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Author: Phil Wrzesinski

Two Ways to Use Facebook Better

Social media is not a new form of advertising.  But it is a new method for branding your business.

Facebook is not a new avenue to talk at your customers.  But it is a new method for talking with your customers.

The biggest mistake most businesses make with social media (heck, with all forms of advertising) is using them the wrong way.  With social media, the specific mistake is thinking it is a platform for you to talk about your business.

If you think that way, you have it backwards.  Social media is for your customers to tell you about their lives and how you fit in them.  Therefore, the best way to use social media is to help your fans and followers start the conversation and then let them do all the talking.  Ask questions.  Ask for feedback.  Tell them what you’re thinking and ask if they agree.

Groovy Girls versus Barbie Dolls

One way I like to start the conversation on Facebook for Toy House is to post pictures of two competing toys to see which one my customers prefer.  Quick Polls.  People love to give you their opinions, so let them.  One time I posted this pic of Groovy Girls vs Barbie Dolls.

You can see from the comments how my fans were doing the “selling” of Groovy Girls.  Far more powerful than me trying to “sell” my customers.

The other advantage of these quick polls was how easily it was to get a read on what my fans liked and didn’t like and why.  They told me!

Not only did I get my customers to do the selling, I got valuable information about what my customers liked and disliked.  I also got a lot of interest.  The more people commented, the more people saw the post.  We found that the number of people who “liked” us grew faster when we did stuff like this rather than just shout out “We have Groovy Girls!”

Furthering Your Brand

Another way to use Facebook successfully is to use it to further your brand.  Make sure all of your posts are consistent with your Core Values.  For instance, one of the Toy House Core Values is Nostalgia.  So I posted this…

In 1949 my grandparents, Phil & Esther Conley transformed a house on First Street into a toy store. Everyone said they were crazy. You can’t sell toys year-round in Jackson. 18 years and three expansions later they had outgrown that house. On Monday, September 18, 1967 they re-opened Toy House at 400 North Mechanic Street. Forty five years later, the store is still going strong in our current building, still making people smile. If you like what we’ve done, share this with your friends. In a world where everything is becoming more disposable, some things are still built to last.

It was one of the most popular posts ever in terms of views and shares and likes.  Nostalgia is a powerful value that resonates with a lot of people.

I didn’t tell people what to do.  I didn’t tell them where to go.  I told them what I believed in.  I tapped into their own feelings of nostalgia.  I tapped into their own belief systems.  I deepened the connection they might already have and used them, by their comments and likes and shares, for reaching out to others who might share those same values.

I love Facebook.  Not as a means of selling, but as a means of conversing, of learning, of sharing, and of building a deeper relationship.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  Want to know more about the right and wrong ways to use all other forms of advertising? Read my FREE eBook How Ads Work Part 1.

Fake It Til You Make It

When you smile, the simple act of your muscles pulling the lips upward sends a signal to your brain.  Your brain begins releasing Endorphins that lower your stress.  It also sends a signal to your brain to release Serotonin, which boosts your immune system, gives you energy, and makes you feel good.

Even when the smile isn’t genuine.

Isn’t that cool?  You really can fake it til you make it.  Fake a smile and in short time you will feel better.

You can do the same thing with other body language poses.

Power posing is another way to fake it til you make it.  According to a Harvard study, when you strike a power pose, a pose where your body is open, not crossed, and in a larger than life position (think Wonder Woman with her hands on her hips), you increase your levels of testosterone while also decreasing your levels of cortisol.

What are the applications of this for independent retailers?

First, remind your staff to smile no matter how they feel.  Just that act alone will make them feel better soon.  Plus, that smile is infectious.  If they smile, the customers will smile and soon everyone will be feeling better.

Second, teach your staff how to Power Pose every morning before the day begins.  Have them hold that pose for a couple minutes before they hit the sales floor.  Their energy will be better, they will have more confidence, and they will seem more likable and approachable.

