What does it take to win?

We have eight ideas to share

There are plenty, perhaps too many, places where someone can purchase any of the products your store offers. As a fourth-generation dealer, experience has shown this writer it can be the buying, and other times the selling, that is the bigger challenge. Let me share the eight biggest concerns I have had in my store.

Price sensitive customers (also known as the cheap customers) are a matter of decision; your decision. Is this the customer you want to attract? This is not a rhetorical question but one that does require your thought. Know that making this customer your mainstay will require an incredible focus on controlling expenses as well as working to increase margins by even a fraction of a percentage.

The customer shopping in your business; is your business open when they want to shop? If you are open 10am to 6pm on weekdays, with minimal Saturday hours, you have these customers: retirees, those working second and third shifts, unemployed, and those who can take time away from work to shop. Is that enough to make your sales goals?

Can the customer get to you easily? A strip center recently advertised that 50,000 cars passed by every day. Sounds good but it may be a six lane road. How does a customer cross that road to get to you? If there is an interstate, what about the exit ramp and the ramp to get back on the interstate? These may not be convenient locations.
Is your business selling furniture in a price range that does not match the surrounding homes? Of course, we do have to ask if your store is designed for the homes in your area, or if you expect to be able to pull people from across town. Was the neighborhood your store is in once the affluent side of town and that neighborhood has since lost that appeal? Do you move your business to where the right customer now lives? Or do you change the product selection to match the customer now in your area?

We have never met the dealer who says they give bad customer service, or even “OK” customer service. But do you give customer service that people talk about in a positive way? Do you take care of your customers in ways because you can and not because you need to? Do you have an ongoing staff education program?

We did! Every other Thursday evening after the store closed we had a one hour class in which every employee was required to attend. Each employee also took their turn at teaching the class. We talked about products; selling skills; and played games that were designed to enhance our sales skills. Customer service does not just happen. It does not happen by your telling employees to go take care of a customer. It requires a formal education program and practice.

As your customer, what do I “feel” when I come to your store? The majority of your customers have five senses; see, hear, touch, taste, and smell. Granted, it is a challenge to connect via all five, but it can be done. Connecting through the five senses means the customer is having an experience that is memorable. Are some of the skills a challenge? Yes. However as we added the appropriate music (not selecting just what we liked to listen to or the station we advertised on); baked cookies and offered light refreshments; the other three – see, hear, and touch – were easy to take care.

Shopping locally is a benefit to the community. The seventh point is somewhat of an automatic. You just have to decide that you want to make more of that point with the public. Take a look at the website, indieretailermonth.com and visit the statistics page. You will see some amazing information that when shared with your public is telling them that shopping with your local business does a lot more for your community than their shopping online, in another community, or with any of the mass merchants.

I like shopping at this store; you should give it a try. Ever notice someone asking for a shopping suggestion on social media? Made such a request yourself? Statistics show the amount of a sale increases when the customer comes by way of a referral. One report showed a person would listen more to a referral by a friend than to one from their own spouse. While each of the seven previous points can help with referrals, are you asking for referrals? Are you following up with customers after they have enjoyed their new furniture for a while?

Think of your own last experience of buying a mattress. Was there any follow up by the retailer? Do you even remember where you bought the mattress? Perhaps the same could be said for many other products and services you have purchased in recent months. If they don’t remember you, then your business will be relegated to repeated advertising which frequently focuses on items and discounted prices.

Price; hours; location; right selection; customer service; shopping experience; better for the community; recommendation; which of these does it take to win? We think it is important to pay attention to all eight.

It requires some decisions; it requires a commitment and our continued effort.

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This article is copyrighted by Tom Shay and Profits Plus Solutions, who can be reached at: PO Box 128, Dardanelle, AR. 72834. Phone 727-823-7205. It may be printed for an individual to read, but not duplicated or distributed without expressed written consent of the copyright owner.