Retail Contrarian

Leads by example

One of the activities the participants in my retail coaching program do is a self-assessment evaluating themselves in a number of characteristics of successful coaches. The participants first choose three strengths and three areas of opportunities, and then distill that down to his/her number one strengths and area of opportunity, or what I would call a weakness.

One of the characteristics is "leads by example."  Not surprisingly, managers and owners pick this characteristic as a strength more than just about any other.  Even less surprising is that nobody ever chooses leads by example as a weakness. 

Until yesterday.  I confess I was caught off guard when a manager said that "leads by example" is her biggest area of improvement. When I asked her why, she explained that she is a great sales motivator, but falls short of her own sales goals. 

Love it! 

The more I thought about it the more I realized that "leads by example" is one of those sayings that most owners/executives/managers don't even think through. They're in charge, so of course they lead by example.

Or do they?

Most leaders I work with are very good at talking their values.  They tell their teams that customers come first, and how important the customer experience or customer service is, and so on.  But do their actions show it?  

Here's what I've come to understand.  Most leaders believe what they say, but they don't benchmark their own actions against those standards. They don't consciously not walk their talk, but their actions aren't always congruent with that they're telling their team. 

Most of the time they are leading by example.  And there's the big clue: the word "most." "Most of the time" doesn't cut it as a leader.  Your employees listen to what you say, but they follow your lead in what you do. 

Miss a chance to lead by example and you tell your team that customers come first most of the time, and how important the customer experience or customer service is most of the time.

I'm not saying you have to be perfect. I have yet to meet a perfect leader.  But we do need to strive to lead by example as much as we can, especially in highly visible activities like making your own sales goal.  How can you drive the importance of sales every day of the month and then not make your own sales?  Yes, it can be explained away.  Doesn't matter.  Your employees listen to what you say, but follow your lead in what you do. 

I'm really proud of the managers on yesterday's call who stepped up and said they need to improve in "leads by example."  They are good coaches and leaders, but they're on their way to being even better.

So let me ask, is there any area in which you need to step up more and lead by example? 

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

One of thousands, or thousands of ones

The best customer service/experience happens when I feel respected and/or appreciated, and my expectations are met or exceeded.  My expectations can be anything - good food, good service, a knowledgeable salesperson, a fast check-in, open registers, I’m not kept waiting, a product in stock, etc., etc., etc.

While many elements make up a great customer experience, there is one common theme: Me.  As a customer, I’m the one that determines whether I’ve had a good experience or not.

I’m sure most, if not all, of the companies I do business with have a defined service approach and training for their employees, but there’s a big miss by virtually every one of them.  Me.  Companies talk about customers as if they’re all the same; as if each person who walks in the door is just another version of the person before.

If thousands of people walk in over the course of a week I’m one of thousands but in reality, customers are thousands of ones.

That is why delivering a personalized experience is such a great differentiator and the key to both winning customers and maximizing the sales opportunity.

Every specialty retailer should have a defined sales experience approach. It’s an important roadmap for the staff to add value to the customer’s visit and not simply clerk the sale. It’s also important that the staff be taught, and expected to, deliver the experience uniquely to each customer. 

You’ve probably defined how to do this.  The difference is in the details and the quality of the execution.

Saying “hello” is one of thousands.  Welcoming and acknowledging each individual is thousands of ones.

Talking to a customer is one of thousands.  Having a conversation with someone whose name you know and about whom you know something is thousands of ones.

Showing a product is one of thousands.  Recommending products based on the answers to questions you’ve asked is thousands of ones.

Giving good service is one of thousands.  Making sure your customer has the best possible experience is thousands of ones.

This starts with how the company/store leadership sees and engages their team.  A staff can be one of many or many ones. When we teach and coach each individual person to learn how to deliver a more unique and memorable experience, we are well on our way to succeeding one customer at a time.

So let me ask, is your experience delivered to one of thousands or to thousands of ones?

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

Making The Right Choice. . . . For Your Customer

Retailers make subconscious choices between making things easier for themselves or delivering the best experience for their customers almost every day.  We rarely realize we're making this choice, but because everything we do has an impact on our customers they will feel the results of our choices.  The more we are aware that we are making a choice the more likely it is we'll make the right one.

A common example of this choice is when a store staff closes down one register early so they get out quickly at closing time.  I'll admit that this was my standard operating procedure when I owned or ran a store.  The problem is that closing a register early may force some customers to wait if the store is busy at closing time or if there is a problem with one customer's transaction. What's the big deal?  Well, it might not be a big deal to the staff but it is if you're the customer waiting in a line as you stare at an unused register.

Here are some other subconscious choices retailers make between making things easier for themselves and delivering the best experience for their customers.

* Not staggering staff meals and breaks. Why is that anytime we let multiple people go on break the store gets busy?  I have no idea why but I do know that not having enough staff available is something that should be avoided. 

* Opening late or closing early.  Time is one of our customer's most valuable resources. When we keep them waiting or when our store is not available to them when we said it would be then we're wasting our customers time and telling them that our time is more valuable than theirs. That is both rude and shortsighted.

* Worn or defective display products. I've met retailers who refuse to invest in replacing display products because it reduces their profits on those particular products. First and foremost, worn or broken display products cost sales.  Second, it has a negative impact on the customer's experience.  Customers deserve to see and try out products that are in good working order so they can make a sound purchase decision.

