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Bob Phibbs Retail Sales Blog

5 Retail Sales Mistakes That Cost You Business

Having written the book on retail sales, I am often asked what are the biggest mistakes retailers and their employees make.

Before I get to those, I want to make sure you understand that while everyone thinks increasing sales and attracting new business comes from marketing, that’s only part of the solution.

Why? Because your marketing really just gets them to the door, how you actually convert those new shoppers to buyers in your brick and mortar location is all that matters.

And that’s where so many retailers fall down. Hard…

They fall down on the experience a customer has in their retail store. Continue reading 5 Retail Sales Mistakes That Cost You Business »

Top 10 Reasons Luxury Brands Should Avoid Retail Sales Training

Retail sales training may not be the best route to success for high-end, luxury brands.

Some brand managers would argue that their luxury brand salespeople enjoy a different dynamic, one that is not subject to the fundamentals of retail selling.

Here are 10 reasons:

Everyone is Already Familiar with the Brand – With a well-recognized name, you don’t need to have your sales staff push the product; the product will just sell itself. You can dispense with salespeople altogether putting an emphasis on kiosks and iPads so customers can find what they need on their own. Continue reading Top 10 Reasons Luxury Brands Should Avoid Retail Sales Training »

Retail Jobs:10 Things You Need To Know To Get And Keep

Whether they’re looking for a retail sales job for the summer, a second job, or a new career, many people turn to jobs in retail while they look for other opportunities.

Retail can be the best job for anyone – from college-age to past retirement – to develop their people skills. If you choose a job in retail, you have to be willing to be what the employer wants.

In my day, you didn’t have to know anything to be hired or to stay in retail. It didn’t matter then, but it certainly matters now.

Why?

It’s still true that retailers recognize that some employees may be short-term but they still demand an honest day’s work for an honest day’s pay. But now the retail world is much more competitive now than ever before.

If you are looking for a job in retail, or if are already working there, you need to understand you can’t get away with being just a warm body any more. You need to see what you can give rather than get from your retail job. Continue reading Retail Jobs:10 Things You Need To Know To Get And Keep »

Retailers: Meditation Provides You A Key To More Sales

I used to pride myself on how busy I was when I worked retail. Four Cokes, a couple of iced teas, and a couple of sugary snacks kept me pumping sales. I was the bomb.

I kept this up for most of my professional life, whether I was speaking in front of thousands of retailers, counseling a franchisee, or doing a business makeover – activity meant productivity.

And then one day…

I was driving home. There was a large SUV in front of me stopped for no apparent reason. I waited. It seemed as if the driver was talking to someone on the curb. In a hurry to get home, I was about to angrily floor it and go around when…

I noticed her… Continue reading Retailers: Meditation Provides You A Key To More Sales »

Why Retailers Should Support The Marketplace Fairness Act

Marketplace Fairness Act

This post is the result of a retailer note on the Retail Doc Facebook page: “I’m having a difficult time understanding where your support for this is coming from and what that belief is rooted in. I respect you in so many ways…I just don’t get it.”

The Marketplace Fairness Act has just been approved by the U.S. Senate by a 69-27 vote and is on it’s way to the House of Representatives where the debate is bound to get ugly. In the circus atmosphere of a polarized Congress, where you are either a savior of the people or the devil himself, I expect a lot of sermons from both sides.

What it is

The Marketplace Fairness Act will authorize online retail sellers not qualifying for a small-seller exemption (under $1 million in online revenues) to collect and remit sales and use taxes for other states.

Why some oppose it

Some feel this undermines an individual state’s rights by making them collect taxes for another state. Some feel it is a new tax. Some feel it will be a nightmare to track the various state and local taxes and the Act will place an undue burden on small businesses. Some feel it undermines a state’s competitive advantage because they have lower or no sales taxes, which draws customers. Continue reading Why Retailers Should Support The Marketplace Fairness Act »