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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.

Convenience Trumps Price

In case you need more proof that not every customer shops on price, a new study on Back-to-School shopping by WSL/Strategic Retail shows that only 26% of customers are chasing BTS price promotions to do their shopping.

Instead they are shopping based on Convenience.  Seventy five percent are going to stores where they believe they can get everything all at once, regardless of the price.  Sure, most of them are going to a big-box discounter, but that isn’t the issue.
The key word here is Convenience.  What are you doing to offer that to your customers?  Do you have services like online shopping with same day delivery?  Do you offer a wide selection that covers everything your customer needs?  Do you have an easy-to-get-to location? Front door parking? Delivery?  Personal shoppers?  A fast checkout?  Free gift-wrapping? (Heck gift-wrapping, period.)
Convenience comes in many forms.  The convenience stores that dot every other corner were designed to make shopping quick and easy when you only needed an item or two.  You paid more for a roll of tape or a gallon of milk, but you saved time and hassle.  
Personal shoppers used to be a sign that your store was expensive.  But what is the fine line between a helpful employee and a personal shopper?  You already have the helpful employees. (Right?)
Convenience trumps price.  That is why people will pay more for a bunch of screws at Wal-Mart than at the local hardware store – because they were already at Wal-Mart for BTS shopping.  
You have convenience built into your model in many ways.  The study shows that now is the time to play them up.
Phil Wrzesinski
PS  Not all conveniences are the same.  Be specific about how you are convenient, and more importantly, how it benefits your customers. (We offer free giftwrapping so that you are never late for the party.)

A Customer Service Story You Gotta Read…

My friend, Cynthia Compton, owns 4 Kids Books and Toys near Indianapolis.  Her store, as many toy stores do, offers to host birthday parties.  The kids come in, do crafts and activities, have fun and (hopefully) spend some money in the store.  Yes, there is a fee the birthday family must pay.  But the true hope in a service like this is to get the kids (and their parents) into the store, a chance for them to try out the store’s products, and to make the kids and their families feel good about the store.

In another word – Branding.

“You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.” -James D. Miles

But what do you do when the customer wants a birthday party not at your store, without all those benefits?

In Cynthia’s own words…

 Just got back from a “remote” birthday party. We offer on-site parties to our customers if they want us to do them. This family has two autistic kids, and the noise and stress level of our store is too much. So I did a party in their living room for the boys and 2 friends. I whispered for two hours. It was a very nice time…

…we had a rabbit party. I borrowed some rabbits from a kid who raises them for 4H. We spread a tarp on the floor, and I brought a bunch of cardboard boxes to make tunnels. I had two big fat white rabbits that were used to handling, and then a hutch full of little grey babies. The boys made salads for the bunnies, we rolled balls for them to chase, and we ate carrot cake cupcakes. Oh, and I had short white lab coats with their names embroidered over the pocket, and I borrowed some stethescopes so we listened for rabbit heartbeats. It was really fun. Something I couldn’t have done with a lot of kids, but 4 was perfect. One of the birthday guys is pretty hard to reach, but he let us put a rabbit in his lap, and hold one of the babies up to his cheek. Mom was pleased, the bunnies were good, and no one got bitten (which was my nightmare on Friday night.)

When Cynthia was asked how she came up with this idea, she replied…

I met the kid with the rabbits at the farmers market this summer, and so the bunnies have been on my mind. She brings them every week to her family’s stand (we get eggs from them) and usually has a different hutch of babies. I’ve been wanting to do something with them, and this opportunity just presented itself. The birthday boys don’t have any pets, and bunnies are quiet….. It just kind of came together. It was probably a huge business risk from a liability standpoint, but we all survived the day.

She didn’t get the kids into her store.  She didn’t get the kids’ friends and their families into her store.  She didn’t get to show off any of her products.  But tell me… Do you think that family will sing her praises and promote her store to everyone they know?  You bet!

That, my friends, is WOW Customer Service.  How far are you willing to go to make a customer’s day?

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  I know Cynthia and, yes, she is simply that nice and helpful.

It’s Our Policy

When you hear a sales clerk say they can’t because “it’s our policy” don’t you just want to throttle them?

