Retail Contrarian

It's Show Time: Act 1, Scene 1

Imagine for a moment that you're sitting in a tenth row center seat in the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre on Broadway, eagerly anticipating the beginning of the show, Beauty and the Beast. Finally the house lights dim, the music starts and the curtain slowly rises. The first person you see is Belle, her hair in curlers, sitting in a chair drinking a Starbucks Tall Caffè Latte. Next to her, Beast (is it? you're not quite sure) is on the floor doing a stretching exercise, dressed in jeans and a tank top. You notice his beast head propped on a table, looking like a trophy in a western mountain lodge. A stagehand is vacuuming near the back of the stage.

Mrs. Potts enters stage left. Or at least you think it's Mrs. Potts since she's wearing what looks like part of a teapot costume - along with a Mets hat. She looks out to you and the rest of the audience and says, "I'm sorry, we're not ready. We had a cast meeting that ran a little long. Chip just wouldn't shut up. Go ahead and get yourself a drink or talk among yourselves and we'll be ready in just a little bit." The performers finish what they're doing, leave the stage and a few minutes later the show begins.

As much as you might have liked the show even with that rocky beginning, your experience was not nearly as good as one that theatergoers at a different performance enjoyed. Both groups got a show, but one group had a less than a stellar experience because the cast was not fully prepared to begin the show.

It might be totally absurd to think of the scene I described taking place at a Broadway show but it happens every day in retail. I recently stopped by a local store a few minutes after 10:00 a.m. but when I tried to open the door it didn't budge. A few seconds later "Belle" unlocked the door, apologizing that they were running late. "Gaston" was running the vacuum cleaner, which frankly looked like it hadn't been emptied in a week and was in dire need of a muffler, while "Chip" was racing around trying to clear boxes out of the walk way. "Feel free to look around and if you have any questions let us know." They spent the next 10 minutes scurrying around oblivious to my presence. What a lousy shopping experience.

Every day is a new performance. Every day brings a new audience. Every day brings you new opportunities. Every audience deserves the best possible retail experience you can deliver. Short changing the first or the last customers of the day is poor business. Short changing any customers is poor business. It is absolutely vital to the success of any retailer that they put on a great show every minute of the day.

So make it a habit to never let the curtain rise in your store until you're ready. On the flip side, always have the stage set and cast in place five minutes before curtain time. Don't let morning meetings or other activities run long and impact the experience of the first customer of the day. It doesn't matter if somebody is ready to walk in your door the moment it opens or if your first customer doesn't arrive for another ten minutes. What matters is you're ready to deliver a great experience the instant the curtain rises.

So let me ask, is your store or stores ready for Show Time?

A-Z For The Retail Sales Associate

Hello again.

Last week I shared with you the A - Z on how to be a better manager or owner. This week is the A - Z on how to be a better retail sales associate.

Assume every customer is a buyer.

Begin each shift by setting a goal. It doesn't always have to be a sales goal; you might aim, for example, to show a particular product to x number of people.

Continue to ask your customer qualifying questions after you've shown a product. How else will you know if they like it or not?

Demonstrate products, don't just talk about them. (i.e., Put a bag on the woman's shoulder instead of just holding it in your hand. Don't just point to a rake, take it off the wall.)

Exceeding a customer's expectation isn't really that hard if you decide to make doing so one your goals.

Friendly smiles create more sales than any sign or window display.

Greet each customer with the word "Welcome" or some other word that communicates your pleasure in seeing them come into your store.

Handwritten thank you cards are an investment in future sales.

Identify your customer needs or wants before you show him/her too many products.

Just because a customer is standing in front of a product doesn't mean he/she is interested in it.

Keep showing products until the customer says he/she is done.

Love what you do or do something else. Period.

Memorable customer experiences are easy to deliver when you appreciate your customers and like what you sell.

Never say anything negative about a customer until you're in your car on the way home. Then feel free to let it rip!

"Opportunity knocks" doesn't apply to retail. Opportunity walks in your front door - unannounced - all day.

Practice makes perfect. Roleplaying with another employee will make you a better salesperson. This is especially important with new products or services.

Quickly resolve your customer's problems. The longer it takes, the less likely the customer will continue to shop with you.

"Recommend" is an extremely powerful word to use with customers. "Suggest" is also good.

Showing the customer too many products will cost you sales and result in a frustrated customer. Only recommend or suggest one or two products at a time.

Thinking like a buyer will help you sell more product than thinking like a salesperson.

Use the customer's name whenever possible. Always use the customer's name when ringing up the sale.

Volunteer your opinion. You're the expert and if you've established a rapport with the customer your opinion will be appreciated and respected.

