Retail Contrarian

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.

When a customer freaks out

While waiting for a flight the other day I watched a very stressed passenger freak out on an airline representative.  The passenger’s behavior was embarrassing and completely unacceptable, and of course I couldn’t help but watch to see how the agent handled it.

Overall she did a great job, but at the same time I saw things she could have done better.  I know you don’t have people freak out on you very often (thank goodness) but here are a few tips to remember when it does happen.

1. Remain calm.  Okay, as calm as you can.  It is easier said than done, but getting aggravated just doubles the drama and pretty much guarantees things will get worse.

Don’t take it personally.  The passenger was screaming that she was going to get the agent fired, but the real issue was that she missed her check-in time and her seat was given away to another passenger.  If whatever situation hadn’t happened, you wouldn’t even be involved.

2. Don’t blame the customer. The goal is to calm the customer and address the issue. When we inadvertently blame a customer for what happened they become more defensive.  The customer might have messed up, or doesn’t want to follow the policies, but making it about them will only make matters worse.

3. Say you’re sorry.  As I’ve written and said many times, saying you’re sorry doesn’t mean that you or anyone in your store have done anything wrong.  You’re simply expressing regret that the customer is upset.  That’s something I didn’t see the agent do, which only made the passenger freak out even more.

4. Keep the focus on finding a resolution.  As obvious as that sounds, it doesn’t always happen.  Extremely upset people have a tendency to keep going back to the issue and reiterating how much they’re upset. When the passenger screamed for the fiftieth time how upset she was I expected everyone at the gate to yell out, “We know!”  One thing the agent did very well was that every time the passenger did that she responded, “I understand that. Now let’s work on getting you to your destination.”

5. Bring in another person if it gets too personal.  This poor agent wasn’t going to do anything to escape the customer’s wrath. When she finally realized that, she had another agent step to handle the situation.  At that moment the passenger completely stopped freaking out.  It was like someone had unplugged her.  There might just be times when an owner or manager needs to ask an assistant or associate to work with the customer.  I know that some owners/managers may not agree with that approach, but I’ve personally used it twice to bring resolution for a very unhappy customer.

6. Last but not least, don’t accept unacceptable behavior.  I thought the agent showed great restraint with the customer who was freaking out, but she was probably pretty close to calling the airport police. If the customer crosses a line into unacceptable behavior then you owe it to your staff, the other customers, and yourself to remove the customer.  Of course if we do the first five thing listed here that probably won’t have to happen.

Let’s hope you never have to apply any of these tips, but if you do have a customer who freaks out I hope you’re able to remember to apply them.

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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.

Reading and exceeding the customer's expectations

One of the keys to meeting and, we hope, exceeding a customer's expectations is to first determine what they are.  How do you know if you've met or exceeded expectations unless you know what they are?

Unfortunately, many retailers and sales people take a "one size fits all" approach.

They assume a customer wants to be left alone. That may or may not be true.

They assume a customer wants to chat and look at lots of products. That may or may not be true.

They assume a customer is in a hurry or not in a hurry.  That may or may not be true.

They assume a customer is interested in features.  That may or may not be true.

I could go on and on, but you get my point.  What is important to one customer doesn't mean a thing to another.

How do you know what someone is expecting from you and your store?  The easiest way to find out would be to ask your customer when he/she walks in the door.  Although some people could easily answer that question, many (most?) would struggle to verbalize it.

And there's our answer.  Almost every customer will give us non-verbal clues about how we're doing towards meeting or achieving their expectations

Some are very clear, like the customer who is in a hurry.  Others aren't as easy to read, like the customer who is more interested in fashion than features.

What's the key to reading body language?  Be observant.

Where is your customer looking when you're talking to him?  If he's looking away, then something else is important to him.

Is your customer smiling?  I have enough retail experience to know that not every customer smiles...but I do know that when someone is smiling, they're having a good experience.

Does your customer's smile look forced or fake?  If it does, you're clearly missing your mark. Experts say you can tell a forced or fake smile because the eyes don't change as they do with a real smile

Is your customer shuffling her feet, or leaning back and forth between the left and right foot?  Usually, but not always, this means she wants to get moving on to something else.

Is your customer reaching out for the product, or are you having to hand things to her?  If someone reaches for the product first it's a clear sign she's interested and is a potential buyer. Well, that or maybe a shoplifter, so stay close either way.

Is your customer answering in short abrupt sentences?  That's right, it means he doesn't want to talk.  That may seem obvious, but I have seen retail salespeople run customers off by talking too much to someone who simply didn't want to hear it.

You may not be able to read or understand all of a customer's non-verbal cues, but I guarantee that if you work at this you'll deliver a better experience and sell more products.

