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It\u2019s 1. <\/span>Set Successful You 2. <\/span>Step Comfort Even successful Stretch 3. <\/span>Keep When It\u2019s 4. <\/span>Take \u201cAll It\u2019s 5. <\/span>Let Do you proudly We know 6. <\/span>Do 96 Simple 7. <\/span>10 penny motivation<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n An easy 8. <\/span>Kick Retailers Here\u2019s 9. <\/span>Make Retailers Sometimes 10. <\/span>Start We Don\u2019t <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n <\/span><\/p>\n
\neasy to get blindsided by challenges in your business, especially those that
\nyou never thought you would have to handle. When cash flow isn\u2019t flowing, sales
\ngo into hibernation, ads stop working, and customers are bored, what\u2019s a
\nretailer to do? These 10 strategies will help you stay focused and positive when
\nyou are so busy it feels like you are treading water.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n
\nstandards<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n
\nretailers are big planners who set written standards of operation for every
\narea of their stores. These standards help everyone do their jobs better, and they
\nhelp you easily measure store performance on every level.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n
\nneed written standards for customer service, training, associate appearance, use
\nof personal social medias, and customer policies, plus any additional standards
\nthat make sense for your store. Each should be specific, attainable, and
\nmeasurable \u2013 keep this in mind: what gets measured is what gets done.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n
\nout of your comfort zone<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n
\nzones are lethal to every business. The moment you hear your associates start
\nto say, \u201cBut we\u2019ve always done it this<\/i>
\nway\u2026\u201d you\u2019re in trouble. With all the changes in retail swirling around you
\nthese days, you can\u2019t afford to sit still.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n
\nretailers tend to repeat the actions that made them that way year after year,
\nbut this only works for so long. Challenge yourself every day! You hate social
\nmedia? Bookkeeping isn\u2019t your thing? That\u2019s okay, hire people who can do these
\ntasks for you, then take on what you do like with greater gusto.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n
\nyour limits. Attend a trade show that sounds interesting, but you\u2019ve hesitated
\nto visit alone. Join a Facebook group to swap stories with other retailers like
\nyou. Hire a consultant to make those changes you have talked about forever but
\nnever seem to get done. Your business should give you butterflies in your
\nstomach from time to time, even when you are wildly successful.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n
\na to-do list<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n
\nyour to-do list is as tall as you are it\u2019s easy to knock off the smaller tasks
\nfirst. <\/span>Thinking, \u201cThis won\u2019t take a
\nminute\u201d is usually followed by \u201cWait. What time is it?!\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n
\neasy to spend precious time on easy, but not so important things, so plan your
\nday and then work your plan. Choose where your list will live \u2013 online, on an
\napp on your phone, your computer or on a notebook, and get to work. Keep it simple;
\nif you have 20 things on your list, and you know there\u2019s no way they will
\nhappen today, cut it in half. Print and post your list in a place where you must
\nlook at it all day.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n
\nsome time for yourself<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n
\nwork and no play makes Jack a dull boy.\u201d In reality, all work and no play makes
\nJack a raving lunatic. You simply can\u2019t work 24\/7 and remain sane, you need to
\ntake time for yourself. That\u2019s a hard one for indie retailers to swallow, but
\nyou are just as important \u2013 more important \u2013 than your inventory and everything
\nelse it takes to run a store. Even an hour can make a difference when you are
\nfeeling overwhelmed, so don\u2019t feel guilty when you need to take a break. Or a
\nvacation. We\u2019re continually amazed at the number of retailers we meet each year
\nwho have no one else who can run the store when they are not there. Don\u2019t let
\nthat be you.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n
\nokay to create boundaries, it\u2019s okay to take time off, and it\u2019s okay to say no.