Walking from behind the counter to hand the customer their bag is classier than reaching across and handing it to them or even worse, leaving the bag on the counter for them to pick up.

XXX talk has no place anywhere in the store.

Your passion for a product often determines whether a customer will buy it or not.

Zappy salespeople will sell more than quiet low-key salespeople.

Labels: retail, sales associates, selling skills

Managing A-Z

Here is the A - Z on how to be a better manager or owner:

Attention to the customer is more important than anything. Period.

Be on the floor during peak hours.

Check your ego at the door.

Delegate operational areas so you can spend more time leading your team.

Energy and passion are your most effective tools.

Focus your team on achieving daily goals and the month will take care of itself.

Go first when you introduce something new in the store. People learn from watching you.

Humor is a great way to manage your team - as long as it's in good taste. Remember, what's funny to you may not be funny to someone else on your team

Interview potential employees as if your future depends on it. Most of the time it does.

Just because you think something doesn't mean you should say it. Think before talking.

Knowledgeable employees are vital to a store's success. Your role is to provide knowledge in an easy to learn, easy to apply method.

Lead by example with every customer encounter.

Meeting one-on-one with each staff member every month keeps communication open and positive.

Never put off a difficult conversation with an employee unless the time truly isn't right. Waiting rarely makes it easier or better.

Optimism is a must for a team to achieve their goals.

Practice makes perfect. Roleplay with at least one employee every day. Remember, go first.

Question your staff on regularly about how you and the store can improve. Be open to their suggestions.

Respect people's privacy. As a manager or owner it's inappropriate to share knowledge about one employee with another unless there's a real need to know.

Stress out at work and your team stresses with you. Remain upbeat and positive and your team remains upbeat and positive.

Time is one of the most valuable assets you have in a day. Spend it wisely.

Use each staff member's strength to help others on the team to grow.

Values and integrity determine what kind of leader you really are.

"We" should be used more than "I" or "you" every day.

XXX words should never be used at the store.

Your development is as important as your staff's development. You can't give away what you don't have.

Zap negativity before it spreads. Resolve issues or conflicts before they undermine the rest of the team and, eventually, the customer.

Labels: Leadership, Management, retail

Batter Up Retailers

Happy Opening Week! Yes, it's the start of the 2007 baseball season. In our house it's practically a religious holiday.

So as a salute to baseball and retail, consider these four attributes winning baseball teams and winning retail store teams share.

1. The key to winning is consistently executing the fundamentals. Whether it's major league baseball or Little League, teams win because they pay attention to the fundamentals of the game every single day. Teams that get sloppy lose. The same is in true retail. Although many retailers are always looking for some magic "instant success" formula, winning retailers know that they win and lose by the fundamentals. That means welcoming the customer, keeping glass free of fingerprints, keeping the store well stocked - all those little details that add up to a big picture. Retail teams that get sloppy lose, too.

2. The more you win the more fans you have and the more loyal they are. The best part of opening day is that all fans feel good about their team. Almost every team sells out opening day. But as the season goes on some teams will begin to fall behind and some fans will begin to lose interest. Winning teams will continue strong and may actually grow their fan base. The same thing happens in retail but in reverse. Winning retailers try to make a fan out of each customer and when they do, not only are those fans more loyal but they also help create other fans. The more fans they create, the more retailers win.

3. Winning managers in both baseball and retail know how to use the strengths of each person on the team. For a baseball team to win, each individual must be able to not only understand and execute his specialty but be able to contribute in practically all areas. Consider non-pitchers. Each position player brings unique skills and abilities to the team. One player's specialty might be to get on base while another's is to get the first guy home. And unless they're a designated hitter in the American League, they can't be defensive liabilities. A player who is used because of his fielding abilities can't be such a poor hitter that it hurts the team. It takes a well-rounded team to win in retail, too. You want people who have great visual skills or are awesome at inventory management - but they still have to be pretty good with customers. You want people who excel at selling - but you don't want them to be a liability in other areas.

4. Practice leads to winning. Whenever I'm training store managers I always emphasize how important it is to practice sales and engagement skills with the staff. Baseball players don't just show up on Opening Day and start playing. They have over a month of spring training. On game day they don't just get in to their uniforms and start playing. They take batting practice and work on their defensive skills. They practice to win. Wining retailers do the same thing. They don't just throw new employees on the floor without the right coaching and practice but provide them with their own "spring training." Winning retailers are always practicing customer and engagement skills. They'll take a few minutes of down time to roleplay. When a new product comes in they use it as an opportunity to practice selling skills. Managers don't waste weekly or monthly store meetings droning on but use that time for skills practice. Practice leads to winning.

So let me ask you this coach, do you have a winning team? Play ball!

Labels: Baseball, Coaching, Increase retail sales