The Retailer's Advantage

"You and your crew have such amazing dedication to retailers. I applaud what you do!"

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  1. Brijesh Mehta on December 4th, 2008 7:11 am

    The OTT you guides with the thumb rule of 55%-40%-5% for merchandise-expenses-cash flow respectively. Is this formula a constant for all stores ??.
    My lifestyle store has a gross margin of 30 % (mark down).
    Than the expense % would be the same @ 40 % ?? or the formula may vary ???

    Plz guide me .

  2. Cindy Potts on December 5th, 2008 9:28 am

    The formula may (and should!) vary by the type of store you have. However, you want to make sure you’re allocating enough money to cover both new inventory purchases and meet your expenses.

    The 55% refers to 55% of your income from sales should be devoted to buying new inventory — so if you’re buying inventory that allows you a GM of 30%, you’re able to purchase that amount of inventory in the ratio of 55% of sales.

    The danger many retailers get into is that they overbuy: you don’t want to position yourself with so much money devoted to inventory that there’s not enough to meet your expenses nor allow any profit.

  3. Brijesh Mehta on December 6th, 2008 1:31 am

    Cindy thanks for the guidelines.
    But i would request you again to expalin more specificically. If my GM is 30 % should i make the formula to 70%-25%-5% for meeting for merchandise(70%)-Expenses(25%)- Cash Flow (5%) respectively. OR stick to 55-40-5 formula.

  4. Brijesh Mehta on December 6th, 2008 1:44 am

    Cindy as my GM is 30 % than should i have to spare 40 % for the expenses.Isn’t it much more?? And by spending 55 % on merchandise would i be under stock a the end of the year ??
    Plz guide i am still confused.

  5. Cindy Potts on December 8th, 2008 8:48 am

    If you can meet your expenses by allocating only 25% of sales, then yes, adjust the formula to 70/25/5 — however, I would urge you to make SURE that you can meet all of your expenses with only 25% of sales. That percentage seems particularly low: are you including your rent/payroll/insurance/everything else and meeting all of that with only 25% of sales?

  6. David Felts on December 8th, 2008 5:40 pm

    Cindy,
    I won’t be here for this week’s online session, but would love to have my site reviewed. I could listen in later online after it is put on the site possibly right? If so, please review my http://www.veryhappyfeet.com website thanks…..

  7. Cindy Potts on December 9th, 2008 8:59 am

    Absolutely Dave! I will make sure that your site is included in the next website review :)

  8. admin on December 9th, 2008 9:50 am

    Dave, et al, you should register for the webinar event even if you cannot attend live. That way you will be notified when the recording is made available. This is our first live webinar but I think I have the recording down.

  9. Shoe-Guy on December 9th, 2008 1:28 pm

    Thanks for that…I’ll do it…and I do hope that Roland and Rick don’t draw blood with this one…LOL

  10. Nancy Boudreau on December 10th, 2008 10:24 am

    I’ve registered for tomorrow night’s Webinar and was really looking forward to it! However, I’m now unavailable and would like my Marketing Manager to “attend”. I hope that’s OK? I hope to hear it as soon as the recording is made available.

    I submitted our website to be review/critiqued and wondered if it is one of the ones you are including in this session? We would love to be able to improve it!

  11. admin on December 10th, 2008 11:03 am

    Hi Nancy,

    Absolutely have your Marketing Manager attend. And technology gods willing, we will be recording the Webinar (which includes video).

    What is your site address and I’ll let you know if its one of the three we have on tap for this first Web Review Webinar.

    Roland

  12. Nancy Boudreau on December 10th, 2008 1:14 pm

    Hi Roland
    Our website is lacremedecor.com.

  13. admin on December 10th, 2008 6:39 pm

    Hi Nancy,

    Yes, your site is one of the 3 on tap for tomorrow night!

  14. Richard Norton-Hall on December 11th, 2008 10:10 am

    One for Roland. The email reminding of tonights Webinar advises of system requirements. Is there software to download and run?.

    Its just that at home we run on Linux, whereas at work we have to use Windows, for the POS. Its just a question of do I go home to listen in an armchair, or stay shackled to my desk at work.

    Regards Richard

  15. admin on December 11th, 2008 7:35 pm

    Hi Richard, sorry I saw this at the last minute and you have probably already decided. I THINK it will run on Linux. But everyone should also know that I am going to record the webinar and put it on the site in a form anyone should be able to see. But attend live if you can, we will open up the session to questions and maybe look at other sites time permitting.

  16. Nancy Boudreau on December 11th, 2008 7:52 pm

    I’m trying to download the software for the Webinar, but the first attempt was unsuccessful. I’m trying a second time, and it seems stalled at 91% of the download process. If I’m unable to download the software, will I be unable to participate?

  17. Richard Norton-Hall on December 12th, 2008 2:22 am

    Hi Roland

    Fortunately I had decided to take my laptop to work, clever eh! So though system rejected linux but I was able to listen in. I found YOUR comments to be very constructive and would appreciate in another session hearing more emphasis on the guru advice on how to take a site forward, you did appear to have researched the sites very well.

