Ideas for hair and nail salons

Many states are closing down hair and nail salons. I’m sure more will follow. People will still want to look good despite the circumstances. It is helpful in maintaining a positive attitude while we face tough times. Be proactive now by using video to communicate with your customers in these unique ways.

Create a video or do a Facebook lives that:

Shows women how to safely soak off their gel or acrylic manicures

How to do a simple trim or haircut

How to apply store-bought hair color

Also consider hosting individual video appointments with customers to help them with their own hair/manicure needs. This is a great way to not just assist your customers but to satisfy the need for socialization and the appearance of normalcy.

IMPORTANT NOTE: Don’t be afraid to add a Venmo link to any of your posts and videos to accept tips.

Getting ahead of the curve through collaboration

With most states mandating to-go and delivery only for restaurants, I'm sure you are all scrambling. I'm going to ask you to take a breath and listen to this short video with an idea for independent restaurants to collaborate in order to:

Better manage existing business
Better serve your community
Create goodwill and loyalty for future business
Possibly keep a few more people employed

If you have any questions or comments, please drop them below.

Thing you need to do immediately.

Depending on what region you're in, your business is probably under some type of mandatory restriction. Here's a quick reminder of some details you should attend to.

1.    Create a point of contact for your business as well as a phone tree, email chain or communication plan for your employees.

2.  Communicate all changes/closures on all platforms. Change hours on your website and social media and/or communicate limited service capabilities. Do the same on Google, Yelp, Travel Advisor and any other sites on which you are listed. Update your Facebook header and Instagram profile as well. Change your phone message.

3.  Send an email to everyone in your database. Don't send the typical "From the  CEO " message but rather, one that tells your customers what you're doing and how you feel. Be sure to wish them good health and provide a direct contact should they need or want to reach you.

4.  Restaurants should contact your reservation provider, if applicable, cancel existing reservations and block out any future reservations slots for the time being.

5.   Post signage on your front doors. I know you're stressed but please try to make these signs as professional as possible.

6.  Review your insurance policy and start talking to your insurance company. This is a good time to gather facts.

7. Call your vendors, utility companies, credit card companies, internet and cable to arrange delayed payment options.

8.     Exchange contact information with your business neighbors for future communication.

3 Questions about....Facebook

Jamie Palmer, CEO of Outlier Marketing Group, answers your most pressing questions about Facebook.

To learn more about Jamie, visit www.outliermarketinggroup.com

How to easily set up a sales commission program that works!

The bottom line is the bottom line in retail.

A successful retail store or restaurant is dependent on selling so it’s imperative that you create a sales culture. I’m a firm believer sales people should be rewarded for selling. Hire people who are motivated to reap the financial rewards of meeting and exceeding goals. I have found quite a bit of resistance about this from owners who think a commission-based program will encourage staff to become too aggressive and competitive. They fear it will create an unpleasant experience for customers.

Let’s be clear. You are not training staff to be used car salesmen. You are training them to sell which, quite simply, is providing the information a customer needs to make a buying decision. Selling is inviting prospects to participate in the opportunity you bring to the table. With proper training and a solid reward system, you can cultivate a great sales team as well as a great customer experience.

So whether you decide to implement a commission program or a monthly bonus program, create a reward system that will help you meet your goals. Rewards can be in the form of gift cards, merchandise or commissions. Just be sure the reward is commensurate with your product or service and the level of sales skill required.

Setting up a commission program

I have seen all types of commission programs in the retail world. They sometimes pay on meeting daily goals and sometimes just pay – regardless of whether an end goal is met. Neither of these structures help elevate sales levels and definitely don’t inspire employees. Creating a goal and commission plan takes a bit of creativity and strategic thinking. There are three key elements for setting up a successful incentive program:

• 1. Create monthly goals. I don’t believe in daily goals. They are almost impossible to meet and a good rain storm could wipe out an employee’s bonus potential and discourage them.

• 2. Be sure the total of the employee goals is more than the actual monthly revenue number you want to achieve.

• 3. Offer larger incentives for exceeding goals. How does this play out? Let’s use this scenario for the month of April. The commissions used in these scenarios are just an example. The actual commission percentages you will pay should be based on your own store profitability and employee status.

Assume
Your sales staff includes: 1 full time manager and 2 part time sales people

Last year’s April revenues:
Manager’s sales $28,000
Part time staff #1 $ 5,000
Part time staff #2 $ 7,000
Total – last April $40,000
Note: Just count employee sales in this number – don’t count your own.

Your goal for this April $48,000 (20% increase)
This year’s April goals by employee:
Manager’s sales $35,000
Part time staff #1 $ 6,250
Part time staff #2 $ 8,750
Total sales goals $50,000
The total of employee goals exceeds the actual April revenue goal of $48,000.

Commission Structure
Manager
2% on all sales up to goal ($35,000)
5% on sales of $35,001 and above
$250 for team hitting store sales goal of $50,000

Sales staff
$100 bonus each for meeting sales goal
An additional $100 each if they exceed goal by 20% or more

In this scenario you are paying the manager a regular commission on what she sells, and more importantly, incentivizing her to exceed her goal AND to motivate the staff to meet and exceed their goals as well.

Let’s say the total sales for this April play out like this:

Scenario 1 Scenario 2

Manager sales $32,500 $37,500
Staff # 1 $ 3,500 $ 6,000
Staff #2 $ 8,750 $10,500
$44,750 $54,000

Scenario 1
Total revenue is less than the actual revenue goal of $48,000 but still represents an 8 percent increase over last April.

The manager would earn 2% X $32,500 = $650
Staff # 1 no bonus
Staff # 2 $100
Total commissions and bonuses paid $750

Scenario 2
Total revenue exceeds the actual revenue goal of $48,000 and the employee revenue goal of $50,000.