Yeah, body language actually does make a difference, both inside and out.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  That picture is from the Monroe Chamber of Commerce Business Summit.  I had everyone Power Pose at the beginning of the talk.  Got the energy of the crowd up before I launched a new motivational talk – Better Your Business by Being Your Business Better which includes elements of Understanding Your Brand with more examples of how it works in real life. If you would like your organization fired up and working towards a common goal, contact me.  The presentation takes an hour (there is a 30-minute Reader’s Digest version if you’re strapped for time) and will do far more than just raise your testosterone or lower your cortisol.

What Did You Do Last Week?

What did you do this past week?  Write it all down.  Short-hand, as a bullet list, paragraph form, whatever it takes.  Write it ALL down.  Go ahead.  I’ll wait…

I played golf (twice), won a golf scramble tournament.  I led a group of Emerging Leaders through a Team Building training and then taught them how to be Team Builders on their own teams.  I did a Keynote Address for the Monroe Chamber of Commerce Business Summit on being true to your Core Values.  I helped my two sons with homework.  I taught a class on baby products for expectant parents.  I taught a class for expectant daddies.  I got a quote back for printing my next book.  I placed orders for the store.  I dealt with defects and problems for customers.  I calculated cash flow projections.  I wrote up a new schedule for staff for next month.  I planned a staff meeting.  I met with three sales reps.  I went biking. I went running.  I took my dog to agility class.  I played my guitar.  I set up a sound system for church.  I installed a bunch of car seats.  I ran errands.   I went on TV.  I wrote a bunch of emails.  I read a bunch of blogs. I wrote a blog. I cooked for my wife and kids. I ate. I slept.

Three things come from a list like this.

First, unless you wrote a chronological list, the first few things you listed were likely the items that meant the most to you.  Sometimes this is the easiest way to figure out where your priorities lie, and if they are aligned with your needs.

Second, sometimes it is easy to forget all the incredible things you do in a week.  Pat yourself on the back for all you accomplished.  It is often more than you thought and quite often more than you expected.  Writing it all down helps bring into focus all you do and the impact you make.

Third, it helps you remember all that you didn’t do.  Compare one week’s list to the next and you will see what you failed to accomplish.  Don’t be so hard on yourself.  There is always more to do.  Put those things on this week’s To Do list and get busy.

It is good to stop and take your pulse from time to time and make sure you have your priorities straight.  Take a good look at your list and figure out the story it has to tell you.  Then decide what you want to put on next week’s list.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  Yes, it was a particularly busy week for me with some really fun big events.  But, surprisingly enough, the list is no longer than any other week.  Just different.  Isn’t variety the spice of life? And I can quickly see where I need to spend more time next week.

PPS Don’t compare your list to mine or anyone else’s.  You aren’t living those lives.  Live your own.  Just do it consciously and with purpose.  This list exercise helps you do that.

Don’t Know What to Do

My son is a freshman on the cross country team.  He needs to do running on his own over the weekend (which, of course, means running with dad).  Time got away from us and the sun was setting on our weekend.  We decided to go to the middle school where they have coin-operated lights on the tennis courts.

The courts were full and the lights on when we got there, but half way through our run the courts emptied and the lights went out.

No problem.  I had plenty of quarters.  I started feeding the machine and pushing the button.  Nothing happened.  I fed more quarters, still nothing.  I used the light from my phone to find a sign.  No sign.  A couple of walkers came by and asked if we needed help.  They had a flashlight.  No sign. No info.  They thought it was one hour for 50 cents, but there was nothing to tell us that.

Three dollars and fifty cents later we left the dark courts for the partially lit parking lot to continue our run.

Five minutes later the lights at the tennis courts came on.  Time delay? I don’t know.  They were on and probably going to stay on for quite some time – three dollars and fifty cents worth of time!

I owe an apology to all the residents nearby for the next seven hours of bright lights.  I’m only as good as the info I am given.

So are your customers.  Make sure they know exactly how to do anything and everything you want them to do.  Give them signs.  Give them info.  Give them clear instructions.  They’ll be happy because they accomplished what they wanted to do.  You’ll be happy because they are happy. (And the neighbors will be happy because the lights will go off at a decent hour – sorry ’bout that.)

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS Our puppy didn’t mind running in the dark.  Then again, unlike your customer, she doesn’t read signs.  Your customer will get the info she needs somewhere.  Might as well be from you.

