Retailers Must Practice New Rules Of Engagement (car upholstery)
No commentsBy Ron Pawlowski
Customers Offer Loyalty To Retailers They Are Connected To
Customer Loyalty continues to become more and more elusive to retailers. Large big box retailers cultivate loyalty through meeting the needs of budget minded consumers based on price points and selection. Service has taken a back seat to price in the big box model. Not surprisingly, shoppers never feel really connected to these faceless retailers and a cheaper price at a competitor around the corner instantly transfers these customers’ “loyalty” to another retailer. Their loyalty is superficial and really only loyal to the dollar and not the retailer over the long term.
Today, our easily distracted customers will be genuinely loyal to retailers they feel connected to. Make these new rules of engagement part of your customer service model and your team will build long term loyal relationships in a modern market that has largely become indifferent and impersonal to the customer:
1) Schedule staff to cover your sales floor and enable them to interact face to face with the customers on every visit. This is a dramatic contrast to many retailers who now have one employee for every 10,000 square feet for sale floor area. Most customers in those stores expect to fend for themselves and may never even see a store employee during their entire visit to the store, let alone receive some old fashioned customer service.
2) Use technology to make your organization available 24/7. Even the smallest retailer must have a website and simple email channels that enable customers to contact you with questions and concerns. Make sure someone gets back to customers within a day and avoid over-automated phone systems that make it difficult for customers to talk to a store employee, even during business hours.
3) Survey customers and offer the top three venues of communication they prefer. You may find that some customers still prefer to write a letter and drop it in the mail, or even fax requests to you. Whatever you discover, let your customer base tell you what methods they prefer and then offer it. Older customers or those that are less technically oriented may be unable to or dislike using email to communicate with your store, and expect a direct phone line to a real person on the other end.
4) Respond to customers in a personalized manner. Customers will not be loyal to customers who respond with cookie cutter and “canned” responses. Personal responses should always be handled by a store employee who offers their name in case the customer has further questions or concerns. A customer will always feel more connected when they receive a response from a person with a name as opposed to “The Sales Team” or the “Customer Service Response Unit”.
5) Study and listen to what customers ask for and see if patterns are emerging. If many customers contact you about your open store hours (i.e. only open 9 to 12 on Saturdays and closed Sundays), you may want to change them to meet the needs of the customers and let them know of the change. An email or letter to a customer advising them that based on their concerns as well as other customers, you’ve now extended Saturday hours to 5 PM for example will impress them and show them that you are listening to them. These customers will feel connected and their loyalty will be long term in contrast to the faceless competitors.
Follow the new rules of engagement with your customers and you’ll make them feel more like partners than customers. Their hard-earned loyalty will be yours as long as they feel connected.
Take Action Today:
1) Make the new rules of engagement part of your customer service model.
2) Examine how you communicate and respond to customers and ensure that your systems cater to the specific needs of your customer base.
3) Get back to personalized communication with customers and make them connect with real employees in your store.
4) Continually survey your customers and engage meaningful dialogue to understand what changes they expect if they are to stay connected and loyal to your organization.
www.retailinstitute.ca
What You Should Know about Clothing Store Careers
By Garrett36 Pierson36
If you are one of those people who have this unexplainable love for clothes and skill for fashion designing, then you are meant to work in the fashion industry. When you were younger, you probably made clothes for your dolls or revamped your old clothes into something new. These are signs that you should be working in a boutique surrounded with clothes, not in a bank or behind computers.
People who work in the fashion industry, like those who pursue clothes store careers, are imaginative and love to express themselves with their clothes. For them, wearing clothes is like creating art. It is an art in itself, just like painting or dancing. This is because you have to plan your outfit well and put the pieces together and make sure that the overall outcome looks great. It is not true that fashion designers are the only creative people in the fashion industry. Even those people who make an effort to dress themselves fashionably are also creative and imaginative.