So let me ask, are you meeting or exceeding the customer's stated and unstated expectations?

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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.

Bragability

Bragging is usually regarded as a less-than-admirable quality in a person, but I actually enjoy hearing people blow his/her own horn. Excessive self-importance turns me off, but I like to hear people share their pride in their accomplishments. It can be a fine line.

Hearing people cross that line when they're bragging about the company they work for or the stores where they shop is music to my ears. There is no better advertisement, or more effective recruiting method, than a bragging customer and/or employee.

When someone is bragging about your store(s) you can be sure you're doing a lot of things right. As a matter of fact, getting the people who work for you or shop with you to want to brag about you is the result of the same actions. Here are five elements that contribute to your store's bragability.

1. Making an emotional connection. People take pride in being a part of it. It's not "a" store, it's "my" store. When your employees and your customers feel that connected, it's easy for them to extend your mission and experience beyond the store. If you want your customers and employees to brag, you need to first show the love.

2. Surprise and delight. As humans, our ability to remember things helps us to survive. If you don't believe me just forget your spouse's birthday or your anniversary. The downside of our memory is that new things quickly become old or the routine. That's why constantly finding new ways to surprise and delight employees and customers is so important. Never underestimate how much small wows add up to a WOW worth bragging about.

3. Consistently exceeding people's expectations. Surprise and delight aren't the only ways to exceed an employee and customer's expectations. Things like anticipating needs, simplifying work and shopping, and remaining focused on delivering the best possible work and shopping experience are vital to creating bragging moments.

Remember this: You rarely exceed a customer's expectations unless you set out to do just that.

4. Don't disappoint them. People are disappointed when you fail to meet their expectations. It sometimes happens that people's expectations are higher than you can or are willing to meet but more often than not, disappointment results when you take your eye off the customer or employee experience.

Let me give you an example. An employee might be disappointed he has to work on a holiday. But if you do something particular to make working a holiday more special, the person is no longer disappointed and ends up bragging to others about how working on the holiday was made special.

5. Regular communication. It's your job to keep reminding your customers and your employees why you're bragable. I know that's not a real word, but it's a real state of mind and it's a great thing to strive for.

You don't want customers to have to come into the store to remember why they brag about you. Remind them with newsletters, social media, cards, and calls. When done well, that results in even more bragging!

For employees, communication is an essential part of keeping connected and reminding them what's so special about the store/company they work for. Many owners and executives underestimate the power of communicating directly to frontline employees and depend too much on store management to deliver the message to their team. Remember, all company meetings, blogs, memos, and online videos can help create a bragging organization.

So let me ask, how much bragging is happening in your store or company? In which of these five elements can you and your team improve?

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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.

Give them more of that human touch

In all of the talk about online sales and technology dominating the future of retail, people are missing what Bruce Springsteen sang about in 1992.

I just want someone to talk to

And a little of that human touch

Just a little of that human touch.

Most people like experiences that are enhanced by the people. It doesn't mean they don't also buy online, but when given the opportunity they are more likely to do business with companies with which they feel a connection. The human touch, if you will.

Before disagreeing and citing your own shopping experiences, break down the difference between a store that employs people and one that delivers great customer experience enhanced by the human touch.

Here's an example. An independent bookstore can hire wonderful people, but if those wonderful people don't proactively engage customers and add value to their shopping experience, there is little, if any, human connection. In some cases, installation of a self-checkout counter would guarantee zero human touch. You'd probably only need one checkout machine since most customers would be using smartphones or tablets to buy their books online while they're in the store.

Compare that to the store that warmly welcomes customers. Staffers know regular customers by name. An employee is always roaming the store making recommendations, offering the customer a drink, entertaining the children, and creating a wonderful experience for each and every customer.

Those retail associates call customers to tell them that the new book by their favorite author is in. They host events and customer parties. While their prices are competitive they definitely are more expensive than Amazon, but their customers are okay with that. They appreciate and value the human touch.

Not every customer wants that human touch, and that's okay. Not every person is going to be your customer. But what you can't do is to move further away from the human touch. That's what differentiates you from everybody else.

Yes, technology gives the customer more options, but our future as retailers is dependent on the quality of our human touch.

Today your personal success is dependent on giving even more of that human touch. Some people will want to blow you off, or even use your store to shop online. They undoubtedly either don't know how much value you add to their shopping/buying experience, or they don't appreciate it, but either way you have nothing to lose by reaching out to them.

What you most certainly can't afford to do is to let that person influence what you do with the next customer and the next. Give them someone to talk to, and give them more of that human touch. It's what you do, and when you do it well you will succeed.

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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.

