It’s
easy to get blindsided by challenges in your business, especially those that
you never thought you would have to handle. When cash flow isn’t flowing, sales
go into hibernation, ads stop working, and customers are bored, what’s a
retailer to do? These 10 strategies will help you stay focused and positive when
you are so busy it feels like you are treading water.
1. Set
standards
Successful
retailers are big planners who set written standards of operation for every
area of their stores. These standards help everyone do their jobs better, and they
help you easily measure store performance on every level.
You
need written standards for customer service, training, associate appearance, use
of personal social medias, and customer policies, plus any additional standards
that make sense for your store. Each should be specific, attainable, and
measurable – keep this in mind: what gets measured is what gets done.
2. Step
out of your comfort zone
Comfort
zones are lethal to every business. The moment you hear your associates start
to say, “But we’ve always done it this
way…” you’re in trouble. With all the changes in retail swirling around you
these days, you can’t afford to sit still.
Even successful
retailers tend to repeat the actions that made them that way year after year,
but this only works for so long. Challenge yourself every day! You hate social
media? Bookkeeping isn’t your thing? That’s okay, hire people who can do these
tasks for you, then take on what you do like with greater gusto.
Stretch
your limits. Attend a trade show that sounds interesting, but you’ve hesitated
to visit alone. Join a Facebook group to swap stories with other retailers like
you. Hire a consultant to make those changes you have talked about forever but
never seem to get done. Your business should give you butterflies in your
stomach from time to time, even when you are wildly successful.
3. Keep
a to-do list
When
your to-do list is as tall as you are it’s easy to knock off the smaller tasks
first. Thinking, “This won’t take a
minute” is usually followed by “Wait. What time is it?!”
It’s
easy to spend precious time on easy, but not so important things, so plan your
day and then work your plan. Choose where your list will live – online, on an
app on your phone, your computer or on a notebook, and get to work. Keep it simple;
if you have 20 things on your list, and you know there’s no way they will
happen today, cut it in half. Print and post your list in a place where you must
look at it all day.
4. Take
some time for yourself
“All
work and no play makes Jack a dull boy.” In reality, all work and no play makes
Jack a raving lunatic. You simply can’t work 24/7 and remain sane, you need to
take time for yourself. That’s a hard one for indie retailers to swallow, but
you are just as important – more important – than your inventory and everything
else it takes to run a store. Even an hour can make a difference when you are
feeling overwhelmed, so don’t feel guilty when you need to take a break. Or a
vacation. We’re continually amazed at the number of retailers we meet each year
who have no one else who can run the store when they are not there. Don’t let
that be you.
It’s
okay to create boundaries, it’s okay to take time off, and it’s okay to say no.
You can’t lead or make good decisions when your tank is empty.
5. Let
it go
Do you proudly
tell people that you are a perfectionist? Do you constantly compare yourself to
others – or your store to the competition? Do you focus on your flaws instead
of your strengths? Do you think that there is a way for everyone who works for
you to do it better? Do you answer email or post on social medias when you are
supposed to be watching your kid hit a home run? Stop it.
We know
you’re willing to do whatever it takes for your store to succeed, but sometimes
you need to give yourself a break. You run a retail store – that’s hard. Plenty of people open stores every
year and fail; you’re still here. There is no right way to do anything; if how
you do it gets you to the finish line, you’re good.
6. Do
something new every day
96
percent of people surveyed in a study commissioned by Marks & Spencer said
they are surviving on autopilot, living lives of sub-conscious decision making.
You probably do, too. No? Well, have you ever driven to work and not remembered
how you got there? Or maybe you have walked into a room but can’t remember why?
We all have, that’s autopilot. Those ruts and routines can squash your
creativity, and that’s not good. To combat this in our lives we decided to take
the 30-Day “Do Something New Each Day” challenge. You should, too.
Simple
things can make a big difference: If you listen to rock on your way to work,
change the station to country; learn a language; try a new recipe; bake a cake;
ride your bike around town on your break; get a different haircut; write
someone a handwritten note each day; wear a new color. What you do doesn’t have
to be rocket science; it just needs to take you out of your routine. Keep a
notebook so you can reflect on all the cool new things you tried. Our 30-day
challenge has reaped big benefits for us both personally and business-wise. And
it’s fun.
7. 10 penny motivation
An easy
way to stay on top of the positive things your associates do every day is to
keep 10 pennies in your right pocket. Each time you see an associate doing
something well you transfer a penny from your right pocket to your left pocket.
The deal is you can’t leave for the day until every one of those pennies is in
your left pocket. Sounds easy, right? It’s not. When you first start out,
you’ll find yourself saying things like, “Mary, you closed that door really
well”, but pretty soon you will have trained yourself to unconsciously look for
the good things your people do.
8. Kick
it up a notch
Retailers
these days are big on launching in-store pop-ups and store within a store
concepts that changes product, events and even fixturing every few months. The
goal is to give shoppers a completely new experience with each change of theme.
And sometimes that theme includes unexpected but complimentary product to what
the store sells.
Here’s
the thing: Your store has a personality and an ambiance that customers can feel
the second they walk onto your sales floor. If it’s always similar product displayed
on the same fixtures week after week, what’s there for shoppers to get excited
about? Take a hard, objective look at what it’s like to shop in your store and
kick it up a notch. Or five.
9. Make
a difference
Retailers
used to only have to compete for the customers’ wallet; today you compete for
their hearts as well. There are lots of reasons why people choose to shop at
one place over another, but a big one these days is the store’s charitable
impact. In 2022 and beyond, supporting a cause will be mandatory.
Sometimes
you choose a cause and sometimes the cause chooses you. You may already be
working with a charity, or perhaps you’re open to new causes. If you’re not
sure where to start, give your Chamber of Commerce a call and ask which
charities are important to your community. You might ask your customers that
same question. Start by running one cause marketing event each quarter – think
pet adoptions in the summer and an Angel Tree during the holidays. Your good
deeds are not just good for the community; they are good for your business.
10. Start
now
We
wrote these words a long time ago; they hang on a sign on our office wall to
remind of what’s important: “Don’t wait too long. Your kids will only be little
once; your spouse deserves your attention, and your dog needs to be walked. Business
is important, but it’s not everything. No one on his deathbed ever said, ‘I
wish I had spent more time at work.’”
Don’t
wait for the right time to make changes because something will always get in
your way. Do one at a time if you have to but start now.
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