    I have re written some code, not started over as I think Rick would prefer, and I think the site does look much more along the lines of how you commented it should. I must admit, as a bit of an anorak (an English term) I have been more interested in the coding than the presentation. However, being modular code, the new look is not a problem. (The idea of several items as opposed to one new and one featured is also good but will require a bit of proper coding)

    I thought it might be of interest to know the success of shopping websites, from a commercial aspect. We are a cica 900k business doing a shade over 12% online at the moment. Mostly with previous (tourist) visitors to the store. I was wondering if anyone was willing to share what average online sales percentages were at the moment and how much ot that was new business. (The next question is tips or discussion from those where it is mostly new).

    Regards Richard

  18. admin on December 12th, 2008 9:25 am

    Hello all,

    I have good news and challenging news. The good news is we were able to record the webinar which is fortunate as there was a lot of discussion of techniques every web site owner should consider.

    The challenge is that the file size is almost 200 MB. I am trying to convert it to a smaller size but it’s taking forever. I WILL get it. Just give me a day or so to figure out how to do it without tying up the computer all day.

    I want to thank those individuals who put their sites up for review. There was way more good than bad. Rick and I feel that these reviews are a great way to get some easy-to-implement strategies presented in a real-world way that everyone can take advantage of.

    Thank you, Roland

    Update Sat. AM, Still working at this. I have it down to 127 Megabytes but that’s still too big. I’ll get it.

  19. Shoe-Guy on December 16th, 2008 1:20 pm

    Okay team, when is the next web review? I listened in on the webisode, (I got a lot of good info, gonna go back and re-listen and take notes) but didn’t hear anything about my website, and thought Cindy had said it would be one of the one’s reviewed. Is it possible that it will be on the next one, or did I miss it on this one? Just curious…thanks

  20. admin on December 17th, 2008 2:09 pm

    Hi Dave,

    Yours is on tap for the next session scheduled for January 14th.

    Thanks, Roland

  21. Shoe-Guy on December 18th, 2008 5:12 pm

    Thanks Roland, that’ll give me a couple of weeks to try and tweak it some…thanks

  22. susan shea on December 29th, 2008 11:31 am

    I normally accept returns and or exchanges. But this week I refused to take back a outer wear jacket. It reeked of smoke. The customer got really mad, she said I never explained that her smoking would interfere
    with an exchange. I told her that I could not put the coat back in inventory, Its smell would permeate other garments. Her response was lots of smokers would. It was a no win situation. I gave her one of my $5.00 off any purchase, she gave it to another customer. Do you have any advise on this problem? I’d like to know how other merchants would handle this problem. Thanks Susan

  23. Shoe-Guy on December 29th, 2008 1:09 pm

    I had a man bring back a pair of Ugg boots after Christmas. He had purchased two pair for his wife. She knew of one pair, but the other was to be a surprise. She called her mom and told her what she wanted for Christmas (the same pair that the man bought from me).
    When he brought it back, I was calm (unusual for me and returns, I’m working on not taking it personal) and listened to his story. I was thankful he wasn’t bringing both pair back. I credited his credit card and then began the process of digging out from a $250 refund.

    After he left, and I was putting the boots back out, I realized that they also reeked of smoke. What we usually do in this instance, is take the merchandise out of the box and set them in the back room for a day. Spraying them with febreeze also helps to take out that smell.

    It’s unfortunate that this situation arose, but when I read your response to how you offered her a $5.00 coupon, I kinda winced. I mean you should have given her a handfull of those, or refunded her the money less the dry cleaning expense. I’d really like to know if this customer comes back to your store in the future, that might make for a good follow-up story.

    And before you get mad at me for my response, know that I don’t always handle returns the correct way…they make me mad for some reason. I haven’t nailed down as to why yet, perhaps that is why I’m still struggling with this as well….good luck in the new year…

  24. susan shea on December 29th, 2008 6:29 pm

    Hi Shoe guy,
    The jacket she bought was on sale for $25.00. So I figured it was only worth a $5.00 coupon. I also tried febreeze, no luck. Its now 3 days later and the smell is still there. Seeing as she left it with me I’ll continue to air it out then give it to the local thrift shop. Thanks for your feedback any others out there?

  25. Amy on December 30th, 2008 12:47 pm

    I don’t like returns either but realize they happen occasionally. That’s retail reality. BUT the item must be in the same condition it was when purchased – no question. And this return policy is posted in my store. If it reeks of smoke, it’s not in the same condition. I don’t think we do anyone (or the society in general) any favors if we don’t hold customers (people) accountable to basic standards and expectations. I don’t think I would have even given her a $5 coupon – she could have kept the jacket and given it away or sold it herself – but it’s her responsibility/fault that it’s not in the same condition and therefore not returnable. If she can’t understand that then she may not be the customer I want in the future. How many times might she do this type of return if she was allowed to this time? My two cents worth…

  26. Shoe-Guy on December 30th, 2008 4:48 pm

    Susan, okay so I’ve changed my mind, since you said it was a sale item. Yeah, I’d have done what you did as well. I guess the price of the merchandise would have helped me to have made a different comment..hope I wasn’t offensive.