Keeping top performers

CareerBuilder released a survey last month reporting that almost half of retail hiring managers are concerned they’re going to lost their top employees.  That’s not surprising. One third of retailers saw an increase in turnover in 2011, and with a rebounding economy I think we’ll see that number jump.

While some turnover is healthy for a store/company, too much turnover, or losing top talent, can have a direct impact on the top and bottom lines. And while some people leave for more money, that’s usually not the reason people start looking in the first place.

I’m sure we could find plenty of surveys and studies about why retail employees leave their jobs, but it’s more important to know why good employees voluntarily leave. I believe it gets down to a few very avoidable reasons.

1. Not feeling appreciated by their manager or company. In some stores and companies, especially those that don’t track individual sales performance, the top performers get taken for granted. This is why you should have a well-defined and well-executed recognition program.  Not necessarily an employee of the month, but a program that recognizes when people go above and beyond for the customer and their colleagues.

2. Lack of accountability by the manager or owner. Rarely if ever does a top performer say he/she is leaving the job because of this, but deep down they’re just frustrated with striving to do more that what is expected of them while other colleagues fall short with no consequences.

3. The job is no longer challenging. I believe one of the biggest mistakes we make in retail is to not keep raising our expectations of our employees. In most organizations people are trained to what is expected of the position, and then are no longer asked to develop and improve. I’ve always said that the more you expect of people the more they’ll give you, and the best employees will be even happier in their role.

4. The fun is gone. Remember what it felt like to go to work about three months into a job you loved?  Everything was new and fun.  After a few years that newness inevitably starts to wear off.  Yes, I know that some of you still love your job the way you did after three months, but, sadly, is often not the case.  That’s why contests, games, and on-floor activities are important to keep retail employees engaged. Top performers can keep their job fresh by changing companies. Great managers/owners/executives keep work fresh so they don’t.

There are more reasons than this we lose top performers, what I hope you see with this list is that you control most of the factors that lead people to stay or go. Top performers stay in their positions because YOU continue to grow and develop as a leader and a coach, and you ensure that all employees are engaged, happy, growing, and contributing to your store/company’s success.

So let me ask, are you in danger of losing any top performers?

To improve your coaching skills and help all of your employees elevate their performance including top performers, consider joining us in the next Extraordinary Coaching program that starts next week. This will likely be the last one before summer. Learn more here.

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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.

Coaching a bad attitude

No matter how good we are at hiring and motivating a team, there almost always comes a time when we have to deal with an employee who has a less-than-stellar attitude. Coaching a bad attitude, I find, is one of the more challenging aspects of management.

A bad attitude is hard to quantify, and the person in question often doesn’t agree that there is an issue.  However, if you don’t address and turn that attitude around it can spread throughout the team, affecting teamwork, the customer experience, and ultimately sales.

Here are some tips for coaching an employee with a bad attitude.

1. Address the problem as soon as it arises.  Everyone can have a bad day, including you and me.  It happens.  But when it happens on a regular basis and starts to have an impact on the team and the customer, then it’s a bad attitude that needs addressed.  Some managers hope it goes away without his/her involvement.  It rarely does.

2. Separate the person from the attitude.  Just because someone has a bad or disruptive attitude doesn’t mean he/she isn’t a good person.  It just means that his/her behavior is not meeting the expectation within the position, but with your coaching hopefully the person will be able to stop demonstrating those behaviors.

3. Identify the behaviors you see and hear that add up to a bad attitude. This is really the key. Most people aren’t even aware that their attitude is affecting the store, and a lot of them don’t even know what they are doing to cause a negative impact.

These are some of the things you see and hear that create the bad attitude label.

* Being argumentative or short with others.

* Speaking negatively about other people or of new products, programs, and/or processes.

* Not being an active participant in meetings or in the store.

* Walking away while others are talking to them.

* Having improper or inappropriate conversations with customers.

4. Meet one-on-one to voice your concerns and set new expectations. Tell the employee you are concerned about his/her performance, and need to see some changes in behaviors.  Avoid using the word “attitude” altogether.  I think it makes people defensive and gets in the way of a productive conversation.

Share specific examples of the behaviors you’ve observed, and how those behaviors are impacting the rest of the team and the store’s performance.  Then, set future expectations of the behavior you want to see.  Don’t focus on what not to do, but what you want the person to do.  It’s also often a good idea to put together a plan covering how you can work with the employee to successfully make the change.

5. Define the consequence for not changing.  Most people will immediately improve their behavior, but some won’t change unless there is a well-defined timeframe to change, and the consequences for not changing are clearly spelled out. The good news is that a dedicated employee who slipped into a bad attitude will quickly turn it around. Those that don’t probably are hurting your business in other ways and may need to go. 

