Get to the Point! 4 No-Fail Strategies for Retail Success!
By Anne M. Obarski
Don't rest on your recent laurels, the points could hurt!
It is hard not to think positively when the earliest reports show
that U.S. retail sales for the month of December rose by an
impressive 6.0 percent over the same month in 2002.
The customers came and they spent, just like retailers prayed for!
Even Rosalind Wells, chief economist for the retail group, the
National Retail Federation is quoted saying, "This year will see more
balanced economic growth, with solid consumer spending and
accelerated business investment."
But don't throw caution to the wind. I was concerned to read that
according to the Federal Reserve, consumer debt has more than doubled
in the past ten years and today stands at a record high. The average
American household is in debt to the tune of $18,700 for credit cards
and car loans and that mortgage debt is extra.
That means that half of the customers shopping in your store may be
doing so by adding to their ever-mounting level of credit card debt.
The question is, "How badly do they need the item or service you are
selling? Why your company, and why your product? Are you bottom-
line focused or target focused?"
Speaker and strategic innovation catalyst, Art Turock gives retailing
a sports analogy when he was quoted saying, "As with most team
sports, success in retailing is often a matter of simply, "going
where they're NOT." You can run straight at their towering defensive
line, or identify their weak points and work as a team to tear
through the line to an open space where you can operate more freely.
The key is to be more nimble and to have the willingness to make
quick adjustments to your chalkboard strategy".
I believe that we may see an improvement in the economy but it will
never go back to "business as usual". This is the new usual
business. It is a business that should make us question every game
plan of our organization.
Retail is a business that requires a sharpened focus and a targeted
performance to stay on the playing field!
I took an archery class in college just for the fun of it. Actually
it was to get rid of my PE credits and I thought it would be an "easy
A". Ha! So much for an "easy A"! I thought I knew the basics of
this "sport"! There is a bow, you have some sharp arrows with pretty
feathers, ah, quivers and a target that is stuck to a bail of hay.
How tough could this be? I could imagine how easy it would be to
shoot my three arrows right into the little red circle in the middle
of the target. And this was a 10 week class? How ridiculous. I knew
I was going to be bored by the second class.
Experience is an excellent teacher. Being humbled is even worse. I
realized very quickly that I would be extremely lucky to get one
arrow in that little red circle by the end of the 10 weeks. I had to
learn the basics first. I had to learn everything about the
equipment before I could even "think" about letting that pretty arrow
fly.
I had to have a protection on my left arm and on my right hand. I
learned that posture and concentration and yes "focus" was extremely
important. I remember having the class in the university's gym and
the funny sound that all of the other student's arrows made when
they "didn't" hit the target and ended up falling on the hard wood
floor.
Some of the arrows never reached their target, some went whizzing by
and some barely hit the white area of the target. They certainly
were a far cry from that all important red circle.
I had bruises on my inner left arm from the string hitting it as it
released my arrow. I had those bruises for weeks. It was a very
strong reminder that to get good at this I might have to endure a
little pain, lower my expectations, practice more, perform better
under supervision and the ultimate goal was to hit the target. I did
get an A in that class, but the last thing I will ever say is that my
Archery class was easy.
I think owning a business is similar to that archery class. Too
often our goal is the center of the target where we believe money and
success lie. If our "arrows" hit any part of the concentric circles,
that's ok, but it's not the target. Wrong. All of those circles are
part of the target area. Until you understand what the target looks
like and what things are necessary to know about that target, you
will never hit the center on a consistent basis.
Imagine a target. You probably thought about a dart board or an
archery bull's eye target. Now take that a step further and describe
this target as your client, market or customer. Maybe as Art Turock
alludes to, you might need to find that weak spot that your
competition isn't addressing. Focus on that target. Be as
knowledgeable about your "target" as possible.
Focus on the outer ring- SKILL: What training do you and your
employees need to become knowledgeable and skilled at the products or
services you offer? Do you keep up your training? Do you practice
new techniques? Do you help those who are struggling within your
organization? Do you give helpful suggestions even if they miss
the "target" at times? It is hard to move closer to the circle of
success if you don't have the training to develop the correct skills.
Focus on ring # 2- PERFORMANCE: How do you perform the skills you
have practiced? How many ways do you let your customers know what
you do? Do your website, advertising, and even your location reflect
the professionalism and knowledge about your services and or your
products? Remember, your customers are your audience and they will
be critiquing your performance.
Focus on ring #3- ACCOUNTABILITY: Focus on feedback. I remember my
professor correcting my stance in my archery class, then
straightening my head, then adjusting my arm as it pulled back the
arrow. All of this was done before I ever let that arrow fly! Who
gives you feedback? What do you DO with that feedback? Are you
willing to learn and change based on that feedback? Who holds you
accountable for your skill and your actual performance? If no one is
watching does it really matter how that customer is handled or that
service is completed? You bet it does. Because your customer is the
one who is watching. They can probably tell you each and every
mistake you make.
Focus on the center: SUCCESS: I love the quote by Don Shula, "Failure
is not fatal and success isn't permanent". Just because you hit the
center of the target once or twice doesn't mean you will hit it every
time. It takes skill, practice, performance and accountability to
even come close. Each time you do there should be a learning curve.
Ask yourself, what did I do right? What did I do different than the
last time? What should I focus on the next time?
By sharpening your focus and targeting your performance you will hit
your target of success more often. But don't rest on your laurels
because they have learning "points" as well! Ouch!
Anne M. Obarski is the "Eye" on Performance. An author, professional
speaker, and a business consultant , Anne presents keynotes, seminars
and workshops nationwide. She works with companies who want to create
service strategies to keep their customers coming back. Anne has
recently published two new books, "Surprising Secrets of Mystery
Shoppers" and "Real World Customer Service Strategies That Work".
Reach Anne at www.merchandiseconcepts.com or
anne@...
