DMSRetail

Today’s ‘Word to the RetailWise’ is: Presenting options to your customer initially and during the add-on or upsell stage.

Everyone knows that Presenting Options is one of the steps in the selling process. But not everyone knows it means exactly that.

Too often sales associates suggest options, point to options, and generally talk about options…instead of actually presenting the options. Sometimes presenting options can seem like a lot of work…but it pays off. Work is part of the job, right?

By putting the options – merchandise – in front of the customer (or the customer in front of the merchandise) they are encouraged to touch, feel, play…whatever it is depending on the type of merchandise being presented. This helps the customer become emotional about it; it creates some sense of ownership.

So, if you’re a retail manager, take a moment to really listen to your sales associates when they are talking with customers. You’ll probably hear some  statements similar to these:

“We have widgets and they’re right over there.” Or, “A great widget would work well with that, and we do have some.” Or, maybe, “If you’re looking for a widget I can show you one if you like.”

Presenting is the key. Don’t just talk about your merchandise….show it!

All the Success!
DMSRetail Inc.

Today’s ‘Word to the RetailWise’ is:  Employees who take initiative make a difference in your business.

What’s the difference between an employee who takes initiative and one who doesn’t? It’s not so easy to tell, but there is definitely a difference. 

Here’s a story about a recent experience in my favorite market to illustrate the point:

I noticed there was no pre-made garlic bread – the kind that the bakery staff makes when the bread is really fresh; they spread butter and garlic on the fresh bread and wrap it in foil while it’s still warm.  

Fresh garlic bread is always available for sale at this market so it seemed odd that there wasn’t any. However, the store was really busy so it was reasonable that they had sold out. Their brand of garlic bread is particularly good…people can’t get enough of it!

So, I asked an employee if there was any garlic bread – perhaps it had been merchandised in a different spot. She took one look at the counter that normally held the garlic bread and didn’t miss a beat…she turned to me and said “I’ll have one made up for you. It’ll take only 2 minutes.” And she immediately went about making a loaf for me.

A very short time later she came out from behind the bakery counter and handed me my loaf of fresh garlic bread. Although this is a simple example of an employee taking the initiative to do something for a customer…when you compare her actions against the actions of 95% of retail/service employees out there today, it was pretty special.

I have been a loyal customer there for a couple of years, and my loyalty is not misplaced. 

It could have turned out very differently if the employee I spoke with was just average; if she was not the type to take initiative to please a customer. She might have said “Oh, I’m sorry we’ve sold out.” And that would be the truth and she may be really busy with no time to make a loaf for me.

But, I would have been disappointed.

Not upset, or angry or ready to take my business elsewhere…just disappointed that I missed out. No one feels good when they miss out.

That’s the difference I’m talking about.

All the Success!
DMSRetail Inc.

PS: DMSRetail has introduced 3 YourTime Study Courses – DVD’s, Workbooks & Study Guides, Maximum Performance Goal Planners and more. Learn anywhere, anytime and at a fraction of the price of attending workshops. Check the details by following these links.

Retail Selling Skills & Customer Service Fundamentals:  http://www.dmsretail.com/retailsellingandserviceskillshs.htm

Retail District Management:  http://www.dmsretail.com/retaildmstudycourse.htm

Retail Operations Management:  http://www.dmsretail.com/RetailOperationsCourse.htm

PPS: We’re on Facebook! Check us out and, if you like us…please ‘Like’ us. Thanks! http://www.facebook.com/dmsretail

If you have friends who might enjoy ‘Word to the RetailWise’ they can sign up here: http://www.dmsretail.com/retailwise.htm

Today’s ‘Word to the RetailWise’ is: Take responsibility for providing Buyers with merchandise feedback.

The Buyer’s in your retail operation may be incredibly talented…but they are not mind readers. Whenever they purchase goods that will be available for sale in the stores, they rely on their skills, talent and experience. It’s their job to get the right merchandise into the stores at the best margin they can make on it. Let’s face it…that’s got to be tough. Their mistakes will always be noticed.

So, store personnel need to do their part to help out.

How often have you heard a Sales Associate complaining that the Buyer’s don’t know what they’re doing and the Buyer’s complaining that the Sales Associates don’t know how to sell? It’s very co mmon.

Anyway, from a Store Operations perspective, know that once the goods arrive in your store you must take ownership of them. What else are you going to do? The company owns the merchandise and it’s your job to get them sold.

First, and foremost, store personnel need to be up to speed with product knowledge; all the features and benefits. The merchandise needs to be displayed properly, etc. Ideally, you sell out at first price!

