One day I sat down to write one of my Daily Retail Experience articles without a topic in mind. That doesn't happen very often; most of the time I know what I plan to write about before I begin. Sometimes what I start out to write about and what I end up writing are different things entirely - but I digress.
I decided that listening to one of my favorite radio stations might motivate me to get past my blank Word document. I turned on the Classic Rock station and blasting out of the speakers came the old Bachman Turner Overdrive song Taking Care of Business.
Here I am singing along, "Taking care of business every day. Taking care of business every way." I think to myself, that's great retail advice. If we're going to be successful we need to make sure we're always taking care of business.
I began to wonder how many nuggets of good retail advice might be hidden in some of those old 70's songs. So to lighten up your week here are a few that I thought of:
Thank You by Sly and the Family Stone (1970)
Is that one of your favorite words to say? So often it means a customer has made a purchase or someone has done something to please you. Not only is it great to say, but it's music to your customer's ears as well. Are your people saying "Thank You" at every opportunity?
You're So Vain by Carly Simon (1972)
While shopping for a new Blackberry the other day I had the wonderful opportunity to learn everything about what my salesperson likes in a phone. Too bad he never bothered to find out what I wanted. I should have sung, "You're so vain, I bet you think this sale is about you. Don't you? Don't you?"
Make Me Smile by Chicago (1970)
If we can make a customer smile the chances are good we'll make a sale. It might not be that day, but that customer will be back.
You've Got a Friend by James Taylor (1971)
A few years ago I attended a retailer's annual meeting where the theme was "Make a Friend." The idea was that if they could engage a customer enough to "make a friend" that they would be more likely to create a sale. As a result they had a very good year that year. Are you making friends with your customers? You know what they say: "Friends don't let friends leave the store empty handed." Well, maybe I'm the only "they" who says it but that's okay.
What's Your Name by Lynyrd Skynyrd (1977)
Shouldn't you know your new friend's name? Asking a customer his/her name might be uncomfortable at first but the more you do it the easier it gets. Try it for one week and I know you'll see the difference in your sales numbers.
Blinded By the Light by Manfred Mann's Earth Band (1977)
As a customer I can't stand it when I turn to look at something in the store and am "blinded by the light." When's the last time you checked the position of your spotlights? One of the biggest mistakes I see stores make is to try to throw a spotlight on a product that is just too far away from the light source.
Communication Breakdown by Led Zeppelin (1969)
Don't let the "nervous breakdown, drive me insane" happen to your team. Consider a weekly written communication to ensure that everyone on the team has the same information. This also keeps you from spending time in staff and one-on-one meetings repeating information that can be easily communicated once in a memo/newsletter. It also keeps you from having Second Hand News. (Fleetwood Mac - 1976)
The First Cut is the Deepest by Rod Stewart (1976)
Well that's great advice when you're marking down products. When it's time to move through those slow sellers or seasonal products the first markdown should be the biggest.
Take the Money and Run by Steve Miller Band (1976)
Enough said.
Now that I’m done Reminiscing (Little River Band – 1978), it’s time to hit the floor because The Show Must Go On (Three Dog Night – 1974) and it is time for you to make lots of Money (Pink Floyd – 1973).
Take It Easy! (Eagles – 1972)
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