The manager would earn $1200
2% X 35,000 = $700
5% of $4999= $250
Bonus for achieving store goal $250
Staff # 1 no bonus
Staff # 2 $200
Total commissions and bonuses paid $1,475

In scenario 2, you have paid $1,475 in commission to achieve a 35 percent increase in sales ($14,000) over last year. That’s quite a deal! Plus, your employees feel more empowered because they had the opportunity to pad their paychecks!

Sales contests
You can choose to deliver rewards via a monthly contest, structured in a number of ways:

• Reward only the highest achieving employee
• Reward each individual who achieves their goal
• Reward each individual who achieves their goal ONLY if the overall monthly revenue goal is made

It’s important to create a spirit of team competition to make this work. Track each employee’s progress on a chart and be the head cheerleader in acknowledging progress on a regular basis. Be sure your contests or incentives are in line with your goals. For example, if you run a hair salon and have made a deal with a particular manufacturer for special pricing on shampoo, the contests should center around the sales of that shampoo. Alternatively, if you have an underperforming item, create an incentive around it.

Commission and rewards aren’t simply a way to pay staff if they happen to meet goals. They are tools to insure that your staff’s performance helps you achieve your goals. As you begin a reward program, give it a few months to let everyone get used to the system, get the proper training and work out the kinks. Let them know you are serious and they will we judged on their sales performance monthly. Once you pull the trigger, meet with each staff member at the end of every month to review performance and assign goals for the next month. Conduct a debrief session. Don’t focus on what went wrong. Ask them what they think they did correctly and what they might have done differently or better. These are great learning opportunities.

Pay special attention to those employees who do not meet their goals and provide additional training to help them. If an employee is consistently underachieving (let’s say 3 months running) and your efforts and training have not paid off, it’s time to find someone new.

Until next time remember,
You can do this!
Angel

Three ways to celebrate Mom and Pop Business Owners Day - March 29th

According to the U.S. Small Business Administration, there are more than 28 million small businesses in the U.S.   employing more than 56 million people. These locally owned businesses add vibrancy to the economy and contribute more than three times more money per dollar of sales back to their local economy than national chains. You should be proud and March 29th, National Mom and Pop Business Owner’s Day is a great opportunity to share your accomplishments.

Here are some promotional ideas to help drive business and build awareness of your unique contributions to the community.

1. Tell your story
Use the day, week or the entire month of March to tell the story of you and your business.  Use social media, email and even in-store signage to tell people why you started your business and what ownership has done for you and your family (i.e. allowed you to spend more time with your kids, pursue your passion, secure your future, etc.) Be sure to add your local contributions from creating jobs to participation with local charities and organizations. Make it personal!

2. Ask for some love
Offer customers post it notes and markers to write something they love about shopping or dining with you. Create a special wall or window space for them to stick their notes and leave them there for the month for all to see. Take it up a notch by taking photos of your customers in front of the “wall of love” and post those on social media.

3. Turn the tables
In celebration of Mom and Pop Business Owners Day, create a customer appreciation benefit. Whether is a discount, free gift or a VIP party, let your customers know how much you love them.

Owning a small business isn’t easy so enjoy the chance to allow customers and prospects alike to be a part of and appreciate your success!

Until next time remember,
You can do this!
Angel

Can social media really produce results for a small business? A case study.

Can social media really produce results for a small business? Here’s a case study that says resoundingly, “Yes!”

A struggling cupcake store had paltry 398 followers on Facebook after three years in business. To boost fans and engagement we developed a three-prong Facebook strategy:

1. Regular postings of products (photos of yummy looking cupcakes, cookies, coffee, tea, and specials) and promotion of newly-created birthday party packages for kids.

2. Development and promotion of cupcake decorating classes. Posts generated interest thanks to photos of the irresistible final product attendees would be creating in class. After the class, we posted photos of attendees enjoying the experience.

3. Creation of a Test Kitchen concept. The owners of this business are a husband and wife team. The husband loves being in the kitchen and creating new baked delicacies. We used that passion as their brand differentiator to create the Test Kitchen. The concept was simply that twice each month the husband would go into the kitchen and create something new. They would post pictures of him in the kitchen, covered with flour or elbow deep in batter to provoke curiosity. The following day, Thursday, was Test Kitchen day. Anyone who visited the store would be given a free Test Kitchen card (10 Test Kitchen visits got you a $5 gift certificate. Emails were required to receive the card, shoring up their database) and a free sample of the new concoction. Visitors were then asked to rate the new product as a Flip (Flip your lid over it) or a Flop. The owners posted the results on Friday. They were totally honest about customer reaction – even if it wasn’t great. It was totally authentic and people loved it!

Results over the course of just 30 days:

1. They posted a coconut macaroon special that was seen by someone who ordered 8000 coconut cookies – a huge order for a store that size.

2. Follower base grew from 398 to 600 (within months it grew to 1250).

3. Engagement from fans grew as high as over 100 likes for certain posts.

4. They began booking birthday parties, posting photos and “mom” testimonials which generated even more bookings.

5. Decorating classes began filling to capacity, adding yet another revenue stream and creating a whole new loyal fan base.

Total cost: $0

3 Questions with Linda Cahan

I had the pleasure of chatting with Linda Cahan, an internationally recognized expert in visual merchandising and store design. She answers the 3 most frequently-asked questions retailers ask about store design. You can learn more about Linda at www.lindacahan.com

6 of my best tips for keeping your sanity as a business owner

As CEO of your business, you will need to manage your own education, information flow, inspiration and passion. Being an effective leader means keeping yourself at the top of your game, not just in business but in spirit as well

The key to success is sustainability. What can you do to maintain high levels of passion for your business? First, take ownership of the fact that you are responsible for maintaining your passion. If you don’t nurture yourself, it won’t be hard to let employees, clients or colleagues suck you dry.

