thing because it let’s you uncover how the average customer perceives your business. And we all know that the customer’s perception is our reality, whether we like it or not. Most mystery shoppers are hired by a shopper service to anonymously shop the business, make a purchase or a return, and then report back to the service on how they were treated. Mystery shoppers also rate the business on cleanliness, merchandise and merchandise presentation, policies, and more. Even how the telephone is answered. Good mystery shopping reports include more than just a numerical rating, they also include the shopper’s personal feelings about how they felt in the business.

Our mystery shopping report covers these areas: Exterior Appearance, Interior Appearance, Customer Service, Associate Abilities, Purchases, Refunds, and Overall Visit. We also include a demographic profile so that the mystery shoppers can describe the associates who helped them. You can hire a mystery shopping service, you can do it yourself, or ask your friends to objectively shop your business for you. You might even hire mystery shoppers on a temporary basis for pre-determined the length of time. Drop us an e-mail and we’ll send you more information about conducting your own mystery shops.

EVERYONE’S A MYSTERY

Our overall focus, of course, should be to assume that every customer who walks into your business is a mystery shopper. If you treat every customer equally well then you’ll have nothing to worry about. These five tips will help you set the focus:

1. Offer each customer a warm and sincere greeting. The sincere part is important; according the body language gurus, we take 55% of our cues from a person’s body language, 38% from their tone of voice, and only 7% from the words they use.

Instruct your associates to acknowledge each customer every time they encounter them. This acknowledgement might only be a smile and eye contact, but it makes the customer feel valued. Implementing our 7-Tile Rule - acknowledging each customer each time you come within seven floor tiles (7’) of each other - is always a good idea.

2. Offer to help each customer. You can smile and say hello, start a general conversation, or talk about product the customer might be interested in. A great ice breaker is to ask, "What brings you to see us today?" If the customer has a specific need at hand, they’ll tell you. If they are just there to learn more about what you do, they’ll let you know that, too.

3. Your store must be spotless, and your sales floor needs to be easy to shop. Make a list of closing duties that need to be completed each night before everyone leaves. Each night, take a copy of your closing list and assign someone to each task. And every morning make a 60-second pass through the store, noting anything that needs to be done before you unlock the door for business.

4. Unless they are talking about something that pertains to business, encourage your associates not to engage in idle conversation when customers are around. Customers do not care what you did on Saturday night. They do, however, care that you are discussing what you did on Saturday night in front of them.

5. Sincerely thank every customer for stopping by, letting them know that you are always here to help. Even if they left empty-handed. How they are treated determines whether they return in their time of need.

The bottom line is that every customer may not be a mystery shopper who is as picky as the Travel Spies, but they are definitely evaluating your store at each visit. The big question is this: will you pass their test?

New Year, New Attitude!

2012-01-19T17:02:00.000-06:00

You may have heard Rich talk about three signs that hang in our office conference room:

When times are bad things change.

When times are good things change.

10 percent of your business changes every year.

Change is good – and important to your business – no matter how it finds you. It certainly found us.

After 18 years in the same offices we decided we needed a change. Okay, that isn’t entirely true. Our idea of change was buying new furniture and rearranging the joint; our landlord’s definition involved a new lease that was absolutely unsignable. Our only option was to move, and fast. We had to be out in less than 60 days.

Our old office was in a 100 year old, very cool (and haunted!) office building. We were surrounded by small business service providers; nice people but definitely non-creative types. The best time was when the Special Olympics team down the hall brought kids in to get ready for some event; otherwise, it was a pretty quiet place. This daily lack of stimulation was affecting our attitudes; we were in a rut and we knew it, so if we had to move, it wasn’t going to be to a similar office environment.

We wanted to stay in St. Charles but we wanted to be where all the action is, so that meant being downtown. (A little St. Charles trivia: in 2011 it was named the best city in America to live in by Family Circle Magazine. We stumbled upon it when we stuck a pin in a map right between the two cities where we live. Voila! St. Charles.) We looked at plenty of spaces that we loved but couldn’t afford, took a deep breath, and kept on looking. And then, almost by accident, we found the perfect space, in a great location, with a private entrance and floor to ceiling windows. Or maybe it found us; the space had been empty for over a year. Before the ink was dry on our new tenant-friendly lease, two other companies tried to grab it, too.

We decided that we were going to throw away everything in our storage room. We hadn’t looked at most of it in years anyway. In the office, we tossed old files, video tapes – junk we didn’t need. And we sold our big cherry office suites in favor of sleek new furniture.

One of the joys of owning or running your own business is that you can make positive changes whenever you want. That’s the easy part; the hard part is deciding to do it. The other hard part is convincing your staff that sometimes in order to grow your business change is necessary.

In our travels we’ve visited well run stores, and we’ve visited stores where things have gotten a little out of hand. We’ll never forget the retailer who had three absolutely rotten associates on her team, but was afraid to confront them about their bad behavior. Other associates complained, customers complained, and she had witnessed several nasty incidents herself. But she was afraid to let them go for a number of reasons, one of which was “What would I do without them?”

Sigh.

This retailer needed positive change and she needed it fast. We said, “You cannot afford to be afraid of the people who work for you. They work for you.” We needed to convince her of the damage these employees were doing to her business, because that was exactly what was happening.

Several years ago we had the opportunity to conduct an in-store study. We interviewed each of the store’s associates and made a list of those we felt had a positive attitude about their jobs, and a list of associates we felt were on the negative side. Next, we chose three associates with positive attitudes, and two who were just the opposite. We asked the store owner to assign these five associates to work together in the same department. Three weeks later we returned and interviewed the five associates again to see if their differing attitudes would affect one another. In this phase of the experiment we were happy to find that the positives won – the two negative associates had substantially improved their attitudes. But the experiment wasn’t over yet.

Next we reversed the chemistry and placed three negative attitudes with two positive attitudes in the same department. At the end of this three week study, the associates who started out with a positive attitude had crossed over to the dark side. But our study wasn’t finished yet.

In the third phase, the store owner assigned three positive sales associates to work with three negative sales associates. All things being equal, we waited to see what would happen. At the end of three weeks time we had six associates with much less than positive attitudes, proving that people with negative attitudes are likely to have a more powerful effect on others as those who think positively.

Yet, even in stores where positive attitudes prevail, sometimes things just don’t feel all that positive. You may have noticed how “up” your associates are on days when the sales floor is packed. On busy Saturdays, associates are engaged, customers are happy, and you’re selling lots of stuff. But on a slow Tuesday afternoon, you’re likely to find that everyone is just a little less enthusiastic.

What’s the difference? Actions drive attitudes. If you find your associates dragging their feet or feeling lethargic on slow days, then assign tasks and responsibilities that will keep them busy when they’re not helping customers. You’ll find that their attitudes will improve. You can’t change a person’s attitude, but you can control their actions, and that action will fire up attitudes.

You want to talk change? If you own or manage the store, the attitude of your company and all who work there, falls directly in your lap. Your store has your personality. So be the daily example, the positive attitude everyone can count on. When you walk onto your sales floor, shine. New year, new attitude! Make some changes. Get organized; kick the negatives to the curb, and good things will happen in 2012!

6 Training Tips to Grow Your Greatest Assets

2012-01-09T16:42:00.005-06:00

These days it’s easy to get too involved working IN your business, instead of ON your business. Yes, inventory is important, daily store operations are important, planning events and promotions is important, yet none of them matter if your people aren’t up to snuff. Consider a retail study that looked at why customers leave a store and never return to shop there again:

15 percent of customers leave because if price;

15 percent of customers leave because of product; and 70 percent leave and never return again because of the quality of the interaction with the people who work there.

Pretty scary stuff.

The good news is that the 70 percent statistic is fully in your control – you alone decide how customers will be treated in your store. You may have a store full of wonderful people who are good at what they do, but could be even better if they attended training sessions on a regular basis.

On the other hand, you may have a few associates who are doing your business no good at all, yet you allow them to stay. As unpleasant and uncooperative as they are, it’s easier to keep them than it is to deal with letting them go and starting all over again with a fresh face. Don’t ever let this happen – it’s a proven fact that when four positive people work along side just one negative person, sooner or later, all five will have a negative attitude.

We once met a retailer who had lost his number one associate. He was stunned when he heard customers say, “Thank goodness that guy’s gone, he was such a jerk!” and “I heard so-and-so left; I’m so excited that I can shop here again!” The retailer hadn’t a clue how negatively this particular associate was affecting his business. Now, he has a strict set of customer service standards and he has an on-going training program in place. You should, too.

How important is consistent training in your store? How much do your people know about what’s really involved in running your business? Associates want to do a good job, and they want to be involved, yet in focus groups 80 percent claim they have no idea what the owner’s or corporation’s goals for the business are. They aren’t even sure what’s really expected of them, so they make it up as they go along. Mission statement? If they’ve seen one it’s because it’s hanging on the wall in the lunch room or lobby, but that doesn’t mean they understand why it was written or what it stands for. Look at it this way: If 80 percent of your people could make the same claims, then eight out of ten people working in your store have no clear idea of what you have in mind when you open for business each day.

Training Strategy # 1:

Every Associate Needs to Feel Comfortable from Day One

Start each new hire off on the right foot with a New Associate Orientation Program. This lets your trainees feel comfortable and productive from their very first day on the job. Assign the trainee a simple task that he or she can do well, and turn them loose. Set aside ten minutes at the end of the shift to review how he or she did on their first day. Let your trainee know that you appreciate his/her hard work – a sincere “thank you” and a “job well done” from the boss goes a long way in making a new hire feel comfortable. Continue your ten-minute meeting each day of your trainees first week.

It’s also a good idea to implement The Buddy System where each trainee is assigned a buddy – a partner the new associate can go to ask the so-called “stupid” questions they may be too embarrassed to ask you. The Buddy System not only takes pressure off of the new hire, it elevates the Buddy to the new status of trainer, so it’s motivating to both associates.

Training Strategy # 2:

Every Associate Benefits from Continuous Training

Obviously, you will need training classes for your new hires that include just about every aspect of working in your store, but don’t forget about your seasoned associates. It’s easy to assume that someone who has been with you for a number of years knows all there is to know about a particular product or technique. Trust us, they don’t, and assuming that they do will only hurt your business. Regardless of skill level, everyone in your store, yourself included, will benefit from continuous training.

Each month devote one store meeting to associate training. Provide books, DVDs, and CDs associates can study on their own is a good idea as well. Some retailers allow their trainers and top performers to attend classes offered at trade shows. (If yours can’t attend, then buy the DVDs while you’re at the show.) Others have set up an in-store university where associates are rewarded with raises, and even promotions, each time they earn a new “degree” in their in-store training. However you decide to structure your training classes these customer service topics need to be at the top of the list:

* How to “break the ice” with greeting techniques that make customers feel at home. Focus on how to greet customers without ever saying “May I help you?” a greeting that almost always invites a “No-thanks-I’m-just-looking” response from the customer. (It’s okay to ask that question only when you sense the customer is in a hurry.) Instead discuss questions that are sure to get the customer talking.

During the ice breaking stage it’s okay to talk about anything but the store. Ask about the customer’s kids, the weather, or a current event. This schmooze time is important because it makes the customer feel welcome. After a little schmoozing, you can move onto why the customer came to the store.

* Demonstrate how easy it is to offer your hand and introduce yourself in a manner that encourages the customer to volunteer their name. Continue the role play with the proper way to use the customer’s name: If the associate says, “Hello, my name is Mary.” and the customer says, “I’m Mrs. Alice Scott.”, then she must be called Mrs. Scott until she tells you that it’s okay to use her first name. If the customer says, “I’m Dr. Smith” or “Captain Smith”, then that’s what he should be called until he says otherwise. Encourage associates to offer their hand and introduce themselves to at least five customers a day.

* Every customer should be acknowledged by every associate each time the associate comes within seven feet of the customer. We call that our “Seven-Tile Rule™”. A simple smile or nod is often enough – with proper ice breaking training; your associates will know when more conversation is needed.

Training Strategy # 3:

Every Associate Must Have a Working Knowledge of Everything the Store Sells

Every person working in your store needs to have some knowledge of everything that you sell so they can intelligently answer customer questions. Some will need to be experts. We know that not everyone can be an expert in every product or technique, but they do need to know where, and who to go to, for help when they need it.

We’ve all experienced poor customer service due to lack of product knowledge at one time or another. How many times have you entered a store, with a specific purchase in mind, only to find that you knew more about the product than the store associate? Don’t let this happen in your store.

* Make product knowledge an important part of your monthly training. Focus on new product but don’t forget about the basics. Choose a particular item or product line, and then discuss what’s important about it.

* Take your training out onto the sales floor and conduct product training right in the aisle. Here you will be surrounded with an entire product category, plus all the additional items the associates can add-on to the sale. Hold up an item and ask what could be added-on to increase the sale. Remember that add-ons are not a cheap attempt to sell more; adding-on is a service to the customer. Add-on selling saves a customer valuable time because they don’t have to run back to the store to pick up the accessories they need to complete a look, but didn’t purchase on the first trip to the store.

* You don’t have to do all of the training yourself. If an associate knows a product line or excels at a particular technique, let that associate teach the session. Like wise the associate who is good at presentation and display, or store operations. Give yourself a break and let them learn from their peers.