6. Continue to give the employee regular feedback on how they’re doing in meeting expectations. If the employee is improving, praise him/her for the changed behaviors and thank her/him for their effort.  If expectations are not being met, the person needs to be told immediately, and work towards changing behaviors or changing jobs. What they can’t do is to continue to work with a bad attitude.

To improve your coaching skills and help all of your employees elevate their performance, consider joining us in the next Extraordinary Coaching program that starts in less than two weeks. Learn more here.

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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.

 

Follow-up for success

A few years ago I presented a seminar to around one hundred retailers. These people run stores whose products have a fairly high price point; they often offer delivery and sometimes installation of the products they sell. 

So I was shocked when I discovered that maybe 5% of these retailers make a habit of following-up with their customers after the sale is completed.  No follow-up phone call.  No thank you card.  No customer survey.  But then again I don't know why I'm shocked because I see this lack of follow-up with retailers in just about every category.

Think about all of the benefits of following up with customer. You're able to demonstrate your appreciation to the customer again. That's a good reason. You can find out if there are problems or issues and possibly save the sale.  That's a good reason.  You might make another sale.  That's a great reason.  You might so impress the customer that he/she tells friends and family all about your wonderful store. That's another great reason.

These are a few reasons people don't follow-up with customers.

1. They don't want to bother customers.  Remember, these are paying customers and you're just following up to make sure all is well.  Who is going to be upset if you want to make sure your customer is happy?

2. There isn't enough time or resources. If following up with customer can save a sale, make a sale, and help create new customers, why wouldn't you make the time to do it?  If you're that busy hire someone to work from home and call customers.

3.  It's not a high enough priority.  I've met a lot of retailers who used to send thank you cards, and a few even called customers.  But they stopped.  They don't really know why. They clearly don't realize the benefits.  The greatest opportunities in marketing come from marketing to your current customers, and they don't get much more current than the customer who just made a purchase!

4. Laziness.  It takes time and energy to call customers and send thank you cards.  I don't think laziness is the case with most retailers, although I have personally had people work for me who chose not to do what they were asked.  Of course that was followed by them looking for a new place to work.

If you are sending out thank your cards or calling your customers, congratulations.  You have an advantage over the competition and they probably don't even know it.

If you don't follow-up with your customers, you really should start.  No more thinking about it or planning to start one of these days.  When I ask retailers who do make a practice of following up with their customers if would they ever consider stopping, every single person answers "no way."  Start today.  Set the expectation with your staff, build it into the daily routine, and then hold everyone accountable for getting it done.  Most important, hold yourself accountable.

So let me ask, how can your organization or store better follow-up for success?

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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.

A simple surprise

One of the easiest and most effective ways to win your customers is to surprise them.  No, not by jumping out from behind a fixture and yelling, "Boo!"  That does surprise them, but it also might give one of them a heart attack.  That's bad for business.

I'm talking about surprising your customer by doing something nice that they didn't expect. Since the customer has zero expectations the surprise is a huge WOW that makes a lasting impression. That's good for business.

Some employees are very good at surprising their customer, but the best companies make it part of their overall experience/service strategy. It's also part of the job expectations.

Wouldn't it be great if an associate had both a sales goal and a surprise/wow goal?  Now the staff would be looking much harder for ways to surprise their customers.

What are some ways the staff can surprise a customer? I'm sure you see plenty examples from your staff every day. Things like:

* Offering the customer a drink or something to eat.

* Entertaining a customer's children.

* Getting a chair so your customer can sit down.

* Calling a competitor's store to see if they have a product in stock.

* Offering to call the customer when something comes in.

* Asking if he/she can carry a purchase to the customer's car.

* Sending a thank you card.

* Walking from behind the counter to hand the customer their purchase.

You're probably thinking that the items on this list aren't a big deal.   You might be wondering if these actions really do surprise your customer. I think they do.  Remember, the staff at most stores don't take many of these actions that you do for your customers every day.  They are a simple but pleasant surprise for shoppers when they encounter them in your business.

But don't stop there.  There are opportunities to raise the bar and find even more distinct and personalized ways to surprise your customers.  A few examples I've seen include:

* Offering to pay a customer's parking or add money to their meter.

* Leaving the store to purchase a customer's favorite drink.

* Sending a follow-up card or note card based on something the customer said.

* Clearing snow off customer cars in the parking lot.

This list is just a starting place.  If - and only if - the company makes it a priority, a dynamic and customer-focused team will find many more special and fun ways to surprise their customers and exceed their expectations.

So let me ask, is your team using simple surprises to win customers and maximize opportunities?

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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.