Cinda Baxter of The 3/50 Project wrote a wonderful blog on exactly that topic and called those the three worst words to say to a customer, based on an experience that many of us will find all too familiar.

I started to comment on her blog about how I train my staff to deal with such issues and decided it was worth sharing to everyone.

You have policies.  You teach them to your staff.  You ask them to follow those policies.  You even have reasons for each of those policies.  But every now and then a customer makes a valid point for bypassing those policies.  Before your staff blurts out those three bad words, do you empower them to make policy exceptions on the fly?

I do.

I teach my staff our policies, especially the why behind each policy, but then I let them make adjustments to meet our one and only true goal – to make the customer smile.  The only thing I ask is that if they bend a policy to get a smile, they have to report back to me what they did.

Sometimes they absolutely nail it and do the right thing by the customer (and because of it I sometimes have to adjust the policy).  Sometimes they do things that I wish maybe they hadn’t done.

Either way, I always praise them for first making the customer smile.

Then I praise them more for taking initiative.  Then I praise them for what they did right.  Then, and only then, will I offer suggestions for how they could have done it differently.

By doing it that way I continually empower them to take initiative.  I continually empower them to make our customers happy.  I continually empower them to think on their feet and make smart decisions.  The praise is the key to the empowerment.  Fear of criticism is what holds most people back.  Heaping praise on them makes them want to do it more.  Heaping praise on them followed by suggestions for doing it better makes them want to do it more and do it right.

The end result is that the only time my employees every say the phrase, “It’s our policy,” is in response to, “Wow, you guys are all so helpful!”

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  Policies are really only guidelines.  Remember that the most important goal of any transaction is to earn another transaction down the road.

Advertising Versus Public Relations

I may be different because I look at Advertising and Marketing and Public Relations as just similar types of the same product – exposure of your business to the public.  You can add Location to that mix, too.  You can even add Customer Service.  All five serve the same purpose.  They just do it a different way.  Some companies have completely different departments to carry out each function, often without one knowing what the other is doing.

They are not entities to themselves, just tools you use to promote your business, promote your message.  I found this joke on the website AJokeADay.com that pretty well sums it up. (You’ll notice that the message is quite clear;-)

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.
You go up to her and say, “I am very rich. Marry me!”

That’s Direct Marketing.

You’re at a party with a bunch of friends and see a gorgeous girl.
One of your friends goes up to her and pointing at you and says,
“He’s very rich. Marry him.”

That’s Advertising.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.
You go up to her and get her telephone number.
The next day you call and say, “Hi, I’m very rich. Marry me.”

That’s Telemarketing.

You’re at a party and see a gorgeous girl.
You get up and straighten your tie; you walk up to her and pour
her a drink.
You open the door for her; pick up her bag after she drops it,
offer her a ride, and then say,
“By the way, I’m very rich. Will you marry me?”

That’s Public Relations.

You’re at a party and see a gorgeous girl.
She walks up to you and says, “You are very rich.”

That’s Brand Recognition.

You see a gorgeous girl at a party.
You go up to her and say, “I’m rich. Marry me”
She gives you a nice hard slap on your face.

That’s Customer Feedback!!!!

Read more: http://www.ajokeaday.com/Clasificacion.asp?ID=13&Pagina=3#ixzz21qTE0vQO

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.Philsforum.com

PS If you are unsure of the purpose of your Advertising, Marketing, Public Relations, Location, and Customer Service… they all serve to let people know your Core Values.

What You DID Build

There is a lot of furor over President Obama’s statement,

“If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that.  Somebody else made that happen.”

I know when I first read it, it made my blood boil.  Then I stopped, took a deep breath and went looking for the complete quote to see how it had to have been taken out of context.  Did you, too?  The next thing I did was look for all the usual rants and raves from all sides.  Predictable.

I think the best take on the whole matter was written by The Washington Examiner’s Senior Editorial Writer Philip Klein (great first name).  Enough said on that issue.

Instead of my own rants on the subject, I have two other thoughts.

First, we can argue until the cows come home about what he actually meant.  And that won’t accomplish a single thing.  Arguing won’t build a road or a business.  Businesses have to be built by someone who is willing to quit arguing and start doing.  You cannot argue or complain yourself to success. You should also get all the help you can. There are resources out there for you.  I like to remember what Harry S. Truman said,

“It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit.”.