Make “What if?” your favorite question

What if I hired a different person to do that job? What if I bundled my products differently? What if I changed my work flow? Consistent questioning of your concept and processes will lead you to new and better solutions.

Don’t work in a vacuum

Studies show adults produce 65 to 93 percent more ideas in groups. So find passion partners – (no, not that kind) or form an informal advisory board by identifying friends and colleagues who are, in your opinion, passionately curious. Preferably, they will come from different industries and backgrounds. Arrange to meet with them on a regular basis and use these meetings as forums where participants are invited to throw out the biggest, best and dumbest ideas. No judgments allowed. You’ll all share tremendous energy and inspiration.

Allow yourself time away from the day-to-day minutia

The biggest killer of big thinking is the mundane. If you can, delegate some of the daily chores. If you can’t, schedule time to get away from them. Even if you take an hour a week to think quietly and create, you will reap the rewards.

Manage your expectations

Few things are more detrimental to success than expecting more than is realistically possible at a given moment in time. I have worked with owners who were doing quite well for their particular stage in business, but because they had such lofty expectations, always felt defeated.

Self-motivation and inspiration

There’s a certain amount of isolation that goes along with being a business owner. You and you alone are responsible for the majority of the decision making and certainly the hard work of leading by example. It can lead to burn out. Business ownership is draining. You have to constantly replenish your soul with information and inspiration. Whether it’s through reading, keeping a journal, practicing yoga or trying new experiments with your business, keep a constant flow of new information and experiences going that will help trigger ideas, creative energy and new perspectives. Create your touchstone by envisioning what your life will feel like when you have reached your business goals.

Get out of your store

Successful retail ownership requires a 360 degree view of the world. Since retail requires to you spend many hours in the store, it may prevent you from benefiting from different perspectives. So get out. Network. Join a community group. Go on field trips. See what the rest of the world looks like and use that new information to help grow your business.

Treat yourself with respect

You are, after all, the CEO. Treat yourself as well as you would someone who works for you. Be kind. Be complimentary. Be appreciative of all the things you do. Being the top dog doesn’t mean working like one. Commit to doing what it takes to keep your head clear and your passions ignited. No one wants to work for a crazy person. Least of all, you.

Until next time remember,
You can do this!
Angel

Easy tips to make your store window memorable!

By guest blogger, Linda Cahan

People notice window displays. Very simply, they are a form of street art and entertainment. When a person walks or drives by a store and the windows are bright and graphic, their heads will swivel, and they’ll pay attention. Whether they stop and shop at that moment depends on many variables. If they notice your windows, they will remember your store when they have the time, money, inclination or need to shop for what you’re selling. If your windows change (at least - monthly), they will continue to look your way to see what’s new. They will come to see your store as a part of their daily lives. The more often you change your windows, the more often people will look in your direction and note your existence. Once your store is part of their routine, they will shop you when the need or desire arrives.

Window display is a very immediate form of advertising and exists to inspire people to come in and buy.

So, what are your windows saying?

Who are trying to attract?

If you say everyone, your immense challenge is to create windows that appeal to all socio-economic groups. A woman who will buy a Chanel suit may not be inspired by windows that are designed to attract people interested in a $89.95 suit unless she wants to go incognito. Depending upon your neighborhood and surrounding area, you should know what vendors and merchandise mix will work for your customer base. Trying to attract people who will never be interested in your selection, price point or style is a waste of time. Know your customers and gear your windows to attract them.

More stuff = less Money.

The more you jam into a window, the less expensive the merchandise looks. The perception is that lots of merchandise equals low prices. While getting a lot into a window may make sense to you, if your price points are higher, you’ll potentially turn off the people who can afford your lines. Of course, if you’re a discount store, a busy window may work well for you.

If your prices are at full retail, your windows should reflect those price points. If you display more expensive things, just a few pieces in the window will tell people that this selection is upscale and exclusive. Space = Cost. At another time you may want to show a great line of matching pieces all under $100. Then, you can put a more extensive grouping in the window.

Ella Ross, San Francisco. Bright paper flowers draw the eyes of passersby on Filmore Street.
The flowers are above the parked cars so people can see them from across the street as well.

Color sells!

The three things people notice most in a window (or interior) display are color, angles and movement. Colors that people notice from the street tend to be warm: reds, pinks, yellows, oranges and lime green. Colors that make people feel relaxed are those that recede: browns, tan, beige, gray, blues, soft or dark greens and darker shades of purple.

If you have a dark see-through into your store (when you look at your store from the street the interior looks almost black) – you need large graphic pieces in light and bright colors to attract attention. If your see-through is bright and light, you can get away with darker or more recessive colors in the windows. Black merchandise in a dark window is invisible.

When you pull together merchandise for a window display your priority is to find pieces that work together color-wise. I consulted for a clothing shop that I thought, based on their windows, was a consignment shop. It was full-priced, nice women’s clothing but nothing in the window worked together. There were mannequins with heads, headless and some with arms, some without plus old dressmaker forms. The clothing was whatever came in that week and nothing matched. I suggested she just use matching forms/mannequins in the window and use an odd number – three or five. Odd numbers are more interesting than even ones. Then, I told her to only use clothing in the window that makes sense together. Ideally, a customer should be able to mix and match pieces to create several looks from what is seen in the window.

Use angles to create movement.

Angles lead the eye from place to place. Our eyes move quickly down an angle and angles makes a window display look and feel more exciting. Whenever you use angles, make sure the primary angle leads the customer to your front door – not away from it!

Too many angles can cause visual confusion. A large triangular form made up of props, forms and merchandise in a window generally looks great, creates angles and a focal area without looking disorganized.

Repetitive images are memorable.

Our minds are a little like computers, we can take in just so much information before we have to stop and process what we’ve seen. The simple geometry of lining up similar or the same pieces of merchandise is (almost) always effective.

