I like the 3 Ways to Start Planning Better for your Business ideas from a blogger on the SBA site.
Posts Tagged ‘success’
Start Planning Better
Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged consignors, customers, success on December 11, 2011| 5 Comments »
Deja Vuesday: 5 Things Rich Resale Shop Owners Do Differently
Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged resale shopkeeping, success on November 29, 2011| 2 Comments »
Click the image for more Deja Vuesday posts that are too good to be threw from TGtbT.com
5 things rich consignment & resale shopkeepers do differently than poor shopkeepers.
A button a consignment, resale, AND thrift store could love.
Posted in Not-for-Profit Resale, Shopkeeping talk, tagged consignment, success, Thrift, web on November 23, 2011|
Take a look at the button labeled “Yes of course” on.
Casa de los Ninos NFP thrift shop’s site. Click it too, to see the user experience. Update May 2012: Seems they have removed the necessary info for those who WANT to do what the charity WANTS them to do… location, hours, what they are unable to use. Oh, well, you know what to do, so do it. 😉
If you’re not a donations-only shop, how could you tweak this idea to encourage incoming consignments or sellers… and how great would it be to have these newbies already feel a fun connection to your shop?
Don’t you think this is brilliant?
I do. Tell us when you add the same idea to your site, so we can admire it!
Sometimes, it’s the most obvious thing.
Posted in economics of resale, Shopkeeping talk, tagged resale shopkeeping, small business, success on November 21, 2011| 3 Comments »
Have you ever had the experience of someone thinking that you are
brilliant
when you don’t understand why? After all,it’s such a natural thing to offer your shoppers a cup of warm cider on cold days… but such simple hospitality really impresses them. They think you’re a brilliant retailer; you think it’s so obvious, you are amazed they even notice.
And so it is when I winnow through all of the ideas and tips I post here on Auntie Kate the Blog and on our flagship site for Professional Resalers, TGtbT.com.
Sometimes I hatch an idea for you that I think is so obvious that it’s not valuable. Take the fishbowl post here on Auntie Kate, for example. Even my subject line proves I thought it was, perhaps, same old-same old. I mean, we’ve all seen these. So we should all have thought of doing it.
Well, the tip might be obvious, but judging by a lot of nice comments from consignment, resale, and even thrift stores, it was still helpful to them.
Lesson learned?
It’s the simple things that count. Like the ideas in Shop Sizzle, SHOW it to SELL It, and all of our Products for the Professional Resaler.
I think you should buy your business some brilliant ideas to put to use.
After all, it’s obvious your career deserves a holiday gift. It’s been good all year… but 2012 could be even better. Don’t you agree?
Mea culpa, mea maxima culpa
Posted in Shopkeeping talk, tagged customers, success on November 20, 2011| 3 Comments »
Everyone makes mistakes. It’s inevitable when you are dealing with the public.
The point isn’t the mistake; customers will forgive just about anything as long as the situation is politely and swiftly resolved and you extend a complete and heart-felt apology,
demonstrating clearly that it was your fault: Mea culpa.
Bob went to a Big Box store. His credit card swipe was apparently bad, he swiped a second time, joking I hope I don’t get charged twice. He was reassured that that couldn’t happen. Well, it did. He checked online when he got home: two identical charges, to the minute, on his account.
He tried to call the store; you can guess at the phone hell he ended up in. He trundled back to the store and got in that customer-service line from hell.
By the time he actually got to someone who could help (I’m not authorized to do this. Step aside, sir, someone will be with you in a minute) and resolved the issue, he’d spent over an hour… fixing their problem.
Did he get an apology? Well, kinda… a canned phrase. No reference was made to the hour he spent because they were sloppy. But Bob’s a forgiving sort, so he left the store feeling just a little resigned to Well, that’s life.
How could this situation, which was an honest mistake and which was resolved, have made Bob actually pleased, rather than vaguely annoyed?
The mea culpa!
What if, say, Bob were offered a $10 gift card as well as a sincere apology? He would have left much more satisfied and had a good story to use with his friends, creating positive word of mouth for the store. This would have turned a mistake into an opportunity.
Now, your resale, thrift, or consignment shop may not be able to afford to hand out gift cards as apologies, but how about a small gift to apologize? Do you have, at hand and ready to be graciously offered along with your I’m so sorry we inconvenienced you; we appreciate your patience and understanding, a mea culpa present?
My dentist hands out fresh carnations on every visit. I’m not sure what he’s apologizing for: the pointy thing he used or the amount of the bill. But that silly little carnation makes me feel better. And we all want our clients to feel good about us.
Think scented votive candle or locally-made soap buttons in an organza bag, with your business card tied on. Or a packet of scented pencils wrapped with a bow? A colorful bangle bracelet? Something a bit festive, a bit showy, to show that you do, truly, apologize.
That’s turning mea culpa into mamma mia, great folks in that store!
What do you do in this type of situation? Are your staff members allowed to decide when a mea culpa gift is awarded?
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Auntie Kate The Resale Expert 