There are a few things you should know before pursuing one of those clothing store careers. Here are some information and tips that you should knowlearn.
- Clothing store careers have two aspectsthe creative and manufacturing sides. The creative aspect is the whole brainstorming process. This is the process for fashion designers and probably researchers. They think of ideas that they can turn into real clothes. The manufacturing aspect is the process that deals with the mass production of the clothes and textile. This is the job for the textile or apparel manufacturers. Select the side that will work best for you. This, of course, depends on your talent and skills.
- Although careers in the fashion industry are easier and more fun than other careers, there are times when you also have to work hard. For example, fashion designers spend long hours thinking of designs that the public will embrace wholeheartedly. You should know that in this kind of business, it is not purely self-expression. You also have to think of sellable ideas that the consumer will love. Otherwise, your business will go bankrupt.
- For some, it can be a bit hard to get a career in the fashion industry because of the tough competition. There are a lot of people who want to make it in the fashion world but jobs are not as many as in other industries. They only choose those who have an edge or who are really passionate about fashion. Tat is why it is important that you love fashion if you want to have a job in this industry.
- You should also know that you are more likely to get a job in a fashion city capital like New York City. If you live in the mountains of Montana or Wyoming or somewhere rural, there is a smaller chance for you to find a glamorous fashion-related job.
It is important to know learn about the information listed above so that you know what to expect in the fashion industry. It is not purely fun and glamour but also hard work and perseverance.
Henry Kelts can help you if you’re in the process of looking for retail store jobs and want to explore all your career options and learn the best ways to go about applying for jobs. Visit job interviewing tips to learn more.
Job Interview Tips that Will Get You Hired
By Garrett36 Pierson36
If you are looking for a job and you want to get accepted, you should know some useful job interview tips that will help you get the job of your dreams. Job interviews are important because this is the time when you can make a good first impression. And no matter what other people say, first impressions are still very important, probably the most important part when you are looking for a job. Some people really try to do their best to make a good first impression in front of their interviewers.
There are some useful job interview tips that you should keep in mind to help you get the job. Read the list below to know what these job interview tips are.
- It is important to do a little research about the company that you are applying for before the job interview. It would not look good if the interviewer asks you and you do not know anything about their company. It is important to know basic information about the company and the position that you are applying for. If the interviewer can see that you have done a little research and you know what you are getting into, then he will think that you are eager to get the position. It also shows that you have prepared well before the interview.
- Practice answering some interview questions that are typically asked in a job interview. Research about the questions and try to answer them as confidently and honestly as you can. You should also be ready for unexpected questions. Do not get rattled if the interviewer asks you questions that you have not answered during your practice interview.
- It is also important to dress appropriately. You will surely make a good impression if you dress in smart business casual attire. Do not show too much skin or do not try to appear too flashy. Choose clothes that will make you look responsible, confident, and down-to-earth. You do not want to look like a boss instead of a mere applicant, unless you are applying for a managerial position or something.
- Be on time. It would even be better to arrive at least half an hour before the interview to give you time to retouch your make up and to find the office where you will be interviewed. By giving yourself extra time before the interview, you can relax and compose yourself.
- During the interview, it is important to act professionally. Greet the interviewer and shake his hands firmly. It is also important to look at the interviewer’s eyes. It shows confidence and honesty. Shifty eyes or eyes cast downward will make you look unsure about what you are saying or dishonest.
- When you answer the questions, answer them as truthfully as you can. And if you need to give a negative answer, try to turn it to a positive reply. For example, if the interviewer asks you what your weakness is and you answer you are not familiar with basic accounting, you can follow it up with a positive answer by saying you are actually thinking about enrolling in an accounting course at the university.
Henry Kelts can help you if you’re in the process of looking for retail store jobs and want to explore all your career options and learn the best ways to go about applying for jobs. Visit job interviewing tips to learn more.
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Saturday, June 19th, 2010 at 4:30 am and is filed under retail. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.