Keeping a molehill from becoming a mountain

I'm a big fan of the television program Project Runway, so of course I'm watching Project Runway All Stars. At first I was disappointed that Tim Gunn, who usually acts as mentor to the designer/contestants, would not be taking part in this edition of the series, but I've really come to like and appreciate Joanna Coles, Editor-in-Chief of the U.S. edition of Marie Claire magazine and mentor to the All Star designers.

In last week's episode Joanna handled an issue in a way all of us can learn from. When talking with the designers she discovered that one of them believed that another designer had copied his design. That designer, of course, felt differently.

Instead of letting the issue simmer or talking with each designer separately, she immediately asked everyone in the room to gather round. She told them that whenever there is tension in her office she pulls her entire team together on the spot and addresses it.

She then asked the other designers if they felt that Michael had copied Jerrell's design. After getting their feedback she shared hers, and then dismissed the meeting. Done.

Love it!

Here are the five things we can take away from how Ms. Coles handled the situation.

1. She addressed a problem immediately. She didn't tiptoe around it or hope it would take care of itself. Nope, she saw an issue between two people and stopped what she was doing to address it.

2. She publicly acknowledged that there was tension among the group. Why step around the elephant in the room? That just requires extra energy and impacts the ability of a team to work together.

3. Her reaction kept the molehill from becoming a mountain. The issue was only as big as Joanna Coles's reaction to it. Because she didn't overreact, the situation didn't become any bigger than it was. Many managers and owners can learn from this.

4. She addressed the issue in the open. Of course we have to be careful here, but there are many opportunities to address issues among the team. Whenever there is a problem we sometimes inadvertently create the "he said she said" dilemma by meeting separately with each individual involved.

5. She brought closure to the issue. At the end of the mini-meeting she declared that the issue would be decided on the runway. In other words, we're done and it's time to move on. I like to also set clear expectations on how you expect people to behave going forward. "From now on, if you have a problem with someone you need to tell them directly and not complain to others behind that person's back. Let's now move forward and work together."

Later in the show, Jerrell beat Michael in a head-to--head competition, so in the long run the question of copying a design didn't really matter, and I'm guessing that's why Joanna Coles made sure a mountain didn't grow out of a molehill.

So let ask, are you keeping molehills from becoming mountains in your store?

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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.

How to maximize a GWP

If you're not sure what a GWP is, then this post probably isn't for you. For those of you who frequently offer a Gift With Purchase, this might help you see how to better leverage these types of programs.

A GWP is a great way to promote products and drive incremental sales without discounting. The most common GWP promotions are 1) buy product XYZ and get an xyz at no charge 2) buy a certain amount of XYZ products and get a free xyz or 3) spend a certain amount of money and get a xyz. Most GWP promotions come from manufacturers, although retailers would do well to consider doing them on a regular basis.

There are many ways to use a GWP.

1. Use the GWP as a way to engage the customer. I'm not a big fan of using the GWP as the way to initially engage a customer. "Welcome to ABC. We have a great gift with purchase promotion today." While the GWP definitely makes it easier to approach customers, I think the effectiveness is diminished when it's the first thing you tell your customer.

I would rather tell a customer about the GWP after establishing a personal connection with him/her. This way you can personalize and use the GWP to add even more value to the person's visit and purchase. "Since you own a lot of XYZ, today is the perfect day to add to it with our Gift With Purchase offer." It's also an effective way to reengage a customer you couldn't connect with on the first attempt.

2. Delight the customer who would be purchasing the product anyway by telling him/her about the GWP after the fact. While I'm all in favor of exceeding a customer's expectations, this doesn't leverage the GWP.

3. Use the GWP to increase the store or brand's average sale. This uses the GWP as a "carrot" for the customer to spend more. The key is to use the GWP as appropriate with every customer.

Say something like, "If you spend another $30 you'll get the xyz at no charge. It's almost like the extra $30 is free!" (Notice how we make the additional sale "free" rather than the GWP.) Most of our clients see a nice bump in their ADS during a GWP promotion.

4. Use the GWP to increase conversion. Since the GWP is either limited in time or inventory, it can be used to motivate the customer to buy now rather than wait. I find it's best to not to talk about the ending date or limited supplies until you can use that information to help motivate your customer to take action now.

5. Use the GWP to create incremental sales. A GWP will often create purchase intent in the customers. The GWP often gives the customer the motivation to buy something they normally wouldn't buy. The key is to create value in the free gift. Some associates put too much focus on what the customer has to buy rather than the gift itself.

6. Use the GWP as an opportunity to communicate with your customer. This should be a given. Every GWP should be communicated in your newsletter, on social media, and possibly cards and postcards.