    On another note, what do you all do when you have that one customer that thinks she/he is your best customer (yet really isn’t) and yet the very sound of their voice grates on your spine like fingernails on a chalkboard?

  27. Lynne Freedman on December 31st, 2008 1:22 pm

    We don’t have a lot of returns – but I tell my associates to take them back with a smile. (We sell gifts, so I don’t have a “smell” problem). Most customers come in expecting to get a “fight” about a return, when we say, sure no problem they are so relieved and so happy – many end up becoming strong customers in the long run!

  28. Elena Rajme on January 3rd, 2009 5:01 am

    I get a lot of “I am a medium size” therefore, I take the item without trying on, then go home, remove tags, wash it (or just iron it), to finally realize, after wearing it all day that it was too small or too big”. Then, they expect us to exchange for the “now right size”. My argument with them is always: My store only sells brand new merchandise to you and to all other customers. I would never dare to ask you to take anything that has been “handled” by another customer in his/her home. Depending on the “cu$tomer’s $ize”, I could say, “I’ll tell you what, just because it is you, take the size you need and I will give you an absolute great discount” , and I can go up to 50% and I will be a hero!!!
    what do you think?

  29. Shoe-Guy on January 3rd, 2009 6:34 pm

    How do you all keep from taking it personal when someone returns merchandise. I had one today for over $600.00 and it really ticks me off when I lose a third of my day’s sales due to one refund.

    The real problem for me as well is that I feel this way if it is a $30.00 refund as well…what am I to do? Help!

  30. Sue McCoo on January 4th, 2009 3:36 pm

    We all hate returns because we hate to give back the money and it feels like a personal insult, when in fact they are, sometimes, a compliment. We sell items from $1.00 to $10,000, so the big ticket retutns really hurt. We decided to call everything “exchanges”. Exchanges can be for refund, gift cards, or merchandise. This helps to reduce the negative fellings we get with “returns”.

    Yesterday it was cold and overcast, all the exchanges were for refunds. We were down over $1,500.00 with maybe one $40 sale. Our first return was an earring and necklace set sold on 12/30 for $800. They were returned on Saturday 1/3/09. Do you think she went to a New Years party? In 2007 she did the same thing. Do we like being the rental place for jewelry? (We also sell some clothing, and don’t like to be a renatal shop) So she is now in the “fired” customer list. There are a very small number of “users”, so don’t let them ruin your relationships with the 95% who are great people. Stop mailing to the jerks, be nice, but not too nice. When customers get “fired” by us, they don’t know it. They become good customers or go away and don’t shop with us anymore.

    We try really, really hard to not show how much we dislike “retuns”. We have designated only a few staff who are good at up selling exchanges. It still does not make us happy, but we are in therapy and the customers are fooled into thinking we are happy to see them. Later when the customers spend more than they exchanged, we are truly happy to see them!

    After all these big frefunds we rallied the sales staff, told them we were going to have a great day. No one believed it, but it still worked! We ended up with a customer purchasing 6 expensive jewelry boxes, and 5 clocks for her corporate gifts! So the day was still huge, even with all those returns.

    FYI, some of the pain in the ….. customers turn out to be great ones a year or two later. Retail therapy works. Complain about them here, then put your smile back on and take care of them. If it’s the broken pottery that was in a sturdy box, with bubble wrap and packing paper, and gift wrapped by your best packer, then two days before Christmas the customers want to return it because it was “packed broken”, smile, offer to give an other platter. Re-ox it, gift wrap it, and smile even when your feet hurt and you have 8 other customers who would have loved you to help them. The customers can’t believe it. Most are a bit embarised and go on to become good customers. The ones who are not embarrised come off your mailing list and get fired after the second offense.

    Sounds crazy, but it works. We are starting our 30th year, and we were up for 2009! Record breaking day on Dec 24th!

    Santa Sue

  31. Victoria Heidorn on January 5th, 2009 9:26 am

    The page ends unfinished in the Bundling paragraph. Is there another page?
    Thanks.

  32. Shoe-Guy on January 7th, 2009 9:18 pm

    Lynne and Sue, it was a real pleasure to spend time with you on the conference call tonight. Thanks for your input, you have really given me some things to think about. I’m looking forward to talking to you both in the future.

  33. Sue McCoo on January 8th, 2009 4:40 am

    Hi

    Thanks, for the new ideas, and it’s even better when we can act on them. Now to find the time….
    Sue

  34. Shoe-Guy on January 8th, 2009 12:22 pm

    Rick, I don’t know if you had already read this article, or if you are now in the realm of prophet, but you said it last night and you were right….
    http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090108/ap_on_bi_ge/macy_s_store_closings

  35. Shoe-Guy on January 14th, 2009 6:33 pm

    Hey Roland and Rick,
    I’m thinking of going with Constant Contact as my email source. I noticed that Rick’s emails no longer have the Constant Contact logo at the bottom of them and wondered if there was a better company that I should be using? I haven’t signed up yet, just wanted to get your input on that…thanks.
    Dave Felts feltshoe1@yahoo.com

  36. Roland on January 15th, 2009 9:32 am

    Hi Dave,

    Constant Contact is a fine choice. Easy to use with nice templates. An excellent choice if your requirements are simple name collection and occasional email broadcasts to the list.