\nYou can\u2019t lead or make good decisions when your tank is empty.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n
\nit go<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n
\ntell people that you are a perfectionist? Do you constantly compare yourself to
\nothers \u2013 or your store to the competition? Do you focus on your flaws instead
\nof your strengths? Do you think that there is a way for everyone who works for
\nyou to do it better? Do you answer email or post on social medias when you are
\nsupposed to be watching your kid hit a home run? Stop it<\/i>.<\/span><\/p>\n
\nyou\u2019re willing to do whatever it takes for your store to succeed, but sometimes
\nyou need to give yourself a break. You run a retail store \u2013 that\u2019s <\/span>hard<\/i>. Plenty of people open stores every
\nyear and fail; you\u2019re still here. There is no right way to do anything; if how
\nyou do it gets you to the finish line, you\u2019re good.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n
\nsomething new every day<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n
\npercent of people surveyed in a study commissioned by Marks & Spencer said
\nthey are surviving on autopilot, living lives of sub-conscious decision making.
\nYou probably do, too. No? Well, have you ever driven to work and not remembered
\nhow you got there? Or maybe you have walked into a room but can\u2019t remember why?
\nWe all have, that\u2019s autopilot. Those ruts and routines can squash your
\ncreativity, and that\u2019s not good. To combat this in our lives we decided to take
\nthe 30-Day \u201cDo Something New Each Day\u201d challenge. You should, too.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n
\nthings can make a big difference: If you listen to rock on your way to work,
\nchange the station to country; learn a language; try a new recipe; bake a cake;
\nride your bike around town on your break; get a different haircut; write
\nsomeone a handwritten note each day; wear a new color. What you do doesn\u2019t have
\nto be rocket science; it just needs to take you out of your routine. Keep a
\nnotebook so you can reflect on all the cool new things you tried. Our 30-day
\nchallenge has reaped big benefits for us both personally and business-wise. And
\nit\u2019s fun.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n
\nway to stay on top of the positive things your associates do every day is to
\nkeep 10 pennies in your right pocket. Each time you see an associate doing
\nsomething well you transfer a penny from your right pocket to your left pocket.
\nThe deal is you can\u2019t leave for the day until every one of those pennies is in
\nyour left pocket. Sounds easy, right? It\u2019s not. When you first start out,
\nyou\u2019ll find yourself saying things like, \u201cMary, you closed that door really
\nwell\u201d, but pretty soon you will have trained yourself to unconsciously look for
\nthe good things your people do.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n
\nit up a notch<\/span><\/b><\/p>\n
\nthese days are big on launching in-store pop-ups and store within a store
\nconcepts that changes product, events and even fixturing every few months. The
\ngoal is to give shoppers a completely new experience with each change of theme.
\nAnd sometimes that theme includes unexpected but complimentary product to what
\nthe store sells.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n
\nthe thing: Your store has a personality and an ambiance that customers can feel
\nthe second they walk onto your sales floor. If it\u2019s always similar product displayed
\non the same fixtures week after week, what\u2019s there for shoppers to get excited
\nabout? Take a hard, objective look at what it\u2019s like to shop in your store and
\nkick it up a notch. Or five.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n
\na difference<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n
\nused to only have to compete for the customers\u2019 wallet; today you compete for
\ntheir hearts as well. There are lots of reasons why people choose to shop at
\none place over another, but a big one these days is the store\u2019s charitable
\nimpact. In 2022 and beyond, supporting a cause will be mandatory.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n
\nyou choose a cause and sometimes the cause chooses you. You may already be
\nworking with a charity, or perhaps you\u2019re open to new causes. If you\u2019re not
\nsure where to start, give your Chamber of Commerce a call and ask which
\ncharities are important to your community. You might ask your customers that
\nsame question. Start by running one cause marketing event each quarter \u2013 think
\npet adoptions in the summer and an Angel Tree during the holidays. Your good
\ndeeds are not just good for the community; they are good for your business.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n
\nnow<\/span><\/b> <\/span><\/p>\n
\nwrote these words a long time ago; they hang on a sign on our office wall to
\nremind of what\u2019s important: \u201cDon\u2019t wait too long. Your kids will only be little
\nonce; your spouse deserves your attention, and your dog needs to be walked. Business
\nis important, but it\u2019s not everything. No one on his deathbed ever said, \u2018I
\nwish I had spent more time at work.\u2019\u201d<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n
\nwait for the right time to make changes because something will always get in
\nyour way. Do one at a time if you have to but start now.<\/span> <\/span><\/p>\n