Each month ask
associates to write down
three things they could
do to exceed customer
expectations
BUILD BUZZ
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Reward associates when they do a good
job. Programs like “Associate of the
Month” and “Super Star of the Week” are
great motivators if they’re well run. Have
associates nominate one another and vote
for the winner.
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42
Send out monthly email blasts on the same
day each month so customers begin looking forward to receiving them. We use
Email Contact ( www.emailcontact.com)
because it offers lots of templates and extras that are super easy to use. Add a
“Forward to Your Friend” link to every
promotional and marketing email message
you send to customers.
Make your own radio advertising
campaign. Play it over the
intercom system and it use it as
your telephone on-hold message.
Be flexible with scheduling. According to a
recent survey, 61 per cent of working women
would leave their current jobs if they were
offered more flexible hours elsewhere.
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40
Work social media. Talk up your store on
Twitter, post on Pinterest and Facebook,
create a Facebook event and get a
You Tube channel.
48
Offer on-going education. Hold monthly
in-store training classes, keep a library of
books and DVDs and ask vendors what
they have available to help train your team.
44
Contact local media and pitch stories about
your store, product lines, services, in-store
events and promotions, charity events, your
people, trips to trade shows – and more.
About 80 per cent of stories in local media
sources come from a press release, so send
one for each legitimately newsworthy thing
you do in your store.
Create a weekly bag stuffer and hand one
to every single shopper. Don’t pre-stuff
them in bags – they never get read if you
do. Some weeks use your bag stuffers to
advertise specific product or events, other
times create a monthly calendar that’s
loaded with in-store happenings.
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45
Contact your trade associations and ask
to be put on their reporter referral list.
Who knows? You just might end up on
national TV.
Two words: Dress code. Every
associate should be properly
dressed to meet your customers.
Even when you provide garments
you still must be very specific
about what’s acceptable to wear
to work and what isn’t.
Make a list of all the services and conveniences you provide and build a brag sheet.
Print it on the back of your weekly bag
stuffer and add it to your website and email
blasts. You can also turn it into a big sign to
hang near the checkout counter. Soon you’ll
begin to hear, “I didn’t know you did that!”
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46
Collect customer testimonials and add
them to your email blasts, newsletters,
website and other marketing materials.
Customer quotes are also great additions
to your in-store signing program. A customer testimonial is 10 to 20 times more
powerful than what you have to say about
yourself.
Watch QVC and HSN and the infomercials
on television. Each time they feature a product that you sell, hang a “Same As Seen on
TV!” sign over that product in your store.
Rich Kizer and Georganne Bender are experts on
generational diversity, consumer trends, marketing and promotion, and everything retail.