* Splurge on fancy pastries and gourmet coffee and make one session a quarter a “Brag Session” where associates get to brag about cool things they did for a customer. This is also a good time to share the notes and positive comments you receive from customers. The first Brag Session might start out slow with associates hesitant to brag about themselves, but soon your team will begin to store up things to share at the next meeting.

* In addition to your more formal monthly meetings, hold ten minute “JOG” (Jog Your Memory) sessions every other morning, and during slow times of the day. JOG sessions can be held in plain view of customers right on the sales floor. Use them to discuss one product or policy at a time. JOG sessions can also focus on current and upcoming classes, crops, and special events and what’s involved in each one. There should never be a time when a customer knows more about what’s going on in the store before the associates know, yet we see it happen all of the time.

* Video tape your training sessions and make them a part of your in-store university training library. They will be invaluable for both new hire training and refresher courses.

Training Strategy # 4:

Every Associate Must Feel a Part of the Team

Your commitment to training will ensure that your associates are all on the same page in the same book; still, it’s important to create ways for them to interact with one another. If your associates are used to working independently then team interaction may be a big change, and people generally do not like change when it is dictated to them. They will be far more accepting of change when they are involved in its creation. Here are some team building ideas for you to try:

* State a goal, or name a situation that the store is currently facing, then ask our favorite employee question: “What would you do if you owned this joint?” List all of their answers on a flip chart and discuss the merits of each one. Together, eliminate the ones that are not workable, then discuss how you will implement the changes you’ve agreed upon. Divide your associates into teams and charge each team with a unique set of changes and goals to implement the changes.

* Dub one team the “CDIB Team” – that’s short for “Customer Driven Idea Bank”. This important team’s responsibility is to interact with customers to find out what they would like to see happen in the store. Customers will share amazing ideas when sincerely asked, and your CDIB team will work like mad to implement their suggestions.

Training Strategy # 5:

Every Associate Must be Up-to-Speed in What it Takes to Run the Business

Set aside a few minutes each morning to make a “Pre-Opening Checklist” that shows everything that’s planned for the store that day. This list should include the daily overall store goal, departmental goals, item of the day, in-store specials, classes and crops, up-coming sales, events, and promotions. In short, anything and everything associates need to know. Make additional copies to place at each checkout and service counter.

Training Strategy # 6:

Every Associate Must Feel Valued

According to a Gallup Poll, “the number one reason most Americans leave their job is because they don’t feel appreciated. 65% of the people polled said they received no recognition for good work last year.” Associates who feel appreciated have been proven to be more productive, stay longer and attract better co-workers. Only you can praise your people to success.

* Give every associate a stack of business cards printed with his or her own name and title. Cool titles. Instead of “Cashier” try “Customer Service Specialist.” You can buy five hundred business cards at most instant printers for around $12.00. Your associates are worth the investment. Encourage them to pass out their cards – each one is a mini-advertisement for your store.

* Our C.I.T.A. Card is a great way to show your appreciation. CITA could be the first four letters in the word “citation” or it could stand for “Caught In The Act”, as in “You’ve been Caught In The Act of Delighting Customers!” CITA Cards celebrate an associate’s going above and beyond the call of duty. Each card has a place inside for you to list what the associate did for a customer, plus a place for you to add a personal message.

Make a big deal when you present a C.I.T.A. Card. Do it on the sales floor in front of everyone. You’ll see grins from ear to ear, and a renewed enthusiasm. Don’t be surprised to find that even years later, the associate still carries her C.I.T.A Card. Drop us an e-mail and we’ll send you our easy to customize C.I.T.A. Card template.

Make training an important and on-going part of your business. Don’t be like the retailer said, “Why should I bother to train my people? They’re just going to leave anyway.” Yeah? Well what if you don’t train them, and they decide to stay? The customers who walk in your front door each day are counting on your associates to be nice people who know the store and product inside and out. And the competitor down the street, who wants to steal your business, is counting on them to be just average or worse. So, what’s it going to be? How good your associates are is completely up to you.

Telephone Etiquette 101

2011-12-28T13:38:00.000-06:00

After a frustrating attempt at making a reservation at a famous department store restaurant this week - three transfers, one full voicemail box (voicemail box?!) and a conversation with the store manager before and finally getting through to someone actually IN the restaurant - we thought it would be a good idea to revisit telephone etiquette.

According to the infamous "They" who seem to know everything, as in "Well, they say there are two definites in life: death and taxes." "They" are wrong. If you work with customers, there are three: death, taxes, and the telephone. And how you work the telephone can either mean money in your pocket or customers who simply hang up and call one of your competitors.

Then there are the experts who spend millions of dollars each year studying how people communicate without saying a word. When face-to-face, we pick up 55% of our cues from body language, 38% from tone of voice, and just 7% from the actual spoken words. But over the telephone, those statistics go right out the window. On the telephone, 86% of a caller's cues come directly from the answering person's tone of voice, and just 14% are picked up from the words he or she chooses to use. Over the telephone, callers make an impression of a business in just four to six seconds – they can tell exactly which mood the associate answering is in, because it comes through loud and clear in the associate's tone of voice, and the associate probably doesn't even realize what he or she is revealing.

The perceptions customers take away from a phone call to your store become their reality. For this piece, we decided to do an informal survey of our own, so we called 50 craft industry retailers, suppliers, manufacturers, and service providers just to see how they answered the telephone. Some did a great job, but far too many left us wishing we'd called someplace else. We coupled what we found with what customers have told us they like and dislike about doing business over the phone. No matter what business you are in, these guidelines will help make sure your customer service over the telephone as great is as it is face-to-face.

1. Answer the telephone within three rings.

The telephone in one of the stores we called rang 16 times before someone answered it. The owner is lucky that we weren't real customers. Then again, if this is how the telephone is always answered, we doubt that he cares.

Most telephone answering machines and voice mail systems are programmed to answer the phone within three rings, making this the standard acceptable time in which to answer the phone. If you don't answer within three rings, customers are likely to think that your business is understaffed, or worse, out of business.

You might be thinking, "Yes, but what do I do if I am alone and I am waiting on another customer who took the time to come in?" Good question. Try this: Ask the customer's permission to answer the phone. Say, "Would you mind if I answered the telephone?" How the customer responds will tell you what to do next. If the customer says it's okay, then take the call. You can ask the caller if she would like to hold for a few moments while you finish with a customer, or you can offer to call back within a specified amount of time. If the customer says no, then let your voice mail take the call. Your voice mail message must be current, upbeat, and pleasant. It must also reassure the customer that they will get a call back within a specified time frame.

A word to the wise about voice mail: Voice mail is a tool to help you manage your business. If you are one of those people who use voice mail to duck calls, you are not fooling anyone. We all know what you're doing, and we don't like it.

And if you have voice mail answer your main line during business hours, then you'd better be sure that the caller can by-pass the greeting and the menu options to get to a live person. Too much time pressing buttons without being connected to where you want to go is called "Voice Mail Jail" and it leaves customers with a bad impression of your business.

2. Know what you are going to say before you answer the telephone.

Do you have a standard greeting that everyone must use when answering the telephone? Does everyone know and use it? If you have associates who answer the phone in their individual offices, then they need a standardized greeting as well.

Speaking clearly and slowly, you need to greet the caller, give your name, and ask the caller how you can help. Here's a good example: "Good afternoon. Thank you for calling Kizer & Bender Speaking! This is Kathleen. How may I help you?" Or "This is Kathleen at Kizer & Bender Speaking! How may I help you today?"

Rich is well known for how he answers the telephone. In fact, people often call our office just to hear him answer the phone. His enthusiastically delivered standard greeting is: "It's a great day at Kizer & Bender Speaking! This is Rich. How may I help you?"

Rich's enthusiasm is important because customers can "hear" whatever mood he's in. The lesson here is to take a deep breath – and SMILE – before you answer the phone. Callers can tell when you are smiling because it changes your voice. If you are often curt when you answer the phone, then you might want to hang a mirror near your telephone. The the-phone-is-driving-me-nuts look on your face will be the visual you need to remind you to smile.

You might also want to do spot checks when you are away from your business. We had an office assistant once who was wonderful around us, but not so nice when we were out of the office. We discovered this by following our own advice. We called several times over a three-day period and, at best, our assistant was less than helpful, at worst, she was outright rude. She was also replaced.

Caller ID can be a helpful tool, but it can also get you into trouble. We were up against a big deadline one morning and the phone was ringing off the hook. Three times in a row the Caller ID read "unknown" and each of the three times it was a telemarketer who hung up on us. The fourth time the phone rang the Caller ID also read "unknown." Assuming it was another telemarketer, Georganne didn't answer with her normal enthusiasm. Big mistake. The call was from a long-time client who fortunately laughed when George explained why she answered the way she did. Nowadays we try to forget we even have Caller ID.

3. Place a caller on hold with finesse.

Don't you hate it when you call a company, only to hear "Thank you for calling. Please hold," and being placed on hold before you can get a word in edgewise? Your goal should be to avoid placing callers on hold, but when you have to, always, always, always ask their permission first. Say, "Good afternoon, thank you for calling Kizer & Bender Speaking! This is Kathleen. May I place you on hold for a moment?" Then wait for the caller to respond.

If the caller says yes, then you may place the call on hold, but you must get back to the caller within 60 seconds. This is important because 60 seconds feels more like five minutes to the customer on hold. If the caller says no, ask if you can take a name and telephone number and call them back within an agreed upon time frame.

There will also be times when you must place a caller on hold to look for merchandise or to find the answer to a question. You should give the caller a choice here, too. Say, "This will take a few minutes. Would you like to hold or would you prefer I take your name and number and give you a call back?"

Another thing to consider is what the caller is listening to while on hold. According to Ear Glue, a company specializing in messages and music on hold, 85% of on-hold callers will wait if there is a message on-hold; but 70% will hang up if there are no on-hold messages; and among those who hang up, 34% will not call back.

4. Efficiently connect callers to the right person or department.

There will be times when you are unable to help the customer and you will need to connect them to the right person. Notice that we said "connect" and not "transfer." Customers who are "transferred" frequently feel like they are being passed off. They also complain that having to tell their story to more than one person is just a waste of time. And the word "connect" just sounds a whole lot friendlier than the word "transfer."

Say you need to connect the caller with the shipping department. In this case you would say, "To get the information that will answer your question, I will need to connect you with the shipping department. Would that be all right?"

Then make sure that someone is there in the shipping department to take the call. When the shipping department answers, be sure to introduce the caller, and explain the reason for the telephone call. Stay on the line for a moment to be sure that the caller is being helped.

5. How to tell a caller that a person is not available.

It's not enough to tell a caller that a person is not available. Here the words you choose create a perception in the caller's mind. Remember that office assistant of ours? She was fond of telling callers that Georganne was "out getting her monthly dye job." Who knows what she said about Rich?

When a person is not available, it is perfectly acceptable to politely say, "She is out of the store/office at the moment. May I take a message for her?" If the person has voice mail you can also offer to connect the caller the person's voice mail box.

6. The fine art of taking a message.

This one is easy. When taking a message always ask for the caller’s name, telephone number, and reason for the telephone call. You will also want to include the date and time of day the call came in. Before ending the call, repeat the caller's name and verify that you have spelled it correctly. Also repeat the caller's telephone number to make sure that you have not inadvertently transposed any numbers.

Office supply stores have a variety of telephone message books that you can buy. Ours makes a carbon copy of each message so we always have a permanent record of each call. This book also helps us keep track of potential clients.

7. How to politely end the call.

When you sense the conversation is over, repeat what you promised to do, and ask the caller if there is anything else you can help them with. Wish them a nice day, thank them for calling, and always let the caller hang up first. Immediately write down any important information you'll need to complete the caller's request.

E-mail us and we will send you our "Rate Your Company's Telephone Skills" quiz. Have everyone in your company take it individually, then make it the topic of your next staff meeting. You work hard to make sure every aspect of your customer service is top drawer, so make sure that telephone etiquette is part of your ongoing customer service training.

Remember, the way you handle potential customers on the telephone leaves the door open – or closed – to future business.

NYC Holiday Windows 2011

2011-12-21T15:16:00.001-06:00

This visual tour of the holiday windows of New York City comes to us courtesy of Debra Roth, the Creative Force behind Pink Inc, a NYC based company specializing in event design, tension fabric structures, events, exhibits, environments and experiences. You'll see Deb in the last photo.

The windows are breathtakingly beautiful this year. And extremely creative. Enjoy!

From Pink Inc's blog...

Once again this is the time of year of all the HOLIDAY WINDOWS! And NYC is the best place to see great examples of what is going on!

I traveled from Rockefeller Center north to 57th Street. I also jumped over to Barney’s.

My favorite was Juicy Couture – full building look, as it was fresh to me – different and whole with lots of nooks and crannies. I liked it! Of course Bergdorf’s is ALWAYS way over the top – to the point where it is almost hard to look at in the photos. (You must experience this stuff live!)

My observation was that as I traveled up 57th street – we started more gritty and real, invention as in Saks and went onto a carnival, circus, festive surreal feel as in adventurous environments, such as Lady GaGa at Barney’s. But what I really wondered is what that says about our society and the now time 2011 Holiday running into 2012 – What is in store as the circus party begins?