While all of the above methods except the first two are great ways to use a GWP, this last one is my favorite and leverages the GWP.

7. Create incremental visits from your VIPs with your GWP. A GWP is the perfect opportunity to call your very best customers and schedule a personalized shopping experience to take advantage of the gift with purchase offer.

As you can see, when used well the GWP is so much more than just a free gift. It's a great way to drive higher performance.

So let me ask, are you taking advantage of the many ways to maximize a gift with purchase promotion?

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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.

Seven tips to better delegating

Most people need to be better at delegating. There are three reasons for this. First, leaders need to create more time to work on strategy, marketing and driving traffic, and actively growing their staff. Second, delegating helps future leaders grow and develop. Third, retail can sometimes get routine, and giving people additional responsibilities results in a more engaged workforce that's more emotionally connected to the business.

However good a delegator you already are, here are seven tips that can help you be even better.

1. Let go. It's okay to not do everything yourself and, more important, it's okay that others don't things perfectly. The margin of error for most what we do (except involving money and high priced products) is pretty wide. Let go and let others contribute. You and staff will be the better for it.

2. Give yourself a daily or weekly delegation goal. A lot of people who say they need to be better at delegating really just need to delegate more. The first step is to get into the habit. Setting a daily or weekly goal for yourself keeps the need to actively delegate right at top of your list.

3. Delegate the things you like to do. When I was a store manager I delegated tasks all the time. Of course, it was the boring stuff I had no interest in; things like cycle counts, filing paperwork, etc. Good for me, but not so good for my team. I was appalled when my manager suggested I do this, but it worked! This is especially important if you don't have time to do everything you need to.

4. Don't insist that people always do things the way you do them. Sometimes there is a documented process that needs to be followed, like checking in merchandise. Sometimes there are many ways to do something that all end in the same result. It's okay to let people find their own way. It might just be a better way.

5. Use delegating as teachable opportunities. Telling people what to do is easy. Teaching people why and how to improve is harder and takes more time, but the return on your time investment is huge. Remember: Teach, don't tell.

6. Stop fixing other people's mistakes. As I said earlier, delegating is a learning experience for the employee. If they don't do something right, take the time to teach them how to do it the next time. Just fixing it doesn't teach anybody anything. If they still can't do it right after you've taught them, then you need to rethink whether or not they're the right person to delegate the job to, or if they're even right for the position. The same holds true if they didn't do what's been delegated at all. Don't do the task/action yourself, but follow-up and find out why the action was not taken.

And that connects right with our seventh and final tip.

7. Build specific follow-up expectations and accountability into the delegation itself. Many people struggle to delegate because they're fearful things won't get done, and even worse the task/action will fall through the cracks. That's an easy fix. When you delegate give very specific expectations, and then put the accountability to communicate completion on the person being delegated to.

As an example, "Bob I need you to run the report and identify the top 100 customers by 3:00pm today, and please send me an email letting me know you've completed it or if there is a problem." Then write on your list "Bob-3pm?"

So let me ask, which one of these tips can you apply today?

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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.

Valentine's Day marketing ideas

Whatever you sell, Valentine's Day offers all retailers an incredible opportunity to create incremental sales and visits.

Let's start with those who don't sell the typical Valentine's gift products. You can put together a one-week "We Love Our Customers" event that lets your customers know how much you appreciate them. You can promote the event on the run-up to February 7th, and then hold seven days of We Love Our Customers specials, events, and giveaways. I'd promote the heck out of it. There's still plenty of time to put something together.

Those of you sell typical Valentine's Day products can also do We Love Our Customers events, of course. Your challenge/opportunity is to figure out how to get your message to shoppers who may not get your newsletter or be a member of your Facebook community.

I recommend a fun, Valentine's-themed campaign suggesting how your customers can leave hints for the perfect Valentine's gift. It could include things like little cutout notes in your newsletter to be left for the reader's significant other, or Facebook posts that a follower can share so his/her significant other will read. There are lots of fun possibilities with this one. Don't be afraid to take it over the top. You need to stand out!

Also, here's a thought for those of you who sell very traditional Valentine's Day gifts like flowers, chocolates, and jewelry. You need to do something that makes your products/gifts stand out above and beyond anyone else's. Consider adding a free $5 or $10 gift card for the buyer to add to the gift they're giving. The gift card acts as a bounce back to drive the recipient into the store to make an additional purchase.

Ah, there are so many possibilities this Valentine's Day - if you put your mind to it and dare to be better than good!

So let me ask, will your Valentine's plan bring you results you'll Love?

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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.