Imagine five mannequins or forms lined up, spaced equally apart in the window. They are wearing pieces that work together to form a color story. Over the heads of each form is a paper umbrella. The last mannequin or form has the umbrella in a different position – perhaps popping out of a tote bag. When everything is lined up and matching there has to be an element of surprise to keep people interested.

Make it easy to do great displays.

Hang a grid in your window perpendicular to the floor. Have it installed professionally so you can hang from it almost anything. Once your grid is installed you can start getting creative and have some fun with props. Grid is available from many display companies. Check out a display/fixture company in your area.

Light it up!

Lighting makes all the difference between an effective window and one that’s virtually ignored. I know it’s expensive to install lighting, but the cost is well worth the results. Consider it part of your advertising budget.

For window lighting to be most effective, it has to be mounted on the window wall – not on the ceiling. The purpose is to light up the front of the merchandise, not the top. It can always be done. You may need to suspend it from the ceiling on a track and use window film applied to the inside window in a long, 8” stripe to hide it from the street. You may need to attach it to the metal mullions on the sides of the windows or put the lights on the window floor (least favorite alternative). But, whatever you do, add lights!! Make sure they are commercial grade rather than some cheap ones from Home Depot or Lowes.

Pick a theme and stick with it.

Once you decide on your window theme, don’t stick new arrivals in the window. If you have new arrivals that you are excited about, either create a new arrivals area in the front of the store in a prime focal area or, do a new window display. Don’t pollute your existing display.

Tilde, Portland, OR. Simple but super sweet! Polar bears are cut out from foamcore and placed on a foamcore buildup. The merchandise at Tilde is small gifts, accessories and jewelry. The windows are huge. Their use of large visuals attracts attention and then the smaller items get noticed and appreciated.

Plan, purchase and present with purpose and style.

Figure out in advance what you want to do every 2 weeks to 1.5 months in your windows. Think about the time of year, what’s happening in your advertising, holidays and what’s coming in from vendors. Plan your props accordingly. Leave enough time to do a window from start to finish in one day. If you don’t have the time – and most store owners don’t – hire someone who has the talent, interest, skill and perseverance to do a great job.

Your windows are your on-street advertising. They are your image and represent your brand. They tell people whether they belong in your store or not.

Give them the attention they deserve, and you will be rewarded with old and new customers inspired to come in to see and buy.

Linda Cahan

Linda Cahan of Cahan & Company, West Linn, OR is an internationally recognized expert in visual merchandising and store design. She helps stores look better to sell more. Linda has consulted and worked with independent and corporate retailers since 1972. Along with consulting, Linda gives seminars and workshops, trains retailers and writes for several retail magazines. Author of "Feng Shui for Retailers" and "100 Displays Under $100." Lindacahan.com, lindacahan@gmail.com

CASE STUDIES
How properly analyzing metrics helped improve business

New client vs. repeat clients
A beauty salon client did not track their new vs. existing clients or client retention KPI. Once they began tracking and analyzing their numbers, it was clear they were getting plenty of new clients, they just weren’t retaining them. By understanding they had a client retention issue, we were able to implement a two-fold strategy that included customer service training for the stylists to insure greater satisfaction as well as a new customer welcome program that offered new clients discounts for pre-booking their next appointment.

Sales by employee
One clothing store’s sales had been steadily declining over a year’s time. The owner was frequently absent and left the store in the hands of her manager who was also the primary salesperson. In researching the sales decline, she pulled the sales-by-employee report.  Her manager’s sales had gone down 47 percent year-over-year! Frighteningly, the owner didn’t know this. Clearly the manager had become complacent and lost interest. The owner was able to fix the situation by better motivating and training her manager, giving her goals and incentives to sell more and keeping a closer eye on her. The manager’s sales rose 25 percent in just 90 days.  

Sales by category
A pancake house offered an extensive breakfast menu. They knew that pancakes were, by far, their most profitable item; meats generated the least profit. They had never pulled an itemized sales report and upon doing so, made an amazing discovery. Guess what they sold least? Pancakes! The most? Meats! That made it easy for us to create pancake-focused promotions and samplings. We also raised prices on sides of bacon, sausage and ham to keep in line with escalating costs. In no time at all, pancake sales were soaring – as was net profitability.

A clothing store’s sales declined by over 40 percent. The owner had never pulled a sales- by- category report and when she did, it revealed most of the decline was in sales of dresses.  It was like a lightning bolt hit! She had dropped two dress lines the previous quarter and never checked to see how that impacted her sales.

Sales by time of day and day of week
A pizza restaurant was offering a daily lunch discount on weekdays. Upon analyzing the numbers, we found that Thursday and Friday lunches were triple the volume of Monday through Wednesday. There was no need to offer the discount on those days. By eliminating discounts on Thursday and Friday, sales stayed the same but the owner realized increased profitability.

A clothing store, upon tracking sales by time of day, realized the restaurant next door was throwing off great after-dinner traffic. They began opening later to avoid labor costs during virtually non-productive morning hours and staying open later to benefit from restaurant traffic. Sales, of course, went up.

By knowing exactly what and when you’re selling – or not selling – you can create strategies to improve business during non-peak times, know when to run promotions and when to schedule employees – resulting in better service, better profitability and potentially decreased labor costs.

Until next time remember,
You can do this!

Three ways to measure employee performance

Retail sales is just that, sales! Your employees aren’t paid to simply check people out or stock the shelves. Their job is to sell! Same for restaurant servers. So, it’s important to monitor their sales performance.

There’s a bit of controversy about measuring sales by employee. How to you fairly track part time vs. full time and compare with those who work prime shifts vs. off peak times? The point is to benchmark each employee and monitor performance on a regular basis, even if you’re only comparing against themselves.

There are 3 ways to do this effectively. Use the method that best works for your business.