In that case, the Buyer’s will likely get the picture without much feedback from you. They have numerous reports that show them what is moving and what isn’t. Of course, it’s still a good idea to let them know why a particular item was so popular.

However, if you have difficulty moving the merchandise after all of your best sales efforts, it may mean that there is something about it that the customer is not happy with. Your job is to figure out what that something is and ensure the feedback gets to the Buyer. After all, you’re in the best position to know.

If you don’t provide credible feedback and more of that same merchandise is purchased, the company will be less profitable than it could be. And no one wants that.

So, keep notes regarding the merchandise offered for sale in your store – good and bad – and make sure it gets to the right people. Remember to give honest, unbiased feedback; be impeccable with what you say. The Buyer has a big job to do, too!

All the Success!
DMSRetail Inc.

PS: We’ve recently introduced 3 YourTime Study Courses for your convenience. Study anytime, anywhere! Check them out with these links:
Retail Selling Skills & Customer Service Fundamentals: http://www.dmsretail.com/retailsellingandserviceskillshs.htm 
Retail District Management: http://www.dmsretail.com/retaildmstudycourse.htm
Retail Operations Management: http://www.dmsretail.com/RetailOperationsCourse.htm

PPS: We’re on Facebook. Check us out and if you like us…please ‘Like’ us. Thanks! http://www.facebook.com/dmsretail

Today’s ‘Word to the RetailWise’ is: Make sure your new hires know what is expected of them. And I want to illustrate that with this short, but very telling story.

Here it is…

In a store that is part of a large international retail chain, I recently witnessed something that gave me reason to believe that their new employees simply did not know what what was expected of them. And, here is why I drew that conclusion…

While checking out, I was the customer next in line behind a woman who was purchasing no less than 15 women’s blouses. 15! It was a great sale for the store. The other item the woman was purchasing was something of a carryall bag. The woman wanted the cashier to put the blouses into the bag – very environmentally friendly and all that, right?

So, as the cashier scanned each blouse, she removed the security tag and crump led it up and put it into the carryall bag. Not folded, not even close to being folded. These blouses were being handled like something one would throw into the trash can. Seriously, I am not exaggerating.

Overcome with a sense of responsibility to defend every customer everywhere, I spoke up.

I said to the cashier “You know, this lady is buying all of these lovely blouses and you are not handling them very carefully. They’re going to be full of wrinkles and they’re brand new. I would be happy to help you fold them up.” Just a note here, the customer in front of me spoke very little English and that made it difficult for her to get involved in the conversation.

Some may say I should mind my own business but, in my line of work, it’s next to impossible to ignore these things.

I was ready for the worst…possibly a scene!

Anyway, to my absolute astonishment, the young cashier said, “You don’t have to help me. I’ll do it. That’s why I have a job.” I had expected a nasty stare, a flippant or sarcastic remark or, at the very least, a miserable attitude. But, no. The cashier – who I have not seen in this store before and am quite certain she is relatively new – proceeded to fold the items and then when it was my turn to be served  she continued to be very pleasant. What an employee…the kind we don’t come across very often anymore.

The moral of this story is: Teach your employees what is expected of them. This young woman; this new cashier simply didn’t know how she was supposed to handle the merchandise. She was very receptive to my ‘training’. I only hope I did not embarrass her. I commend her for her accepting attitude. But I must fault management for not having taught her properly in the first place. They basically set her up to fail.

All the Success!
DMSRetail Inc. 

PS: Check us out on Facebook and if you like us…please ‘Like’ us: http://www.facebook.com/dmsretail

DMSRetail Inc., announces the Home, Store or Office Study Course version of the very popular workshop –
The Retail Operations Management Workshop .

Retailers want to capitalize on the opportunities that are definitely going to be coming their way and they want all of their people ready to hit the ground running. So, this Retail Operations YourTime Study Course has been made available to them for a fraction of the cost involved with attending personally.  With the economy recovering and the retail sector expanding, retailers know it’s going to be difficult to compete; to get, and maintain, market share and grow that incredibly important loyal customer base, if they’re not at the top of their game.

Matt Parmaks, Sr. Consultant & EVP for DMSRetail Inc. said “We’re so often asked if we sell videos and transcripts of The Retail Operations Management Workshop , that we felt it was time to make our brand of professional retail management training available to retail people who simply don’t have the time or resources to attend personally – those who don’t want the added cost of travel and accommodation. So, we’ve introduced a great, affordable and very flexible option for those who want to get their retail organizations up to speed quickly; firing on all cylinders; poised and ready to meet the demands of the new consumer.”