Shopping Local Benefits Salt Lake City

More good news!  Another study has come out showing the HUGE economic benefits of shopping local.

http://www.ilsr.org/independent-businesse-deliver-bigger-economic-benefit/

(For those of you who either can’t or won’t follow the link, the gist of the story is that a study of impact on the local economy in Salt Lake City showed that local retailers recirculate about 52% of their revenue back into the city, whereas chains only recirculate about 13.6%.  For local restaurants it is 79% versus 30% for chain restaurants.)

Shop local.  It helps your local economy.  Remind your customers to shop local, too.  In fact, remind everyone to shop local.  That is the easiest way to turn this country around.

(Gee, wouldn’t it be nice to hear at least one politician put that into his platform?)

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  But don’t think that those economic benefits alone mean that you deserve people’s business.  You still need to perform.  All this means is people should try you first.  It is up to you to get them to come back.

What to Do About Showrooming

We all have been showroomed.  The customer comes in, looks at your stuff, then leaves the store only to order the same items online.  Heck, maybe you have done some showrooming yourself.

I had a customer who came in, asked our opinion about car seats, had us show her how they all fit in her car, talked through options, how to install, how to keep the kid buckled in properly, and even how to clean up after a spill.  After several trips out to her car with car seats, she told us she would be back to purchase.  One week later she stopped in to ask if we could help install her car seat.  It was still in the box with the shipping label from the online site where she ordered it still attached!

Some of you are already hopping mad.  I understand your reaction.  I was telling this story to a friend who said her initial response would have been to refuse to install the seat, telling the customer to ask the online website where she ordered it to install the seat.

Here is what we did.

We gladly installed the seat.  We talked through all the options of where to place the seat, what is the safest way to travel with a baby, how to install the seat, how to adjust the straps, and then helped her get it properly installed in her car.  Then we invited her back if she ever needed help with that seat or any other seat.

Some of you might think I’m crazy.  We gained nothing from that customer, yet we spent valuable resources on her (our time, our expertise, etc).  She showroomed us.

The way I see it, she showed up.  She took the time to come to my store – twice!  Now it is my responsibility to make sure she has an awesome time at my store.  It is my responsibility that she gets phenomenal customer service whether or not she makes a purchase at that time.

Why?

Because I sell far more than car seats and she will need to buy far more than just that one car seat.  I may have lost the opportunity to sell that one car seat, but since she came back to the store, she has given me an opportunity to sell her other things she might need either today or down the road.

Because I treasure Word-of-Mouth advertising.  She may not have given me the sale, but if I treat her just as rudely as she treated me, she’ll bad mouth me to everyone she knows (conveniently leaving out her own behavior).  If I treat her well, at the very least she has nothing bad to say, but more likely she will say something positive about us.

Because I like the challenge a customer like this presents to us.  You have heard the phrase,

“You can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink.”  

One of my staff told me the other day,

“You can lead a horse to water, and if you can get him to float on his back, then you really have something.”  

Customers like these are a great training ground for the staff.  If we can turn them from showroomers into customers, then we really have something.  If we don’t, at least we got valuable training on what doesn’t get work.

Don’t look at showrooming as a problem.  Look at it as an opportunity.  Get those customers to float on their backs, and then you really have something.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  If you don’t feel you have the resources to help them or if your resources need to be spent on other customers, then do what you have to do.  But never ever stoop to the rudeness of your rudest customers.  That’s a competition you can never win.

Starting or Finishing?

I asked some fellow store owners for their thoughts on the following quote:

“Don’t worry about finishing, just get going.”

Is this appropriate advice for a retail store?

Their thoughts were quite interesting.

Many people loved it, felt that it embraced their entrepreneurial spirit.  To them it meant to quit worrying about results and just start doing things.  You’ll adjust as you go along.  If you don’t get going, you’ll never finish anyway. Anything is better than sitting still.

Others hated it, felt that starting something without a plan or and end in sight was foolish and a waste of time.  You’ll spend far too much time, money and resources without seeing the proper return on investment.  I know one employee who left a retail job because her boss was far more interested in starting multiple projects without ever seeing one through to fruition, which drove this employee mad.