    We are using 1Shoppingcart – mainly because it ties everything together – product sales, “auto-responder series”, ad campaigns, affiliate programs – the works. If you are selling just a few products online this is a great choice. Autoresponders are the ability to deliver a series of messages when someone opts in.

    Others I like are AWeber – for their autoresponders and high delivery rates but no shopping cart.

    Also, Topica is a good choice if you have a large list to import because they don’t require a double optin.

    If these phrases I’m using are unfamiliar to you let me know and I can go into more detail in an upcoming “Tech Talk” session.

  37. Shoe-Guy on January 15th, 2009 10:19 am

    Thanks Roland…

  38. Shoe-Guy on January 15th, 2009 10:21 am

    Hey I had to miss last night’s session, please tell me it was recorded. If so, where will I find it so that I can listen in? Thanks

  39. Roland on January 15th, 2009 10:34 am

    I am preparing the recording now. It’s a huge file so I am converting it to something that will “stream” or start playing as it loads. Worth the wait, the ideas were flowing!

  40. Shoe-Guy on January 15th, 2009 10:38 am

    Great! Thanks…

  41. Shoe-Guy on January 15th, 2009 7:52 pm

    Hey guys, I just now got a chance to get on and listen to last night’s website review. I so appreciate you using my website, and I look forward to implenting all the suggestions that you have. One point however, and that is, the “Shoeguy.com” website is not mine. My website is “Shoe-Guy.com” with a hyphen between the shoe and guy. I will use what you said however, so thanks very much. I’ll let you know when I’ve put what you said to practice. Thanks.

  42. Shoe-Guy on January 16th, 2009 8:18 pm

    Rick & Roland,
    I’ve been a busy boy today, if you get a chance go and check out the changes I’ve made http://www.veryhappyfeet.com
    Dave

  43. Brenda Kelley on January 28th, 2009 9:20 pm

    Great seminar. I found it very informative and easy to understand as a “new” websiter. I look forward to the slides and going to the sites recommended as tools. Thanks!

  44. Harlan Munneke on January 29th, 2009 10:28 am

    I listened to the seminar this morning and feel that Roland gives lots of information to improve our site. THANKS –Harlan

  45. Richard Norton-Hall on January 29th, 2009 5:49 pm

    I listened to the recorded seminar and found it excellent.

    A question for Roland

    I was using doorway pages in a similar way (it used to work) I have now deleted these does google black list you for this and if so does it drop the blacklisting – our link:aboutcanada.ca just lately results zero.

    Also using css I put a h1 tag that presents hidden at the begining of the body to get keywords ahead of all the menu code, are you aware if google has issues with this.

    Thanks for the other info which I will be using to better the site and hopefully rankings.

  46. Roland on January 29th, 2009 10:50 pm

    Hi Richard,

    With Google one ever knows for sure. But having 0 pages indexed is a strong indicator that your site has been if not banned, then de-valued. If you clean things up it can return, I experienced that. The sites that bounced back were the ones with lots of good incoming links (votes of confidence).

    While Google may not necessarily see the hidden H1 tag, it is not worth the risk. Especially if your site gets a review before being reinstated.

    There may be a process for requesting reinstatement, I will check that out for you. Overall, I have been there and done that. I abandoned “black hat” strategies once they became commonplace. Following the recommendations in my presentation and getting good incoming links are your best bet.

  47. Sue McCoo on February 16th, 2009 5:13 am

    Our manager just heard Rick yesterday at a trade show. She had never seen him before. She remarked how wonderful he was and how much he knows. After many wonderful comments I said that he was good at everything except sales training. Wrong, now I”ll have to say he’s good at everyething!

    Keep up the good work!
    Sue

  48. Patti Bergstrom on February 16th, 2009 4:59 pm

    I am a director of the downtown business association in our city. We wanted a sign to put in all our windows to inspire people to shop their local, independent businesses…or to ask them to…or to thank them for doing so. It is vital to our success and especiallly during these tough times. What should that sign say?

  49. julie on February 22nd, 2009 1:49 am

    Is this top 12 visual merchandising tips that was issue on jan.2009
    have no virus?

    Sorry, if I ask this ,cause when I clik my computer to read your message
    there’s a sign of risk.

  50. Roland on February 22nd, 2009 1:41 pm

    Hi Julie,

    Your virus protection software may be producing that warning because there is a live link within the document. It’s just the TRA link in the branding footer. The document is perfectly safe.

    Regards, Roland

  51. Diane Lenihan on March 2nd, 2009 10:00 pm

    Where do I downlaod

  52. Sue McCoo on March 6th, 2009 5:33 am

    TJ is a great speaker and her books have great ieas, even if you don’t sell clothes. This interview had some great ideas and a reminder to have events and contact customers on a regular basis.

