Retail Contrarian

“What else?” your way to an even better and more productive experience

The difference between a bad, an okay, and a great store experience lies in whether or not a company falls short, meets, or exceeds its customer's expectations. Most stores deliver only an okay experience, because they're focused on (at best) meeting the customer's expectations.

If we want to meet and, preferably, exceed a customer’s expectations, it’s necessary to proactively find ways to exceed those expectations. The challenge is that we don't always know what those expectations are. We can make an educated assumption based on what most people expect when shopping in a store, but that doesn't address each customer's personal expectations.

Here are two simple questions you can use to exceed your customer's expectations and sell more products. Ask yourself while engaging with every customer:

1. "What else can I DO?" With this question you are looking for opportunities to exceed your customer’s expectation that might not be immediately apparent.

You might ask yourself:

* "What else can I do to make my customer feel welcome or appreciated?"

* "What else can I do to make this customer's first visit even more special?"

* "What else can I do make this customer's birthday a great experience?"

* "What else can I do to turn this disappointed customer into a huge fan?"

2. "What else can I SHOW?" This question confirms that we will seek additional opportunities to show the customer products he/she may like and that may enhance their lives. It's also is a great way to not stop the sale.

You might ask yourself:

* "What else can I show that will go with this necklace?"

* "What else can I show that will make this project easier?"

* "What else can I show that will make my customer's vacation more special?"

* "What else can I show that my customer hasn't seen before?"

Here are some ways to put “What else?” into action. 

1. Role-play scenarios using these two question with your manager or a colleague. Ask the question and answer out loud so others can give you feedback on your thought process.

2. Use both questions with every customer today. Learning something doesn’t impact your business. Applying what you learned does.

3. Share with your manager at least three examples of what else you did and showed to your customer.

4. For the next week, have the entire team write down what else they do/show when working with customers, and then share their lists at the next staff meeting. This is a great way for everyone to learn from each other.

As simple as these two little questions sound, the action of asking - and then following through on the answer – will have a HUGE impact on your customer's experience and your store results.

What else can I say but have a great week!

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Doug Fleener, a proven retail and customer experience expert and consultant, helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit the Dynamic Experiences Group website, or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create an extraordinary experience and results.

Father's Day outlook and ideas

According to the National Retail Federation's 2013 Father's Day survey, shoppers will spend more than ever this Father's Day. The average gift giver will spend $119.84 on dear old dad, and total spending is expected to reach $13.3 billion. Surely you can get a piece of that

Obviously, there will be many potential Father's Day buyers out this week. Even though you may not be a store that completely targets men, most stores can capture some incremental Father’s Day sales by simply making it a focus it this weekend.

Here are some tips and things you can do over the next few days to do just that.

1. Find out if a customer needs help finding a Father's Day gift - or something special for him/herself. This not only assumes the person is coming in to make a purchase, it brings Father's Day front and center. It also gets around the awkward moment when you bring up Father's Day and the customer has lost his/her father.

Here’s the opportunity. Over 50% of consumers will be buying a gift for dad, but almost 30% will buy a gift for his/her spouse. And if they say "neither" you can follow-up with something like, "Well, after you see all the wonderful items we have I hope you change your mind."

2. Create a special shopping event for children this weekend. The story behind the gift is just as important as the gift itself, and by creating a special event and promoting it to your customers your customer will have a wonderful story to tell, and you'll capture some incremental Father's Day business.

Essentially, make it a kid's party. Serve the kids food and drinks, play some games, and have special helpers available to help the kids pick out dad's gift. You can also have tables set up for making cards and for wrapping the gift.

3. Set up card making and giftwrap tables. If the event I just described is more than you want to do, at least have stations where kids can make their own Father's Day card to go along with their purchases; you can also have them help wrap the gift. I saw this done at Nordstrom during Mother's Day and thought it was a great way to make shopping for dad or mom a more memorable experience.

4. Identify and highlight your top Father's Day products.  Many stores that don't think of themselves as a Father's Day store in reality carry plenty of nice items that dad would like.  A toy store can highlight dad's favorite games or water guns.  A boutique can feature men's belts.  Hardware stores could put the spotlight on gardening and grill tools.

5. Share the features/benefits and the story behind your products. Guys love features and benefits, and they especially like hearing what makes a product special or unique. Share the information with the buyer in such a way that she will then make sure the recipient hears it, too. "Make sure you tell him that these belts are made from the hides of cows that listened to Led Zeppelin 24-7" or "He'll love the fact that this watch syncs up with the Zurich atomic clock every sixty seconds."

6. Promote gift ideas via social media and/or newsletter. Post gift ideas on Facebook twice daily. Be sure and space your posts, one in the morning and the other in afternoon or evening.

7. Last but not least, always suggest a gift card for dad. It's a great solution if the gift buyer can't find that perfect gift, but it's also a wonderful sell-on for a little something extra. And doesn't dad deserve a little extra?

So let me ask, are you and your team ready to maximize Father's Day?

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Doug Fleener, a proven retail and customer experience expert and consultant, helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit the Dynamic Experiences Group website, or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create an extraordinary experience and results.

Avoiding self-sabotage

Last year the Harvard Business Review shared advice on how not to sabotage yourself and your projects. The suggestions are:

1. Watch for the warning signs. These include holding back, generating lists of excuses, or excessively focusing on potential obstacles.

2. Articulate goals, not excuses. Use "what-if" and "if-only" to help generate ideas about how you might remove obstacles.

3. Manage your negative emotions. When faced with obstacles (and there are always obstacles), you're likely to feel disappointment or even anger. Be kind to yourself (and to those around you) as you work through the negative emotions. Focus on what is within your power to change.

The article got me thinking about how owners and managers sometimes inadvertently sabotage themselves and their results.  I’ll add the following to what HBR suggested.

1. Don't undermine your own priorities. All of us talk about how customers, and the customer experience, is always the first priority, but we sometimes say things like:

"Customers are a pain." I worked for a manager who would say this right after telling us to go out and wow them. Got it, boss! 

"That guy was wasting my time."But isn't your customer your highest priority?

"I got stuck with a customer." I thought we wanted to work with customers. Saying you were "challenged to break away" keeps you from slipping into sabotage.

  "I hope you're not too busy to get everything done." Isn't being busy with customers a good thing?

I know that most of these statements can be said with good intentions, but they can also undermine.

2. Focus on what you can control, not what you can't. The minute you talk about why you could fail, there's a good chance you're going to fail. 

One retailer says, "The road construction is going to kill us this summer.”

The other says, "With the road construction starting we’re going to need to do more events and maybe more Facebook specials.” 

It's okay to explain why things happen, but simply blaming outside forces doesn't change anything.

3. Not being direct enough. I've talked about this a few times. We often sabotage ourselves by not telling people what we want or need from them. We do this because we're fearful of upsetting someone, but then we get upset when people don't do what we need or want. Which inevitably upsets the other person! 

Instead of saying, "You should avoid talking to another employee when you're ringing up a sale."