Please enjoy the images from NYC Holiday Window’s!

In order of appearance – Rockefeller Center, etc. Diesel, Fendi, Juicy Couture, Zegna, Rock Center, Saks Fifth Avenue, Projection Mapping and Saks, various, till the gold tree’s at Bendel’s, the several dense windows at Bergdorf’s, Barney’s…and more to come!

Are you in the sales prevention business?

2011-12-19T16:03:00.003-06:00

Today we stopped in an independently owned yarn shop we hadn’t visited before. It’s a pretty store, not too far from our new offices. We walked up the steps and inside the front door, then and stopped, commenting to one another how much we liked this store.

We looked around and Georganne found several things she wanted to buy. Placing them on the cash wrap counter she asked the associate behind it for “fun chunky yarns for my daughter who’s a knitter.” Long story short, the associate’s sarcastic faces and lack of enthusiasm in helping Georganne find the perfect gift caused us to leave empty-handed. And pretty cheesed off about how we were treated.

Lack of customer enthusiasm makes absolutely no sense to us. Retailers open their doors each day with the intention of selling the wares on their shelves. They attend trade shows to find great product, advertise to attract shoppers, write policies that favor customers, set the sales floor to sell, build enticing displays, and even add signage and point-of-purchase materials to make their stores easy to shop. Most would never even consider they might be in the sales prevention business, but like the independent yarn shop we visited today, they are.

You be the customer:

• You telephone your favorite store to ask if it has a certain sweater in your size, only to be told by the associate the store does not carry that sweater. Sale almost prevented. But you know it has that sweater, you saw it there earlier in the day. And being an intrepid shopper, you ask to speak to the manager, who finds the sweater in no time and places it on hold for you. Sale almost lost, becomes sale saved.

• Your son wants a Wii for his birthday. It’s the hottest thing going and almost impossible to find. You happen to be in a big box store buying groceries when you stumble upon a display of Xbox. “Eureka!” you exclaim as you ask an associate to get one off the shelf for you. Instead, he laughs and says, “Those aren’t real; they’re empty display boxes. You’re the 15th customer to ask me that today.” Sale almost prevented. But just then, another associate walks by, hears the conversation, and says they are expecting another shipment in two days. She asks if you would like a rain check. Sale almost lost, becomes sale saved.

• You are shopping at a department store running a coupon sale. You find a coat you like and hand it to an associate to ring up. You don’t have a coupon, so you ask where you can get one. The associate explains the store doesn’t have any extras, but the coupons are available in the paper. She says you can get a paper at the coffee shop in the center of the mall. So you walk to the coffee shop, buy a paper, and walk back to the department store to purchase your coat. Your original sales associate has gone on break, so another associate helps you look for the store’s ad. But the coupons were in yesterday’s paper, so your coat will cost you 20 percent more. Sale almost prevented, until a third associate holds up a handful of coupons and says, “Why can’t she just use one of these?” A sale almost lost, becomes a sale saved.

In each example, one associate lost the sale, and another associate recovered it. But what would have happened if you had simply taken the first sales associates at their word and simply walked away?

Only one in 10 customers will take the time or make an effort to say anything to store management. Most shoppers would simply never come back to shop again, but they’ll tell thousands online (like we did) how poorly they were treated. This makes for not-so-great word of mouth, and not-so-great word of mouth has sunk more retail stores than we can count.

Sales prevention has the potential to happen every day, even in the best of stores. So what can you do to make sure it doesn’t happen in yours? You can’t teach friendly, so make sure your associates are “people people” who actually enjoy working with customers. You also need written standards of operation for every area of your store. You cannot expect your team to know what you require of them unless you tell them upfront. Every company needs written standards of operation. You can’t measure friendly and you can’t measure smiles, but you can turn customer service qualities into specific and measurable actions you expect your associates to follow.

A standard that reads, “Pay attention to customers” can mean different things to different people. “Acknowledge all customers who pass within seven floor tiles of you” is to the point, easily understood by all.

Each of your standards must follow these three universal guidelines: 1.) They must be specific, outlining exactly what is expected of your associates; 2.) They must be concise and to the point, spelling out who should do what, when, and how; and 3.) They must be measurable and easy to observe with an objective eye.

Implement the Buddy System.

Assign all new and seasonal help to a buddy, a seasoned store associate who can answer any question the new hire might have. This takes some pressure off the new hire because she now has a peer she can go to with questions, and it elevates the buddy to the new status of trainer.

Set sales goals (or goals for a specific item or category) and hold your associates accountable for selling a set amount each day. You may have never done this before, but we can guarantee it will make every associate more productive and more attentive to customers.

If you want to test the waters before you jump in, set individual sales goals on weekends. You can keep track via your POS system, or by instructing cashiers to ask each customer who helped them. They can note the total purchase amount on a sheet of paper you’ve provided at each register for this purpose.

Hold a store meeting to discuss the sales prevention examples in this article. Begin by telling only the sales prevention portion of each story, and then ask the associates to tell you what they might have done to save the sale.

Drive these two points home:

• If you don’t know the answer to a customer’s question, then find someone who does. Never, ever be afraid to ask for help. The customer won’t think less of you; they’ll think more of you.

• Before you say no to a customer, offer a solution. Perhaps you can special order the item, or maybe you have a relationship with a vendor or even another retailer you can call to see if they have it in stock. Or suggest a similar item. And, if all else fails, sincerely thank the customer for stopping in and invite him or her to come back again.

Running a successful business requires you to wear a lot of hats. One of the most important hats – maybe even THE most important hat – is making sure customers who visit your store want to return to shop with you again.

Holiday Returns: How to Turn Lions into lambs

2011-12-15T12:04:00.003-06:00

It's almost time for the time honored After Christmas Dance of the Returns. You know the drill: You smile as you unlock the front door of your store ready to greet the hordes of happy customers who will visit you today. Then reality hits you smack in the face when a cheesed off customer demands satisfaction.

Welcome to the days after Christmas. Everyone’s in a bad mood.

We are a product of the world that we live in. We’re all time-starved and stressed-out. Mom’s working, Dad’s working, the kid’s are in day care, the bigger one’s are in school. At the end of the work day it’s a mad rush to get Suzie to Girl Scouts and Timmy to basketball. Never mind that you’re tired, you still have to make dinner and do laundry, not to mention help the kid’s with their homework before you can finally relax. No wonder we’re cranky.

The thing is those cranky customers can be anyone – we’ve all been not-so-nice customers at one time or another. Most are just nice people who are having a really bad day – you just happen to be the one they decide to take their frustrations out on. If you’re in the retail business then unhappy customers are a daily fact of life. When faced with one you can choose to react or to respond. If you merely react, the customer will most likely stay unhappy. But if you choose to respond in a concerned and professional manner you can turn that lion of a customer into a loyal lamb.

Understand that an angry customer may be reacting to what he or she imagines will happen when they present you with a problem. This is part of the emotional baggage every customer brings with them to your store. We’ve all faced snarling store associates who treat customers like the enemy – if a customer has had a bad experience in one of your competitor’s stores, it’s easy to see why they might think they will have a similar experience in yours.

That being said, if the customer is a complete jerk, do yourself a big favor and get him/her off of the sales floor and into an area where you can speak privately. If you stay on the sales floor, where other customers can watch, you’d better be prepared to deliver service perfection, because how you respond will be the topic of the day among customers and associates alike.

If the customer is abusive or is using foul language say, “Sir/Madame: I am going to help you, but I cannot help you if you continue to speak to me like that.” If the customer calms down, continue with the steps below to solve their problem. But if the customer continues to berate you, it is perfectly okay to say, “I really do want to help you but I need you to calm down. If you do so I can help you now, otherwise we will have to do this another time.” You can also try politely turning the customer over to another associate. Under “normal” circumstances the following five steps should do the trick:

1. Allow the customer to get the problem off of his chest.

Let’s say a customer brings you a problem you can fix in two seconds flat. Resist the urge to save the day, instead let the customer blow off steam.

When a customer is unhappy about something, he has a tendency to rehearse what he’s going to say over and over and over on the way to your store. By the time he gets there, his anger is at its peak. If you try to fix the problem without first letting the customer vent, he is likely to wait for a break in the conversation and begin to tell his story all over again. So …

* Offer your hand and introduce yourself. Using the customer’s name tends to have a calming effect.

* Listen carefully and attentively to the customer’s entire story and don’t interrupt! Stay calm – you set the tome for the rest of the conversation.

* Apologize, even if you are not the cause of the problem. This shows the customer you are on their side. If you say, “Gee, this is a great product. We’ve never had this happen before.” The customer hears, “You moron. Didn’t you read the directions?” Instead say, “I am so sorry that you are upset. Let me see what I can do to solve this problem.” Or “I am really sorry this happened to you. I can understand why you are frustrated.”

2. Ask lots of questions to help determine what you should do next.
When you ask questions people think you care about them, and they will respond more positively. Ask the customer Open-Ended Questions that cannot be answered by a simple “yes” or “no”. You might say, “When did you first notice this problem?”

Open-ended questions require the customer to talk – and that’s a good thing – because the talking helps the customer to slow down and refocus. Smile, make eye contact, and nod as the customer tells his story.

3. Ask the customer what they would like you to do for them.
We witnessed a heated exchange between a store manager and a customer who was trying to return a defective shop vacuum. The stone-faced manager was too busy defending his product to focus on the customer. The manager wasn’t giving an inch, and the customer looked like she was ready to throw the vacuum through the window. Finally, in a sarcastic tone of voice, the manager asked the customer what she’d like him to do. She sighed, and replied that she wanted to exchange the defective vacuum for one that worked. The manager was taken aback. What did he expect she was going to ask for? His first born child?

Most customers are not unreasonable; they just want you to fix the problem. Ask, “What would you like me to do for you today?” Then tell the customer exactly what you are going to do on their behalf.

Take responsibility: If it’s a problem you can fix on the spot, fix it. If the problem will require further action on your part, then explain which steps you will take, and tell the customer when you will get back to them. And make sure that you follow through!

4. Go a step further and “Do one more thing” for the customer.
That “one more thing” is an olive branch that you offer in good faith. It doesn’t matter what you offer, it’s the gesture that counts.

A $5.00 gift certificate (80% of all gift certificates are redeemed for more than the face value; 40% of all gift certificates are redeemed for TWICE the face value so you can’t lose); a free class or free crop; or even an inexpensive gift, such as a small photo frame, will work wonders.

5. Follow up to make sure the customer is satisfied.

According to The Technical Assistance Research Programs Institute (TARP), up to 70% of unhappy customers will do business with you again, and up to 95% will return if you fix the problem quickly. It’s to your benefit to follow-up. A simple telephone call or handwritten note will do the trick.

You may also want to keep a file on what happened, and what you did to take care of the customer. Email us for a free copy of our Super Quick Service Response to help you keep track.

Don’t take it personally! Sometimes that’s easier said than done, but remember you are not the cause of the customer’s frustration – don’t expect to win them all. Do your best not to let an angry customer ruin your entire day or affect the next customer.

Make sure that everyone in your organization understands how to work with an unhappy customer. Why not hold a staff meeting using this article as the agenda? Ask your associates to think of a situation they had with an unhappy customer. Ask what they did to solve the problem. Then ask if anyone has a suggestion on what the associate could have done differently. You might want to think up some off-the-wall scenarios of your own, and see how your associates solve them. Ask one associate to be the customer, and another to be the associate. Role play is a great way to get the point across.

Customers don’t expect you to be perfect, but they do expect you to fix things when they go wrong. Solving their problems is proof that your store is a trusted partner. It’s that trust that will keep them coming back for more.

Steps to keep you, your employees and customers safe during a robbery

2011-12-13T11:23:00.005-06:00

“This Is A Robbery, Everybody Get Down!”

Steps to keep you, your employees and customers safe during a robbery

Robberies and attempted robberies can happen anywhere, and in today’s economy, people are becoming more desperate for money. While money and merchandise taken during a robbery can be replaced through insurance, people cannot.

The best way to prevent injury during a robbery is to prevent the robbery in the first place. But, it is always best to prepare for the worst and ensure you and your team knows how to properly react in the event it does happen. Here are some tips to protect you, your employees and your customers:

q Hire an outside security staff to keep an eye on your business. If you are near multiple stores, pitch in together to have a security staff keep you safe.

q Keep your store clean and well-lit. It becomes darker much earlier during the winter, so make sure your lights come on earlier.

q Posters or signs should not block the area around the register from view.

q Make a cash drop or safety deposit box available.

q Post signs in your store stating that minimum cash is kept on premises.

q Keep busy by cleaning, dusting and sweeping when there are no customers in your store.

q Be aware of cars parked across the street or off to one side of the parking lot.

q Look for people who might be watching the store or loitering in and around it.

q If someone does look suspicious, contact a supervisor or the appropriate authorities.

q Keep emergency phone numbers handy and near all phones.

q Give a friendly greeting to everyone who enters the store and connect with each customer.