    FYI this interview seemed to get off track a few times.

    Thanks!

  53. Harlan Munneke on March 17th, 2009 7:06 pm

    If you had a choice between coupons or gift cerficates, what would you use?

  54. Tina Gleisner on March 23rd, 2009 11:14 am

    how do you explain to people that THEY can do this, when they’re afraid of technology & don’t think they can write?

  55. Harlan Munneke on March 24th, 2009 7:33 pm

    Notes on blogging —can you email these to me? munneke@verizon.netThanks- Harlan

  56. demo demo on March 26th, 2009 7:57 pm

    Thank you Cindy! Excellent presentation- you confirmed many of the assumptions I had about social networking. You explained the
    ways to have positive experiences, both business-wise and personally-
    and how social networking can be a great multi-dimensional way to interact
    with the my community!

    Alison

  57. Harlan Munneke on March 26th, 2009 8:18 pm

    Great insight in the retail sales of out store… love your customer, make a sale–not make a sale. Harlan@Solvang Ca

  58. Linda OBoyle on March 31st, 2009 11:55 am

    Great list! I would also ask: “What are your best sellers” and “what items can I make the most money with”

  59. Melissa on April 7th, 2009 8:15 am

    Have you ever thought about auctioning off your gift cards? You get the money up front and increase in sales basket. The customer is getting a discount but without eroding your brand. At retailocity that is what we do.

  60. Jean Wright on April 15th, 2009 4:03 pm

    Okay Rick- this last discussion over employess is more than basic- lets move on shall we? Lets start chatting about wher retailers need to be today.

  61. Jean Wright on April 15th, 2009 4:17 pm

    Answering the phone? Come on you must have something more to offer a retailer other than to pass on notes about how to answer the phone. We are in the 21th century. Stop living in the past. Retailer advantage , I thought was about new ideas–give that to your retailer audiance. If you do not see this then you will lose many.

  62. Rick Segel on April 16th, 2009 1:18 pm

    Jean, I am surprised and shocked at your response to the post about answering the phone! The telephone is considered the very first “Moment of Truth” as outlined in Jan Carslon’s (the founder of SAS, the Scandinavian Software Company — not the shoe company) in his best selling book on customer service book by the same name. It is the standard for modern day customer service practices.

    It is where many customers are lost or made. It has recently been brought to the forefront by multiple studies because of the increased use of impersonal electronic answering devices that are turning customers off (or as they track it as, “negative business impressions”) by alarming numbers. If you have ever been on hold or tried to give your name to a machine that doesn’t understand, you know what I am talking about.

    The sad part about these studies is that as bad as the worst machine are, their performance excels in comparison to the telephone procedures employed by independent retailers. I spent hours in my store annually training proper answering techniques. We even placed a mirror by the phone so that people would learn to answer the phone with a smile.

    When you read customer fall off at rates of 20% to 35% just because of a telephone exchange, it is nothing to trivialize. These are customers that state that they would never go to or purchase from a business with a “negative impression.” If the Ritz Carlton trains their management MBAs on how to answer the phone and every major Fortune 500 company train employees on telephone etiquette, then this is an Advantage. Is your business phone answered properly every time? Would you like me to test it?

    Jean, retailing is all about selling and doing the basics. Living in the past? Is a $25,000 electronic answering system in the past? It can’t be because they didn’t have such devices back then. Living in the past, with the current economic climate, front line training has been cut back! That is cause these situations. Jean, I invite you to outline and describe you telephone protocol and share it with all of my readers.

  63. Harlan Munneke on April 16th, 2009 8:06 pm

    Thanks so much for sharing thoughts on retail! The best thought was passing the buck! Have a great weekend1 Happy selling! Harlan@Solvang, Ca

  64. Sue McCoo on April 18th, 2009 8:52 am

    Jean, I’m confused about what you’re asking from the Retailer’s Advantage.

    For me over the years and 100’s of staff only a few negative people have gone beyond neutral, and most of the negative people “left” still negative. It didn’t seem to make any difference if they leave in 6 weeks or 6 years, except if they stay 6 years, we are all ready to poke our eyes out with pins.

    We all try to “get” them to change, but unless they truly want to change, or you have a magic touch, negative people, are still negative. A single toxic staff person makes business extremely difficult and if they get out of control they can kill your business. It only takes one. Two are quicker!

    We tend to keep them around thinking we can change them, but Rick’s right, let them go early before everyone gets attached, and your too “invested” to think you can let them go. “But they are trained” “There isn’t anyone else.” How often have we all said the same thing?

    If we as owners are toxic, then we are doomed. A positive attitude, an “I can do it” attitude is what we all need to have right now. Sure we are not all feeling positive every day, nor is it easy. If we don’t work on our attitude who will? I think the answer is a bad attitude will kill your business in a good economy or a recession. In the recession you have an “excuse” but the problem is still us.