Sales by employee
Average sale by employee
Sales by employee per hour

Start by tracking total sales per employee. Look for dips and peaks in performance and by month-to-month comparisons. But to really drill deep and have an effective comparison, track the following.

Average sale by employee
To calculate, simply divide the total sales for an employee by the total number of transactions. So, for example, if John sold $4000 in merchandise for the week with a total number of transactions of 150, his average sale would be $26.26. We’ll put this into context in a bit.

Sales by hour
Just divide the total number of sales by the total numbers of hours worked. Using $4000 per week in sales and divided by 40 hours, the sales per hour are $100.

So, let’s look at how this might help in a business. Let’s say there are 3 employees, A full time manager and 2-part timers and here are their weekly sales analysis.

Weekly                                 Manager              Part timer # 1     Part timer #2
Total Sales                          $4,000                   $2,500                   $1,000
Average sale                      $26.66                   $16.66                   $12.50
Avg. sales per hour          $100                       $125                       $66.66

Here’s what we learned from this analysis.
Part timer #1, who works 20 hours per week, had a higher average sale per hour than the manager, although at $16.66, his average sale was substantially lower than the manager’s $26.66. These figures tell us that part-timer #1 is most likely an attentive salesperson but not as good as the manager at upselling. With some training, we can help him increase his average sale.

It’s not unusual that a manager’s sales metrics is not as high as a good salesperson working prime shifts because often, managers are distracted by administrative or other management tasks.

Finally, let’s talk about Part timer # 2’s stats. She works on Saturday and Sunday, one peak and one-off peak day. Nonetheless her sales do not stack up to her colleague’s and she needs training to improve these numbers or be replaced.

No matter which benchmark you use the important thing to remember is to track and monitor so you can see if someone’s performance is improving, staying the same or declining. If there isn’t regular improvement, you’ll want to intervene with additional training or, if warranted, replacement.

Until next time remember,
You can do this!

8 ways to romance your customers on Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day can be a gold mine for retail and restaurants.  While traditional fine dining and romantic gifts still rank high, there are opportunities to generate sales for every type of business.  Plan now to get your fair share.

1.  Valentine’s Day bonus or contest
Put together a bundle of products or services with your shopping center neighbors. It could be dinner, movie tickets, a massage and flowers. You can all offer the same bundle at a discount or create a lead generating contest and award the package to one lucky winner.

2.  Love yourself
Eleven percent of Valentine’s consumers are showing love by buying something special for themselves. Market directly to this segment with a “show yourself some love” promotion that encourages them to gift themselves this Valentine’s.

3.  Show your customers  love and appreciation
Valentine’s Day is a great time to express your love and appreciation for your customers. Consider a special party or discount for VIP customers. Perhaps a free drink or champagne toast during Valentine’s week – no strings attached.  Or a box of candy as a gift with purchase.

4.  Galentine’s Day

The official date of this unofficial holiday is February 13th and the intent is for women to celebrate their female friendships. Every type of business can host a Galentine’s day party! Group makeovers at a salons, cooking classes at restaurants, girls workout event or even a “how-to” event at a craft store. Encourage women to bring their friends and provide special touches they can enjoy. Be sure to stock up on the rose’

5.  Just say no
For as many people who love Valentine’s Day, there’s a group that pretty much hates the holiday and everything it stands for. Have fun with this market segment by hosting an anti-Valentine’s party could include everything from black balloons, a free viewing of the movie Love Stinks and cookies with anti-love sentiments written on them. Restaurants can offer a “fries before guys” special along with a signature Stupid Cupid cocktail. While this may seem a little dour, it can be great fun and will be appreciated by many.

6.  Pets
No matter what a person’s relationship status, their love of pets is a constant and powerful force in life. People do buy their pets presents on Valentine’s

On Valentine's Day, those ages 25 to 34 are expected to spend $12.70 each on pet presents! Just because you don’t own a pet store doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the benefits of pet love. Host a “love your pet” event that can include anything from a photo station for people/pet photos, a pet adoption event or even a pet/owner look alike contest.  Consider giving a portion of all proceeds raised during the event to a pet adoption organization as an added attraction.

7.  Social Media

Invite your social media followers to post their love stories or a photo of them and their significant others. The post with the most likes wins a romantic prize.

8.  Think red
February is also Heart Health Month and offers a great tie-in for Valentine’s.  You can do something as simple as offering a donation to the American Heart Association for everyone who wears red to your business on a certain day or posts of photo of themselves in red on your social media with a specific hash tag. It’s an easy way to get people engaged and make a contribution to the awareness of heart health.

Whichever promotion you choose, be sure to promote in-store, via email and social media and on your website. Decorate your store or restaurant and provide those extra décor touches that express your intention to show the love!

Until next time remember,
You can do this!

The four B’s of Social Media

Be Authentic
Let your personality shine on social media. If you’re quick witted or clever, caring and nurturing, a born teacher or a social activist, use that personality to engage your social media audience.

Be Present
Post on a consistent schedule. You can’t be in one day and out the next. Your fans and followers need to know you’re as committed to the platform as they are. You also need to be responsive. Thank new followers. Ask them questions. Reward their dedication.

Be Prepared: The Potential Backlash

People are free to post whatever they like.  Usually it’s a question, a comment or a compliment. Sometimes, it’s not so nice. A disgruntled customer can really set your universe on its ear – even if the negative comments are unfounded. Understand that at some point, this is going to happen to you and it won’t be fun.

Have a policy prepared as to how you are going to handle this type of disruption. Address the problem quickly – and publicly – online. If the customer still isn’t satisfied, try to take the conversation off line via private messaging, phone or email. The objective isn’t to be right; it’s to let your followers know you’re aware of the issue. If the vitriol spreads and encourages multiple negative comments, you need to examine the legitimacy of the problem, resolve it on your end and make a public announcement as to how you solved it. Act quickly and decisively. 