If a robbery does occur, be sure your employees have specific instructions on what to do. Here are some tips:

q Give the robber what they want—the longer they are there, the more nervous and agitated the robber can become.

q Stay calm. Handle the situation as if you were making a sale to a customer.

q Let the robber know you intend to cooperate. Give them what they ask for.

q Tell the robber beforehand if you must reach or something or move in any way. Also tell them if there are additional employees in the back so that they are not surprised.

q Don’t try to stop the robber. You might not see a weapon, but do not assume there isn’t one.

q Don’t try to chase the robber. Most likely it will end in violence and can make the scene confusing for when police arrive.

q Dial 911 or your local emergency number once the robbery is over and everyone is safe.

This article appears courtesy of Western Retailer Magazine.

Reprinted with permission

10 Social Marketing Tips for the Holiday Season!

2011-12-07T11:45:00.005-06:00

Even if you're already made a list and checked it twice, it’s not complete if it doesn’t include networking via social medias. Social media marketing builds word of mouth: the number one thing that brings new customers to your business. The important thing to remember is that social media marketing is social: It’s all about the interaction you have with friends, fans and followers. Here’s how to get the conversation started:

1. Make it easy on yourself: Connect your Facebook page or profile to your Twitter account so you can update your friends, fans, followers and subscribers all at the same time. Click to learn more: https://www.facebook.com/twitter/

2. Give your profile photos a holiday twist: The photos you choose to represent your business need to stand out on a busy news feed. Choose ones that are easily identifiable and add a holiday theme.

3. Listen. Interact. React. Sell: Customers need a reason to visit your social medias; if all you do is sell, sell, sell they’ll quickly tune you out. Follow this formula for best results:

Listen: You need to keep up in real time. Studies show that most people are on social medias in the morning and early evening, so 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM are good times to check in. Listening on-line means reading what people are talking about and responding frequently and accordingly.

Interact: If you see something interesting, get in on the conversation! Commenting on someone else’s wall or retweeting a message is one of the best ways to get your store noticed. Interact with friends, fans and followers, plus your trade associations, vendors and products you enjoy, even if they’re not related to what you sell. The goal here is exposure.

React: Answer fan posts, comments and tweets in a timely manner – the sooner the better. Smart phones allow you to post from anywhere.

Sell: Plug your products and services about every fifth post; any more than that and your social medias become an infomercial.

4. What to say: Talk about product and services that make great holiday gifts. Add photos and pepper your posts with the words Christmas, Hanukkah and Holiday. Gift cards are always a favorite holiday gift, so promote them weekly.

5. Make a list of great holiday gifts: Create a list of “Top 10 Holiday Gifts”. Post your list on your social media sites and on your website. Have copies to hand out in the store, too. This list makes a great bag stuffer!

6. Give incentives to those who visit your social media sites: Offer coupons and deals that are only available via your social medias. Promote them via your website, e-mail blasts, newsletters, and in your store.

7. Use the Facebook Events tab: The Events tab allows you to organize and promote all of your holiday happenings. You can easily invite friends and fans, and encourage them to invite their friends as well. You can see who RSVPs, comments, and more.

8. Facebook ads: We use Facebook ads to promote our e-book Jingle Bells… Christmas Sells: Events, Promotions and Tips for the Holiday Season . (Shameless plug alert: It's a must read for retailers!) Facebook Ads allow you to reach potential customers by location, age, and interests. Learn more here: http://www.facebook.com/advertising

9. Use holiday hashtags on Twitter to expand your audience: Placing a holiday related hashtag (#), i.e. #Christmas, #holiday, #shopping, #gifts, #coupons or #Santa, at the end of your tweets will help you connect with an audience that reaches far beyond your current followers.

10. Back up your social media marketing in your store: Hang signs throughout your store and in your windows that encourage customers to like/follow you. Award deals or incentives if they check-in while in the store.

The marketing you do on social medias to promote your store during the holidays will translate to other times of the year as well. Build momentum now and carry it through to 2012 and beyond!

"Jingle Bells... Christmas Sells: Events, Promotions and Tips for the Holiday Season" An e-book for retailers!

2011-11-29T10:00:00.000-06:00

Still need events and promotions ideas for Holiday? Check out Jingle Bells... Christmas Sells: Events, Promotions and Tips for the Holiday Season!

Holiday is the most important trading time for retailers to achieve high, profitable sales. The Christmas quarter usually accounts for 36% of a retailer’s annual sales and represents the highest level of profitability.

Get it wrong and you can place your future at risk! "Jingle Bells... Christmas Sells!" will get you through the Christmas period intact, sane and in profit.

The e-book covers:

Visual Merchandising for Christmas
Security Awareness
Managing Christmas and Your Staff
Gift Cards and Etailing
Delighting Your Customers
Specific Events & Promotions
Plus, Fully Customizable Templates galore!

We also offer POSTER Packs!

INSTANT GRATIFICATION!

Click here to download your copy now – Just $24.95

10 Great Holiday Promotions

2011-11-27T13:47:00.004-06:00

The holiday countdown has commenced! The most wonderful time of the year associated with peace on earth, goodwill to men, and ringing cash registers. Here are 10 in-store events, just in case you still need a few to make things fun. If you really need to kick things up a few notches check out our e-book, Jingle Bells... Christmas Sells! for events and templates you can download and implement in no time at all.

1. “Let it Snow” Snow Promotion

If your city gets six inches of snow from midnight New Year’s Eve until six in the morning the next day, all purchases made in your store from the day of your choice to Christmas Day will be absolutely free. All customers have to do is save their receipts. To protect yourself, visit Odds On Promotions and purchase a low cost insurance policy in the event you do get that much snow.

2. Kids Decoration Day

On a Saturday, invite children to the store to make or decorate an ornament of their own – while mom and dad shop. Select easy-to-use materials such as construction paper, foam balls, beads, and ribbon. Set up tables around the front of the store, with helpers at each one. Mom and Dad get a certificate for special savings the next time they visit the store.

3. Help for the Holidays

Create a special shopping night just for senior citizens. Send invitations to senior citizen centers. Tie this event in with your local newspaper or other local company. Tell them what you are doing and ask for volunteers from their company to help; or maybe they will provide the refreshments and gift wrapping. If you can form a partnership here, share an ad.

4. Santa Claus DVDs

Everyone does the “take a picture with Santa” routine. This year, add a video camera. DVDs are inexpensive and you can sell the finished product to customers for $5.99 to $9.99 and it’s still a great value. Donate part of your proceeds to your favorite charity.

5. Tree of Hope

Display a large tree in a clearly visible area at the front of your store. Sell paper angels or ornaments for donations. When an ornament is sold, the customer’s name goes on the ornament, and it gets hung on the tree. The money you raise will be donated to help feed needy families during the holidays. Your theme: “Help Us Fill the Tree of Hope!”

6. Twelve Days of Christmas

Choose 12 different events to happen in your store for the 12 nights prior to Christmas Eve. Events can range from full-on promotions to free poinsettias for the first 100 customers. Advertise it using a “refrigerator calendar” you create and distribute as a Bag Stuffer. (Note: You’ll find more on the 12 Days of Christmas in our e-book, Jingle Bells… Christmas Sells!

7. Sell Gift Certificates/Cards at a Discount

Studies show that 80 percent of all gift certificates are redeemed for more than the face value, and 40 percent of all gift certificates are redeemed for twice the face value, so you won’t lose by discounting them upfront. But here’s the catch! Discounted gift certificates can only be purchased during a certain time frame and cannot be redeemed until after the holiday. This ensures that customers can’t use them to receive a discount on their own holiday shopping.

8. Gift Certificate/Card Added Bonus!

When a customer purchases a $50 gift card, give them a $5 gift card for his/her own use. People who are originally planning to spend $40 will often throw in an extra $10 if they know there’s something in it for them.

9. Celebrate Heritage

Holidays are all about families and no matter what holiday one celebrates, chances are the family will reminisce before, during, and after dinner about previous generations and speculate about the newest generation’s future. Host an “All About My Family” class for adults and/or children. Or, hold a class for crafting a heritage project. Attendees create projects that highlight their families past and present. Be sure to host these classes early in the season so customers are sure to have completed pages and projects to show off at family gatherings or give as gifts.

10. “Pick-a-Candy Cane” Sale

Customers choose a candy cane to reveal a discount on regularly priced or select merchandise. On the bottom of approximately 100 plastic or real candy canes, write a discount percentage in indelible marker. The number of each discount and the amount of the discount is up to you, but as a guideline, use 15 at 15 percent; 50 at 20 percent; 18 at 25 percent; 10 at 30 percent; 5 at 40 percent; and 2 at 50 percent. Be careful not to make too many of your discounts the lower amounts – word will spread that no one is winning anything over 15 percent and customers will stay away.

Advertise that discounts will be between 10 and 50 percent, but do not include any 10 percent candy canes. That way, everyone will be happy they didn’t get the minimum discount advertised. Place the candy canes in a large basket or stuck in decorated Styrofoam near the checkout counter. Each time a customer makes a purchase allow her to choose a candy cane. Choosing the candy cane and revealing the discount should take place after the customer has completed her shopping and is ready to checkout. Keep a tally of how many of each discount percentage has been redeemed. You may find that you are running low on candy canes and need to replenish.

Consumer Tips to Survive Shopping on Black Friday

2011-11-23T19:00:00.000-06:00

15 Tips to Survive Shopping on Black Friday

1. Do your pre-holiday homework. Visit your favorite retailers on-line and check out each of the Black Friday websites that leak retailer ads in advance.

2. Follow your favorite retailers on Twitter and Like them on FaceBook. Smart retailers are offering inside deals, limited time offers and heads-up on sales to their on-line friends.

3. Buy all the local papers and devour the Black Friday ads. Make a list of the stores you plan to visit and determine which ones you need to visit first. You have a much better chance of getting the hot items you want if you have a plan of attack. You will also want to make a list of the things you want to buy so you can check them off as you go.

4. We know on Thanksgiving Day you’ll be busy cooking a big dinner and entertaining Aunt Mary and Uncle Jack, but you need to sneak away and do a spot check of your favorite retailers’ websites. Many retailers post coupons that are only available on-line. Print them and/or keep a copy on your smart phone. Bring them with you on Friday for extra savings.

5. This year many retailers will be open on Thanksgiving Day. They're starting holiday shopping early by offering great Day Before Black Friday bargains. Check to see which stores in your community are open and get a jump on saving.

6. Watch for early, early shopping opportunities. As Thanksgiving turns into Black Friday some malls will be in full-on shopping mode. This year malls across the country will open their doors at midnight for shopping, entertainment, raffles, food and more.

7. To take advantage of the Early Bird Specials you have to get there early! Aggressive retailers are opening their doors earlier than ever. If you want that 42” HDTV for $29.99 you’d better be on of the first five people on line. On Black Friday, “limited quantities” generally means single digits.

8. Shop fyour local, independent retailers! In addition to great deals, local retailers like to add extra special touches. What’s better than noshing on homemade cookies and cocoa at your favorite neighborhood boutique? Hint: many of these retailers will also wrap your purchases for free!

9. The items retailers want to make sure you’ll see will be displayed on tables in the aisles and on end caps – in other words, you won’t be able to miss them. You’ll also want to head to the back of the store. Here’s where you’re likely to find unadvertised specials. The trick is that you have to walk through tempting regular-priced items to get to the deals.

10. Shop midday to avoid crowds. Activity slows between 10 AM and noon and picks up again in the evening. This is when shoppers who had to work on Black Friday begin to arrive. Another plus, lots of retailers we know are doing the equvalient of Early Bird Specials all day long.

11. Dress appropriately, wear comfortable shoes and bring extra shopping bags. And throw a bottle of water and some snacks in your bag. You know you’re going to get hungry and you probably will be too busy shopping to stop for lunch.

12. Stop by the information desks in malls, shopping centers and stores and ask if they have special coupons, gift bags or other freebies.

13. Check each retailers return policy. A great deal isn’t such a great deal if your sister hates the sweater you bought her and she can’t exchange or return it.

14. Avoid the crowds altogether and shop at home. QVC and HSN are jumping into Black Friday with all kinds of deals, plus sneak peeks at upcoming daily specials and flex-pay.

15. If you can’t find what you want or miss out on the Early Bird Specials, don’t forget that Cyber Monday (11/28) the day on-line retailers give their best deals.

How to make your "Top 10 List of Holiday Gifts" work harder for you!

2011-11-14T09:08:00.001-06:00

If you have not created your "Top 10 List of Holiday Gifts" now would be a good time. Create your lists based on your core customers, such as "Top 10 Toys for Big Boys" or "Top 10 List of Gifts She REALLY Wants". Create kids gift lists by age bracket. Gift lists by merchandise category are a good idea, too. Make your gift lists available online and in your store.

The focus on saving money this holiday has launched a new trend: gift lists based on price, as in "50 Holiday Gifts Priced under $50" and "20 Holiday Gifts Priced under $20".

Don't assume that customers know what's available in your store! Send an e-mail blast that includes all the details, including a photo and a brief description of each item on your gift lists. If you don't sell online, add your telephone numbers so customers can call in their orders. It's okay to send more e-mail blasts than usual during the holidays -- once a week is a good model to follow.