    So, you say, who’s this little Miss Sunshine? I’m a neutral who works hard to be a positive. We had a terrible 2006 and 2007 with several toxic staff members. After cleaning house and working on my attitude we had a fantastic 2008 and are having a fantastic 2009.

    OK, you say, so what. Well this year I’ve been diagnosed with aggressive cancer, and the prognosis isn’t good. Have I had bad days? You have no idea what it’s like to face your mortality until it’s in your face. Am I tired of throwing up? How do you eat when you want to die? This is a question I still have no answer to.

    We can control our business destiny. We can be proactive or we can be lazy and blame it on the economy. The choice is ours, and only ours.

  65. Marcia Elliott on April 23rd, 2009 1:57 pm

    We try to answer the phone in as few rings as possible. If we are with a customer in the store, we ask them if it is ok for us to answer the phone. No one has ever said no. We do try to keep the call short if an in-store customer is waiting. We just get the number and call the person back unless the call is a short, one question call like “What are your hours today?”

    My employees have been instructed to answer the phone by saying: “Good morning/afternoon. Made Just for You. This is (fill in their name).” Somewhere I read that it is good to end with your name. It certainly seems to be for us. The customer will often begin with the clerk’s name since it is the last thing that they heard. It seems to make the interaction personal from the start. In fact, sometimes when they come in the store, they’ll begin by saying, for example, “I talked to Tina on the phone yesterday and she told me that you carry baby blankets.” We try to keep each other informed of what happened, so often we can reply, “Yes, Tina told me you called and were looking for a blanket for a boy.” The customers just love the personal attention.

  66. Sue McCoo on May 3rd, 2009 3:14 am

    Can you help? It’s our store’s 30th Anniversary and I’m looking for non sale ideas. We have some ideas, but are looking for one or two more we and our customers can have fun with.
    All normal or crazy ideas are appreciated.
    Thanks!
    Sue

  67. Patti Bergstrom on May 4th, 2009 1:26 pm

    Hi Sue,
    We have created a Birthday Wheel that we let the customers spin. We “borrowed” the idea from Webkinz Wheel of Wow and we borrow the wheel from the local church and we cover the numbers with triangle slices. Each slice has a prize on it: sweet treats (pick from the candy dish), take note (free note pad), for your next visit (coupon for the next week), goody bag, going away gift (luggage tag), gift certificate, got an itch (scratch ticket), and one small slice might say: 30% off any one item–just to reinforce your 30th anniversary. Have fun! Do you have any other ideas to share? Our store’s 22nd birthday celebration is next month.

  68. Tammy Mabe Morris on May 4th, 2009 9:02 pm

    Love the article! I just recently subsribed to your emails… thanks tammy

  69. Harlan Munneke on May 5th, 2009 10:50 pm

    I thought it was a good presentation but too often Rick would ask a question and before they were done, Rick would answer his own question.

  70. cheryl Jordan on May 13th, 2009 8:13 am

    Rick, you talked about the Average Units/Transaction/ Customer…how many customers should you collect this data for to determine the average. A full day of sales, a week of sales..I just wasn’t sure exactly how we would go about trying this. Thanks

  71. susan shea on May 13th, 2009 2:38 pm

    Yes I would love to listen to the recording! But it only plays for about 4 to 5 minutes and quits. I even tried the download MP3 it also only plays for short while. Then it says buffering Now what?

  72. Harlan Munneke on May 21st, 2009 8:16 pm

    Great down to earth presentation on the retail market. I have been doing this for 38 years–always looking for a refresher class–that is w

  73. JulieAnn Delgrosso on June 10th, 2009 7:56 pm

    I have to agree with Ron about being surprised when you see in black and white who your best customers really are or your #1 item, etc. When we looked at that report 5 or 6 years back, we realized that NONE of us knew our #7 customer!!! WE DO NOW! Also, a few years back I realized that our #1 SKU was our gift certificates. Wow…I had barely marketed them so you can imagine how important it was to have that knowledge!

  74. Mark Shawver on June 24th, 2009 7:47 pm

    As always – some geat ideas!

    Thanks for the information – – The idea of the flip camera would work perfect in our stores.

  75. Harlan Munneke on July 27th, 2009 3:10 pm

    I listened to your interview with Elly Valas last week. It was GREAT! I have an upscale gift shop in Solvang, Ca. You mentioned someone who did a promotion built around a contest with a fall pumpkin. I am very interested in making this hopefully a yearly event started in October. Can you get more information on this or put me in contact with the people who did this? Thanks very much—Harlan Munneke Phoine: 805-729-2959

  76. Mark Shawver on July 29th, 2009 5:28 pm

    I just submitted a question on marketing. I should add that I have two small retail shops , a web site and participate in about 25 Craft shows in the Eastern us every year.

    I am trying to “tie” them all together!

    Thanks

  77. Mark Shawver on August 19th, 2009 8:24 pm

    Sue was Excellent! Enthusiasm sells!!

    Can’t wait to get to get to the shop tomorrow.