So go out there and build.  Build what you can.  Build with your heart.  Build with your mind.  Build with passion.  Be proud of what you build.  Be amazed.  Be humble.  Yes, you took all the risks and did all the heavy lifting, and you got some help along the way.  As Sir Isaac Newton reminds us,

“If I have seen farther than others, it is because I am standing on the shoulders of giants.”

Second, although passion drove you to build your business, control your passion enough to let wisdom and patience guide you as well.  When a customer or sales rep or vendor (or President) says something that makes your blood boil, stop, take a deep breath and try to see the other side of the story.  You cannot control what other people say, only how you respond to them.

The one thing we all can build is goodwill towards others.  Build goodwill with your customers.  Build goodwill with your employees.  Build goodwill with your vendors.  You don’t need anyone’s help to do that. And no one can ever take that away.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  Hopefully you got that this post was more about how to deal with an unhappy, unruly, or unreasonable customer than it was about politics.

Make it More Fun

At a recent conference I attended, a statistic was thrown out from the National Retail Federation that 78% of customers say they would shop somewhere else that is more fun.  I couldn’t find the source for that stat.  But let’s just assume it is true that a large percentage of people will choose fun over loyalty.

Are you surprised?

For many customers, shopping is an event.  Shopping is a happening, something to which you invite your friends to join you.  On the other hand, for many customers shopping is a chore.  Shopping is drudgery, a time-consuming event that sucks all the energy out of your life.

Let me ask… Which of those two groups would be attracted to a more fun shopping option?

If you said both, move to the head of the class.  Now that statistic doesn’t seem so far-fetched.  Now your mission is much more clear.  Make your store the most fun option in your category.

Some of you think I have an unfair advantage of being fun because I sell toys.  But remember that because I am a toy store, the bar of expectations is quite high.  We’re supposed to be a fun place to shop.  Here are some things to remember about fun in retail…

  • It has to be inclusive.  Make sure your customers are part of the fun.  No one does this better than the famous Pike Place Fish Market that regularly includes the audience customers in their skits and routines.
  • It has to be family-friendly.  If there is the slightest chance children will be in the store, keep it PG or milder. (Note: tobacco shops and adult video stores can disregard that last statement.)
  • It has to be all the time.  Even if you or a member of your staff is having an off day, you have to be on for the customers.  They will notice when you don’t have the same level of energy.  Fake it if you have to.  

Fun could include…

  • Displays for customers to try before they buy.  
  • Acting a little goofy and silly.
  • Making a big deal over each and every customer, showing them appreciation and special attention.  (The same presentation said 70% of your customers who leave, do so because of lack of appreciation.)
  • Constantly re-merchandising your store to come up with cool new displays and excitingly creative windows.
  • Contests such as paint a poster of your favorite experience at our store, write our new radio ad, design our next t-shirt.
  • Smiling all the time and being friendly no matter what the circumstances

If the NRF is right, 78% of the customers out there are hoping you will be more fun!  Don’t disappoint them.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  The number one thing you can do is appreciate your customers.  Smile at them.  Greet them like family.  Treat them like royalty.  Thank them profusely.  Rick Segel says the best opening line – even better than “Hello” – is to say “Thanks for coming in.”  Your customers have so many other options, yet they chose you.  Create a culture of appreciation and your customers will think your store is the most fun place to shop.

PPS  If your current staff cannot make your store fun, you need to get a new staff.  Now!

No One Else Does It That Way

Here is a phrase you need to tune your ears to hear.

“But no one else does it that way…”

That phrase is money.  Gold.  Pure platinum.

To do something remarkable, you have to do something worth remarking.  Nobody remarks on the stuff everyone is doing.  They only remark on the stuff no one else is doing.

So keep listening for that phrase.  When you hear it, that is your opportunity to be remarkable.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  Word of Mouth is simply People telling other People what You did.  Do something Shareworthy.

Twenty Five Cents is Golden

What if I told you that for only 25 cents per customer who walks through your door tomorrow you can generate a thousand dollars worth of advertising?

What if I told you that a small gesture on your part will make a huge difference that sets you far apart from your competition?

What if I told you that a simple little thing will send one of the most powerful messages ever that will create loyal fans and evangelists?