Try, "Please don't talk to another employee when ringing up a sale unless it’s an emergency. We need to give each customer our undivided attention.” Done! 

4. Don't speak negatively of a vendor or products. Your staff needs to have confidence in the brands and products they sell, and they can't do that if you're negative about them. Negative comments lead to lower results. As your mother probably said, if you don't have anything nice to say, don't say anything at all.

5. Plan to succeed, not fail. Words matter. The team can try to hit their sales goal, or they can plan to hit their sales goal. You can do an event and hope people come, or you can plan an event that you know people will attend. 

While I'm sure you rarely sabotage yourself, any of us can unknowingly start to slip down that slippery slope every now and again. The key is to catch yourself when it happens. You might also ask someone else on your management team to tell if you they start to hear sabotage from you or other members of the team.

Have a great week. I know you will.

By the way, I will have some exciting new developmental programs to tell you about soon. In the meantime, there a few spots left in my next coaching program.  If you’d like to join us call me at 781-861-7803.

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Doug Fleener, a proven retail and customer experience expert and consultant, helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit the Dynamic Experiences Group website, or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create an extraordinary experience and results.

The leader's tone

I learn so much while teaching my Extraordinary Coach and Developing a Winning Team program. One thing I’ve learned is how leaders use different tones in their communications with their team. 

A leader's tone directly impacts the staff's morale and performance, and indirectly impacts the customer experience and store results. "Tone" can be the difference between an employee being open to learning and developing, or closed off and defensive.

Let me give you an example. One manager might say to an employee, "Why didn't you show the gold widget before showing the silver one? You know that's the rule!" Another might say, "I noticed that you showed the silver widget before the gold one, and I was wondering if there was a reason why."

While both managers are focused on getting the employee to show gold widgets first, the first manager's tone is more accusatory, and the second manager is stating what he saw and is looking to better understand why it happened.

Most of us believe that we don't use the tone of the first example, and that's probably true, but I think any of us can inadvertently use the wrong tone with someone when we're tired or frustrated.

Here are three tips to keep your tone positive, which will motivate and inspire your team.

1. Keep your comments focused on people's behaviors and actions, not on the person him/herself. That's the major difference in the two examples above. The first manager's comments were focused as much on the person as the behavior. In my retail coaching program we talk about giving feedback only on what we can see and hear.

2. Don't include how you feel unless that needs to be an important part of your message. Our feelings determine our tone as much as anything else. When we're feeling good about things our tone is usually positive and upbeat. When we're angry and frustrated our tone usually reveals that. The challenge is that those feelings and negative tone becomes a barrier to making changes and improvement in our employees. The moment our staff thinks we are criticizing them personally they will become defensive or shut down. Either way, they won't hear what they need to hear to improve.

Our feelings only need to become part of the message when we're talking about how happy or proud we are, or if we're addressing a situation we've already talked about with the employee numerous times.

In our example we might say, "I noticed that you showed the silver widget before the gold one again. I'm feeling frustrated that we've talked about this three times this week and I haven't seen any changes." Note how the manager's feelings became part of the message but still didn't create a negative tone.

3. Concentrate your message on ways the employee can improve. When a manager is always emphasizing what an employee does wrong, the tone can't help but go south. At the very least it will be interpreted as a negative. By remaining focused on what the employee can do differently or better, you absolutely set a more positive tone.

So let me ask, what kind of tone do your messages have? 

- Doug

Note: These are just three of the many things you’ll learn in my four week coaching program. More important it will improve your tone, your effectiveness as a leader and coach, and ultimately your sales results.

Here’s the short version. This program works, and you want to be a more effective leader and coach. This is the last program before the fall. The cost to participate is $447. Reserve your spot here, or call me at 781-861-7803 to discuss your participation.

You can read the long version here.

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Doug Fleener, a proven retail and customer experience expert and consultant, helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit the Dynamic Experiences Group website, or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create an extraordinary experience and results.

Six ways to rock your Memorial Day weekend

A couple of things before we get into today's article. First, our thoughts and prayers go out to the people of Moore, Oklahoma.

Second, I appreciate all the responses from last week's posting on addressing/coaching behavior and performance issues. As a result of so many inquiries, I am offering a Four Weeks to Extraordinary Coaching class in June. The details are here.  Now, on to Memorial Day opportunities.  (For you non-US stores, most of these ideas will work for you this weekend as well.)

Here are six ways you can create a wildly successful Memorial Day weekend. Consider putting together any combination of them to rock out your holiday sales.

1. Stretch goals!  A great hitter succeeds because she goes to the plate expecting to get a hit.  The same is true for your store.  You're more likely to hit it out of the park this weekend if that's what you're aiming to do.  It also requires the entire team to do those little extras that make the difference between a good and an extraordinary weekend. What do you think? Do you want to stretch it out at least 10% over your current goal?

2. Create a fun holiday atmosphere.  Since just about every store in America will be running sales this weekend, that is not the way to stand out.  Why give away margin just to be like everyone else?  Instead, throw a start-of-summer party that people will remember far beyond this weekend.  As a matter of fact, I would even welcome customers to the "Official Kick-off to Summer Headquarters."   

Of course every party needs food, drinks, music, and fun hosts. No need for anything fancy, but offering snacks and something to drink will keep customers in your store longer, thus increasing your opportunity to make a sale.  

By the way, the biggest benefit of creating a party is how much the staff enjoys doing something different, and how much easier it is to engage the customer. Try it. Believe me, it works.

3. Honor the true meaning of Memorial Day with a sign that conveys your gratitude to those who gave their lives.  It could be something as simple as "Join us in giving thanks for those who gave their lives for our country."  Don't be surprised if this generates a lot of conversation with your customers and your staff.

You can also go red, white, and blue throughout the store. Display flags and group some red, white, and blue products together.  Encourage the staff to wear red, white, and blue the entire three days. You were probably going to do this anyway with your party.

4. Have a weekend drawing; it's a perfect opportunity to collect every customer's contact information to add to your community.  This is especially important if your store is part of a downtown association or center that is having a weekend event.  The prize doesn't have to be anything fancy; it can be something as simple as a Kick-off to Summer $100 Shopping Spree.  Be sure the staff invites every single customer to enter.  Don't ask customers if they want to take part, tell them they want to enter and hand them an entry form.   Do this well and it will result in new customers and additional sales down the road.

5. Run a fun contest for the staff.  Instead of making it all or nothing, offer a prize for each day, with the prizes getting progressively better as the weekend goes.  Even though the sales goals may not follow the same trend, I do this to keep employees engaged and excited throughout the weekend. It’s important to keep in mind that many of your employees are working when their friends and family are enjoying a long weekend away from work or school.