DMSRetail Inc., is a North American company founded in 1991 to help retailers increase sales & profits and generally become more successful by providing a wide variety of Success Guides, Tools, Consulting Services and Training Opportunities. Together, with their partners, DMSRetail adds tremendous value to retailers everywhere.

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If you would like more information about the Retail Operations Management YourTime Study Course , you can see details here: http://www.dmsretail.com/retailoperationscourse.htm  or if you’d like to schedule an interview with Mr. Matt Parmaks, please call (312) 239 0919. Or send an email to Josephine Hill at jhill@dmsretail.com  to arrange it.

I was just thinking about the challenges retailers face, day in and day out, and it got me to thinking about our customers and subscribers. I want to ask “What kind of challenges are you facing?” And, “What plans have you got for dealing with them?”

Help is available…
There is plenty of help available to retailers who realize that they need to do things a little differently nowadays. Here’s an interesting article about hiring aces! http://www.dmsretail.com/retailhiring.htm

Staff or Performance Issues…
Do you have staff issues? Performance issues? If you do, can you elaborate? Can you put your finger on just what it is that’s bothering you ? That’s half the battle, you know. It’s significantly easier to correct a problem when you’ve identified it in detail. Here’s an article about what can happen when poor performance goes unchecked. It’s a doozy! You can use it as a perfect example of what not to do! http://www.dmsretail.com/retailperformancemanagement.htm

Unfortunately, some of us feel like something is not quite right but we never actually take the time to focus right in on what, exactly, is wrong. We get it that sales and profit targets are not being met…but we have a tough time drilling down because that takes quite a bit of time and energy; two things that are at a premium for retailers.

That’s not to say retailers aren’t very, very busy doing all kinds of things; taking steps to correct this and fix that. But, let’s face it, focus is really the most important part of ‘fixing’ anything.

In order to focus, we need to identify our issues, come up with contributing factors, look at the pro’s and cons of possible fixes and then choose the one with the best chances of producing a desirable outcome. Once that’s done, we have to manage, measure and manage some more.

Easier said than done, you say?

Absolutely! If it were easy, there would be no need for companies like DMSRetail Inc. Our existence depends on your needs. If you need help identifying why you’re not exceeding – or even meeting – your sales and profit targets…we offer one on one coaching and consulting. If you know you need help with selling skills, customer service, retail math, business analytics, leadership and other management challenges…we offer several workshops and study courses. We have Success Guides, Tools, Webinars and DVD’s to assist you with whatever your issues may be.

Lacking time or budget?

If you don’t have a lot of time to attend workshops, or if you don’t have enough money in the budget, we have various YourTime Study Courses that you can use at your leisure and they are quite affordable. If you don’t want to read, we have webinars and DVD’s. Whatever you need…is very likely available from DMSRetail Inc.

Let us know how we can help you.

All the Success!
Jack Henderson
Training Manager
DMSRetail Inc.

PS: Our most recent addition to our YourTime Study Course library is the Retail Operations Management YourTime Study Course. It’s being offered, exclusively to customers and subscribers at the pre-order price of $495…but only until August 2, 2011. You’ll find it here: http://www.dmsretail.com/RetailOperationsCourse.htm

PPS: We’re on Facebook. Check it out here and if you like us…please ‘Like’ us. Thanks! http://www.facebook.com/dmsretail

Here’s a story about taking your market for granted. You might find it interesting.

Being in a part of the world that only enjoys nice weather for a few months out of the year, many of us here get pretty excited when the ground thaws and the birds sing…and the flowers are ready for planting.

Talk about a hungry market…

So, every year, around the last weekend in May, I head out to the garden centres to see what lovely plants and flowers are available for me to buy. Talk about a hungry market!! While I am out shopping in the garden centres, so is everyone else. The places are packed with hopeful people, both serious gardeners and wanna be gardeners alike. And they don’t think twice about spending whatever it takes to have those lovely flowers and plants to grace their homes and gardens. We’re obsessed.

Customer’s are saying “Take my money!!”

It’s like, “I have money and I want to buy as many beautiful flowers as I can fit into my car.” Even more, “I’m prepared to come back again and again to make sure I get everything I want!!”
And this one… “Move aside so I can get to those flowers…don’t take all the best ones!”

You get the picture, don’t you? Where I live, garden centres make lots and lots of money in May and June….provided they are prepared for the onslaught of those gardeners and, of course, the wanna be gardeners.

That’s where my story starts.

In late June, one of our local garden centres, that has been in business for many years, announced a ‘going out of business sale’. I couldn’t help feel bad for them when I saw the sign out front.

It read “Going out of Business…Everything on Sale…30% off.”

