I’m as guilty as you are. I let my coupons expire and even my “rewards check” (AKA store credit) from Staples molder in the bottom of my purse.
And I’ve grown accustomed to less than 10% of those purchasing my manual actually redeeming the free Product coupon for The 15-Step Approach to PROFIT tucked inside.
So when I sent out the email to Continue Reading »
Posted in 5- Minute Fixes, economics of resale, Shopkeeping talk | Tagged advertising, HowToConsign.com, profit, web |
One of the causes of slow growth in consignment, resale and thrift shops is easy to diagnose:
If you feel like you’re continually spending non-open hours in your shop playing catch-up, or if you find yourself getting impatient with shoppers or suppliers because your to-do list is getting longer by the day, it’s time to hire some help.
But hiring is scary. How can you justify adding payroll to your business overhead when you’re still not making a living yourself?
Some advice from Team Work: Staffing your Store
There are always warning signs that you need a staffer, or another staffer. The trick, of course, is recognizing these signs and acting on them before you start damaging your business, your income, or the morale of the other people involved in your shop.
Molly wrote:
We have been open for 6 months. The shop has been very well received. We’re still not making a profit. However, with the increase in customers we can no longer process much consignment during the day. I’m absolutely scrambling to keep up with processing. I often come in at 11pm when my kids are in bed and work until 3 or 4am. As a last resort I reverted to being closed on Mondays to catch up. I am trying to convince my husband that hiring a person will pay off in increased sales. He says my problem is that I’m not being firm enough in saying “No” to new consignment. I really disagree. Each consignment is a potential goldmine. I say my problem is not getting too much, but just figuring out how to process it quickly and sell enough of it. My husband is very reluctant to spend money on an employee. What do you think?
Marriette answered:
Do you do everything yourself, from checking the merchandise in to putting the
merchandise out? Plus take care of customers? When I started getting
overwhelmed with merchandise, I hired someone. Their responsibilities are to
wait on customers and put out merchandise. I do the sorting and processing.
They do the hanging and putting it out.
This is a great start to figuring out not only that you need help, but that it’s costing you. Working four or five hours past normal store hours? Closing a day a week? Both of those options are costing you way more money than any staffer could possibly cost you. Marriette suggests the next most important step: determining just what areas of your business you need help in. After all, how can you find someone to help the shop prosper, if you can’t define what it is you need a helper to do?
Read more in Team Work: Staffing your Store
Posted in economics of resale, Shopkeeping talk | Tagged employees, resale shopkeeping, small business, success | 3 Comments »
It’s all about social media, when you want to motivate those who friend/ follow/ fan you to come in to shop.There’s lots of stuff that you could share online that would polish the reputation of your business for the long-term, that could get shoppers in quickly, or even sell an unusual piece of merchandise you just got in. So where do you tell folks?
Time-sensitive messages, such as items you just got in or today’s specials, need Facebook or Instagram. Which you use depends on your number of followers. Both, of course, is the best option. Twitter works well, too.
Scads of info for bricks-&-mortar shops using FB.These types of updates should be relatively timeless: companionable “chats” about your shop’s mission or vision; casual “friends'” type info like beauty tips, merchandise use, even recipes; points of view on using the type of merchandise you sell, such as “what type of sofa suits” or “what the kids need for camp.”
For messages you want to last, use your shop blog. After all, a mini-essay or even a few links to “Decorate in eco-fashion” or “Which necklace for which neckline” can be Facebook-able for months or even years afterword: a single blog entry can be used to alert potential customers on social media to your business many times!
More on blogging for your retail store, and even a resale-specific Product for the Professional Resaler.Have you used your remodel, move, or even just the backstage prep for a special event as Facebook status updates or tweets? Combine them with a selling message and put it on your shop’s Pinterest. Then, later, you can remind folks of your shop simply by saying “Have your seen our Santa Sale pins? To be sure you don’t miss the Valentine Values event, sign up for our email notices!”
Using Pinterest for your resale business.(And that brings up the issue of when and how to use your broadcast email capabilities. But that’s another post! In the meanwhile, here’s our past entries about email.)
Now, you know, or can learn, to interconnect the various social media so your contributions to the constant web conversation show up where, and when, you want them to.
Posted in Shopkeeping talk | Tagged blogging, consignment, resale shopkeeping, Twitter, web |
Get more productive with Continue Reading »
Posted in 5- Minute Fixes | Tagged selling, success, web |
Do you use Constant Contact to send customer emails? Can your shoppers text to join while they’re in the shop… or reading your FB or blog?
This tutorial tells how. Looks easy… and they even create signage for you!
And who doesn’t have their phone in their hand, right?
I’m guessing that the other broadcast email suppliers can do something similar. (Tip for dinosaurs who don’t text (raising hand) : THEY need a phone, not you 😉 )
Posted in 5- Minute Fixes, Functional Friday, Shopkeeping talk | Tagged email, resale shopkeeping, web | 2 Comments »
Too Good to be Threw is the flagship site of the TGtbT Family of Sites for the Professional Resalers
Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 