An example of progressive prizes:

Friday:            Entry into a drawing for a prize

Saturday:        $5 mall gift card

Sunday           $10 Starbucks gift card

Monday          $25 cash or in-store staff bucks

6. Last but not least, keep the focus on winning and wowing customers, and maximizing opportunities.  Many of you will see considerably more customers than usual, but even so, never lose sight of the fact that, as specialty retailers, you find success one customer at a time. It's up to YOU - the store leader - to make sure every customer receives the best possible experience, and every employee is putting his/her best foot forward to create success.

So let me ask, are you ready to rock this weekend?  - Doug

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Doug Fleener, a proven retail and customer experience expert and consultant, helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit the Dynamic Experiences Group website, or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create an extraordinary experience and results

Addressing behavior and performance issues

I believe that almost all employees want to do a good job.  And for the most part, they do. Even so, we do from time to time end up with someone who isn’t meeting our expectations.  Here are several ways I see managers and owners address that issue.

* Never say anything to the employee, but silently become more and more frustrated. Nothing like a resentment to turn around an employee’s performance! The employee thinks he’s doing fine, but his manager is getting an ulcer.  People aren’t mind readers.  Managers have to say something if they’re going to improve someone’s performance.

* Complain to others about the employee, but never say anything to the person him/herself. Hey, at least they’re talking about it! Too bad it’s to the wrong people. I’m sure the manager’s spouse, friends, or even his/her dog or cat would appreciate it if the manger stopped talking to them and started actually doing something about the employee.

* Say something to the employee, but sugarcoat it so much the employee thinks they’re doing okay. This happened to me once. When I was in college I was working full-time, going to school full-time, and partying full-time. I was a very busy guy. When my store manager was transferred I was sure I was going to be promoted. When I went in for what I thought was an interview I got fired. Let me tell you, that was a shock! The manager tried to say that he told me my job was in jeopardy, but if he did he so sugarcoated it I never heard what I needed to hear.

The only way to truly address an employee issue is this.

* Meet one-on-one with the employee, and be direct and tactful about his/her behavior or performance. People deserve to hear when they’re failing to meet their manager’s expectations.  They also have the right to know the consequences for failing to change or improve.

Sure, you might be uncomfortable having this conversation, but the alternatives simply don’t work.  Most people who struggle to have these kinds of sit-downs hate confrontation. Well, it’s not confrontation. It’s not about the person at all. It’s about his/her behaviors, actions, or performance that are falling short of what’s required in the job. By meeting and working with the person you’re (hopefully) going to be able to help her improve so she’s able to continue in the role.

But remember, there is a difference between addressing a behavioral issue or one that is about job performance.

A sales or service performance issue does require some time to improve. Chances are the employee needs some additional time and training to be able to get his/her performance to the level that’s required. In that case it might make sense to give the employee 30-60 days to turn it around.

A behavior issue is different. The employee should be expected to change his/her behaviors immediately.  If he doesn’t, he should be on the fast track to a new job somewhere else.

Too often managers aren’t willing to draw that line in the sand. Or they do, but then keep redrawing it further out. I once met a retailer who cut an employee’s hours because she was so miserable to customers and colleagues. Great. Now she only hurt the store ten hours a week instead of twenty!

Another storeowner I know gave an employee thirty days to quit being rude. She should have been given thirty seconds, if that.  Expect people with behavioral issues to change immediately, and if they don’t they should be gone. You might need to document and follow a process, but that doesn’t require a certain amount of time. It requires action on your part.

So let me ask, in which one of these do you see yourself? The good news is that any manager can learn to be direct and tactful. It just requires taking action, and maybe putting yourself in an uncomfortable situation.

By the way, if you struggle to be direct and tactful with your staff you might consider joining the Extraordinary Coach program the next time I offer it. I’ve helped hundreds of owners and mangers not only become comfortable in addressing employee issues, but by becoming better coaches they can often avoid needing to have these meetings altogether.

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Doug Fleener, a proven retail and customer experience expert and consultant, helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit the Dynamic Experiences Group website, or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create an extraordinary experience and results.

Mom’s advice for your management team

In honor of Mother's Day, here's some advice my mother might give if she was part of your management team.

“We get what we expect from people. The worst thing I could have done as a mother is to lower my expectations of my children. Instead, I taught them how to achieve more. As leaders, we should do the same with our staff.”

“I worked well in to my seventies because I loved the people I worked with. As a matter of fact, I still help out there every now and then. The effort you put into building a great team and being a great place to work directly impacts your sales and customer experience.”

“You catch more flies with honey than vinegar. Never underestimate the power of being nice to your staff, your customers, and even your competitors. By the way, you’re still being nice when you expect more from your team.”

"Leave work on time to be with your family. There's always time to do paperwork and other tasks, but you'll never replace the time you missed with your spouse and children."

“Most people’s day doesn’t go as planned because they never had a plan. Invest the first 10-15 minutes of your day mapping out how you and your team will exceed your customer’s expectations and be wildly successful. By the way, that’s not a to-do list. It’s an action list for the staff to put into practice with their customers.”

“Lack of accountability leads to problems at home and in your store. If you tell a teenager to be home by 11pm, but there are no consequences when he doesn’t walk in the door until 11:30, you can be sure that next weekend he won’t be home until midnight - or won’t come home at all.  Accountability is a good thing, especially when it comes to delivering a effective and memorable sales experience.”

“You can’t pick your family, but you can most certainly pick your employees. Hiring is one of the most important things we do to create or impede our success. Your mother probably told you not to be picky about what you eat, but you need to be incredibly picky about who you hire. I like to hire people who really want to work at my store.”

"Chase your dreams.  William James once said that most people never run far enough on their first wind to find out they have a second.  He also said that when you give your dreams all you have, you will be amazed at the energy that comes out of the effort. Are you chasing hard enough?"

"Thank you for reading Doug's Retail Contrarian blog. I had to listen to him for his first 21 years and it just about wore me out.  I appreciate you helping me out."

"Happy Mother's Day."

Signed, Aura (Doug's mother)

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Doug Fleener, a proven retail and customer experience expert and consultant, helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit the Dynamic Experiences Group website, or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create an extraordinary experience and results.

Myth busting

We achieve what we believe. Sometimes that serves us well, and sometimes that holds us back. Here are some of the myths that create barriers to success in stores and other customer-focused businesses.

Myth #1 - I can't make sales goal on slow days.   Granted, it might be a little challenging to make your sales goal when fewer people are walking in the door, but slower traffic also gives the team an opportunity to spend more quality time with customers. All it takes is one good customer to make the day.

Myth busting action: Give your team higher ADS and conversion goals on slower days. "Since it's slow, let's shoot for $125 per sale instead of our average goal of $100." Also, determine what actions will create those results. You might also set some higher expectations on calling customers and other traffic building actions.

Myth #2 - Customers want to be left alone

Customers want to be left alone by employees who don't add value to their experience, or until they've got acclimated to the store. As I've written many times, if the store experience is better with an employee than without, it's up to us to make the customer connection. 

Myth busting action: The ability to engage customers is one of the most undervalued skills in specialty retail. It is something that needs to be practiced every day, and something managers/owners need to coach on. Make it a focus over the course of a week and you'll be amazed by how quickly you can elevate everyone's skills. Of course if the customer wants to shop without our help, that’s fine too.

