“Coupons were a drug,” - Ron Johnson, JC Penney CEO
Beginning over ten years ago I was the lone voice saying coupons don’t work to market a profitable retail business in my first book, You Can Compete.
When Groupon and the rest came in a couple years ago, I shouted even louder.
Still a lone voice.
But were my fans listening?
Sadly, not all of them. Continue reading Marketing With Coupons: Do You Need a JC Penney Drug Intervention? »
Independent retailers are the heart and soul of retail in America. The National Retail Federation says retail is responsible for one out of nearly every four jobs in the US.
From the local florist to the hardware store to the funky boutique started by a Project Runway wannabe, retail remains the heart of the American economy. Continue reading 25 Ways Independent Retailers Hobble Their Own Success »
A lot has been written about all the ways you can get buzz for your business – from putting discounts on your Facebook fan page, to reaching out to mommy bloggers, to offering Groupons.
You don’t get buzz by being Santa Claus with your marketing dollars.
The way you get buzz, buzz that is sustainable and leads to higher profits, is to be a business worthy of buzz.
That means you have to earn it.
When I am asked by consultants what it takes to create a successful practice, I always tell them they need to “hit it out of the park” because that is what happened to me when I worked with one of my first clients, Polly’s Gourmet Coffee. This is their story. Continue reading Marketing: Creating Buzz for your Small Business [Case Study] »
Randy, a friend of mine shared a story with me that might resonate with you about mixing up your sales process.
He was in a high-end retail shop and spotted a white shirt to try it on. He came out of the dressing room and the salesperson said, “Wow, that shirt looks great on you.” Randy took notice, felt good at being complimented on his choice, picked up another and returned to the dressing room.
He came out, stood in front of the mirror and the salesman again said, “Wow, you look great in that shirt.” At first he thought, wow, two in a row.
Then he saw a woman come out of the dressing room next to his and the salesman said… wait for it… “Wow you look great in that.”
Randy returned to the dressing room, removed the shirt and left with nothing.
My Take
You can see from one aspect that the salesman was doing a great job of complimenting the customer. He aced his training and if there were no one else in the store, he might – might – have gotten away with it.
But the fact is, he didn’t. Why?
One of three reasons:
That’s a shame because the concept was right, just the implementation.
As you know, I train the Five Parts to a Successful Sale in my speeches, on my DVDs and in my book.
One of the parts I like to be the same is “Good morning, good afternoon or good evening.” I think it sets the stage that it is different than the rest of stores who are silent or can only say, “Can I help you?” It could be changed up I suppose but then I might just get, “How’s it hangin’ dude?” or “How are you today?”
Both of which are unacceptable.
The reason so many people struggle with retail sales training is that much of it is created like we were writing computer code, “If this… then do this.” The reality is you can’t script every interaction perfectly. That’s why you also need to hire people who can be trained to a higher level of education.
As you train someone, you have to educate them on the why you want it done a certain way.
Not because “I told you so,” but that it makes a better experience for the customer. Once they understand your goal is to honestly help customers choose from your merchandise, you’ll never hear the same thing when the customer comes out of the dressing room because every customer is different.
Training is only the first step, high sales come from educating.
I’ve worked in retail for most of my life.
That includes my first job as a janitor, then a regional manager all the way up to corporate VP and now as the Retail Doctor.
Throughout my career I’ve always heard merchants saying, “They come into my store and get all the information, and then go somewhere else to buy it.”
As a retail consultant, those responses used to infuriate me; it sounded like a losers limp. I felt it was an excuse for them not doing better because they miraculously “knew” their customers were at a competitor’s. Continue reading Is It Time To Start Charging Customers For Browsing? »