* Not having the proper size bags. On the surface this may seem petty but don't you find it annoying when stores don't have bags that are the appropriate size for the products? Sometimes a store just runs out, which I can understand, but to not make every effort to have right-sized shopping bags because you don't want to spend the money or make space behind the cashwrap doesn't cut it.

* Not giving customers bathroom access. Yes, it has been a while since I've harped on this topic. I've heard a hundred reasons why retailers won't let a customer use their restroom. None of them mean anything to a customer who needs to go, or has a child about to have an accident.  As I've also pointed out before, when you send customers out of your store in search of a restroom you're taking a risk they won't come back.

* Not training new employees quickly enough.  This was really highlighted during a recent conversation with a client.  This retailer has an extensive number of products that all require substantial knowledge to sell.  She said she couldn't afford to bring the part-timers in for extra training hours so it was taking a while to get employees up to speed.  I pointed out that the lost sales might be costing her more than the extra payroll it would take to get them trained sooner.

Putting insufficiently trained salespeople out on the floor isn't fair to the customers either. Every customer deserves the best possible experience and in many stores that requires a knowledgeable and informed employee.

So what are some of the other possible choices you might be making that could be impacting your customer's experience without you even realizing it? You can avoid making those choices in the future by always asking yourself, "How does this impact my customer?"

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

Selling to men

With less than a week to go until Mother’s Day, any store that sells Mother’s Day products will begin to see more and more male shoppers.  If that’s your store, here are ten tips to share with your team.  For the rest of you specialty retailers, these are still good reminders for maximizing your sales opportunities.

1. Assume every man who walks into your store between now and Sunday is there to buy. Remember, we create more sales when we begin by assuming the customer is a buyer.

2. Don't ask if he needs help. You know he's there to buy something and that you are just the right person to assist him.  Instead of saying "How may I help you? or  "Can I help you find something?" say something like, "Welcome. I bet you are looking for the perfect Mother’s Day gift."

3. Take charge of the sale.  There's a lot of truth to the stereotype about men not asking for directions, and a lot of us won't ask for help in a store, either.  Most men need your help whether they're willing to ask for it or not.

4. Involve the children if they’re shopping with dad. While this sounds obvious, it has happened to me when I’ve been shopping with my girls more times than I can count. Once the kids are excited about a particular gift, dad is sure to agree.

5. Discover a couple of things about Mom. The more you know the more you can help them pick out the perfect gift.  And isn't helping dad and kids buy the perfect gift the reason you're there?

6. Mirror the pace at which he's shopping.  If he's clearly looking to purchase something quickly, speed up your pace.  If he's taking his time, don't rush him. Let’s be honest. Sometimes we men aren’t the most patient shoppers in the world.   Speaking for myself, the longer I’m in the store the less likely I am to buy something.  That runs counter to how most people shop.

7. Avoid asking him how much he wants to spend.  Whenever I'm asked that I always say, "I don't want to spend anything, but I doubt you're giving away stuff."  Most men want to buy the best gift for the least amount of money.  Help him find that and the amount he wants to spend will take care of itself.

8. Start big and work your way down. Yes, that helps our sales, but it also helps Dad and the kids be heroes on Sunday.  I don't think many women have ever said, "I wish this diamond was smaller" or "I didn't really want this handbag and a wallet.”

9. Recommend products, but don't give them too many choices.  This is especially the case if dad’s not too comfortable buying the products you sell.  I'm fine picking out an iPhone for my wife, but ask me to select from too many different necklaces and I'll struggle to make a decision.

10. Offer to help the children pick out a small but special gift just from them.  This is such a nice touch for the kids, and it’s a nice way to add-on.  Gotta love those win-wins!

So let me ask, which one or two of these will help you sell more to men and make a lot of mother’s happy this Sunday?

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

Fact or Excuse? It depends....

While working with executive, owners and managers I hear a lot of reasons why something did or did not happen. Recently I've noticed that sometimes it feels like the person is making an excuse, but at other times it seems like the person is just stating facts. Why the difference, I wonder, since to some degree both groups are just sharing information.

The difference, I've come to understand, lies in whether or not the person owns their results.

People who give excuses believe that omething or someone else caused him/her to fail. The person who states facts is explaining why he/she failed. They own the results, or the lack thereof.

I'm not sure the people who give excuses even know they're doing so most of the time. They probably think they're sharing facts, but since they, whether or not they realize it, don't own their results it's just an excuse

Most people can't own their results because of how they perceive failure. Failing, to them, is seen as a weakness. Of course nobody likes to fail, but claiming a failure when it happens is actually a strength.

If you own your results you have the power to change them. If you can't, or won't, own your results then you've given away that power. You're a victim. Hence the excuse.

Interestingly, I see more excuses than facts when it comes to managing people. I constantly hear owners and managers talk about their staff as if those people don't even work for them. Hello???? They work for you!

Believe me, I am not trying to simplify managing people. It's not easy. But again, if you don't own your staff's outputs and results then you don't have the power to change it.

The power to change begins when you stop avoiding confrontation and address the issue. Or maybe I should say, stop thinking there is going to be confrontation and address the issue. More confrontation happens in the owner or manager's head than occurs during an actual conversation.

Owning your results doesn't immediately fix the issue. It's just the first step. But when you understand the facts of an issue or problem and you're not making excuses, you are well on your way to changing. It's amazing what you can accomplish when you keep the power.

So let me ask, do you own your results? The answer is in your facts or your excuses.

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