Myth #3 - It's hard to find good retail help. It's not a myth that hiring good people is difficult. It is a myth that most mangers/owners find good help, because managers/owners aren't actually looking. More often than not managers/owners hire the best of whoever applies for a job, when what they really need to do is go out and discover great people. 

Myth busting action: Always be recruiting. True, that's easier said than done. To make it more actionable, try inviting at least one potential applicant to visit your store every week and give yourself an opportunity to recruit them. (We hate when people recruit in our stores, so we shouldn't directly recruit people at their place of business.)

When that barista or waitress gives you great service, or you meet an interesting and outgoing person at a social event, tell them about your store and invite them to come see you. You'll be amazed at how easy it is to discover good people when you're looking for them.

Myth #4 - Paying individual commission will have a negative effect on the customer experience. It's not individual commission that's the issue; it's the behaviors managers allow to happen. I work with a number of retailers who pay an individual commission, and their businesses deliver some of the best customer experiences in retail.

Myth busting action: If you think individual commission could be a benefit to your business, try testing a two week or month long contests and award prizes to the employees with the highest sales per hour. Pay special attention to unacceptable behavior by more aggressive employees. After that, you might consider moving into paying on individual sales. 

So let me ask, what myth busting will create more success in your store/business? Remember, we achieve what we believe.

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Doug Fleener, a proven retail and customer experience expert and consultant, helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit the Dynamic Experiences Group website, or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create an extraordinary experience and results.

Retail sales tip: Redirect for success

Redirecting a conversation is an extremely effective technique used by highly effective salespeople.  Let me give you a good example.

Let me tell about a great example I witnessed.  A man came into a store I was working with in search of a very particular pair of earrings.  I didn't hear the entire conversation, but it seemed that somehow his wife had lost one earring of a pair he had given her.  He told Debbie, the sales associate that he travels extensively and is always on the lookout for earrings that would replace the lost one.

Debbie asked him describe the earrings and then showed him some potential matches.  None of them were a match, and the man said he would just keep looking.  At this point one of three things can happen.

1. The sales associate can say she's sorry and wishes him good luck in his search.

2. The sales associate can provide somewhat better service than that by giving the customer the company's contact information to see if they can help him.

3. The sales associate can redirect the conversation away from the missing earrings to potentially buying a new pair.

Which is exactly what Debbie did.  But redirecting is an art.  If she had asked, "Why don't you just buy her a new pair of earrings?" he probably would have said no, because the other earrings were special to his wife.

Instead, Debbie smartly redirected the conversation from the missing earrings to talking about the customer's wife.  As I've written before, Debbie shifted from "what" to "who" which is always more effective.  Debbie quickly learned that his wife had conservative taste, liked a particular style, and then recommended two different pairs of earrings.

I'm happy to say that this man's wife received two pair of earrings when her husband returned home this week.

Debbie also made the sale for two other reasons besides using the redirect.  The first reason is because she was focused on making a sale and not just helping the customer. Secondly, she also assumed that since her customer's wife loved that particular brand, he couldn't go wrong by bringing home new earrings instead of just reporting that he hadn't found a replacement.

How about you? Do you redirect conversations when appropriate? Redirecting is never rude or pushy if your goal is to deliver the best possible customer experience. Debbie used it not only to deliver a great experience but to make her customer a hero, too. Sounds good to me!

Try it yourself today. You may already be redirecting more than you realize, but by increasing your awareness you'll begin to see even more redirecting opportunities. 

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Doug Fleener, a proven retail and customer experience expert and consultant, helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit the Dynamic Experiences Group website, or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create an extraordinary experience and results.

Musings on the Boston Marathon, self-talk, and more

A few musings as we await warmer temperatures here in the Northeast… 

Boston Marathon and a disaster plan

My heart breaks for the victims and their families after the double bombing at the Boston Marathon. I can't imagine being in the middle of that, but for some retailers it was a reality. One of the bombs exploded directly in front of Marathon Sports, an independent retailer, but fortunately nobody inside the store was hurt.

Although this sort of event is unlikely to ever hit your store, every retailer should have a disaster plan. Would your manager and staff know what to do? It's important that those in charge know that the safety of the staff and customers is absolutely the first priority. I know that seems obvious, but people don't always think logically when disaster hits.

If you don't have a disaster plan, create one this week. Then review it with your team every six months or so. We can only hope it's never needed, but if it does you can rest assured that your staff and customers will be a little safer as a result of having a plan in place.

Negative self-talk 

I recently told a participant in my Extraordinary Coaching program to quit the negative self-talk. She said more than once what a lousy manager she was. First, she wasn't a lousy manager. There are things she could do better. Second, she was taking the steps necessary to become a better manager, which is hardly the sign of a lousy manager

Negative self-talk has a huge impact on our performance. If you keep telling yourself over and over that you're not good at something, well then of course you're not going to do well. We achieve what we believe.

I don't believe it's skill that separates the good managers from the great, but self-awareness, practice, believing in your own abilities, and the ability to stop talking and take action. Stop the negative self-talk and start focusing on what you can do and become. You have so much to offer your team! I know, because I meet so many of you at events and in your stores.

Note: I am starting another Four Weeks coaching program in two weeks. At this point it is the only one I have scheduled before the fall. Contact us for details.

Apropos of nothing:

* Best idea I heard last week. The owner of a boutique delivered a loaf of fresh bread with butter to her top customers with a note that read, "You're our bread and butter, and we so appreciate your business. Thank you." Love it!

* Markdowns are a natural part of the buying and selling cycle. Too many markdowns are a problem, but any buyer or owner who sees them as an evil or as an indictment of themselves will ultimately end up being a too conservative buyer. There's a happy medium in there. As Jeff Bezos once put it: you can't spend margin. You can only spend cash.

* Last week I had to teach an employee at a shoe store how to read the device that measure's people feet. It's not like I was working with them; I was shopping with my daughter. Yikes! The goal should be to ramp up new employees as fast as possible, but at the same time you can't let them loose with customers until they can add value to a customer's experience. How well are you integrating new employees into the store?

* We're less than four weeks away from Mother's Day. For those who depend on this holiday, consider hosting some smaller events heading up to the holiday. New product introductions, meet the rep, and other events are a great way to get moms asking for the products you sell.

Have a great week! And as a friend of mine always says to me... be brilliant!

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Doug Fleener, a proven retail and customer experience expert and consultant, helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit the Dynamic Experiences Group website, or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create an extraordinary experience and results.

Lessons from the JC Penney fiasco

You’ve probably read that former Apple retail executive Ron Johnson is out as JC Penney’s CEO after 17 tumultuous months. You can’t say he wasn’t ambitious.  Johnson made major changes to JCP’s pricing, merchandising, marketing, store design and technologies.

I’m not sure his ideas for reinventing the department store were wrong, but his approach certainly did him in. Here a few things any of us can learn from his experience.