Make your gift lists available online and in your store. On your sales floor, set your Speed Bump displays (small fixtures located just inside your front door, and the first display of product shoppers see) with your gift list items. Place additional displays in main aisles throughout the store, on end features, and near the check out counters. Add signing that aids in the decision-making process. This holiday, merchandise every square foot of your sales floor to sell!

5 Quick Tips to Make Your Holiday Selling Season Bright!

2011-11-09T11:00:00.000-06:00

SIGNING: The information above is from a recent retail store study. It's pretty self-explanatory: You need to properly sign your displays! Source: Jingle Bells... Christmas Sells!

MUSIC: The music you play in your store does more than entertain shoppers – it provides a background that entices them to stay longer and buy more. We like that music gives shoppers a psychological lift, maybe that’s why we’re obsessed with disco – young or old, it makes shoppers smile, so choose your holiday music with a good beat.. Another plus: the right music can make your associates more efficient, so if they’re dragging at the end of the day, crank up the tunes.

FOOD: You know our motto: Food is Good! And not just because we like to eat, which we do. A lot. Food is good because it’s another tactic to entice shoppers to buy. Grocery stores serve veritable feasts in their aisles each weekend for two reasons: to get shoppers to try new products and to keep them in the store longer.

If you sell food this is a no brainer, but even if you don’t, it’s not a problem if you make food part of your store experience. Offer hot coco to welcome shoppers in from the cold. Place a plate of cookies in the area where female shoppers park their guys. Host a wine tasting. Partner with a local restaurant for an in-store event. The ideas are endless. Just remember that when customers try, they usually buy, so while their mouths are full, stick a cool product in their hands.

SMELL: Remember that old retail adage: “If it smells, it sells”? Turns out it’s true: researchers have found that a pleasant-smelling environment has a positive effect on shopping behavior. We all respond to good scents, maybe because they have the power to evoke memory. We’ve all gotten a whiff of something familiar and have been instantly transported to another place in time. That’s what made aromatherapy so popular.

Now we have Aromacology: the science of scents and their effect on our minds and moods. Grapefruit, for example, will give shoppers more energy, vanilla will calm them when the store is hectic, pine will inspire positive feelings, and cinnamon is said to attract money. So put out the potpourri so that its scent permeates the air. Better yet, purchase scent diffusers and place them throughout the store. Visit ScentAir’s website to learn more about the science of smell.

TOUCH: Some stores set such intricate displays that shoppers are afraid to touch them. Even worse are the sales people who follow shoppers around the store refolding sweaters and fluffing the displays customers have the audacity to touch. Give us a break – shoppers supposed to mess up the store!

Make sure that your displays are set to invite customers to play. Add small table displays throughout the store and invite shoppers to try before they buy. Choose an Item of the Day that store associates carry around with them as they work. Encourage them to show the item to customers, inviting them to take a look or try it out. Make a visit to your store a fun and interactive experience – not just a place to buy stuff!

Pre-Holiday Homework: Want to maximize holiday sales and Profits? Get started now.

2011-10-21T17:30:00.008-05:00

Want to maximize holiday sales and Profits? Get started now.

Welcome to the Golden Quarter, the time of year with the power to move your store from the red into the black. Have you done your pre-holiday homework? October is the perfect month to begin planning!

Things You Need to Do Before the Season Begins

1. Hire your temporary staff. Set up a training schedule, and partner each new hire with a seasoned associate -- a buddy -- who can mentor them throughout their holiday employment. New associates with lots of questions might feel uncomfortable about bugging the boss for help, but they'll feel right at home asking their buddy.

Your buddy system will help you set and maintain a positive store culture where both associates and customers will thrive. Don't forget to hold a meeting with your mentors before the new hires arrive. You will need to explain the program, your expectations, and why you chose them.

2. The holiday selling season kicks off with a bang on Black Friday, otherwise known as The Day after Thanksgiving, the one day you must have something BIG planned for your store. First, you want to capture first business by attracting customers to your store as early as possible before they head off to the malls. A coupon that entitles the customer to 50% off of any one regular priced item of their choice has worked for plenty of retailers. This coupon is all about choice: you choose which items are included in the sale; you may also chose to limit the dollar amount to 50% off of any one regular priced item of up to $50.00. The customers get to choose what's on sale.

In order to capture that first business, you will need to run your 50% Off Coupon event between the hours of 6:00 AM and 10:00 AM. Offering other good deals to attract additional customers throughout the day is also a good idea.

A Black Friday in-store event is not an option. If you don't have anything planned for the day after Thanksgiving, our e-book with Australia's Debra Templar, Jingle Bells... Christmas Sells: Events, Promotions and Tips for the Holiday Season, can help. It's loaded with event ideas, plus detailed instructions and fully customizable templates.

3. You need to have at least one major in-store event and two minor in-store events planned for each week of November and December. If you're stuck for ideas check out "It's not Too Late!" an article loaded with events to get your creative juices flowing. And you can always call us for an impromptu brainstorming session.

4. In addition to events, you must also prepare a list of items and/or categories of merchandise that you will promote during the holidays. Some things to consider include: how you will advertise this merchandise, how it will be promoted in your store, how and where it will be displayed, and when the displays need to be set up. And you can't do this all by yourself, so assign each associate a promotion or two. Their close involvement will make it a better event.

5. Make time each Monday to rotate the displays and/or fixtures in the front of your store. To do this you will need to plan how your sales floor will look for each week of the holiday season. This is critical if your store sees many repeat customers each month. Once you begin your merchandise rotation, customers will begin to ask, "Is this new?" and "When did you get this?" about items that might have been in your store for months.

You can give your store a fresh look by simply rotating product around your store. That small table of photo albums and photo frames that's in the front of your store on November 1, will look new to customers when they discover it toward the back of the store on November 8. This is a good job to assign to a store associate who enjoys visual merchandising.

6. Choose your holiday theme. Winter Wonderland? Santa’s Village? Whatever theme you choose must be designed to put customers in the holiday mood. In addition to store décor you must consider associates' attire, in-store music, holiday refreshments, even when Santa will pay a visit. Set a schedule of what needs to happen and when, then stick to it.

7. Create a "Top 10 List of Not to be Missed Holiday Gifts" that are available from your store. October is the perfect month to ask customers for their suggestions. Make sure that all of your store associates memorize it, and have plenty of copies on hand throughout the store. Feature your list on your website and in your newsletter, include it in store signing, and on bag stuffers. When you make shopping decisions easy for your customers, they will thank you in dollars and cents.

8. Stock up on your "never out" store supplies, the things that would be a disaster if you ran out on a busy Saturday. Bags and gift certificates top the list, but even toilet paper is important.

9. Create an exit strategy -- a clearance plan – for all of the merchandise you will need to close out after the holidays. Determine what will be marked down, how much it will be marked down, how it will be signed, and how and where it will be displayed in the store.

10. Determine how you will handle those inevitable customer returns. Post your customer-friendly return/exchange policy behind the check out counter(s), on your website, and include it on all holiday bag stuffers.Decide where holiday returns will be processed: at the checkout(s) or at a separate table?

We always spend the day after Christmas at a local mall, watching store associates handle returns. We're always amazed that the first words out of an associate's mouth are, "Would you like your money back?" This should not be the automatic response in your store -- you’ll save a lot of money if you train associates to offer an exchange or a gift card before offering a refund.

The question associates need to ask is, "Would you like to look around for another item or would you prefer a gift card?" Many customers will look for something else or take the card, but if a refund is what the customer wants, then give it with a smile. This is also a good time of offer a coupon that will bounce them back next week.

11. And finally, repair, repaint, and replace everything on your "To Do" list now. You don’t need the hassle of fixing the wheel on a shopping cart in December when the store is really busy.

And when the holiday’s are over, and things begin to wind down, that’s the time to note what worked in your store, what didn’t, and what you wish you would have done differently. No matter how tired you are, don’t skip this important step. Your notes will be invaluable when it’s time to plan for Holiday 2012. Retail’s in the details. There’s no doubt that the holiday season is a stressful time for most retailers, but with a little planning, it doesn’t have to be.

World of Mouth: Social Media 101

2011-10-07T14:58:00.001-05:00

So, where do you stand with social media? Usually it’s one of two places: you’re either all over it, or you just don’t know where to begin. Knowing where to begin can be a daunting task, but one thing’s for sure: it’s the best way to connect with current and potential customers. And it’s not going away.

Social media statistics are over the top: Facebook alone has more than 800 million active users; more than 50 percent of whom log on in any given day; the average user has 130 friends. People interact with 900+million “objects” -- pages, groups, events and community pages; the average user is connected to 80 community pages, groups and events. As of June 2011 Twitter reports 200 million tweets – 140 character posts – per day. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

Your choice of advertising used to be so much easier: print, radio, or television; end of story. Those days are over. Traditional advertising methods aren’t doing as well with younger generations. Generation X, Generation Y, and now Generation Z, were all raised on the Internet – they spend more time there than they do watching television. Pages of copy don’t do it for them; they prefer to communicate in shorter “sound bites”.

The list of social media platforms grows daily – you could go crazy trying to keep up with them all! The sites listed below will give you the most visibility. Consider the following:

Start a Blog.

Blogs have been around for years, and with good reason: theygive ordinary people a voice. You may never be on TV but you can reach millions of people online if what you have to say is interesting. Your blog can be an online diary or arunning commentary on what’s happening in your world. Or your store. You can post copy, photos, video, links to websites – the sky, or maybe your imagination, is the limit. Readers can add comments of their own, and even subscribe to your blog via an RSS feed, so they’ll never miss a post.

We started our “Retail Adventures in the REAL World™” blog in 2005 as a communication tool to help retailers grow their businesses. Since then it’s become a resource read by thousands each month. There are many blog sites available to choose from, we use Blogger.com; WordPress.com is another popular choice. Both are free and easy to use. Create an account and you’ll be up and running in no time at all.

Create a Facebook “Like” page for your business.

This one is non-negotiable: you need a Facebook “Like”(formerly “Fan” page). We said “Like” page for a very good reason: Facebook “Profile”accounts, where you amass “friends” are for individuals; “Like” Pages are for businesses. If you open an individual account for your business, you are in violation of Facebook’s terms of service and sooner or later your profile will be removed. To get started, look for “Create a Page for a celebrity, band or business” on the bottom right of Facebook’s home page andfollow the instructions.

Your goal on Facebook is to attract fans – people who share an interest in what you sell – and interact with them. Take photos of your store and post them on your “wall” – your front page. Tell stories about your store, share your daily happenings, industry observations, product information, what you saw at a trade show, upcoming in-store events, photos, videos, testimonials, what your dog did yesterday – whatever you think your fans will find interesting. We post business ideas and industry observations on our Facebook page, but our personal comments get the best play. Facebook is free and it’s easy to use. Visit Facebook to find out more, be sure to peruse all the available applications while you’re there.

Join the conversation on Twitter

Twitter is a micro blogging platform that allows you to publish “Tweets” – messages of 140 characters or less. It’s kind of like a cocktail party you can read on your computer or smart phone. There are all sorts of conversations going on so it’s easy to “listen in“, “RT” (retweet or forward someone else’s tweets), or add comments of your own. You want to “hang out” with Paris Hilton? Easy! Follow her on Twitter. She’ll probably follow you back – that’s good Twitter etiquette. It’s fun to interact with people you might never meet in person, and if you do, you already have a connection. Watch for “Tweet-ups” – face-to-face Twitter meetings – in your area and at trade shows.

Twitter users used to be primarily adults, but now kids are getting in on the action: 12 to 24 years olds are the fastest growing groups of users. That being said, the most active Tweeps are over still the age of 35. We use Twitter to build awareness for our brand, gather feedback, network, find old friends and make new ones, send updates about where we are and what we’re doing, and photos. You name it. If you can do it in 140 characters orless, you can do it on Twitter. Learn more about this free service at Twitter.com and follow us while you're there: we're KizerandBender.

Lights! Camera! YouTube!

Release your inner rock star on YouTube, a free videosharing website that allows you to easily upload videos. Anyone can watch (and rate and comment if you so desire) the videos you post. Register to create your own channel with a customizable home page. This will allow you to upload an unlimited number of videos and connect with others: people can subscribe to your channel and they’ll be alerted each time your post a new video.

YouTube is perfect platform to showcase your store and the product that you sell. You can film and upload classes, product how-tos, and tips from instructors. Add store commercials, testimonials, footage of events,video circulars, even training videos on how to use specific product. YouTube has changed how we connect with friends, fans, and clients. We carry our pocket-sized “flip” video camcorder everywhere. Shameless plug! You'll find ideas to help you grow your business on the KIZER and BENDER channel.

Help from Yelp

Yelp is acool site that’s designed to help people (potential customers!) find great local businesses – like yours. Set up a free account that lists all of the important information about your business. Dress it up with coupons, offers, photos of your store and more.

Customers participate by adding reviews and comments about your business. These comments – testimonials – are invaluable, so use them to your advantage. Customers are 10 to 20 times more likely to believe what others say about your store before they’ll believe you – you’re supposed to say good things about yourself. If someone posts a negative comment, address it in a positive way. Your professional response shows that you care.