    Thanks

  78. Linda Flaherty on August 26th, 2009 7:10 am

    I own a baby specialty shop which is located in a shopping area off the main street. My current space is 1800 sq ft in an end cap with beautiful arched architectural walls and niches with Chandeliers which create three areas of selling space. Our store has the reputation of being a “Beautiful” store because of the aesthetics. My lease expires Sept 30 and the only option for renewal is to move 200′ up closer to the main street to another end cap with same sq ft, and window and door configuration but without the architectural walls, (so it is literally a “box”.) This move was not planned for nor budgeted for. We just recently opened a second location that has drained our cash reserves, and learned two days before we opend the doors to the second location in July that we are being forced to move. Because it is the end of the lease, the landlord is able to get away without paying for the move. I either move on his terms or find a new space. The choice is to stay since I am trying toget the 2nd locationoff the ground, I certanily don’t want to start over with the first location, my money maker. So my challenge is to create a space to rival the old space with no budget! HELP! I am looking forward to your webinar!

  79. Linda Flaherty on August 26th, 2009 7:12 am

    Oh and PS, the move is Sunday, August 30th!

  80. Frances Bologna | The Retailer's Advantage on September 2nd, 2009 9:31 am

    [...] Francis O. Bologna is first and foremost a business owner! As a business owner he understands the issues of CEO’s and Executives, and has counseled them for over thirty years. He is a CPA, and was one of the five founding partners of his own CPA and Consulting firm. Francis spoke with Rick here. [...]

  81. Keith Lee | The Retailer's Advantage on September 2nd, 2009 12:33 pm

    [...] Keith Lee is the president of American Retail Supply, and joined Rick for a special call entitled Crisis on Main Street. [...]

  82. admin on September 2nd, 2009 1:11 pm

    Dear Mark,

    Inbound links are one of the trickiest areas to do well with; as you have already begun to suspect, not all inbound links are created equal. Google and other search engine providers are continually scrutinizing the value of inbound links to ensure that no ‘gaming’ of the system is going on. Reciprocal links are weighted more heavily than paid links; reciprocal links from a well respected site that the search engine regards as legitimate (such as a blog or informative website) are better than links from directories/link farm sites. While it is slower, reciprocal links from high quality sites will do more to boost your website rating than anything else; diretory sites are a good way to get started, but they should not serve as your sole SEO link strategy.

    Yes, the crawlers count all of those fabric patterns: especially if the content on them changes regularly. If the pages are static, that’s not as helpful.

    Yours in Retail Success,

    Rick Segel

  83. Margi Griffith on September 12th, 2009 1:05 pm

    Is the Sept 10 program available to view now? I was not able to attend that night.

    Thanks.
    Margi Griffith

  84. admin on September 16th, 2009 10:46 am

    Hi Margi ~

    We’re still doing some editing on the video… it’ll be ready to view in the next day or so. Check back tomorrow, OK?

    Have a great day!

  85. susan shea on October 7th, 2009 7:20 pm

    So where is the seminar? There is nothing. What happened Rick? Today is wednesday. I also emailed you an few days ago about an extra computer usage and received no response.

  86. Matthew Glanfield on October 13th, 2009 1:34 pm

    Is it possible to get a download of the call?

  87. Christine Parker on October 20th, 2009 12:23 pm

    I’m a newbie so I may be missing it, but what is the time for this event?

  88. Joe Bacher on October 26th, 2009 5:53 pm

    Regarding _exterior_ signage —

    I have an idea and would like to know if anyone else has had any success. I’d like to use a tv display (led or lcd) in a show window to act as a mini billboard. I’d use a dvd to run a rotation of ads. Since the monitor (tv) would be located inside, we wouldn’t need an exterior sign setup and if we want to change the ads, we could simply make a new dvd to play. Obviously a large cost savings.

    My concern is whether the picture would display brightly enough for the images to be seen. Has anyone else tried this or seen anything like this?

    Thanks,
    Joe

  89. Heather Caulkins on October 28th, 2009 12:52 pm

    Hi Joe. I do this in my store and it has been very successful. There are issues with glare but it draws attention and attracts patrons.
    I have a dvd loop of product demos, pictures of kids in my clothing and/or using the products and of products.
    Great marketing tool….I highly suggest it!

  90. JulieAnn Delgrosso on November 2nd, 2009 9:23 pm

    Quick question. I don’t see the time. Is it 8pm like “usual”?
    Thanks,
    Julie

  91. Harlan Munneke on November 3rd, 2009 8:05 pm

    Its 5:00pm in California why can’t we pick up the interview? Harlan

  92. ttg-admin on November 4th, 2009 8:21 pm

    Hello all seems the file has an error I am updating now. Will be 10 minutes – Thank You!

  93. ttg-admin on November 4th, 2009 8:30 pm

    It is all set – enjoy everyone!

  94. Rick Segel on November 6th, 2009 2:15 pm

    Hi Joe. I agree with Heather. LCD displays are a good, modern and cost-efficient draw. But any sign – digital or cardboard – is only as good as the content and message on it. Valuable, interesting content is key. I’m not sure what kind of retail store you have, but a TV display should fit in with the rest of the store’s feel. Think about your customer, will they be drawn to TV display? Just some food for thought.