* Test major changes to your business before racing forward.  Ron Johnson never tested, or even considered testing, his new pricing model. His detractors would say his arrogance kept him from testing his new pricing approach. He would probably say he couldn’t test it because the company was bleeding cash.  Well, now it is hemoraging and the damage could be fatal. I believe if had tested the pricing concept he would have learned that customers were confused and still looking for the sales they are accustomed to.

Whether you’re an executive, storeowner, or a manager, you can test both small and big changes. You absolutely have to test something that fundamentally changes what you sell or how you sell it. If not, you could lose your customers just as JCP has.

*  If you’re in retail, you have to invest in your people. I like how Johnson was redesigning the stores to create more branded spaces and shops. I like how he was using technology for RFID, and iPad use by associates.

But along the way he almost seemed to make the frontline staff expendable. There were fewer people on the floor, and it appears that many of them were either new or unhappy long-term employees.  It’s strange that Apple invested so heavily in people, but at JCP Johnson seemed to go in almost the opposite direction.

* It’s difficult to put the sale genie back into the bottle. Johnson tried to go with every day low pricing, but his customers were used to sales and they wanted sales! And when JCP no longer had sales, shoppers left for Kohl’s, Macy’s, and other stores. I don’t know if Johnson could have weaned the JCP customer off sales, but even if he could his change was way too radical. A slow shift might have worked.

It’s a lot easier to run big sales than to build a brand or business on relationships, events, unique products, and a great customer experience.  But once you cross that line, there’s no turning back.  JCP tried and failed. My advice is this: don’t even be tempted to take that sale genie out of the bottle.

* You can do too much too fast. Few retailers are guilty of this. If anything, most retailers aren’t changing fast enough or trying enough new things. In this case, though, Johnson tried to change too much too fast.  Eventually it cost JCP a lot of customers and shareholders a lot of money. It also cost Ron Johnson his job.

So let me ask, which of these lessons offer you the most opportunity to learn and develop from?

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Doug Fleener, a proven retail and customer experience expert and consultant, helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit the Dynamic Experiences Group website, or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create an extraordinary experience and results.

A Facebook disaster

Social media is a great way for retailers to engage their customers.  When done well, customers even engage one another.  But believe it or not, that same level of engagement can work against you when something goes wrong.

This is what one of our readers recently experienced when what seemed like a simple request turned into a Facebook disaster.  Here is what happened, along withsteps you can take if you ever experience something similar.

One day a locally owned store was asked if they would post in their window a flyer about a lost dog. (You can probably already see where this is going.) Although this retailer does a lot with and for the local community, they have a policy of not placing community material in their windows.  They said they would be unable to post the flyer.

Before they knew it what seemed like an innocent decision, consistent with a long-standing policy, blew up online.  All of a sudden it seemed that every dog lover in the community was posting vitriolic comments about the store’s unwillingness to place a flyer in the window. It was the social media equivalent of a vigilante gang, and it got very ugly very fast.

What would you do in this case? Okay, maybe you would have posted the flyer, but the same thing could happen if you turn down a request for donation or other possible reasons.

Here are some things to consider:

1. Assess the potential damage. Could what happened blow up into something bigger? Is this something that the mainstream press might pick up and run? Are you in danger of losing large number of customers?

In this instance, I don’t think that was the case.  There was a group of passionate pet owners who were upset with the store, but the overall long-term threat wasn’t high. If this was a pet store and they hadn’t helped, the potential damage would be off the charts.

2. Apologize for what happened. Remember, saying you’re sorry doesn’t mean you’re saying you did something wrong. In this case, I don’t think the retailer should apologize for not placing the flyer in the window.  The retailer can say he’s sorry that people are upset and apologize for the store not considering other ways to assist the owners of the lost dog. The store could even offer up some new ideas on how they can help.

Here’s what’s interesting. This store did apologize, offered to take some action, and the comments only got more negative. Which takes me to my next point.

3. Remember, just because someone is loud doesn’t mean they speak for all of your customers. This is true whether they’re in your store or online. Sometimes loud people are just passionately opinionated.  Sometimes, frankly, they are bullies.  Either way, they don’t represent all customers. Our customers know we’re not perfect, and as long as we apologize if something goes wrong they’ll stay with us.  That said, we do need to address the loud voices.

4. Own the storyline. A social media disaster happens when the store or brand loses control of the story.  You can’t afford to argue with customers online. A Boston chef did that after a woman posted a poor review on Yelp, and the bad press just about put him out of business.  What you can do is own the storyline.

If you’ve apologized and someone still posts a negative comment, directly address his/her comment.  Own the storyline so the other person can’t keep fanning the flames even after you’ve apologized.

I might say something like, “I’m sorry that you’re still upset even though we did apologize for what happened. I’d love to talk with you offline to discuss what else I could do to rectify the situation. Please call me at the store at your earliest convenience” It’s highly unlikely you’ll hear from them, and your customers will see that you’ve extended the olive branch.

5. Last but not least, time is a great healer.  People go on with their lives, and customers will still come into your store.  That is, as long as you’ve addressed a negative situation as it happened.

The good news is that most of us won’t experience our own social media disaster, but if it does happen, I hope you’re now better prepared to manage it.

Have a great week.

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Doug Fleener, a proven retail and customer experience expert and consultant, helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit the Dynamic Experiences Group website, or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create an extraordinary experience and results.

Seven answers to improve your results

A friend of mine likes to say that he has all of the answers, but unfortunately they are to the wrong questions.  Which is unfortunate for him, but by answering the right questions you can make a positive impact on your staff, store, and results.

Here are seven questions whose answers could potentially dramatically improve your business and sales results.

1. What two or three things, that if everyone on your team could or would do better, will have a direct impact on your sales results?

Why ask this question: Sometimes what we’re currently focusing aren’t always the areas that will have the biggest impact. I once asked a client this question and he quickly identified a number of things that would raise his stores’ average sale and conversion rate.

 

2. What words would your employees use to describe you?

Why ask this question: Go ahead and write down those words before I explain why. I’ll wait.  Okay, ready? How many of those words relate to improving the staff and results? I often hear words like “fair” and “fun” or “serious.” Two good words, but I also like to hear “leader” and “high expectations” and “great teacher.” 

 

3. Your biggest competitor builds a brand new store right next door to you. Why would customers walk into your store? And you can’t say “service.” Your answer needs to be more specific than that.

Why ask this question: We need to not only know what differentiates our store from our competitors, but we also need to make sure there is a noticeable difference.  Using the word “service” is to be avoided because it is too generic.

 

4. A follow-up to the previous question. What could you do better, or differently, to make sure the customers don’t walk into the other store first?

Why ask this question: Because the answer is something you should or could be doing right now to grow you business. 

 

5. What two or three things have you’ve talked about doing, but have yet to find the time? What would be the impact on your customer, staff, and/or results if you made the time?