Updating the referral bonus

We all know that finding and retaining great people is a vital element for any experience-based store or company.  What might not be as obvious is how much harder it is to work and succeed in our stores.  It's a heck of a lot harder to engage than clerk, or to maximize a sales opportunity instead of transact it.

Who better to help us find the people who can do this than the people who are already doing it?  True, most retailers have some type of current employee referral program, but most of them are ineffective.  How do you make them more effective?  Here are some things to consider.

1. Substantially increase the amount of your referral bonus.  Make the payout such a WOW amount that most of your employees are always recruiting.  Forget $100 or $250 payouts...go BIG!

Here's an idea. What if you paid a $1,000, $1,500, or higher referral bonus for every new sales associate?  Before you hit send on the email telling me I'm crazy, think about the cost of an open position or high turnover.  And how much more can a really good employee sell versus an average one?  This program will easily pay for itself.

2. Change the way you pay out.  Most companies only pay a bonus after the new employee makes it past their probationary period.  I think employees need more instant gratification.

With a $1,000 bonus, I would pay the employee who made the referral $250 on the referred employee's first day.  I would pay another $250 if the new hire is still there after 90 days.

Here's the big change I would make.  If the referred employee is still with the company after one year, the referring employee gets a $500 bonus!  That is motivation to not only find good people, but to help them be successful in their job.

3. Keep championing your program.  It's vital that your referral program remains front and center to your team.  It takes more than a poster or annual announcement to keep the program viable.  The key is to publicize every payout.  Make it a big deal...because it is.  

Here's a twist on finding and creating a great team. 

4. Pay managers to develop new managers. This is a concept Chipotle uses. They pay a developmental bonus of $10,000 for managers who bring an employee up through the ranks into management. The manager gets $5,000 when the person gets promoted, and another $5,000 after the employee has been in the position for six months.

Check out the result. This focus on developing staff and promoting from within has had a significant impact on Chipotle's turnover at the management level.  For salaried managers, turnover dropped from 52% to 35%, and entry-level hourly managers went from 111% to 47%!  Sounds like that bonus is also paying for itself.

So let me ask, are you leveraging your staff to help you find and retain great people?

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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.

Are you an And or a But leader?

One of the points I teach in our Extraordinary Coaching program is that leaders often inadvertently mitigate the praise they give their staff.  It usually happens by linking criticism (which we call instructive feedback) to the praise with the word "but."

"Nice job on the sale, but you should have showed him the matching widget."

"That was a great event, but you came in over budget."

"Those products were a great buy, but we need to make more margin."

I like to tell people to keep their "but" out of their feedback and use the word "and" instead. 

Look at how the praise remains positive when "and" is used instead of "but."

"Nice job on the sale, and next time show him the matching widget."

"That was a great event, and hopefully we can make the budget work."

"Those products were a great buy, and going forward we need to get the margin up."

I've also come to see how some leaders demotivate people with "but" even when it isn't linked to praise.  More often than not it's the result of the leader redirecting the conversation because of a different perspective.

Here's an example of what could take place on a district conference call:

Store manager: "We had a strong weekend and finished the week at 110% of goal."

District manager: "Yes, but your ADS was down over $10."

In this example I doubt the DM is even aware the impact her "but" had.  Here's a manager who is justifiably proud of her results, but the DM is looking at the possibility of missed opportunities with average daily sale being down.

I've also met and worked with many "But" leaders who constantly do this with his/her staff.  If it is a pattern, it's usually because of some need to be right, or maybe his/her glass is always half-empty.  Whatever the reason, the result is demotivated people.

Again, most leaders mistakenly use "but" to redirect, and just like praise all they need to do is replace "but" with "and."

Store manager: "We had a strong weekend and finished the week at 110% of goal."

District manager: "Great, and maybe we could look at why your ADS was down over $10."

Again, compare these two:

Employee: "It wasn't easy but I finally got her to buy two of the widgets."

Manager: "But why didn't she buy a third widget?"

Now compare the subtle but important difference using "and"

Manager: "And why didn't she buy a third widget?"

Here's my challenge for you.  For the next few days listen to how often you use the word "but" with your staff when the word "and" might have been more effective. 

If you discover you're more of a But person than you knew, you can begin to get your "but" out of the conversations with your team and start on your way to becoming an And leader.

By the way, the same approach works for parenting.

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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 extraordinary results.

Don't ask permission

I have a question: Is your customer's experience better when someone on your staff is involved in their experience than when you're not? 

Of course it is. You and your team have the knowledge, experience, and information that benefit your customer. You can help them find the right products(s) that meet their needs and wants.

If they're in a hurry, you can get them out the door faster. If they're not, you make their shopping experience much more enjoyable.

So if we add value to the customer's experience, why do we ask permission? Shouldn't we just do it?

