NEWS SOURCE: Dynamic Experiences Group
LEXINGTON, MA (SEND2PRESS NEWSWIRE) — High gas prices! Internet competition! No good help! “Just excuses,” says Retail Consultant Doug Fleener, who believes profitable retailers will make their own successful holiday season. Fleener, founder of the Dynamic Experiences Group, is author of the newly-released “The Profitable Retailer: 56 Surprisingly Simple and Effective Lessons to Boost Your Sales and Profits” (ISBN: 1933631260).
Fleener says, “This book is written specifically for the independent retailer and is a collection of lessons I’ve learned about how to sell more products, be a better marketer, make more money, and live a more comfortable life.”
To be a profitable retailer this holiday season, Fleener offers these tips:
Welcome every customer. This cues the customer that no matter how busy the store looks, the staff is there to help and make their shopping experience a good one.
Take down those “No food and drink” signs and offer everyone holiday drinks and snacks.
All holiday hires don’t have to be sales associates. Hire a person whose key functions include running purchases to customers’ cars, receiving shipments, and keeping doors and windows clean. That person might also double as a greeter!
Create a holiday mentor program where you match up seasonal hires with your permanent employees. Who better to teach than those who do it every day?
Seek out a top notch seasonal cashier. Those last ten feet that can make or break the store experience for many customers, so finding a good cashier may be worth thousands of dollars.
Pre-wrap top-selling items. People love them! Always make sure your employees know how to wrap properly. A poorly wrapped present is worse than not offering gift wrapping at all.
If you’re in a mall, do something nice for your mall manager. You never know when you might need a favor. If you make them feel appreciated, they’ll make opportunities come your way – media coverage, for example.
You must offer gift cards which account for close to one-third of holiday purchases. Provide gift boxes and wrapping to make the cards more special and differentiate them from other retailers’ cards.
To be a great place to shop, a retailer has to be a great place to work. Wow your staff this holiday by giving them survival kits that include energy bars, 10-minute break passes, and aspirin. Order-in lunch. Sing holiday songs to them. Keep it fun for the staff.
To stay profitable post-holiday, Fleener counsels, “Make the return process painless. When a customer enters the store with a return, have the employee approach the customer and offer to carry the product for them. Teach employees that returns are the second opportunity to wow the customer.”
“The Profitable Retailer,” published by Acanthus Publishing, is available for $19.95 at Amazon.com or www.theprofitableretailer.com where an excerpt of the book may be read. Discounts on bulk orders are cheerfully given.
News issued by: Dynamic Experiences Group
# # #
Original Story ID: (1030) :: 2005-11-1121-001
Original Keywords: Retail Consultant, Doug Fleener, Dynamic Experiences Group, Acanthus Publishing, The Profitable Retailer: 56 Surprisingly Simple and Effective Lessons to Boost Your Sales and Profits, ISBN: 1933631260, holiday retail sales Dynamic Experiences Group
NEWS SOURCE: Dynamic Experiences Group | Published: 2005-11-21 11:37:00
IMPORTANT NOTICE FOR ARCHIVAL CONTENT ABOVE: The above archival press release content was issued on behalf of the noted "news source" who provided the content (text and image[s]) and is solely responsible for its accuracy. Links may not work if very old; use such with caution. Send2Press does not represent the "news source" in any capacity. For questions about this content contact the company/person mentioned directly. To report fraud or illegal material, or DMCA complaints, please contact Send2Press via our main site (any such complaints must be made in writing, not by phone).