Why ask this question: Most retailers I know have a lot of ideas and a lot of good intentions. They just struggle to find or make the time to get to them. But many of these things are really important, and if the owner/manager got to them they’ll make a difference. Sometimes you just have to move things like these to the top of the list and get them done!

 

6. What words would like your customers to use to describe your store? Cute? Fun? Knowledgeable staff? Interesting? Unique products? Go ahead and write them down. Next, review your Facebook and Twitter posts, newsletters, and other marketing materials. How many times do you reinforce those perspectives in your posts, articles, and materials? 

Why ask this question: There is often a disconnect between what we want customers to think about our store and what we tell them. Many discover that they reinforce the product element, but nothing else. If that’s the case with you, start communicating other elements about what makes your store interesting and unique.

 

This next question applies more to owners of independent stores, but is still a good question managers might ask themselves as well. 

7. Let’s hope this never happens, but suppose something terrible happens and you are unable to work, or even communicate, for 90 days. What’s going to happen to your store or company? Who would step in? And most important, what would they not know that is vital to keeping the store running?

Your answer: Most stores and companies don’t have a back-up plan.  As a result, if something happens to the owner the business might well come to a screeching halt.  A little bit of proactive planning and training now could save the company should the unthinkable ever happen.

So let me ask, what answers offer you the most opportunity?

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Doug Fleener, a proven retail and customer experience expert and consultant, helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit the Dynamic Experiences Group website, or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create an extraordinary experience and results.

Six tips for the new store manager

Last week I wrote about the boss from hell. This week we’ll look at what a new store manager can to do be more successful. 

Getting promoted, and/or taking over a new store, is a very exciting time. I've learned through the years that the first days and weeks on the job are key to a new manager's success, but not all new managers know exactly what it is they should do or not do.

Here are some tips to help anyone who is either taking over a store or being promoted. Storeowners will want to share this article with the new manager whenever someone new takes over a store, and it's a good review for all current managers and owners.

1. Don't start making big changes right away unless you absolutely have to. Yes, we all like things a certain way (especially the Type A personality managers), but changing too much too quickly throws the staff, and it communicates your unhappiness with the store. There will be plenty of time to get things where you want them. Give it a few weeks if you can.

2. Your first goal is to win the team. Your new staff doesn't have to love you to work for you, but your job will be a lot easier if they like you. Take time to get to know each individual, and let each member of your new team get to know you. Share your story in an all-staff meeting as soon as you can. Let them know your point of view. Tell them right up front about any of your quirks, and what is important to you. This makes it much easier for the team to adapt to your managerial style. Take questions, and end on a positive note.

3. Meet one-on-one with each employee. One of the biggest mistakes I made when taking over a store was letting someone else shape my opinions on my new team. I was told one employee was difficult, and that another employee should be fired. Both pieces of information turned out to be wrong.

Have each person come to a one-on-one meeting prepared to talk about herself/himself. I usually set the following agenda:

a. Ask the employee to give a short overview of his/her work history.

b. Ask him/her to share three strengths, and three areas for improvement.

c. Where does the person see herself/himself in two to three years?

d. What does the team do well, and what can they do better?

e. What changes or improvements would they make if they were taking over the store?

f. Any other thoughts, questions, or concerns?

4. Don't keep bringing up your old store or company. Most new managers don't even know they do this, but almost everyone does. "This is how we did it at the XYZ store." or "At ABC the policy was...." Believe me, this completely turns off your new team. 

Make using the name of your old store or company off-limits. You can still use it as a reference point by saying, "This is how a lot of stores do fill-in-the-blank." or "Many company’s policies are..."

5. Never speak ill of the past manager.  Don’t allow anyone else to, either.  It doesn't matter what your predecessor did or didn't do, it's your store now. Blaming the previous manager, or speaking negatively of him, or how she did things, does nothing except lose you credibility. Letting your team talk endlessly about the past keeps them stuck there, not owning their own actions and results. Whenever the subject of the previous manger comes up, turn to the tip I'm about to give you. 

6. Keep moving forward. The goal is to build on a store's past success without getting bogged down in past drama or issues. Keep your team focused on moving forward in the week and months to come. When people bring up past successes, ask how that success can be improved upon. When people wallow in the past remind them that you're leaving that behind, and then ask what behaviors and actions they can take to ensure future success.

So let me ask, is there anything else you should do as you begin your new journey, or improve the one you’re already on?

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Doug Fleener, a proven retail and customer experience expert and consultant, helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit the Dynamic Experiences Group website, or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create an extraordinary experience and results.

The boss from hell

Last week I received an anonymous email from a store staff.  They said that their owner/manager, a regular reader of my newsletters is in their own words “The boss from hell.”

They shared some of their reasons for bestowing the title, and asked me to try to help them. I have to say I was intrigued. I’ve worked for some less than stellar bosses, but I never went so far as to ask for help from an outsider.

I ended up exchanging emails to learn more about what this person was doing to earn the label of boss from hell.  I realize I was only hearing one side of the story, but even if only half of it is true, this owner/manager needs to improve.

It was an interesting email conversation, and I realized that even good bosses could learn from what this staff has been experiencing.

Here are five factors that can lead you to become the retail boss from hell, with a comment from an employee on each one. (I’ve adapted the comments to protect the innocent and the guilty.) I’ve also included my insight.

1. Always focus on what’s wrong. “I could do 99 things right and one thing wrong, and he/she will go straight to what I did wrong.”

2. Never pay a compliment. “I could count on one hand the number of times I’ve been complimented in the last year. Even those compliments are followed up with what I did wrong.” 

DF comment: These two go hand in hand. I think most owners and managers are always trying to improve their staff and store, but if you’re not careful you can come across as focusing only on the negative.  And focusing only on the negative clearly creates a negative environment.

While I don’t believe in a magic feedback ratio, people do need to hear what they’re doing well, and receive feedback on what they can do better.  A leader’s goal should be to deliver both so well the staff doesn’t even notice the difference between the two.

3. Get mad at your staff, but don’t tell them what’s wrong. “Honestly. My boss sulks and pouts more than my child does.”

DF comment: Sometimes owners and managers are under a lot of stress, and as a result can withdraw a little bit. Since the staff doesn’t know what’s wrong, they often assume that the person is mad at them.

Our job is to lead and inspire people through thick and thin. Sometimes, when the going gets tough, you have to set aside the issues and keep communicating and leading. If you do withdraw when you’re upset, you’re only making it worse. Keep the focus on moving forward and making good things happen.

4. Talk about employees to others. “I don’t know which is worse. When the boss talks to me about other employees, or wondering what he/she is saying about me to others.” 

DF comment: Gossip can kill a team, and gossip by an owner or manger is a death sentence for teamwork and collaboration. I know, because I was guilty of this when I was a young manager. It’s an easy habit to quit. Stop!  If you need to talk about others, talk to your spouse or your pet.

5. Won’t delegate anything, but then complains about having to do everything. “We’d be happy to help. He/she just won’t let us.”