Be Creative

Consider your social media posting as entertainment, it’s not all about selling. Delight your fans and followers with interesting posts and photos that make them think, make them feel good, make them laugh or teach them something new.  Solicit their opinion. By doing this, you make them appreciate your brand even more.

Until next time remember,
You can do this!

4 Questions for Business Clarity

What do you really want from your business?

To feed your family?
Leave a legacy?
Start an empire?
Work less?

According to Bloomberg, eight of our 10 businesses fail within the first 18 months. In retail, there’s a 53 percent failure rate in 4 years. For restaurants the failure rate is even more unforgiving.

So whether you’re in the middle of writing your very first businesses plan or celebrating your 20th business anniversary, take a step back to get crystal clear. Because clarity is the power play. It provides the framework for decision making. It takes the stress out of your daily operations. In short, clarity = confidence.

Start your journey to clarity by answering these four questions. Jot the answers on a sticky pad and keep it where you can see the answers daily.

1.   What makes your business unique, different or special?

I was watching Fleabag on Amazon Video and heard a phrase that resonated with me. The main character was describing her old boyfriend as a person of insidious, overwhelming mediocrity. It made me laugh but it really hit home because so many of the businesses I visit are at best, boring. And boring is a one-way ticket to bankruptcy these days.

If there are stores or restaurants similar to yours in the immediate area, how can you possibly differentiate yourself to potential customers? Do you see the same clothes as a boutique down the street? Are you serving the same burgers as five other restaurants in your area? Can a customer get your products cheaper online or at Costco?

Whether it’s your product selection, level of service, pricing or delivery channel, how do you differentiate your store or restaurant from the rest of the pack?

2   Who is your target audience? Be very specific.

A successful concept starts by filling a need or void for a very specific targeted audience. To put it another way, it’s not about what you want, it’s about the customer you serve. And the wider the net you cast, the more generic your concept and the bigger the opportunity for failure.

A concept looks something like this: My business solves (this problem) for (these people) by (doing this).
By completing this concept statement, you should be able to better define your target audience.

3. What is the life you’d like to lead as a business owner?

I love this question because it’s not one we often take the time to ask ourselves.  I know for a fact the most retailers are definitely not living the life they want. They feel tired, unappreciated and underpaid – and often scared. It really isn’t good for the soul or the wallet!

So what does a better life look like? Working less? Expansion? Saving for retirement? Flexible hours and duties? What do you want?

4.  What do you need to know more about to make that life happen?

This is a biggie and I’ll tell you why. So many owners I work with seem to put a hard stop on learning once they’re up and running. They open the doors of their store but shut them on learning new things.  You have to keep up with new ideas, methods, opportunities. New competition. New technology.  The world is turning fast and you need to, at minimum, stay with flow, get ahead of it or find your own detour that works. Digging your heels in the sands of the past will find you with an unfavorable balance sheet very quickly.

It you’d like a copy of the 4 Questions for Business Clarity Worksheet, click here.

One of the most powerful and effective management tools is the debrief. It is an important way to end a particular program or sales cycle by analyzing performance and brainstorming opportunities to improve.

As you end the Christmas sales season, this is the perfect time to debrief about while it’s still fresh in your mind. In the future, you may want to schedule debrief sessions monthly or as often as once a week, depending on the type of business you run.

Gather your staff together for an undisturbed hour or so and review the different aspects of your business over the holiday season, i.e. customer service, product mix, customer satisfaction, sales goals, marketing effectiveness, etc.

Ask the basic questions about each area:

What did we do right?
What could we have done better?

In the debrief process, there is no “wrong.” The key is for everyone feel safe enough to be honest about their perspectives and learn from the experience.

Here are some of the questions for discussion:

Did we meet our goal If so, what elements of our plan helped us get there? If not, what prevented us from hitting those numbers?

Was our marketing effective? Did we see an increase in customers, sales, foot traffic, average sale?

Did we properly track and monitor these efforts? Which programs worked best?  Whichever programs we decide to keep, how will we modify and or improve them next year? Are there any new programs we to add to the mix next year?

Did we have the right product? The right price? Did customers seem put off by any particular items or category of items? Suggestions for purchasing next year? What do we need more of? Less?

Did everyone meet their sales goals? For those who did, what do you think were the reasons behind that achievement? For those who didn’t, what obstacles prevented you from reaching the goal? What can we do to better train or help the staff to meet and exceed goals in 2020?

The purpose of the debrief is not punitive. It is to get honest input, to gather information from everyone’s perspective to help you make better/improved decisions next year.

The key to a successful debrief is for everyone to get as specific as possible with their feedback. They can’t just say “We didn’t reach our goal because there wasn’t enough traffic.” If they think there wasn’t enough traffic, encourage everyone to dig deeper. For example, did our marketing efforts drive traffic? If not, what could we do better? Was our conversion rate up?  If average sale was down, is that an opportunity to adjust your pricing strategy.

Be sure to write everything down in detail so you can revisit the suggestions as you plan for 2020.

Commit to the debrief process to gain feedback that will improve performance not just next holiday season but year round.

Until next time remember,
You can do this!

Angel

10 last minute ideas to drive holiday sales!

Need some easy ideas to bring more traffic and sales to your store? Here you go!

1.  Prime your Facebook page
If you're going to start posting offers or flash sales, get page engagement up first so your future posts will get better traction. You can:
Post simple questions
Are you in the holiday spirit? Comment below

Or offer a giveaway
Comment below for a 10% off coupon

Once engagement is up, start your flash sales or other important postings.

2.  Get attention with a flash sale
Now that you’ve primed your Facebook page, hold a flash sale with offers available only to your social media followers and email subscribers.

A couple of tips:
The items you sell should be limited in quantity and available only for a limited time. This creates a sense of urgency.