There are hundreds of social media sites available on the Internet, some will actually help you grow your business, and some will just waste your time. In addition to the sites above, the current most popular list includes Flicker, a popular photo-sharing service; LinkedIn, a businesssite that allows you to connect with other professionals; Google Buzz and Google Plus, social networking tools from Google that let you use your Gmail account to share status updates, photos, videos, and more; Digg, a site that helps you find and share content from anywhere on the web; and Foursquare, a site that defines itself as “a cross between a friend-finder, a social city-guide and a game that rewards you for doing interesting things.”

A few more things tothink about…

Many of your social media profiles can be linked together. Our Twitter account, Facebook business page and Retail Adventures™ blog are all linked; we only have to update in one place and that update appears on all three sites. This saves us all kinds of time.

Check out HootSuite or TweetDeck, sites that allow you to easily keep up with what’s what’s happening with your friends, fans and followers right now on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn and more. Both sites make your desktop look like a NASA control panel,but don’t let that scare you, both are easy to operate. You can manage yoursocial media accounts, shorten a link, send photos, even record a video toshare from a single location.

Post with care! Use punctuation, check your spelling and make sure everything you post online is something you want out there. Once it’s in cyberspace, it’s in cyberspace. Even if you delete it, chances are Google and other search engines will still be able to find it.

You need aninteractive website, but today that’s not enough. Websites have become online business cards where people can learn more about what you do. Social medias get them involved. You’ll want to link all of your social media profiles to your website.

Here’s the thing: you can’t open a Twitter account or join Facebook and think that you’re all set. You have to participate! This requires a daily commitment. We use our iPhones to update our accounts wherever we go. Check your social media sites in the morning and again at night (studies show most activity around 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM). If you can’t do it alone, find someone on your team who can help share the responsibility. Social medias get bigger every day and they’re here to stay. Your customers are already on board. What are you waiting for? Join the party!

Six Steps to a Great Christmas

2011-09-24T12:00:00.001-05:00

1. EVENTS ARE ESSENTIAL: Customers need a reason to visit your store. Plan on having at least one major and two minor in-store events every week in November and December. Our new e-book, Jingle Bells... Christmas Sells! will provide you with a wealth of ideas to grow your sales, plus plenty of templates you can customize for your store.

2. ROTATION DEVICES: Work your lake front property! Move the displays and fixtures at the front of your store at least once a week so customers are continually exposed to new products. This will keep your store associates on their toes and it will help you sell more merchandise.

3. MAKE A LIST OF GREAT GIFTS: Create a "Top 10 List of Holiday Gifts". Have copies to hand out, feature the items on your web site and Facebook page, in your advertisements and promotions, and make sure staff know them off-by-heart. Go even further and create a Top 10 List for men, women, and kids of various age groups.

4. THE BUDDY SYSTEM: Pair each new hire and temporary staffer with a veteran who can mentor them throughout their holiday employment. Encourage new hires to read product labels and they'll be pros in no time at all!

5. POLICY DECISIONS
Post your return and exchange policy behind the counter, on your web site and on any promotion materials. Write it in a friendly voice: "Returns and exchanges are accepted up to 30 days of purchase. Your receipt guarantees it." You will also want to decide where holiday returns will be processed: at the checkout or at a separate table.

6. A MARKDOWN MANNER: Plan now for your post-holiday markdowns. Determine how much each item will be marked down, what signage you'll use and how and where it will be displayed.

Join Jingle Bells... Christmas Sells on Facebook and watch our Retail Adventures Blog for strategies, tactics, tips and techniques to help you make the most of Holiday 2011.

Retail Success: Make Your Own Magic

2011-09-13T10:00:00.003-05:00

Stay positive. Turn off the news channels that continue to hammer us about how rotten things are out there. Make your own magic. Talk up what’s great about your store! Listen to your “self-talk” – the thoughts running through your head – are you telling yourself about opportunities or doom and gloom? Tell yourself what you CAN do, not what you cannot. Positive self talk, coupled with the willingness to do just 1% more than everyone else is willing to do, has propelled many a person to higher levels of success – that 1% head start that will give you the jump on your competition. Here are some things to think about:

1. Eliminate the ONE customer service issue that occurs over and over.

Every business has that one customer service quirk that they just can't seem to get over. It might be greeting each and every customer you pass in the store. It could be the inability to implement a no hassle return policy. We're not sure what yours is, but you do. Ask your associates to help you decide where you continuously drop the ball. Once you identify you problem area, devote a store meeting to the topic, and eliminate it once and for all.

And if you think it's not a big deal because you do 99 things out of 100 remarkably well, well consider this: If 99.9% is good enough then 12 Newborns will be given to the wrong parents every day; 114,500 mismatched pairs of shoes will be shipped each year; 18,322 pieces of mail will be mishandled every hour; 2.5 million books will ship with the wrong covers; each day, two planes that land at Chicago's O'Hare Airport will be unsafe; 315 words in Webster's Dictionary will be misspelled; 20,000 incorrect drug prescriptions will be written this year; 5.5 million cases of soda won't have any "fizz"; and 291 pacemaker operations will be performed incorrectly. Still think a 99% service rating is okay? We didn't think so!

2. Network nationally and locally.

Each time you attend a trade show, you meet a group of remarkable people who share some of the same victories and frustrations that you do. You have a great time together in seminars and on the show floor and then you go home and forget about each other until the next show. Whatever problem you are trying to solve, someone you know has already solved it. Why waste your time and money on trial and error? This year work those connections!

Trade contact information at shows and seminars and agree to talk at least once a quarter. Or converse via e-mail if you don't have time to talk on the telephone. If you're having employee problems we guarantee everyone else is, too. Share ideas!

You can do this on a local level as well. Instead of your direct competitors, network with other retailers - even if you do not sell the same products you will still share similar issues. And you can trade vendor information that will help you save money or grow your business.

3. Become the local expert in your field.

Who knows more about your industry than you? You know that there is no one out there who can better represent your niche than you can, so why not share your expertise? Create a one page biography (with your photo) and send it out to all local media outlets. Throw in some candy – candy always gets their attention. (Food if Good!) And follow-up a week later with a telephone call or e-mail. You have to let the media know that you are a ready, willing, and able source. Go for it!

4. Attend your important industry trade shows.

Your travel budget may be tight, but this is not the time to skip trade shows! Everything new happens at trade shows and you can't experience the excitement if you're not there. Choose the shows that make the most sense for your business and put them on your 2012 calendar. Do it now. In ink.

Take advantage of all they have to offer. Try and stay at the headquarters hotel because that's where all the action is, and it's your best chance to network after show hours. Attend all the business seminars that you can. As the store owner or manager your time is much better spent learning how to improve your business. Register early because classes fill up fast. And if you can't get into a particular class, you can always buy the CD/DVD.

5. Give back to your community.

Giving back to your community is a no-brainer and it’s something you can do right now. It's important to be a good corporate citizen and Cause Marketing is a good way to do it. According to the statistics, 77% of consumers who participated in a Cause Related Marketing program said it positively changed their behavior or perceptions towards the store or brand involved. You'll not only raise money and increase the community's awareness of the charity, you'll gain valuable exposure for your store.

Holiday 2011 – today – is the perfect time to host a Cause Marketing event. We love the "Bags of Holiday Hope" Open House:

* Purchase and distribute blank, white shopping bags to grade school kids (ask your local schools to help). Have the kids decorate the bags with a holiday theme, then return them to your store.

* Hang the decorated bags throughout the store and in the windows; number each one so relatives and friends can vote for their favorite before and during your Open House. Charge an “admission fee” at Open House: a box of food goods and two canned items. Give shoppers a special, one night only sales and discounts.

* Announce the winner (or winners, you can judge entries by age if you like) and give each one a savings bond (get a local bank to partner with you) and a gift card/certificate from your store.

* The next day (or after your Open House if you prefer) round up kids, customers and staffers and fill the Bags of Holiday Hope with the donated food items and take them to a local charity.

* Invite the media! The kids + the Bags of Holiday Hope + your event + the charity of your choice = one BIG photo opportunity.

6. Up your Image Management.

Image what? Image Management is a fancy term for self-promotion, something that we whole-heartedly believe you should practice. Shamelessly. It's your job to tell the world how good you are and a press release is the perfect way to do it. Image management works hand in hand with becoming a local expert.

We read that a huge percentage of stories that appear on local medias are the result of someone sending in a single page press release. Drop us an e-mail for a copy of our "How to Write a Press Release" and then get busy. Send press releases on in-store events, seminars you attend, awards you receive, charities you support, even the trade shows you attend. Take your photo with every celebrity that you meet; newspapers are hungry for news but they are starving for pictures. But make sure that the information you send is truly newsworthy - media people are pros at sniffing out blatant attempts for free advertising.

7. Work on your website.

Your website needs to be an interactive place where customers want to spend time. Does yours fit this description? We are constantly amazed at the number of independent retailers who still do not have a website. Your website is your business card, it's a powerful perception and branding tool and you need to have a good one. Make sure it's created by someone who knows how to build a professional website, and that it's easy to navigate. Get started by securing your domain name NOW. You can do this on any number of sites, including Network Solutions and Go Daddy.

Make a point to renew your domain name every year. Better yet, put it on auto-renewal. This is important because if there is someone out there who wants your web address you could lose it. There are companies that specialize in waiting for a particular web address to expire; if the owner doesn't automatically renew, they grab it as soon as the contract expires. Don't let this happen to you.

8. Take advantage of those who offer to help you.

Remember that vendor who offered help at insert your favorite trade show here? How about the customer who said she'd lend a hand at your next big event? This year say yes to those who offer help or advice.

We offer all kinds for FREE stuff on this blog. At every single program we present we tell the attendees that they can call us for FREE advice. And you know what? Not too many people call. Maybe they don't really believe that there are no strings attached, but we can tell you that the ones who do call are thrilled that they did. They are the folks who are willing to do just 1% more than everyone else and it shows. Want to brainstorm about your business? We're all ears!

We want you to be successful! Click on the links at the top left hand side of our blog and join us on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube. Our goal is to help you through the good times and the rough times -- call or click anytime!

9.11.2011

2011-09-11T00:01:00.002-05:00

May we never forget.

6 Steps to Great Service

2011-09-01T00:00:00.000-05:00

Great – and consistent – customer service is a given these days. Product knowledge is too, yet we’ve all been in stores where we knew more about a product or its application than the store associate. Don’t let this happen in your store!

1. Buddy up. Pair each new hire with a veteran associate who can mentor them throughout their first weeks of employment.

2. Hands-on. Make product knowledge an important part of your monthly training program. (You do have a monthly meeting, don’t you?) It’s dangerous to assume that every associate knows every line inside and out. Focus each meeting on a new product line, but don’t forget about new applications for old favorites and basics. Choose one particular category per meeting and discuss what’s important about the product, its application and technique. Make these meetings hands-on training sessions; it’s much easier to sell a product once you’ve tried it.

3. Sales floor seminars. During slow times conduct your product training right on the sales floor. It’s easy to point out important parts of a product category when it’s right in front of you. You’re sure to attract shoppers – let them in the fun. Your crafty customers might even have a trick or two to share.

4. Daily 10. Gather your team on the sales floor each morning before the store opens for business. For 10 minutes talk about product, customer requests, policies, trade shows industry news, upcoming events – whatever makes sense that particular morning. Clear and consistent communication keeps everyone in the loop and on their toes.

5. Gimme 5! Here’s a daily exercise that will increase sales. Hold up an item and ask your team to call out 5 items that could be added-on to it. Add-on selling is good for you and it’s good for your customers. You’ll increase your average sale and customers won’t have to return to the store to pick up the additional items they need to complete a project.

6. Let your stars shine! Why do all the training yourself when your associates can help out? You have people on staff who excel in particular areas – visual merchandising, selling, product knowledge, customer service – let them do the hands-on training for that category or product line. Post a sign-up sheet in the break room asking for volunteers.

Implement these six easy steps and training will become second nature!

Listen to Your Customers, They’re Smarter than You!

2011-08-09T14:33:00.004-05:00

Knowing what’s going on in the world of retail is critical to the growth of your business – it is to ours as well. That’s why we spend time each year doing our own consumer research. Our goal is to uncover what’s going on out there, and translate it into strategies you can use on your own sales floor. And because we work in so many different industries, we’re able to provide you with a broader picture of what customers look for in a shopping experience.

But it isn’t always easy.

Take for example, the focus group we did with a group of Baby Boomer women. Our first question was an easy one, or so we thought. We asked the group to tell us about their recent customer service experiences:

“Are there places where real people still answer the telephone? I hate having to listen to some cheerful, robotic voice offer me 300 options that I have to listen to in their entirety because if I try and jump ahead, I just get sent back to the beginning.”

“Why do I have to stay home all day to wait for a delivery man who might show up at 10 AM or 4:30 PM? Why can’t the store give me an approximate time, so I don’t have to waste the entire day?”

“I don’t think anyone really listens when I offer a suggestion. Some stores have suggestion boxes and they ask customers for their opinion, but I never see them actually do anything that I suggest.”

If we had a nickel for every time we heard a customer say one of those things we’d be richer than Bill Gates by now. Do focus groups exaggerate? Sometimes. But there’s always a trail to follow if you listen carefully and then piece together what they tell you.