DF comment: I worked for a manger like this. To this day I’m not sure if she didn’t know how to delegate or just wanted to do everything herself.  But it did get old listen to her complain about her inability to take a day off.  She could. She just chose not to.

We must delegate.  Not only does it engage our staff and give them ownership in the business, it also frees us up to spend time developing our people and growing the business. But if you’re not going to delegate, don’t talk about how tired you are or that you can’t get a day off. Delegation is a choice. You just have to live (quietly) with the outcome.

My final thoughts: Any manager can fall into any one of these traps from time to time. None of us are perfect. But when they become a habit, or we’re engaging in several of them at once, we’re having a negative impact the staff and ultimately, store results. You also get labeled the boss from hell.

The good news is that anybody can start changing right now.  That includes the good boss who wants to become an even better one.

So let me ask, are there any changes you should be making to be a better boss?

- Doug

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Doug Fleener, a proven retail and customer experience expert and consultant, helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit the Dynamic Experiences Group website, or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create an extraordinary experience and results.

Ringing the bell and the customer experience

One of our clients owns a successful bread store.  I noticed on a recent visit that there is a bell next to the oven.  When I asked the owner what it is used for he replied, “We used to ring the bell when a loaf of bread came out of the oven, or when celebrating a new customer, or when someone had earned a free loaf of bread.”

I thought that was pretty cool. I also heard the “we used to.” It's too bad they stopped, because I think ringing a bell is a great point of differentiation, and creates a unique and memorable customer experience.  They don’t ring a bell at Panera.  They don’t celebrate customers at the grocery store.

I get how easy it is to get away from ringing the bell. It happens all the time. People (and companies) slowly drift away from doing those little things that make their store or business different. It is rarely ever a conscious decision. It just happens over time.

There’s the clothing store that has chalkboard on the dressing room doors, but quit writing the customer’s name on the door. Too bad. It was a great way to personalize the experience.

Or the store associates who used to send five thank you cards a day, but haven’t sent any since they ran out of stamps. It’s a shame. I think the handwritten thank you card is even more effective in this digital age.

Sometimes it’s even smaller things.  A staff stops exchanging names with the customer, or offering to carry out a purchase no matter how big or small.  It’s easy to drift away, or stop ringing the bell.

It’s not ultimately about the bell, or the sign, or the thank you card. It’s the meaning and thought behind it.  It’s that focus on the customer and how your store is different from the competition. What your competitor is doing isn’t nearly as important as what YOU are doing for your customers.  Or what you used to do. 

What’s your bell? What are one or two elements of your customer experience that maybe you’ve stopped doing? Or is there something you’ve talked about doing with/for your customers, but have yet to implement?

I’m happy to say that out client’s team is back to ringing the bell.  It’s brought a new energy to the staff.  Okay, to most of the staff, but more important, they’re back to doing one of the little things that made their customer experience memorable and unique. Believe me, the little things make a huge difference in retail. Especially when it’s about the customer.

So let me ask, what bell can you and your staff ring – or start ringing again – this week?

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Doug Fleener, a proven retail and customer experience expert and consultant, helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit the Dynamic Experiences Group website, or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create an extraordinary experience and results.

Let the customer prove you wrong

Almost everyone has what I call subconscious assumptions. We go into most situations or interactions with a subconscious assumption of what we believe will happen. The subconscious assumptions are a sum of our experiences and our own beliefs, but since they are subconscious we rarely realize they are guiding our behaviors and actions.

Let me share a non-retail example. When I was a teenager, one of the hardest things to do was asking a girl out on a date. Since there was no texting, email, or Facebook, you had to ask her either in person or over the telephone.

In the beginning I was nervous, but determined. Unfortunately, things didn't start out so well. I think the first three girls I asked out were older, and they had no desire to go out with a younger boy whose mother would have to drive us to the movies. The next three I asked already had boyfriends. Or at least that's what they said, and I'm sticking to that story.

It wasn't long before I wasn't as nervous asking a girl out, but I had also started to assume that the answer was going to be "no." I went from "Would you like to go out?" to "I suppose you don't want to go out."

Then one day I asked a girl I worked with if she'd like to go out to dinner and the movies. She said yes. I said thanks anyway. She actually had to say, "I said yes." I didn't hear the "yes" because I was assuming the answer was "no." That is how the subconscious assumption works. Or as you can see from my story, works against us.

In retail there are a few subconscious assumptions that directly impact our results.

1. The customer wants to be left alone. This one might be a little more conscious than subconscious. As we've discussed before, customers don't necessarily want to be left alone. They just don't want to be helped by people who don't add value to their experience.

2. The customer is just looking. This assumption happens naturally in stores that have a higher percentage of non-buying than buyers customers. Every person who walks in the store is looking at something, but our assumptions tell us they're a non-buyer.

3. The customer is worried about the price. This assumption is more often driven by our own beliefs than the customer's. Customers want value, but most will become extremely price conscious when the store and staff don't add value to their shopping experience.

The antidote to these subconscious assumptions is to consciously think and act differently.

Assume a customer wants your help, until you're proven wrong.

Assume a customer is walking in to make a purchase, until you're proven wrong.

Assume a customer is willing to spend any amount of money, until you're proven wrong.

So let me ask, are these or any other assumptions getting in the way of your and your store's success?

Have a great week.

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Doug Fleener, a proven retail and customer experience expert and consultant, helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit the Dynamic Experiences Group website, or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create an extraordinary experience and results.

The first fifteen to thirty minutes of the day

The first fifteen to thirty minutes of any retail leader's workday are the most important. Here's what I see many successful retailers do in his/her first thirty minutes, and the order in which they do them.

1. Scan email for key communications. Don't start reading and replying to everything at the start of your day. If you do, you won't get anything done for an hour. Just do a fast scan to see if there is anything in there that will impact your day. 

2. A quick review of business to date. While each day is a fresh start, it's important to know your trends, what's selling, what's not, and what employees are doing well or not. And I know that most leaders know this instinctively, but when you develop the habit of investing five or ten minutes at the start of each day you'll pick up ideas and areas to work on that you might have otherwise missed.

3. Set primary and secondary goals. Primary goals are the key performance targets for the day. In most of the stores we work with that includes the overall sales goal, average sale goal, and transaction count. 

Secondary goals are the one to three other goals on which you'd like to have the staff focus. They don't have to be sales-focused goals, but I like to keep them customer-focused. It could be to show a particular product, call a number of customers, or sell a specific category.

Today's goals: $4,000, ADS of $80, 50 transactions, and three XYZ try-ons.

I do believe you can have too many goals. I once worked with a woman who had goals for every category, every metric, every everything. There were so many goals that nobody knew any of them. 

4. Post goals and other daily communications in a prominent spot.

I like to use the same spot in the backroom every day. I also ask the staff to initial the posting. It's fine if it is in a binder or a morning worksheet, but I do think you need to know that every staff member is aware of the primary and secondary goals for the day. If you have people read things electronically you can still have a sign-off sheet. 

