Keep it about the customer

There are exactly ten Fridays left in 2013.  So for the rest of this year, I'll be blogging tips to make downtown areas and businesses stronger for the holiday season and beyond.

Today's tip is for the local small businesses: Keep it about the customer.  For years, Hollywood has enjoyed the spoof of poor customer service ... here are some classic examples of that:

So how do small businesses downtown do better?  If we want to tap the mind of the customer we have to make sure everything for them is an:

It starts from the moment they see the front door of your business or the sidewalks in your town.  CLEANLINESS is paramount in first impressions.  Don't be the store owner with the dead fly tribute in the windows.  A tidy sidewalk, clean windows, and well designed window displays set the tone for downtown success.

Don't make customers sign a waiver to visit you ... even if it is just mental.  Try to avoid these:

Give the customers the up-front benefit of the doubt.  If they feel like they are in trouble before the enter the door, they probably won't stay long, probably won't buy, may not come back.

Do set the tone through the senses.  Major franchises understand the need for music, high-lighting, aromas, and samples.  If you give a customer a beverage (coffee, cider, water on a hot day, iced tea, lemonade, wine, etc.) they will stay at least long-enough to finish the drink.  The longer they browse the more likely they are to purchase something.

OFFER ASSISTANCE BUT DON'T BE PUSHY ...
Use phrases like, "Is there anything in particular you are looking for?" instead of "What do you need?"
"Is this for you or someone else?" instead of "Do you need it wrapped?"
Always offer to demonstrate the product, allow them to try it on, test it, or see it un-boxed.
If a customer has several items in their hands, free the up to buy more buy offering a basket or offering to take the items to the register to begin wrapping/packaging.  NEVER walk around with the customer, its creepy and rude.

If a customer comes in and is leaving without a purchase, ask if there was something in particular they were looking for.  If they provide an answer, do your best to tell them where they can find it ... even though you may not get the sale, they will appreciate your assistance and you'll gain a customer and a good reference.

SURVEY YOUR LOYAL CUSTOMERS
Treat them like VIPs.  Have a special after-hours product launch, open house or preview for them by invitation only to see new merchandise, displays, or products.  Give them the golden ticket to feel needed by your business and they will not soon forget the experience.  When you see new product that you might take on, run it by a sample of customers to gauge their interest.  Once a year, ask your customers if they would be willing to take a short survey to help your businesses do better.  Ask the following customer-based questions as a sample:

How many times would you say you have been to the store this year?

Have you been fully satisfied with all of your purchases?  If not, what can we do to make you satisfied?

What are one or two things you would like to buy downtown that you currently cannot find?

Is there a particular employee you enjoy working with?

If you could change one thing about our store, what would it be?


As an incentive, give them 10% off for their feedback or give them something small you cannot seem to move off the floor.

StartUpNation.com (which is a great small business resource you should check out) says this is

What keeps customers satisfied

1. Knowledgeable and available staff : While a customer is making the buying decision, they want knowledgeable assistance, available when they want it . Customers place a high value on accurate information and want to be served by employees who know the product inside and out.
2. Friendly people:
   Customers not only want product-savvy sales people, they want them to
   be friendly and courteous. Your staff should value each customer more
   than any individual sale.
3. Good value:
   This is where price factors in. But customers surveyed see price as
   only one component of the bigger picture of “value” that includes the
   service, information and follow-up they also receive.
4. Convenience:
   The service rule here is simple: make it easy! Says Gross, “Customers
   want merchandise that is well organized, attractively displayed and
   easy to find. That’s how today’s customers define convenience, and the
   easier you can make the shopping, the more money you will be lugging to
   the bank.”
5. A fast finish:
   This final item is where too many businesses fall flat, right at the
   finish line. While customers are in the process of deciding to buy or
   not, they are proceeding on your time. They want thoughtful help making
   the right decisions. But once the buying decision is made, get out of
   their way because now you are working on their time, and they want to
   complete the transaction and be on their way as quickly as possible. At
   the cash register, there is no time for making additional suggestions.

NEXT WEEK TUNE IN FOR

DOWNTOWN EYE CANDY: THE IMPORTANCE OF GREAT WINDOW DISPLAYS