Still, it was exciting…bargain time!

Yes, I have to admit, I got excited at the prospect of getting even more of those much sought after flowers and plants…maybe some beautiful new pots as well…and all for a great price.
I could always fit more of these beauties into my garden.
You can never have too many!

So, I pulled into the parking lot.

Now, as garden centres go, it wasn’t that attractive. The place was in need of some repair and some tidying up. Maybe they let it go downhill once they realized they were not going to be around for long. But it made me wonder…how had they been competing with the big name retailers who had huge, beautiful, clean and well organized garden centres? Was it price? Was it the fact that they had been established in the community for a long time?

Perhaps personal service…the kind that comes from being in the community and knowing everyone. Or, maybe they were really good at building relationships and keeping everyones hopes alive
– that they, too, would have the most incredible, the most gorgeous flower gardens in the city if they were to buy from them.

Not so fast…

Well, if my experience was any indicator, I would just say that they did not compete; could not compete; probably didn’t even care to compete.

Anyway, here’s what happened. I wandered around the garden centre noting many, many very attractive floral arrangements – the flowers were incredible and the pots were kind of unique.

And, armed with the knowledge that everything was 30% off, I got myself a large, flat cart and started filling it up. Oh, this was almost too good to be true. All of these magnificent treasures for my garden and all at 30% off.

I headed to the cash desk to make my purchase with the intention of hurrying straight home to get my new treasures firmly planted and arranged in the few areas, around my house, that weren’t already brimming with the hundreds of dollars worth of flowers that I had bought earlier. Excited? Yes…couldn’t wait.

For any of you who don’t share my passion for flowers, this must sound pretty lame but, please, humor me. My world is dark, cloudy and very cold for about 7 months out of 12.
In any case, this story could be about pretty much any type of retail outlet!

Anyway…

It was there, at the cash desk, that I heard the terrible news.
When the bill came to an amount that was clearly incorrect, I voiced my concern. I said “I think you forgot to take the 30% off.” The cashier (who I quickly found out is a member of the family who owns the garden centre) was disgusted. She acted like I was trying to rob her at gunpoint. She said “these are not 30% off.”

Unbelievable…

I explained that the sign outside said “Everything on Sale… 30% off.” And this was her reply.

“No, that doesn’t include these. Do you still want them? Or not?”
I expressed my disappointment and tried to make my point about the sign and being mislead but she would not budge. She said pots are 30% off and flowers are 30% off, but pots with flowers in them or flowers in pots were not on sale at all. Disappointed or not, like I mentioned above, her family owns the soon to be defunct garden centre so I really didn’t have any options.
There was no ‘supervisor’ to complain to. It was her way or the highway!

Bottom line…

At this garden centre… that was going out of business don’t
forget: Pots were 30% off and flowers were 30% off, but any flowers in pots, or any pots holding flowers, were not 30% off. They weren’t even on sale.

And, to make matters worse, the staff member was surly…both miserable and rude. If I misunderstood, I’m sure many other gardeners extaordinaire before me had also. I left empty handed.
It was no longer the price that concerned me…it was a matter of principle.

Enter the competition…

I wonder how long this establishment has been misleading their customers and then abusing them when they got to the counter. I wonder if the arrival of the brand new Lowe’s store, just up the street, gave the flower crazy community the option that they had been waiting for all along. I suspect it did.

The moral of this story: Don’t ever take your hungry market for granted. Someone else may come along and serve up exactly what they’re looking for…and they may be prepared to do it better than you do. In fact, someone is probably planning it right now.

All the Success!
Josephine Hill
DMSRetail Inc.

P.S. If you want to make sure your employees don’t make your customers feel taken for granted, check out the Retail Selling Skills & Customer Service Fundamentals YourTime Study Course:

http://dmsretail.info/click.html?x=a62b&lc=xhI2&mc=Be&s=zSsff&y=e&

P.P.S. And don’t forget, until August 2, 2011, the Retail Operations Management YourTime Study Course is available for pre-order, exclusively for you, at the introductory price of $495. Added bonus – we pay for the shipping and handling on all orders received by August 2, 2011. Order now:

http://dmsretail.info/click.html?x=a62b&lc=xhIZ&mc=Be&s=zSsff&y=o&

It is interesting to note that although hiring quality staff was mentioned as the second biggest challenge, a few people want more coverage on it. Food for thought.

Also, as usual, the sales performance is rated as the biggest challenge; we need to remember that ALL of our activities in retail and I mean everything we do, has a final and ultimate result, whether we make the sale or not. Please make your comments and let your thoughts be known.

All the best!