You can have a flash sale for one day, or one day a week, or 7 days in row -- whatever you choose.

Promote the sale heavily ahead of time with multiple posts and emails. Remember, people are busy this time of year.

When an item is sold out, promote that as well. It reinforces the fact that quantities are limited!

You don't have to have e-commerce capabilities to have a flash sale. People can call in to reserve their purchase with a credit card and pick up in store.

Make sure the deals you offer are attention getting!

3.  Prep for weather-related issues
There's a good chance there will be some sort of weather-related problem between now and Christmas. Rain, snow and sleet can negatively impact your revenues.

Take a few minutes now to plan out a weather contingency promotion to create sales even when the weather doesn't cooperate. Here are a few ideas:

Prepare a Snow Day social media flash sale
Create the ads and emails with the deals ahead of time. Direct customers to a landing page to purchase or have them simply message you complete the purchase. Emphasize these are limited time offers customers can take advantage of while staying cozy and warm at home.

Offer video shopping
If you can make it into your store, send an email blast and post on social media that you are available to video shop and will have all purchases ready and wrapped when the weather improves.

Restaurants - promote delivery
Text, email and post to remind customers about delivery opportunities.

Don't just sit back and let the weather play havoc with your sales goals!

4. Grab and Go
With each day that passes, customers get more stressed and pressured to finish their holiday shopping.

Be sure to create a "grab and go" display of popular gifts, ready and wrapped. Offer gift baskets that are fun and unique! Add toy options that relate back to your business (i.e. toy tool kits at hardware stores). Restaurants can offer a "to go" dessert with each entree purchased.

Grab and go's are appropriate for every type of business and provide a solution for which customers will be grateful and can add substantially to revenue.

5. Sell gift cards. Every. Single. Minute.
Nearly 50 percent of gift card holders spend more than the value of the card and 75 percent of those spend 60 percent more than the value of the card! Cards don't just increase holiday sales, they bring customers back after the holiday!

Create a bonus offer on gift card sales. For example, buy $100 and get a $20 bonus card.

Offer a bonus gift card with purchase.

Train your employees to ask every single person if they’d like to purchase a gift card.

Find a way to cleverly wrap your cards so customers feel good about the purchase.

Promote, promote, promote, promote!

6. Email your VIP customers
Segment the top 20 percent of your customers and start emailing them unique messages.It doesn't necessarily need to be about discounts. Try promoting a special service or opportunity just for VIP's, perhaps a private shopping event, personal shopping or simply, "We're here to make your shopping easier!"

Let your best customers know you care about them and are there to help.

7. Hide a toy
Parents are always looking for special experiences for their kids over the holidays! You can make that happen simply by hiding small toys or gifts throughout the store. Small promotions like this insure guests will spend more time in your store and perhaps find their own treasure to purchase. Enhance the promotion by offering to donate a toy to charity for every toy found in the store. It's a simple and inexpensive way to drive traffic, create goodwill and put a smile on customers' faces!

8. There's nothing that makes people want something more than knowing others want it too!
Keep your followers updated on what's hot at your store or restaurant. Whether it's the most popular flavor of ice cream, a sweater that's flying off the shelves or a gift item that customers are raving about -- post about it.

9. Last minute employee bonus
Get your employees motivated with last minute bonus opportunities. Whether it’s $25 for exceeding gift card sales or a more substantial percentage of over-budget sales during the last week of the season, give them a little push to keep momentum up during the last days of the holiday selling season.

10. Be responsive
With more traffic in store, you’re probably focused on on-site customers and attending to their needs. But you also need to be prepared for an onslaught of inquiries from multiple platforms. Whether it be by email, Facebook messenger, Instagram DM's or through your website, customers will start contacting you 24 hours a day with questions ranging from your hours to product availability.And here's the thing -- when these digital questions are asked, customers expect an immediate (or reasonable) response time or they'll just move on.

Be sure to assign staff members to monitor these platforms continuously and offer timely - and engaging responses. For example, if you received an inquiry as to whether or not a product is in stock, don't just reply, "Yes." Ask the customer what time they'd like to pick it up! Online channels are a gold mine of potential business not to be ignored!

Wishing you a great holiday season!

Until next time remember,
You can do this!
Angel

5 ideas to make Small Business Saturday your day!

Locally owned businesses are hot! Thanks to a decade of shop small messages, consumers are better understanding the positive impact shopping small can have on their community.  

You can capitalize on the momentum by actively participating in Small Business Saturday. 

According to the 2018 Small Business Saturday Consumer Insights Survey, produced by American Express and NFIB, 104 million shoppers spent a record high of $17.8 billion on Small Business Saturday last year. But there’s an even more important reason than one days sales for making this “holiday” your own. According to a survey by Reliant Funding, a staggering 83 percent of customers say that Small Business Saturday encourages them to support a local business year-round.

So if you’re a locally owned retail or restaurant, stay out of the Black Friday fray and go all in on November 30th on the holiday designed just for you!

1.  Start here
Go to the American Express website to claim your free collateral and business listing. https://www.americanexpress.com/us/small-business/shop-small/studio?intlink=us-mer-sbrc-sbs-studio

2.  Create special offers designed to bring customer in – and return.
Deep discounts aren’t always in the best interest of small businesses so create innovative opportunities designed to get customers in for the event AND bring them back again on a later date.

• For every $100 you spend get a $20 gift certificate to use later.

• Triple rewards points to your loyalty members (and anyone who signs on)
  on Small Business Saturday.

• Restaurant -purchase a meal and receive a gift certificate for use on your next visit.

• Salon/spa - Pre-book your December appointment and get a free blowout or mini massage in January.

• A free gift with purchase.

• Make a charitable donation for every purchase

• Free service with purchase (for example, if a customers buys $250 in
  clothing, they can make an appointment to come back in for a free styling session.