After thinking about it for a while and reading what others had to say, here are my thoughts…

On one side I believe you need to think about finishing so that you don’t waste your efforts but on the other side some initiatives just need to get started and then they’ll take a life of their own.

More importantly, however, I think this is a good statement for finding out an important character trait of a potential employee. Someone who takes umbrage with this quote might be more apt to do one thing fully to completion, whereas someone who embraces this quote might be more apt to come up with creative ideas and new initiatives.

Most importantly, I think every business needs a mix of the two mindsets, someone to get projects started and someone to see them through to fruition.

Stop.  Think about where you landed the first time you read that quote.  You might want to find someone on the other side of the coin to balance you out.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  I would venture to guess that most business owners fall somewhere to the side of agreeing with the quote.  That’s the entrepreneurial spirit in us.  But you do need finishers.  Seth Godin has a term for the person who sees things through to completion. He calls them Linchpins.  If you are not (yet) a fan of Seth’s, you might want to check that book out.

Changing a Customer’s Mind

About 40% of the population are going to vote Democratic in the next election no matter what.  Another 40% are going to vote Republican no matter what.  Their minds cannot be changed.  These people are easy to identify.  They are the ones posting sound bites and article links all over Facebook.

The real political battle is only over the 20% who may change their minds.  That’s it.  Twenty percent.

Aren’t you glad you’re in Retail?

The National Retail Federation did a survey that said 78% of satisfied customers would shop somewhere else they thought would be more fun (heard this in a presentation, but cannot find survey).  Seventy-eight percent are willing to change their mind on where to shop!  I think the number is much higher.

We all know that Transactional Customers will change their mind on where to shop.  They’ll shop wherever they can find the best deal.  But what about the Relational Customer?  What if you are first loser on a Relational Customer’s list?  How do you change their minds?

Make it Fun
Start by doing what the NRF survey told you to do.  Make your store more fun!  Sit around with your staff (and a six-pack of beer if you think that will help) and try to envision what “the most fun store” in your category would look like.  Sport Clips is a hair salon for men that figured out how to make haircuts more fun.  They have translated that fun into becoming one of the fastest growing franchises in North America.  Even if you implement just one suggestion from your sit around, you’ll probably be more fun than anyone in your market.

Care
We all know the saying, “The customer doesn’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.”  Take that saying to heart and find new ways to care about your customer.  Find out what concerns she has about shopping at your store, why she might stay away.  Eliminate those concerns.  Find out what you can do to make her feel more welcome, invited, and treasured.  Do those things.  Find out what she expects and then exceed that expectation at every turn.

Seth Godin posted this blog earlier today…

Questions we ask before we trust your new idea
Who are you?
Do I trust you?
Am I afraid of it?
Will this work for me?
Who says it’s important?
What will my peers think?

Those are the questions a Relational Customer asks long before they will pay attention to your advertising, your sales pitch, or your staff blather on about facts and data.  You need to answer those questions first.

Two Reminders
You know this… The definition of insanity is to do the same thing and expect different results.  If you are not happy with your results, then you need to do something different.

Roy H. Williams taught me that people don’t actually change their minds.  They make new decisions based on new information.  And since we all know that the heart wins out over the mind, give the heart of your customers new information so that they can make new decisions.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS I was listening to an ad for a national retail chain that mentioned how they were focused on and committed to “customer service”, yet they never once told me how.  The rest of the ad focused solely on price.  Is it any wonder I cannot for the life of me remember which chain?  Don’t tell me.  Show me.

Self Serve Checkout Equals Poor Serve Checkout

I know why stores starting implementing Self-Serve checkout.  It was supposed to save them money and speed up the checkout process.  You could have six lanes open with only one cashier.

Some argued that not only was it more efficient, it also helped Customer Service.  You never had to have a customer leave unhappy because of a slow, poorly trained, surly attitude clerk.

Instead they left unhappy because they couldn’t get the self-serve kiosk to work, had to call for help twice, got frustrated and had only an inanimate object on which to take out those frustrations.