What if I told you that if you give your customer something she can already get for free she will love you for it?

Would you think I am crazy?

What if I told you to go buy a couple cases of water, some ice and a cooler?

On these hot summer days you can stand out from the crowd by giving away bottles of ice cold water.  At a small cost to you it will have a huge effect on your customers in a number of ways…

Lagniappe

There is a French Cajun word that means “a little extra”.  Just giving away something for free creates a bond with your customer. It makes her smile, makes her feel special, makes her feel like an insider.  There are many ways to offer lagniappe in your store.  On a hot summer day this is an easy no-brainer way to do it.

You Don’t Have to Advertise It

Don’t go out on your Facebook page and advertise it.  Let your customers do it for you.  Put out the cooler and I bet by the end of the day at least one of your customers has taken a photo with her phone and posted it on her own site.  Plus, she will be telling her friends about it.  These are the kinds of moments your customers love to share.

They’ll Stay Longer

With a water in hand, she’ll feel more refreshed and more comfortable, which means she’ll shop longer (as long as you have a bathroom nearby:-).  Is it worth 25 cents to you to keep your customers in the store longer?

You Care

A simple little gesture like this also shows how much you care.  You recognize that it is hot.  You recognize the customer had to leave her air-conditioned house to visit you.  You recognize that she went out of her way, so you go out of your way to make her as comfortable as possible.  Believe me, she will know what you did.

Time for a grocery store run.

Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  It probably won’t even cost you that much.  Only about a third of our customers took a water.  But all of them saw it, all of them felt the caring, the generosity, and the comfort. And many of them talked about it.

PPS  Last night at the local grocery store I bought 72 waters (half-liter size) and a bag of ice for $12.73.  That comes down to just under 18 cents per bottle.  Figuring only one-third of the customers take one, we’re talking 6 cents per customer to reap those benefits.  Tell me where else you can get that kind of ROI.

Schedule to the Peak

I just received my Profit Survey back from the American Specialty Toy Retailing Association (ASTRA).  Every other year they have toy stores submit their financials to help us see what the Balance Sheet and Profit & Loss might be for a typical indie toy store.  It is a fascinating document full of amazing facts and percentages and one of my favorite benefits of belonging to ASTRA.

Going through all the numbers, it is fun to see how a store my size (the largest family-owned indie toy store in America) compares to other stores.  For instance, we buy from more than twice as many vendors as the typical toy store (540 versus 230).

The number that is always fun for me is the breakdown of payroll.  My payroll is much higher as a percentage of sales than my fellow toy stores.  It isn’t because I give myself a big bonus.  Owner payroll is significantly lower than other stores.  It is because I have a big staff.

Maybe too many people if you look at what other stores do.

But there is a purpose for that.  I like to schedule my staff to the peak.  In other words, when the peak moment of the day happens, I want enough staff here to handle it easily and smoothly without a single drop in levels of service.  The hard part is trying to guess when that peak will happen.  As you know in retail, there are no certainties on when the customers will show up.

So I schedule more than enough staff to handle the average moments, knowing that I will be able to give customers a great experience even when we’re “crazy busy”.  Sure, it drives up payroll costs.  But it helps me save it in other areas.  WOW Customer Service brings Word of Mouth, which saves on advertising.

Still not sure it is worth scheduling that way?

Think about it from a customer’s perspective.  If you don’t schedule to the peak, here is what your customer sees.  She doesn’t know what your peak looks like.  All she knows is that you don’t have enough staff to help her right now.  Your staff might tell her, “Sorry, we got really swamped.  We’ll be with you in a moment,” but what does that tell her?  Some of those customers will think, Wow, that is great that they are so busy.  Others will think, Wow, they didn’t expect to do much business. I wonder how things are going.

Schedule to the peak and when that busy moment happens, she might think, Wow, they expected to be busy.  This store is the happening place.

Just make sure when it isn’t the peak that you have plenty of projects to keep the staff occupied so that they always look like they are working.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  Make a checklist of everything that needs to get done for the day and give it to each person on the staff.  Challenge them to see who can do the most on the checklist without ignoring a customer.  Reward your winners.  You’ll get more people trying to accomplish more on those checklists every single day.