If you do want to discount, think about limiting sales to certain items or category or items or certain day parts. Remember, you don’t have to put your entire store on sale or compete with Walmart to be successful. Create offers that resonate with your customers and make your store stand out!

3.  Make it a special day

Make Small Business Saturday and festive and fun experience. Offer hourly raffles or deals, entertainment, and refreshments. Hide a toy or small gifts inside your store for visitors to find. Show off your personality and your store far beyond the price tags.

4.  Promote

Promote big and promote often!  Post your event on your website, send multiple emails to your database and post on social media. Change your Facebook header to a Small Business Saturday message. Create a Facebook event so people can show interest. Use plenty of in-store signage. Let people know your store or restaurant is THE place to be on Small Business Saturday.

And most importantly, deliver your personal backstory. Let people know more about you, your commitment to the community and why you love what you do. It helps customers feel good about buying from you.

5.  Collaborate and co-promote
If your center has a number of locally-owned businesses, pull them together to make a bigger impact by cross-promoting the entire group of small businesses ready, willing and able to service customers on Small Business Saturday.

November 30th is your opportunity to bring your small business front and center as an important part of the community and one people can feel good about patronizing!

Until next time, remember…
You can do this!

Angel

How to get your staff into the spirit of selling more this holiday!

Looking for ways to get your staff pumped this holiday season?  I know one surefire way to light a fire under them….and that’s pay them!

Even if money is tight, there are ways to incentivize your staff to sell more without it being a drain on cashflow or margins.

Even if you don’t ordinarily have a bonus program, there’s no reason not to implement one this holiday season.

Most retailers earn 20-30 percent- or more- of their annual revenue during the holidays.  This is the time of year you want to maximize every single sales opportunity! And incentives are a great way to motivate staff.

Here are some DO’S and DONT’S for setting up a successful bonus program.

DO
Understand what motivates your staff. What makes them drool? Depending on their age and tenure, it might be time off or perks like gifts or gift certificates. It doesn’t always have to be money.  

DON’T
Just offer a reward on a blanket sales goal.  A bonus program needs to work on both sides. That means your employees get incentivized for meeting their goals – and yours!

Let’s say for example, last year your sales were $100,000 during the holiday season and your goal is to increase that number by 20 percent this year to $120k. Your staff incentives would be based on achieving or exceeding this year’s goal. That way any additional commission or bonus you’re awarding is coming out of new revenue.

DO
Consider segmenting. Let’s say you’d like to grow sales for a new line or service. Perhaps you’d like to increase average sale. You can create a bonus program around any specific segment of business or goal you’d like!

DO
Tier the bonus structure. Add an even more delicious opportunity for your staff after they’ve hit the goal. Using the example above with a goal of $120k, add an additional incentive if you reach $130k. In sales, we call that a BHAG (Big Hairy Audacious Goal.) You’d be amazed at the enthusiasm you can generate around a big, fat opportunity.

DO
Train. Train. Train.
Just implementing a program isn’t enough. You need to host regular training to you’re your staff achieve their goals.

DON’T
Be afraid to instill a little competition among your staff. Most owners I work with are afraid that competition is divisive but it can create a ton of energy and ultimately, great results!

DO
Make sure your goals are reasonable and achievable. Goals should be a stretch but not so stratospheric that they can’t possibly be met. If your goals are excessive, it will have the opposite effect of motivating your staff…it will discourage them.

Good luck in putting together your bonus program! If you have any questions, email me at success@angelcicerone.com

Until next time remember,
You can do this!
Angel

Is BOPIS right for your store?

Buy Online Pick Up In Store, also known as Click- to- Collect, is gaining traction with consumers and it’s easy to figure out why. They can purchase their desired products online 24/7 and be assured it will be at the store when they get there. It saves time, shipping costs and the customer can return it instantly if it doesn’t fit or meet their expectations.

BOPIS provides a frictionless experience for those who demand both the convenience of online shopping and the instant gratification of in-store shopping. It eliminates friction and importantly, the disappointment of finding the product isn’t available after driving to the store.

It’s a great benefit to the customer but perhaps, an even a bigger boon to retailers because 67 percent of BOPIS customers make additional purchases in store.* BOPIS gives you a competitive advantage by offering customers options for purchase and truly leverages your physical presence.  Plus, it’s important to get on the bandwagon now because according to Retail Touchpoints, 90 percent of all retailers will be offering BPOIS by 2021.

But I don’t sell online!

You don’t have to have a full ecommerce program to enjoy the benefits of BOPIS. Consider offering only best sellers for sale on your website or create a simple Facebook or Shopify store. Create a curated mix of best sellers, special offers or exclusives as part of your BOPIS program. By utilizing today’s easy- to- use and inexpensive online platforms, you can enjoy the benefits of omni-channel retailing without the expense of a full online store.

Best practices
Here are a few tips to make your BOPIS program effective.

Service
Provide a high level of service to customers who come in to pick up their purchases. Don’t just hand off the package. Train your staff to review the purchase with the customer to insure satisfaction and use the interaction to begin discussions about upsell and future purchase opportunities.  

Incentives to increase sales
There’s a good chance the customer will make an additional purchase while picking up their order, but if you want to create an additional incentive to do so, offer a bounceback during the pick up transaction valid for additional purchases only on the day of pick up.

Promote
As with any new service, promote it like crazy. Use all your digital assets, including website and social media, emails plus in-store signage and flyers with purchase to advise customers of the new opportunity.

Test before and during the holidays

If you decide to offer BOPIS this holiday season, be sure to take your systems for a test drive before the roll out. Who will be responsible for monitoring orders? Pulling and packaging items? Staff training? Marketing? Be sure your logistics and in-store experience is fine tuned to delight the customers and leave them wanting more!

*International Council of Shopping Centers, 2019