Roswell New Mexico is having its Alien Festival this weekend, and we thought you’d enjoy this Alien Runway Divas window display at Once Again Consignment, a HowToConsign Sponsor. The shop’s owner, MollyB! , says it won first prize in MainStreet Roswell’s contest. We can just imagine that those alien shoppers are in need of some great retail therapy after that long and boring interstellar voyage. Here’s hoping they visit Once Again.
Archive for the ‘Shopkeeping talk’ Category
Roswell: The Paris of Alien Couture
Posted in Shopkeeping talk on July 8, 2007| 2 Comments »
The billboard you can carry in your pocket.
Posted in Shopkeeping talk on July 1, 2007| 2 Comments »
Or perhaps this article’s title would be better as “The billboard you should carry in your pocket”.
And, of course, we’re talking about your business card. I gathered up quite a few at the industry conference this past weekend, and on Too Good to be Threw I talk about these most miraculous, cheap forms of advertising…and how you might be missing the boat with yours.
Think about (more…)
Alas and alack… they don’t love you back.
Posted in Shopkeeping talk on June 29, 2007| 12 Comments »
It’s kinda sad but true. You went into this business, retail storekeeping, resale division, at least in part because you like people. But shortly after getting into your shop, you
realized one thing:
The biggest thought on your clients’ minds is
WII*FM.
That’s right. They do not care one whit (one iota, one single mote, a nanobreath) about you. All they want to know is WIIFM. And no, that’s not a radio station.
But the fun thing about WIIFM ? It’s so easy to satisfy…if you know it exists.
So what, you may well ask, is WIIFM?
It’s the question that is in the top of everyone’s mind, 24/7; old, young, or in-between. Male, female, vegetable or mineral. It’s the, if I may wax metaphysical here for a moment, the very Engine of Existence.
It’s: What’s in it****** for ME?
And it’s the question you must answer in every single message you send to your customers. Every flier, ad, info piece, web site, business card, consignment agreement, store sign, even your business name. And most certainly, your tag line.
Tell the customer what’s in it for her. Tell him again and again. Never miss an opportunity to tell them why they should do business, every chance they get, with you. And that’s the ONLY time the concept of “you”, the shopkeeper, the owner, the slave, should appear anywhere near your business.
They don’t care about you. They care about them. And that is as it should be. After all, they are being asked, cajoled, tempted, persuaded to part with their hard-earned money for some else: a dress or a dresser, a crib or a collage. It should be about them, about their personal payoff, about their self-interest.
So the next time you want to motivate, to beguile, to part the public with their lucre, remember to always always answer the question: WIIFM.
Read More: Here and here. Obviously, a subject I care DEEPLY about.
The debt we owe: Liz Claiborne
Posted in Shopkeeping talk on June 28, 2007|
With 1.5 million hits when you Google her name, you might say Liz Claiborne, who died Tuesday, is a household name. She certainly is in resale and
consignment circles, where the brands she invented are, in a sense, the very definition of many shops. “We carry Liz Claiborne and up” is the phrase many shops use to describe their merchandise.
But many resalers don’t fully appreciate the sway this one woman had over the complete fashion industry.
Claiborne founded Liz Claiborne Inc. in 1976 along with her husband, Art Ortenberg, and Leonard Boxer. Their goal was to create a collection of fashions aimed at the growing number of women entering the work force. “Collection” is the important (more…)
“So, what do you do for a living?”
Posted in Shopkeeping talk on June 16, 2007| 2 Comments »
Do you get tongue-tied when someone asks you what you do for a living? Stutter & stumble, blush & belittle yourself?
Nonsense! You need to work on your elevator speech.
What, you may well ask, IS an elevator speech? It’s that 20 to 30 -second answer to that question, “What do you do?”
Here’s the cold hard facts about how to create your elevator speech. Here’s another look at the topic.
The one I came up with for me?
“My name is Kate Holmes and I show folks that resale is a modern way to shop. I tell shopkeepers how to make their shops more appealing, more fun, and more effective as well as more profitable. To thrive, learn HOW at TGtbT.com… and tell your customers WHY at HowToConsign.com.”
Excuse me, this is my floor.
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