Self-Serve Frustration
I hate going to Kroger for that exact reason.  The scanner doesn’t recognize all the bar codes, the bagging area doesn’t recognize the items I placed in the bags (after finally pulling the bags apart) or doesn’t recognize my own bags when I don’t want to use their plastic ones.  The checkout won’t scan my loyalty card.  The lone cashier serving the four self-serve kiosks is busy with some other fool trying to checkout.  And the sign hanging from the ceiling mocks me with their bragging about having the best checkouts in the grocery world.

The reality of Self-Serve Checkout is that it encourages smaller transactions.  No one wants to go through the hassle with a cart full of groceries or toys or hardware or home decor.  Albertson’s Groceries found that their average transactions went down when they added Self-Serve.  They’re pulling those kiosks out.  Ikea is doing the same thing.

Customer Service Neutral
The other issue with Self-Serve is that at its best, it is Customer Service neutral.  It cannot delight a customer by making sure they have everything they need.  It cannot build a connection between customer and store, a personal relationship that makes the trip to the store meaningful.  It cannot offer tips or suggestions on how to use the purchased product better.  It cannot put a smile on the customer’s face.

At its worst, it sends customers away.  I don’t go to Kroger anymore, even though they sell three food items we love but cannot buy anywhere else in town.  My wife has stopped asking.  Why? Because they rarely have a regular checkout lane operating.  They give you no other option than self-serve.

Make Checkout a WOW
The Checkout is one of the more crucial steps in WOW Customer Service. Because it is the last interaction a customer has with you, it is the part they remember the best.  In my FREE download Customer Service: From Weak to WOW, here is how you can WOW your customers at checkout…

You offer specific suggestions for other products or services that compliment her purchase.  You reinforce her choices with compliments and reassurance that she made a good choice.  You give her tips or suggestions that will make the purchases even better such as creative ways to use the products.  Plus, you help carry her items out to the car, suggest where she can go to eat or to do more shopping.  You get her signed up for your newsletters, birthday clubs and for any special deals or drawings you offer.  And you get her in your Special Customers book.

Make Checkout memorable and your customers will checkout more often.  Even Ikea, the ultimate in self-serve shopping, is starting to think that way

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  When you’re done reading the Customer Service: From Weak to WOW download, check out all the other FREE downloads for retailers in the Freebies section of www.PhilsForum.com.

Thoughts From a Wedding

I attended my sister-in-law’s wedding last Saturday out in sunny San Diego and have some random thoughts for retailers from my weekend trip.

Hide the Backroom

The lovely couple did all of their own planning for this backyard wedding including doing all the food themselves (with the help of their families).  I was there to help out for the two days leading up to the wedding.  Although chaos seemed to ensue, and there were a few hiccups along the way, by the time the bride strode down the aisle, everything was ready.  The vast majority of the wedding guests never saw the chaos or mess.  They all had a wonderful time and enjoyed a beautiful event.

More importantly, no one talked about the mess.  We all just focused on making the event special for the wedding couple and guests.  Your customers don’t care what it took to make their trip to your store special, all they care about is that it was special.

Complete the Sale

We made numerous trips back and forth to the store.  A good sales clerk eliminates those multiple trips by asking questions, finding out why you are buying what you are buying and making suggestions of items needed to complete the sale.  If you are buying multiple carts full of soda, water and beer, even a minimum-wage clerk should be asking if you need ice.

Know Your Audience

The food, the entertainment, the location, even the service itself were planned not only for the wedding couple but also for what their guests would want.  They purposefully chose to delight their guests by planning a wedding celebration that fit the desires of their friends and family.

Build your store experience around your customers’ expectations more than your own and you will delight them more often than not.

Tell the Story

The bride and groom each wrote their own vows.  When the groom started his vows by telling the story of their first date ending with the phrase, “I told [Jason] then, ‘I am going to marry this girl,'” he had me hook, line and sinker.

Stories are more powerful than facts just as emotion is more powerful than logic.  Speak to your customer’s heart by telling stories that matter and you will make a deeper and more lasting impression.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  There are lessons for retailers all around us.  Keep your eyes open.  The next great lesson or idea may come when you least expect it.