5. Prepare your Take Five meetings. While I know most owners and managers don't do Take Five meetings (also known as huddles) every day, those that do realize the benefit of communicating and focusing the team at the start of the day. Sure, most of us can easily wing a Take Five meeting, but investing a few minutes in planning exactly what you want to say will ensure that those meetings are as productive as they can be.

6. Prepare your action items for the day. I like to use a four square approach. The top right square holds tasks only I can do, and that must be done today. Bottom right is for things that only I can do, but don't have to be done today. The upper left square lists things that can be done by someone besides me that must be completed today. The lower left square is for those items that else can do, and that don't have to be completed today. This approach makes it much easier to plan your day, and makes delegating and assigning tasks much simpler.

And now you're off and running to create a highly successful day.

So let me ask, what can you take away from this approach to improve the first fifteen to thirty minutes of your day?

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Doug Fleener, a proven retail and customer experience expert and consultant, helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit our Dynamic Experiences Group website, or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create an extraordinary experience and results.

Don't short the love

I encourage everyone, whether or not you sell traditional Valentine's Day gifts, to do something fun and unique over the next two days. The easiest thing is to give out candy, chocolates, or cookies.  Highlight them by arranging them on a nice tray and offering the tray to customers. The gesture of offering your customer a gift is as important as the item itself.  Don't short the love!

For those of you who will be crazy busy the next two days, I have some reminders to help you maximize your opportunities. For those of you who aren’t a traditional Valentine’s Day store, skip down to the tips on how you can also leverage Valentine’s Day.

For Traditional Valentine’s Day stores.

First, here’s a quick recap about Valentine’s Day from the National Retail Federation. 

* The average person will spend about $131 on candy, cards, gifts and more.  Make that your ADS goal for the next two days!

* Men spend twice as much as women. I hope my wife doesn’t read this blog posting.

* Total Valentine’s Day spending will reach $18.6 billion. That might be a little high for your store goal.

* Valentine’s Day isn’t just for couples. 61% percent of shoppers plan to show their appreciation for other family members, 25% will buy gifts for friends, 20% will buy a gift for their pet, and 13% will buy Valentine’s Day gifts for their co-workers. That means… EVERYONE IS A VALENTINE’S DAY BUYER!

Now on to the tips and reminders. 

1. Start BIG. Most of you will be selling to men today. Help him be a BIG hero tonight. Don't shortchange your customer just because you're busy. That’s really important. Your biggest impediment over the next two days could be you.

2. Sell more than one item. What's three time more fun than opening a gift? Opening three gifts! Yes, feel free to use that line to keep the sale going today. Don't let him short the recipient.

3. Add a small item(s) as part of the giftwrapping. Suggesting a few beads or other items on the ribbon makes for a very nice presentation.  Believe me, he'll say yes if you ask. Same for a key fob, small earrings, etc.

4. Someone needs to manage the giftwrapping.  I've seen many a Valentine's Day shopping experience ruined because the giftwrapping gets backed up, or everyone is confused about who is waiting, which purchase is next, etc. Someone needs to take charge of this area. 

5. Don't be too short on time to deliver a great experience. The story he tells when giving the gift is almost as important as the gift itself. No matter how busy, no matter how crazy, show the love and deliver an experience he/she will want to share.

For you non-Valentine’s Day stores, here are a few things you can do now to show the love and leverage the holiday:

1. Show the love to the staff. Do something special for your staff. Maybe you can bring in breakfast or lunch, or perhaps give each person a small token of your appreciation with a gift card or $25 store credit?

2. Show your customers some love in an email blast. Use Valentine’s Day as time to tell your customers you love and appreciate them the entire year, and not just Valentine’s Day. You could also entice them by running some “We Love Our Customers” specials, and run those in the store for everyone. 

3.  Highlight non-traditional Valentine’s Day gifts on Facebook and other social media sites. If anything, it could give people a good laugh. Why not recommend that she give him a hammer for Valentine’s Day? Maybe he’ll finally complete the project that’s been half-done for the last six months! The more absurd the product, the better.

4. Serve Valentine’s Day cookies, candy, and/or drinks. There’s no easier way to engage customers than with something to drink or eat. Not only does it create a better experience, but it also leads to higher sales.

Have a Happy Valentine’s Day.  All of us here at Dynamic Experiences Group, LLC appreciate working with and for you.  Thank you for your business and for reading our newsletters.

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Doug Fleener, a proven retail and customer experience expert and consultant, helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit our Dynamic Experiences Group website, or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create an extraordinary experience and results.

Two games to improve your sales

1. Increase your ADS with a winning hand 

Here's a fun way to focus on improving your staff's average sale. This game can be especially effective on slower days during the week, but can also be used on the weekends.

The game is pretty simple. Your team will play poker, winning cards by meeting and exceeding the store's average sales target.

First, you need a deck of playing cards.

Next, set two average sales targets for the day. The first one can be your store's current average sale. The second one should be at least 20% higher than the first one.

Let's say your store averages $100 per sale. The first target is $100, and the second target can be $125.

Whenever an associate makes a sale over $100, he/she draws a card from the deck. If the sale is over $125, the person gets to draw two cards. The employee with the best hand at the end of the day wins. You can give out a small prize like a gift card.

Obviously, the more sales an employee makes above the two targets the better their chance to win, but drawing cards adds an element of luck. A competitive staff will have a lot of fun comparing cards and striving to add to their hands.

You can even play the game over a few days. Have a prize for each day's winning hand, and then pay out a second prize for the best hand overall.

So let me ask, are you ready to increase your store's Average Daily Sale? All you have to do is deal 'em up!

2. Hourly Triple Play

Here's a fun game the staff can play to ensure everyone is maximizing every opportunity in every hour. 

The game is called Hourly Triple Play. In each hour there are three points up for grabs:

1 point for highest total sales made in that hour

1 point for highest individual sale in that hour

1 point for <you customize>

Your customized point could be for most pairs of shoes, highest total sales of a particular brand or category, etc. If nobody scores the customized point in the hour the competition rolls into the next hour. The same rule applies if there aren't any sales made in an hour. (Let's hope that doesn't happen!)

You can play the game as individuals, or if you have enough people working you can break the staff into teams. The team approach adds a nice competitive spirit along with some fun teamwork.

There are two ways you can score the game. If everyone is working the same number of hours, the individual or team with the most points win. If people are working different numbers of hours, divide each person's score by the number of hours he/she worked. The person or team with the highest points per hour wins.

I've created an easy tracking sheet for you to download here. All the staff has to do is write down a sale that qualifies for the point in the appropriate box, and when someone beats it they cross out the previous sale. Pretty simple. At the end of each hour write the hourly winner's name in the box.

Good luck, have fun, and be sure you and your team maximize all of your customer opportunities.

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Doug Fleener, a proven retail and customer experience expert and consultant, helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit our Dynamic Experiences Group website, or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create an extraordinary experience and results.