A successful retailer once told us to, “Listen to your customers because they’re smarter than you.” He also pointed out that the letters that form the word LISTEN also spell SILENT – you can’t listen to a customer if your mouth is open.

So we listen and we recommend that you listen, too. In a world of social networking, it’s dangerous to think you have all the answers. What if you’re – GASP – wrong? Here are some ideas to help you zero in on what your customers think:

• Focus Groups. Invite 15 customers to participate in your focus group, but set the room for 8-10. It’s always better to have to bring in extra chairs than to have empty seats – it makes your meeting seem even more important. You can hold your focus group in your store or off-site. Either way, you will need someone to mediate because it will be hard for you to be objective if someone says something less than stellar about your store. Serve refreshments and have a list of questions ready to keep the conversation moving. You will need to each person a gift of value for participating. We generally give $50 in cash (you could substitute a store gift card), plus a jar candle valued at around $20.

• Customer Advisory Board. Similar to a corporate board of directors, your Customer Advisory Board will meet with you once a quarter to discuss the things you’ve done in your store, and your future plans. For best results, choose people from different generations.

• Exit Interviews. Station yourself near the front door. When a customer is about to leave, politely stop her and ask if she found everything she was looking for. Exit interviews are great for identifying products customers wish you carried; and you’ll be able to save the sale when customers find out you do carry whatever they came in to purchase, but couldn’t find.

• Customer Comment Cards. Place “Tell Us What You Think!” cards on your cash wrap, in classrooms, on your web site for customers to fill out. These are great for time-starved customers who have something to say, but are short on time to stop and talk.

• Associate feedback. Ask store associates to fill you in on what they’re hearing from customers on the sales floor. Place a notebook in the lunchroom or at the cash wrap so they can easily jot down customer comments. You can discuss these comments in detail during store meetings.

• The BIG Question. You’ll get extremely useful information when you ask customers our BIG Question: “What ONE thing could we do to ___________?” You fill in the blank.

“What ONE thing could we do to improve our customer service?” or “What ONE service could we add to make it more convenient to shop here?” or “What ONE class or event could we add that you would like to attend?”

The customer has to put thought into her answer, so you’ll hear constructive things you’ll be able to easily implement. Don’t be surprised if many shoppers tell you a variation on the same theme – that’s a good thing! If it’s positive then you have one more thing to brag about, and if it’s negative, then you know just what to fix.

These simple tools will help you uncover a great many things to help you grow your business, but you’re likely to hear things you didn’t want to hear as well. Your responsibility after asking customers for their input is to make sure you let them know what you plan to do with what they told you. When you implement their suggestions, and especially when you can’t, let them know. Post your responses on a “customer interaction” bulletin board in your store, in your newsletter, on your web site, and on your Facebook and other social media pages.

KEEP YOUR EYES WIDE OPEN

Every retailer has some wonderful new line of product that just isn’t selling. Set aside time to observe how customers interact with it. Perhaps your associates aren’t familiar enough with the product to properly recommend it, or perhaps customers are interested, but have no idea what to do with it. Or maybe it’s merchandised in the wrong area. You won’t know these things until you watch what customers do – and don’t do – inside your store. Try these easy observation methods.

• Fly On The Wall Exercise. The idea is to blend in and become just another shopper. Tell associates what you’re doing and to pretend you’re not there. They can only blow your cover in a genuine emergency.

Dress the same way your customers typically dress. If it’s 90 degrees outside and everyone is wearing shorts and t-shirts, you need to be in shorts and a t-shirt too. If it’s below zero and shoppers are decked out in heavy coats, put yours on as well. If you don’t do this you’ll stick out and people will wonder what you’re up to.

Carry a notebook to record what you see. You may even want to use a small voice recorder or camcorder. We use a Flip™ MinoHD.

Station yourself in a prime shopping spot on the sales floor and just watch. Observe how shoppers interact with displays, merchandise, and your associates. Associates will forget you are there, too so you may catch them doing things you wish you hadn’t, like cutting corners or ignoring customers.

Move to different locations throughout the store and write the important things you observe in your notebook so you can address changes you’d like to make later on.

LISTEN, WATCH & REACT

Listen to your customers. Ask for their opinions. Watch what they do in your store and make changes according to what you find. React by giving them a unique in-store experience they can only get from you. As a result of all of your hard work and research you’ll be able to create a unique in-store experience and a comfortable place where they can dream, be entertained, get lost for a little while, and look forward to their next visit.

Let other stores ignore what their customers think. Not you. The relationship you have with your customers is like any other relationship; it’s based on trust, coupled with your ability to interpret, meet, and even exceed, their changing needs. Knowing your customers, and what they want, will keep your merchandise fresh, your promotions fun, and your sales floor crackling with excitement!

Generations 101

2011-07-24T23:21:00.005-05:00

When did you last take a close look at your customers and make changes in your business based on their needs? Today you work with four very different generations: Generation Z (16 and younger); Millennials (17 – 30); Generation X (31 – 46); and the 50+ Zoomers, a combination of the Baby Boomers (47 – 65), and the group we’ve coined the LOMLOTs (Lots Of Money, Lots Of Time – people of retirement age and better). Each group expects different very things in a service experience, both in-store and on-line. Know what else? What works with one generation is Kryptonite to another. Let’s meet each one:

Generation Z: The Zeds

The kids of Generation Z – “Zeds” for short – are the first 21st Century generation, and although they may resemble the kids of our past, they are very different. The oldest Zeds are 16; the youngest are yet to be born. They come from families with younger parents who want their kids to experience it all – according to all reports, the Zeds will be the most empowered generation ever.

We're seeing an erosion of childhood – this is a generation of little adults. Marketers call it KYOG: Kids Getting Older Younger: Six is the new sixteen. Zeds left the womb knowing how to work a computer/cellphone/iPad and never looked back – they have no past memory of life without technology.

Zeds live on the Internet – they’re highly connected little guys. Kids in grade school create avatars and play on Whyville.net; their older siblings hang out on Facebook. And they all love YouTube. As they grow, expect technology to be important in every area of their lives.

When it comes to service, Zeds are accustomed to being the most important person in the room; smart retailers understand this. Zeds don’t like to be followed around, they hate to be asked if they need help over and over, and they don’t appreciate associates who treat them like, well… kids. What they like is to be welcomed by friendly faces who treat them with respect. Great customer service knows no age.

The Millennials

This is the generation that used to be kids; today the youngest Millennials are still in high school, but their elder statesmen are 30 years old with families of their own. Before the Zeds showed up, the Millennials were said to be the most beloved and doted upon children ever to walk the face of the Earth.

A Millennials world goes 24/7 – this means your store needs a 24/7 presence. What’s your website like? Is it merely a place to get basic information about your product, classes and services or is it a living, breathing ever-changing entity? Millennials like to play, and in fact will spend hours on websites that they enjoy.

Millennials have a “pack” mentality; they tend to do things in groups. Remember when you had to have a date for Homecoming? That’s like, so 1970. Being exposed to so many group activities as little kids has created a generation that likes to hang out together. If your store does not currently offer classes and/or in-store for this age group, it might be a good thing to add. Try a “Girls Night Out” event for moms who need a little time off, and “Mommy/Daddy and Me” classes for parents who want to learn with their kids.

Growing up shopping in stores that catered solely to them has produced a generation that expects personal attention; they seek places that are willing to provide it. They are also brand conscious – the Millennial in perusing your fabric may have a purse from Target but she wants a Louis Vuitton.

Sometimes it seems like Millennials can’t breathe without their cellphones; texting, not talking. They process information quickly and prefer to communicate in sound bites. Fashion your e-mail blasts as “20-second” reads – more photos than copy. Millennials consider e-mail passé, however – and that’s a BIG however, they prefer to receive offers and coupons via e-mail. Unless they specifically sign-up to receive your messages, texting is still just for family and friends. And you’d better be prepared to scan coupons on their cell phones because what’s the point of printing them?

Millennials take technology for granted, spending more time on the Internet than watching TV; in fact, a big percentage of them prefer to watch their favorite shows on-line. Like the Zeds, Millennials grew up on interactive websites and blogs. 96 percent of them are on Facebook. They’ll “like” your page if you offer quality information peppered with cool offers and lots of photos. And if they comment on your wall you need to respond within 24 hours – social medias are meant to act like on-line cocktail parties. Communication goes both ways.

Generation X

Generation X may be the smallest generation, but they are mighty consumers. There are just 40 million of them, so they tend to be under-represented and over-looked by marketers. Big mistake.

Generation Xers are smart, well-educated and savvy consumers. They have money and are quite willing to spend it if they deem your store worthy of their business. They grew up in a time when self-service was king: standing on line at Walmart and K-Mart was a cool, new shopping experience. Now when they discover personal service they embrace it.

Unlike Baby Boomers who live to work, Gen Xers work to live; they enjoy spending time with family and friends. They’re in their peak earning years and they’re raising families; two things that make them time-starved and stressed-out. Both parents are over-committed, impatient shoppers who are looking for solutions. And, unlike other generations, Gen Xers are not necessarily brand loyal.

Xers are tech savvy and impatient, independent thinkers. Don’t waste their time with long newsletters or detailed copy – get to the point! In a sales conversation, it’s better to be a partner, than an authority. Xers also rely heavily on the opinions of people they like and respect; on-line review sites like Yelp and TripAdvisor prove that. To attract Xers, your marketing efforts should include customer testimonials – a customer testimonial is 10 to 20 times more believable than what you say about yourself.

50+ Zoomers

People over 50 aren’t old; they’re in the prime of their lives. They’re healthy and happy, and far richer than any other generation that spends money in your store. According to Ken Dychtwald, PhD, founder and president of Age Wave, as the Baby Boomers pass through their middle years, and on to maturity (the oldest Boomers turn 65 this year), several key factors will reshape consumer supply and demand. These factors include a concern about the onset of chronic disease, their desire to postpone physical aging, and entry into new adult life stages.

The good news is that Zoomers consider middle-age to be 55, and don’t even think about calling them “Seniors” until they hit their mid-70s. The bad news is that even thought they don’t feel any older, your store has to be ready to help in areas where they won’t ask for it. Consider the following:

• Product needs to be placed at an easily reachable height. If you have tall fixtures, instruct staff to be on the lookout for customers trying to get at product they can’t reach, and help them accordingly.

• Presbyopia, a disease that affects our ability to see clearly up close, kicks in at around age 40. (Sorry, Gen X!) Zoomers looking at all your fabulous merchandise may be missing key product detail. Why not place a basket of reading glasses in various magnifications at your front counter for use on the honor system?

• Pump up the type size used on signing, brochures, on-line communications, and other point-of-purchase (POP) materials. These materials are designed to help customers make good purchasing decisions when there is no store associate around to help out. If they can’t read the materials, no one wins. You may also want to offer visitors the ability to increase font size on your website should they so desire.

• As we age, it gets harder to adapt to different lighting. This makes it tough for anyone to see the merchandise, and tougher still for aging eyes that need more light to see as clearly as younger eyes. Yet, a space that’s too bright can also cause problems. If you’re not sure where you stand lumen-wise, consider calling in a lighting professional to help you out.

• We all love shiny floors, but shiny floors are scary to older customers who do not want to risk a fall on what appears to be a slippery surface. When it comes time to replace your flooring, consider one made from non-slip material.

• Heavy doors are a problem, so are doorknobs. A high percentage of Zoomers will have some sort of arthritis; it’s much easier for them to operate a handle versus a knob.

Making your store comfortable for all generations means throwing away the stereotypes. And it requires more than a “build it and they will come” mentality. Today’s consumers prefer to do business with retailers who create and nourish collaborative customer experiences. In other words, they want to be as important to your store as you are to them. Isn’t that what you want, too?

What is a Trade Show? Fresh insight from Nancy Nally

2011-07-13T10:29:00.004-05:00

We all know the importance of trade shows, but have you ever really stopped to analyze what they really mean to your business? Scrapbook Update's Nancy Nally puts it all in to perspective. Great info, regardless of your industry!

What is a Trade Show? by Nancy Nally

Scrapbook Update has been receiving a campaign of emails and tweets encouraging us to write about and promote an upcoming “virtual trade show” event in the scrapbook industry. We will not be doing so, and I am here now as editor to explain why.

It is tempting, as society is taken over by technology, to think that everything can be replaced and even made better by technology. That is not always the case. To learn why that is not the case with a trade show, you have to first consider: What is a trade show?

A trade show is not a shopping mall.

A trade show is not a place for buyers to run through with list in hand, checking off items and getting in and out as fast as possible like a frantic last-minute holiday shopper with presents still to wrap and dinner to cook.

There are many different ways for crafts industry buyers to view and order products: reps, distributors, buying groups, vendor websites. A trade show (in any format) simply isn’t necessary just to facilitate actual commerce transactions like it was 20 years ago. The limited perception of trade-show-as-shopping-mall sets everyone involved up for failure, because it then colors the choices that the participants (both vendors and buyers) make on-site about how to spend their time and how to spend their resources. Ultimately, the tight focus on buying and selling – which all involve recognize can be completed other ways – leaves everyone afterwards feeling unfulfilled and wondering what the point of the event was.

So if the point of a trade show is not buying and selling, what is it?

A trade show is about people, about relationships, about sharing the knowledge that is inside all of the attendees’ heads, and about building on all of that together as a group.

