Training You to Excel
I love this book!
If you operate a retail business, regardless of size or industry, you need to buy this book – now! In my opinion, it is the most practical and tactical business book for retailers who want to learn how to attract and retain customers. For every concept covered, Bob & Susan Negen provide both “Low-Tech Tactics” and “High-Tech Tactics” for the retailer to implement. Continue reading “Book Review: Marketing Your Retail Store – In the Internet Age” »
“It is the recipient who communicates. The so-called communicator, the person who emits the communication, does not communicate. He utters. Unless there is someone who hears, there is no communication. There is only noise.”
– Peter Drucker
Ah, but what exquisite noise! Continue reading “If a Violinist Performs in a Metro Station and No One Hears …” »
Last week’s headline screamed, “Circuit City to Cut More Than 3,500 Store and IT Jobs, Cut Wages!” The opening paragraph of the AP Report says it all – “…implying that its wages are as subject to discounts as its flat-screen TVs.”
Except, that its (former) employees do not come with a “money-back” guarantee or any “extended warranties.”
“Performance feedback is not a synonym for criticism. It can be delivered without demoralizing the employee or breeding defensiveness.”
– DeAnne Rosenberg, Management Consultant
Last week, I had the opportunity to participate in a three-day workshop that helped me to assess and improve my communication skills. Prior to the workshop, I had a pretty high opinion of my presentation skills. Who was judging me? Certainly I was. And so was my audience. My evaluation sheets always showed very high marks. And yet, I felt that something was missing – that I could improve my delivery. But I couldn’t do it on my own. My ego wouldn’t allow it and I could not accurately critique myself. I needed a dispassionate observer – I needed a coach!
“If skills could be acquired just by watching, every dog would be a butcher.”
– Turkish proverb
Here is another “take-away” from the professional association conference that I attended last week in Tucson, AZ. Several of the sessions were devoted to establishing and maintaining your “Corporate Culture.” In the world of music products retailing, no one does this better than George Hines, the President of George’s Music – an eleven-store chain with locations in both Pennsylvania and Florida. George presented a session titled, “Company Culture & Success in an Ever-Changing Industry.”
“People today are saying, ‘teach me, grow me, and if you won’t teach me and grow me I’ll go someplace else.'”
– Sharon Jordan-Evans, Executive Coach
One of the themes at the conference I attended last week was “The Engaged Employee.” Jackie Freiberg, co-author of the business book best-seller “Guts!,” was the keynote speaker. She taught us how to “Blow the Doors Off Service-as-Usual.” The essence of the talk was that you will never be able to provide extraordinary service to your “external” customers (the ones whose business allows you to pay the bills) until you start to grow, teach and empower your “internal” customers (the ones who do the work.)
Employers who are unable or unwilling to “grow, teach and empower” their employees can not remain competitive in the marketplace. Both customers and your workforce demand that you do so. It is expected. They must be “engaged” with you and your business. Otherwise …, as the opening quote states, “(they) will go someplace else.”
Continue reading “An Engaged Workforce Delivers Extraordinary Results” »
I just returned from a week of meetings, educational sessions, networking and fun! I was attending they annual National Association of School Music Dealers Association (NASMD) convention in Tucson, AZ. For all those who attended it was a worthwhile investment – time spent working on your business. Taking time away from working in your business in order to learn – from peers and professionals – how to do a better job running your own business.
I had a very pleasant experience yesterday – at a Gas Station, of all places! When is the last time that you ever pulled into a full-service pump? Rarely, I am sure. Like most of us, you probably couldn’t afford to pay that premium price per gallon.
So imagine my surprise – shock, actually – when I saw two service attendant rush out to my car when I pulled up to the pump! I quickly said, “Oh, I must be at the wrong pump, I want self-service.” One attendant said, “No, you ARE at the self-serve pump, but would you like us to check your oil, water and tire pressure?”
By the time I recovered my composure, I saw that the other attendant was washing my windows. Gosh … I haven’t experienced this level of service at a gas station since the price per gallon was well-below $1.00.
Why were they offering this premium service at the discounted price? “Because it is our pleasure, sir!”
Expect the unexpected!
Now, this particular Gas Station is one of several along along side Interstate 5 in Oceanside, CA. The station next door is undergoing a renovation – so the closest competitor, isn’t – for now. So why are they offering such great service now? When they don’t have to.
Simple! Great service is a mind-set. It is an attitude. It is a habit. You can’t just turn it off and on when competitive pressures build or let up. Companies who deliver great service do so consistently. It is their DNA. They work hard at it. Yes, they train their employees to deliver great service. But, more important – they live great service. Their actions – how they treat their customers, how they behave when no one is observing – that is the model. A model for success.
You can bet that the next time I am down in Oceanside, CA I will choose the Gas Station that gave me the great service yesterday. I want to reciprocate – I want to give back in return. And return I will, again and again!