We ask for permission more often than we know.

"How may help you?" That's asking permission.

"What can I help you find?" That's adding value.

 

"Can I answer any questions?" That's asking permission.

"That's a very popular widget." That's adding value.

 

"Would you like help carrying your purchase out?" That's asking permission.

"Let me get someone to carry your purchase to your car." That's adding value.

 

"Would like to see the matching wallet?" That's asking permission.

"Here's the wallet that goes with that bag." That's adding value.

 

That's why we don't ask for permission.

Even if a customer says "no" to our offer, we've at least demonstrated that we add value to his/her experience. That's something many of our competitors never do.

The same holds true for exceeding your customer's expectations. Don't ask for permission.

 

"Can I get you a bottle of water?" That's asking permission.

"Here's a drink for you to enjoy while shopping." That's exceeding the customer's expectations.

 

"I can call the other store to see if they have them in stock." That's asking permission.

"I'll call the other store to see if they have them in stock." That's exceeding your customer's expectations.

 

"I can call you a few week's before your wife's birthday." That's asking permission.

"Hello, Mr. Jones. I'm calling to see if I can help you pick out a couple of gifts for your wife's birthday." That's exceeding a customer's expectations.

 

Even if your customer declines your offer, you have still demonstrated your point of differentiation and your desire to WOW them. That's what makes you special.

So let me ask, are you asking for permission to deliver an extraordinary customer experience? 

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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 extraordinary results.

Your 2012 resolutions

I know how busy for the last few weeks, so I've taken the liberty of putting together some potential resolutions for you and your team in 2012.

This is a fairly extensive list, and you're probably already very good at most of these things. Even so, there might be one or two areas where improvement will have a positive impact on your business.

If you will, let me know which of these are right for you, and tell me about any of your resolutions that I've missed.

1. Taking your customer experience to the next level. Your store/company's customer experience is good, but deep down you know it could be so much better.  

2. Improve your staff's sales abilities. Your staff is really nice and delivers a very good customer experience. Now you aim to translate that to higher conversion and average sales.

3. Better clienteling. As online sales continue to grow and outpace traditional retail, in some segments the personal relationship between the customers and staff will become vital to keeping and maximizing customers.

4. More relevant marketing. The good news is you've got your Facebook page up and you're posting on a fairly regular basis. The bad news is you have no idea the impact it's having on your business. That probably means it isn't having much.

5. Increase accountability within your store/company. This could be in all sorts of different areas. Maybe it's expecting more from your frontline employees. It might also be holding managers and district managers more accountable for each store's sales performance.

6. Move the underperformers up or out. If you're tired of talking about the same underperformers over and over, maybe 2012 is when you finally improve their performance or promote them to customer. Yes, this goes hand in hand with #5.

7. Challenge and grow your top performers. The worst thing you can do is to not continue to develop your top people. It might be time to either create a new program for high-potential employees or, at the very least, figure out a way to better leverage their talents.

8. Invest more time and focus on developing your people. Unless you're competing on price you're probably competing with your people and the service/experience they deliver. Are you spending the appropriate time and energy on them?

9. Be more comfortable giving people the direct feedback they need to be successful. One of the managers I work with recently said to me, "I can't believe I coach without thinking about it! It feels natural now to give feedback at anytime, to anyone, and not worry about how it will be taken. We all "get it" that it is just information we need to get the results we want!" That's how we all need to think.

10. Improve your hiring process. This could be interpreted to be about improving the quality of the people you hire, but I don't want anyone to think that you haven't hired good people. You just need to get better at your process so you can do that more consistently. 

11. Standardize your training and development. Chances are you and your stores/staff are good at training new people. The challenge is that no two new hire trainings are the same.

12. Work more strategically. Some people say you should work smarter but not harder. I think if you've survived the economy we've had for the last few years you're pretty smart. A lot of people they just need to work from a better-defined plan and then work the plan. 

13. Delegate more. I hesitated about putting this on the list since most of the time delegation isn't the real issue. It's usually either that people can't give up control or they don't have the quality of staff to delegate to. Whatever the reason, you probably need to do less.

14. Become a better merchant. Whether it's buying, visual presentation, or financial management, you know that if you improve in this area you'll see an improvement to the top and bottom lines. Frankly, I put this at the bottom of the list since I know that most of you I know are stronger at these things that the above items. But hey, they're your resolutions.

15. Be more action oriented. Your list of things you were going to do or wanted to do is probably longer than what you did. Don't feel bad, that's true for most of us. But did you do what you know you needed to do to be more successful? The road to mediocrity is paved with good intentions.

So let me ask, what will your resolution be for 2012?

 

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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 extraordinary results.