Great Sales Building Tip for Retailers

While on the sales floor, have you ever had one of those “moments of truth”, positive or negative, that you would like to respond to immediately?

Try this: Carry with you a variety of pre-activated (your specific company) Gift Cards ($5, $10, and $25), have your office managers track them.

Here is an example of how I use them: I was talking to a customer about some concerns she had with the store. I noticed she had a three- buggy order. I thanked her for being such a great customer and gave her a $5 gift card. She loved it. It was immediate (sends a great message to our customers) and a great finish to our conversation.

I have done this with new customers, people asking for donations, or even disgruntled customers (we all know the quicker the fix the faster the return) etc. Yes, you do need to use discretion and this is not the answer to every customer service issue, but believe me it works and it is immediate (save time for my customers and myself)!

In today’s fast paced world and fierce competition I have found that this builds customers confidence and not just satisfies the customers but truly delights them, a great “point of difference” to have in the marketplace.

Leadership

“Leadership is not an art,

it is not a skill,
nor is it something that you can learn.

Leadership is an inherited trait,
fueled by passion, fed by desire,

and maintained by your enthusiasm.

Leadership never dies...

... it will always be in your heart, waiting."

*The Six Rights of Merchandising...

   The Right  Merchandise,
in the Right  Place,
at the Right  Time,
in the Right  Quantity,
in the Right  Condition,
at the Right  Price!

Learn more about the key tactics to this strategy in my book:
Pecan Pie: 32 Business Success Strategies Passionately Baked To Order!
"A must read!" Ivan Misner New York Times Bestselling author
BY IT NOW on AMAZON.COM  click on link below
Click here to purchase Bob's Book


*(originated in a 1978 retailing training seminar and has been generically translated by many retailers)

“Copyright (5-1-2011) by Robert V Gambone Sr.”

Work Expands to Fill the Time Allotted...and the Time Allotted Must Equal the Work Required.

The following questions are geared towards taking a proactive leadership approach with your most valuable asset.
(As a business owner / executive you are not doing yourself, your shareholders or your employees any justice by either overworking your employees or paying your employees for nonproductive, non value-added time.)
Ask yourself the following:

How many hours a week are you scheduling your employees? Why?

Are you writing schedules based on the hours needed for employee compensation requirements or based on the work that is needed?

When was the last time you measured the amount of work needed based on fulfilling all internal and external customer requirements?

Do your salary employees write daily work planners? How many hours a week are they really "working"? (note: overworked employees and slackers are equally detrimental to your team)

How many hourly employees punch in late and punch out early and do not get “docked” for pay?(a recent study done at a Fortune 500 company revealed this cost to be well over 11 million dollars annually).

Do you allow hourly employees to work "off the clock"? Why?

Think about this….as a leader you need to make decisions on what is best for the team. Successful teams are strengthened by creating a synergy of balanced input from each team member. Demanding too much work from some and accepting less work from others deteriorates that synergy. Ask yourself the above questions one more time...and then take a proactive approach with your "people".

Top Ten Reasons Employees / Managers should shop at [Your] Company

10. Spend your money where you make it, reinvest in your future.

9. A chance to see the store through a customer’s perspective.

8. Sends a message of confidence when customers see you shop.

7. Sends a message of teamwork to your fellow employees.

6. Can you say “Job Security”?

5. It is convenient, saves time, travel, and gas.

4. You know what the deals are!

3. What better way to increase sales?

2. It’s great to shop where everyone
knows your name.

And the Number One reason is:
The best employees deserve the best quality products and services, [Your] Company. --- Show, Know, and Live The Brand!

Communicating to Our Customers: Drop the Acronyms and Industry Speak!

Did you ever answer a customer's question and receive a very confused

look from them in return?

A few years back a customer asked me why we were out of a particular item.

My answer was, “I know that we “surveyed” that item, but I think it was either “scratched” or on “allocation.”

The customer gave me the same look I gave the young doctor when he told me that my “diastolic” number was fine but he was concerned about my “systolic” number.

The point is we need to communicate to our customers on their terms. Many of us in retail use words like “discontinued”, “selector error”, “focus item” “shipper” "drop-ship" ... just to name a few...and acronyms like "OOS" "CSS" "POS" ...what do these mean to our customers? Nothing!

Knowledgeable employees are one thing but the ability to successfully communicate and have your customers understand is another. This presents an excellent opportunity to “raise the bar” in customer communications and delivering your brand promise.

Be Seen...Be Trusted...Be Profitable

Three steps to building your “brand” …no shortcuts here.

The other day I had a conversation with a gentleman that recently launched his own independent carpet cleaning business. He was so upset because he spent over $600 in advertising and received zero business from the ad. His mistake: trying to jump from visibility to profitability without building customer confidence, i.e. building trust in his “brand.”

Why do we know that FED EX will deliver overnight?…because they have walked the talk for years…we trust them!

You can talk the talk through advertising…more importantly, you must walk the talk by building customer confidence…then and only then will you be able to walk the walk of a profitable business.

For more information on building a sustainable / profitable business, contact Bob Gambone
412-491-7317, or email rvg444@aol.com