    Also, along with what Heather said, glare could be an issue if your store window receives outdoor light. Make sure to monitor this before you make the final decision. Good luck, and keep me updated on your progress, my guess is you’ll see some significant results!

  95. Harlan Munneke on November 12th, 2009 9:54 am

    Rick—I enjoy and I am inspired to try to put into practice many of the ideas your company presents on a weekly schedule. This last seminar was the first time after 40 minutes I turned it off. There was nothing to take back to my store. Connie seems like a nice lady but retail is much more than making the customers feel good. Have a great week. You and Bob Negen are my favorite guys I look to for direction in retail etc. My wife and I just spent a couple of days with Bob and Susan–it was great–Harlan@Solvang Ca,.

  96. Rick Segel on November 16th, 2009 10:06 am

    Thanks for the feedback but I want to thank for inspiring me for this week’s article. I sincerely appreciate the feedback. There are so many lessons we can all learn from what you did. I just hope I can capture all of them., You will see what I mean on Tuesday

  97. Mark Shawver on January 13th, 2010 8:39 pm

    Hello!

    Enjoyed the session and plan to start OTT this week.

    Noticed your Market Watch. Are these stocks/indexes your suggestions?

    Didn’t realize you were in Atlanta, I would have stopped in to say hello.

    See you next week

  98. Cindy Potts on January 20th, 2010 8:38 am

    Hi Mark!

    The market watch stocks are based upon retailer’s interest — not Rick’s suggestions! That’s the arena of the financial experts :-)

    Smiles, Cindy

  99. Ellen Dewsbury on January 28th, 2010 9:13 am

    I signed up for the web-seminar last night (Creating Your Buying Plan) and paid the $25.00 to watch it. I was disappointed in the presentation. First of all I read this: “Listen to a roundtable of seasoned retail experts debate the pros and cons of each of these methods” and imagined several people being involved in the presentation with different insights and points of view. Also whatever microphone that was being used was so poor that I almost couldn’t listen to it. It sounded as if it was being fumbled and dropped. The beginning of the presentation was way too elementary and the rest was right out of your book which I already own. Where was that round table again?

  100. Before & After – The Retailers Advantage « Technology Therapy on February 5th, 2010 10:01 am

    [...] only retained his membership but increased it by almost 30% – even gaining his first “Platinum Member,” the highest level of membership on The Retailer’s Advantage.  His Facebook following [...]

  101. susan shea on February 6th, 2010 7:48 pm

    I would like you to review my new website. http://www.goodtimesgifts.com. Hope you can help me. Thanks
    Susan Shea
    406 677 2140 or 406 210 1031

  102. Willie Jackson on February 8th, 2010 9:28 pm

    Rick, I also would love to be apart of the review. My site, http://www.ceramicsam.com could use all the assist it can get.

    Thanks, and we will tune in on the 10th.

  103. Thomas R. Strange on February 20th, 2010 8:54 am

    Rick,
    Love your articles. I have gotten them on e-mail for several years and they are great. However you blogs don”t seem to lead to anything but advertising your blog–frrruuuuustrating. Would you send the info from your earlier article on the difference between blogs, facebook, websites, etc.

    Thank you so much.
    Tom Strange

  104. Cindy Potts on February 22nd, 2010 7:37 pm

    Dear Tom,

    Thank you for your comment! We have to admit, the Retailer’s Advantage Blog is different than the blog you’ll find at blog.ricksegel.com — here, we’re trying to highlight some of the content that appears within The Retailer’s Advantage. So much of what happens on The Retailer’s Advantage is only visible to members, but we wanted to give everyone a chance to see what’s available. We’re working on getting the balance exactly right, so thank you for your insight!

    You’ll see the post that goes up tonight is all about blogs, facebook, and the role of your website!

    Smiles, Cindy
    Editor, The Retailer’s Advantage

  105. Dan Waldron on February 22nd, 2010 8:16 pm

    A friend of mine just emailed me one of your articles from a while back. I read that one a few more. Really enjoy your blog. Thanks

  106. susan shea on March 24th, 2010 7:25 pm

    why couldnt I listen to the seminar?

  107. Susan Turchick on April 7th, 2010 6:56 pm

    Am I in the right place?

  108. Susan Turchick on April 7th, 2010 8:17 pm

    Question—what do you do if you’ve had some prior “starts” with social media that went nowhere?

    I’m ready to go, because I’m much more comfortable with it now—but how do you bridge the non-performance credibility gap?

  109. David on May 27th, 2010 3:18 pm

    My Dad used to say it slightly different. “Don’t you worry about the mule BEING blind, just load the wagon and shake the line” and then for some reason, on the end was “get up Maude”
    Could have been a movie line.

    I’ve seen clips of John Madden trying, and failing, to explain the saying to a very confused Oakland Raider team.

    Shake the line of course meaning to just take the reigns and go.
    The mule may be blind but he’ll go where you tell him to. Don’t worry about it.