The real value of a trade show is in the conversation struck up with a fellow attendee that leads to learning something unexpected that helps your business, or even leads to a relationship that creates a new business. The value of a trade show is in confidential one-on-one conversations (not ones that are broadcast over the internet and even recorded). The value of a trade show is in the booth you only notice because it has attracted a crowd, or the lunch line chat that sends you somewhere you’d never have made time to go. The value of a trade show is in sitting in a class and turning to the person next to you to see what they are doing when you miss something, or being able to get a helpful prompt from a teacher’s assistant. It’s being able to get a quick replacement for a piece of paper that you mess up using, or for a defective class kit item, so that it doesn’t derail your whole class experience.

I could, literally, go on and on about the value in an on-site trade show. It’s there for the taking…if you reach for it. If you ask the questions, look hard at the samples (and notice details), attend the seminars and demos, and notice the people around you and engage them, you create the value and get out of the show experience what you put into it. The value of a trade show is in…presence. It is spontaneity, interaction, and physically touching items. The value of a trade show is in the unexpected, the unplanned.

And despite my statements about them not being shopping malls, the internet hasn’t made trade shows completely redundant for purchasing craft products. Anyone who has ever shopped online knows that color display on a computer is very inaccurate. Seeing a product in person is the only real way to know its true color, and lots of other details like paper weight and texture don’t convey well online either. Just watching a demo of a tool is very different from having the demonstrator hand it you and say “try it!”. Getting touchy-feely with product definitely has its advantages.

Believe it or not, I learned this value of in-person events in an ironic place that you might least expect: the tech world. While it might seem that the technology industry, where people are quick to adopt and become heavy users of new technologies, would be first to abandon the concept of ”old school” in-person events, I found the exact opposite to be true. That industry downright treasures the handshake, understanding the value of sitting down over a cup of coffee to bat ideas around or share information, or of a group discussion in a seminar room.

That’s not to say that the tech industry is a trade show dinosaur. Instead, they’ve adapted their events to the new modern era. Their few “old school” style trade shows with aisles of booth displays aren’t put on for buyers as much as for marketing to press, to create word-of-mouth marketing, and to provide education to the industry’s top echelon of participants. In many instances the products on display are prototypes that aren’t even going to be on sale in the near future. (For a comparison in the crafts industry, reference what Craftwell did by exhibiting at several CHA shows before the release of the e-craft machine). The majority of the tech industry’s events are conference-style, focusing on seminars and speeches and roundtable discussions. The focus is on ideas and making connections, not on commerce.

One of my favorite tech events, Photoshop World, is a kind of hybrid of the old and new formats. Staged to educate professional photographers and designers about Adobe’s Photoshop and Lightroom products and help improve their photography skills, the event includes both a vendor floor and a heavy concentration on classroom sessions. However – unlike most such traditional events – the classroom sessions and the vendor floor do not take place at the same time. The classroom sessions take place in the morning and evening, and the vendor floor is open in the afternoon. This way, vendors can attend the sessions themselves, and do not have to compete with the sessions for the attention of the attendees. I’ve found it greatly enhances my event experience to not feel pulled in multiple directions – do I attend this session, or see more of the vendor floor?

Trade-show-as-shopping-mall was the 20th century way of doing business. We all need to start taking on the 21st century perspective on doing business at shows, an emphasis on people. The Craft & Hobby Association has begun to make that shift in its format and offerings this year with the introduction of the conference format, but ultimately, the change in philosophy has to take root in the psyche of the show attendees for it to be successful. We all have to decide what it is that we want out of the experience. Are we willing to settle for a shopping mall? Or do we want the chance to learn, to create opportunity, and work to take our businesses to the next level? Do we want the opportunity to really do business? Or do we want to sit on our couches and shop over the internet?

One last thing…if you think you aren’t interested in “doing business”, that you are content to stay quietly at home and do your shopping and watch a few seminars online, there is something that you need to remember. It is innovation and new ideas and change and cooperation – people – that keep an industry developing and healthy. If everyone stays home, none of those things happen, leading to stagnation and decline in the industry. If people do come together and build something, and you weren’t part of the building of it, you will soon be left behind.

Simply put: Getting a group of people from an industry together in one place to discuss and do business cannot be replaced by a series of video broadcasts. Face-to-face meetings are critical not only to the development of individual businesses, but to the health of the industry as a whole.

Thinking in this new way about trade shows requires stepping outside our comfort zones for most of us. It requires undoing years or even decades of lessons about what a trade show is and how a successful one works. We have to stop thinking about trade shows in terms of dollars of product bought and sold. We have to start judging them in terms of things like the cementing of customer relationships, advancing marketing goals, professional education, and building networks. We need to stop thinking in terms of the quantity of the attendees and focus on the quality of the attendees and the quality of our interactions with them.

Take responsibility for your business’s future and your industry’s future. Don’t do the usual. Challenge yourself to step outside your comfort zone and make your trade show experience something that is productive for you and your business.

Nancy Nally is the founder & editor of Scrapbook Update and the owner of Balalaberry Media LLC. She's also the co-host of the popular Paperclipping Roundtable podcast, and the Modern Business columnist for Creative Retailer magazine. Her self-paced class "Pro Press Releases" is currently available from Big Picture Classes.

When Problems Arise, Fix the Problem AND the Customer!

2011-06-26T13:11:00.004-05:00

We began 2011 with a two week trip to the West coast. Two days away from home can be a nightmare if the hotel is less than satisfactory, two weeks can drive you insane. In our 21 years on the road we’ve seen it all, but shabby hotel rooms are easy to fix: we just ask for new rooms. Getting past the warden at the front desk isn’t always as easy. Case in point:

We arrived at our Las Vegas hotel after 11:00 PM and the lobby was packed with people waiting checking in. There were two associates working the front desk and another associate working the VIP line. We spend a lot of time in Las Vegas, so much time that one hotel group was kind enough to give us special cards that give us VIP guest privileges, so we headed over to that line.

When it was our turn, the young lady behind the counter asked our names and typed them into her computer. Then she pointed to the z-line packed with people and said in a voice dripping with sarcasm, “You’re in the wrong line. You belong over there with those people.” We told her we were cool and gave her our VIP cards. She spent the next five minutes glaring at us and clicking on her keyboard doing her best to prove us wrong. While she clicked around she’d occasionally look up to say something special like, “It’s late. We don’t have any more king rooms.” and “It doesn’t matter what your reservation says, it’s late.” After 15 minutes she slapped the keys to our rooms on the counter and said, “Next.”

The rooms she gave us VIP’s were on the sixth floor. We’d stayed at this hotel plenty of times so we knew the sixth floor had an up close and personal view of the air conditioning units. Okay for one night, not so good for five, so we asked if we could move to king rooms on a higher floor in the morning. More clicking, no eye contact. The conversation moved to a new level of contempt when the associate sneered, “I don’t know. You’ll have to come down to the desk after noon tomorrow and see if anything is available.”

Georganne: “We can’t call? We have to come down to the front desk?”

Hotel Associate: “Yes.”

G: “Okaaay. Will someone help us move our stuff to our new rooms?”

HA: “No, we don’t do that. We cannot be expected to pack your things and move them to another room for you. You have to do that yourself.”

Ask Rich what he was thinking right about now and he’ll tell you he was looking for cover. Georganne can take a lot of things, but heavy get-out-of-my-face-you-pain-in-the-shorts-customer sarcasm from a service provider isn’t one of them.

Georganne said, “We do not expect you to pack our things. We asked if you could send a bellman up with the new keys to give us a hand moving our luggage.” The associate opened her mouth to drop the next little toad, but we’d already collected our things and left before she had a chance to answer.

We were right about the rooms. The hotel associate had to dig deep to find the two worst rooms in the entire hotel, but she managed to find them. The first thing we did was call the front desk, explain that we wanted to change rooms in the morning, and ask the (different) associate if he could block two rooms for us. “No problem,” he said. “Consider it done! I’ll have someone call as soon as your new rooms are ready. Will you need assistance moving?” Finally! A breath of fresh air!

The next thing we did was leave a detailed voice mail message for the hotel manager, explaining what had just transpired at his VIP Guest check-in. Long story short, the front desk manager called bright and early the next day to apologize. He said everything was taken care of, we’d get a call when our new rooms were ready and a bellman would meet us with keys and help move our luggage. And then he mentioned how much he appreciated our business, and our taking the time to let him know what had happened. And he upgraded us to sweet rooms overlooking the Las Vegas Strip. In other words, he fixed the problem AND the customer. He made sure that the room situation was taken care of, and then he upgraded us to soothe our feelings – a smart move because today unhappy customers tell more then their closest friends. They tell the world on the Internet and social media sites.

Every day you will meet customers who are cheesed off at the world – sometimes they direct their frustrations at you. And sometimes, even the best customer service training fails and someone on your team drops the ball. Even when it’s unintentional, you still need to do what you can to make a bad situation better. Here’s how:

1. Let the customer talk!

Maybe the customer has a problem that you can fix in under a minute. Don’t do it! Let the customer vent – sometimes they need to blow off steam.

Ever notice that when you’re unhappy about something you have a tendency to go over it again and again in your mind? Customers do that, too. Many assume that they’re not going to get what they ask for, so they rehearse what they’re going to say over and over and over on the way to your store. By the time he gets there, he’s ready to do battle. If you try to fix the problem without first letting the customer vent, he’s likely to wait for a break in the conversation and begin to tell his story all over again.

Instead of interrupting, offer your hand and introduce yourself. Note the customer’s name and use it – hearing your name tends to have a calming effect. Listen carefully and attentively to the customer’s entire story and don’t interrupt! Stay calm – what you do here sets the tone for the rest of the conversation.

By the way, if the customer is angry it’s always better if the owner or manager handles the situation. Try and get the customer away from other customers. If you have to stay in full view of other shoppers you’d better be prepared to slop some serious customer service sugar to quiet the customer fast. You’re on stage, destined to be a topic of conversation among all who witness what’s going on.

If the customer is abusive say, “I want to help you, but I cannot help you if you continue to speak to me like that.” If the customer calms down you can continue the conversation, but if the customer won’t cooperate, it’s perfectly okay to say, “I really do want to help you, but I need you to calm down. If you do so I can help you now, otherwise we’ll have to do this another time.”

2. Apologize, even if you are not the cause of the problem.

This shows the customer that you are on their side. If you say, “Wow, everyone loves this item. I’ve never heard any complaints about it before.”, the customer hears, “Yeah, right. Ever think about reading the directions?” Instead say, “I’m sorry that you’re upset. Let me see what I can do to make it right.” Or “I’m sorry this happened to you. I understand why you are frustrated.”

3. Ask lots of questions – this will help you decide what to do next.

Asking questions is an indication that you care about the person you’re talking with; they tend to respond more positively. If the customer is upset, ask open-ended questions because they cannot be answered by a simple “yes” or “no”. You might say, “How did you discover this problem?” Open-ended questions require the customer to talk; talking helps the customer to slow down and refocus.

Don’t get ahead of yourself. Stay in the conversation. Smile, make eye contact, and nod as the customer tells his/her story.

4. Ask the customer what she would like you to do for her.

You can’t take it personally – stuff happens. We remember the conversation we overheard between a department store manager and a shopper who had a problem with an expensive blender. The manager wasn’t interested in hearing what the customer had to say, he was too busy reciting the store’s policy of not accepting returns on open boxes. When he took a breath, the customer said the blender was missing a part and she just wanted to exchange it for a new one.

The majority of people who you do business are not unreasonable; they want your help. Ask, “What would you like me to do for you today?” Then tell the customer what you can to help them. Take responsibility: If it’s something you can fix immediately, fix it. If it can’t be taken care of it right away, explain what has to be done, and tell the customer when you’ll get back to her. And make sure that you follow through as promised.

5. Offer a lagniappe.

Here’s where you fix the customer. Offer a lagniappe – a small gift of good will. It doesn’t matter what you offer, it’s the gesture that counts. A $10.00 gift card, a free class, or even an inexpensive gift shows that you really care about the customer. In our case, the front desk manager upgraded our hotel rooms.

6. Follow up!

When you’re not there to personally handle a large or unusual problem it’s always a good idea to follow-up to make sure the customer left the store satisfied. (We received an e-mail from the hotel’s president personally inviting us to stay at her property again.)

Keep a file of what happened, how the situation was handled, and what was done to take care of the customer. This information will be invaluable in future store meetings and training sessions. Our Super Quick Service Response form will help you keep track. Drop us an e-mail for your free copy.

There is no reality, only perception. Your store is what it is perceived to be by your customers and your community, whether you like it or not – those perceptions are built each day on your sales floor, so make sure that every, single person who works for you (on staff or contract worker) understands how you expect them to interact with an unhappy customer.

A Technical Assistance Research Programs Institute (TARP) study found that up to 70 percent of unhappy customers will return to do business with you again, and up to 95 percent will return if you fix the problem quickly. Customers don’t expect you to be perfect, but they do expect your associates to be polite, helpful and accommodating. Taking time to fix things that go wrong is proof that your store is a trusted partner. It’s that trust and your desire to fix the problem and the customer that keeps them coming back for more!