Essentials Magazine Essentials Fall 2018 | Page 40

Retail Sales
Right or wrong , the only people who can change their mind are their friends and family . The only way you ’ re going to reach them is through Word-of-Mouth .
WORD-OF-MOUTH
We have been told that word-ofmouth is the best , most powerful form of advertising . It works because it is advertising that comes from a trusted source — a friend or family member .
It is also the cheapest because you don ’ t have to spend any money on it .
What they forget to tell you is how to generate it . You do have to give your current customers something to talk about .
There are four sure-fire ways to get people to talk :
• Over-the-top Design
• Over-the-top Customer Service
• Over-the-top Generosity
• Sharing Secrets
OVER-THE-TOP DESIGN
The key phrase is “ over-the-top .” Your goal is to get someone to say , “ OMG ! You have to see this !” TRU put a Ferris Wheel inside their Times Square store to get people to talk .
Your design can be as simple as an OMG product . We showed the 32,000 piece Ravensburger Jigsaw Puzzle . It didn ’ t cost much , but customers dragged their friends across the store to show it to them . They pulled out their phones , took pictures , and posted them to social media .
Your design can be as simple as a really cool product demo . We built a ramp where kids could build LEGO cars and race them down the ramp . We had a thirty-pound blob of Thinking Putty on a table where kids could play .
Your design could be something iconic about your store such as circus mirrors , chalkboards where customers can write things , or photo op stands . Everyone has a phone and a social media account . Take advantage of those two facts .
OVER-THE-TOP CUSTOMER SERVICE
Take a look at every negative review online for a retailer . The one thing you will see in common is the customer had an expectation and that expectation was not met .
That quickly becomes your recipe for offering great customer service . Find out what the customer expects and do that for her . Fall short and the negative reviews will come .
Over-the-top customer service , however , is when you find out what she expects and then do a little more . Surprise is the foundation of delight . To get your customer to talk about you , you need to delight her .
Maybe you offer valet parking at your downtown location during the busy season . Maybe you have a coat rack or offer her a beverage when she visits the store . Maybe you have a personal shopper or offer to wrap her gifts . Maybe you assemble the item to save her time Christmas Eve . Maybe you take the time to get to know her , learn her name and her kids ’ names and use them every time she visits .
When you meet a customer ’ s expectations and offer her great service , she says , “ Thank you ,” and the transaction is over . But when you surprise and delight her by doing more than she expects , she must tell someone else what happened to validate it .
OVER-THE-TOP GENEROSITY
What would happen if you took your watch to the jeweler for a new battery and he replaced it and said , “ on the house , no charge ,”? Would you talk about that experience ? Of course you would . For the cost of a watch battery ( about fifty cents in bulk ), he bought wordof-mouth .
What would happen if your favorite retailer showed up at your door with a goodie bag of freebies just for you ? Would you talk about that experience ? Heck , you ’ d be on the phone with someone before they left your driveway .
One of my fellow toy store owners does the latter . They take freebies from their vendors and create goodie bags for their top one hundred customers . In the days leading up to Thanksgiving they drive around delivering those goodie bags . Not only are those customers coming back for the holiday season , they are telling their friends about it .
The other advantage of generosity is that it counters some of that “ overpriced ” stigma you have . Find some-
40 essentials | fall 2018