And I will tell others to patronize this gas station – they have earned my referral. They deserve the business!
“You're not recruiting people just to do tasks. You're recruiting people to engage and maintain relationships.”
– Tom Wilzius, Management Consultant
As a traditional retail store, your competitive advantage is your ability to establish and nurture strong relationships with your best customers. In order to be successful in building these relationships, you and your staff need to change your perspective from being “product-focused” to becoming “customer-focused.” Here is a great tactic to get you moving in that direction:
1) On a regular basis, have each staff member in your department pick out a particular product (or small list of products) that they like – and would recommend to others.
2) In you store, set aside a display area where you stack the products (for sale) and prominently feature the staff member- a short bio – and their written recommendation – why I like this book or gadget, and why I think that you will too. Make it attractive – but be sure that it is “personal.” This is the key. You are not promoting a “product of the month” – that is a “product-focused” attitude. Rather, you are starting to view your store from a “customer-focused” viewpoint. The point being, that a personal recommendation is a powerful sales influcencer.
I have been reminded of this marketing tip twice in the past few days. Yesterday, I received my monthly e-newsletter from Rhonda Adams of The Planning Shop. She mentioned that her best selling book, “Business Plan in a Day,” is featured on a special “staff selection” table at all Borders Bookstores from now until April 12.
This tactic works – trust me. Last month, I went into a Borders Bookstore and purchased 4 of the 8 “staff selections” in the business book department. Who has the time to search through hundred or thousands of titles? We welcome a recommendation from a trusted adviser. I admit, I did not develop a personal relationship with any of the staff at this particular Borders store – they are simply too large an enterprise for this to happen. But … for you, The Independent Retailer who has a local customer base, this is a “golden opportunity” to try out!
The other reminder of how effective this “staff selection” tactic is came from Bob & Sue Negen's terrific new book, “Marketing Your Retail Store in the Internet Age.” They recommend that you put these “staff selections” on a prominent page on your website. This is especially appealing to a small retail business – don't try to list every possible product available (in your store or in the catalog) on your website. Just list – and sell! – a few featured items. And be sure that your say “Our staff recommends.” Possibly an even more effective headline would be, “Our customers recommend.” In either case, be sure to write out the reasons why they like – and recommend – the products.
To illustrate the difference in positioning, compare these two headlines:
“On Sale This Month!”
“Our Customers Recommend!”
The first headline implies that YOU want to move these products. Perhaps you got a great deal on them or maybe they have been sitting on your shelf for too long. But the message that you convey is “I, I, I” or “We, We, We.” In the second headline the message implied is “people – just like you – have purchased these products and they think that you will like them also, because…”
Which is the more effective approach? Which one is “customer-focused?” Which will generate more sales and excitement?
Try it! Write me and let me know if this works in your store – danny@thecompanyrocks.com
Here's a short story from a terrific new book, “Marketing Your Retail Store in the Internet Age,” by Bob & Susan Negen:
“Bob recently spoke to a musician who told him about the store where he bought his first drum set. He went on to become a professional musician and of course bought more drums, sticks, and all the other accoutrements of a professional drummer. One day he went into the store and although the owners greeted him by name, they never left the work they were doing to help him. He left, went to the music store down the street, and never went back.
His statement was, 'They acted like they didn't care. They knew I was going to buy something, so they didn't bother helping me.' Not only did they lose a good customer, but their competition down the road gained a great new customer.”
Have you ever done that? If you run a business, do you simply take your customers for granted? Does your store have this mindset, “Where else are they going to go? We have the best (selection, prices, etc.) He's going to buy it anyway.”
Let's turn the perspective around. When you are shopping, how do you feel when a store's employees ignore you? Doesn't it drive you crazy when you see store staff chatting on the phone or performing clerical duties while you try desperately to get their attention and assistance? That behavior irritates me. At best it leaves a sour taste in my mouth. At worst, I abandon my shopping – in that store – and go somewhere else to find it.
We are witnessing Divorce: Retail Style.
At the very least it is abandonment. At the worst, it is a messy divorce where the aggravated party makes headlines and tells everyone how your store stinks and that the people who work there are creeps.
Don't let this happen to you. Don't take your customer relationships for granted. If you do… they will cease or break.
Customers have choices. And in the Internet Age, they have a world of choices. Their choices come in all colors and sizes and at multiple price points. Romance your core customers. Keep the relationship fresh. Keep them coming back to your store for life. Give them reasons to prefer to shop at your store. Don't let your relationship with your customers grow stale.
I can't find the source, but I remember reading a definition of a relationship. It stuck with me and I use this quite often during my training and speaking engagements:
“A relationship is initiated by similarities. It is built on common interests. But it can only be sustained through a mutual benefit.”
When the relationship becomes one-sided… When a mutual benefit no longer exists… the relationship is terminated.
Sam Walton – the founder of Wal-Mart – was guided by this philosophy:
“There is only one boss – the customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money somewhere else.”
