|
Email Etiquette II
I had great feedback from my last article, and was asked to write further on the subject; hence my title.
This month I'll share on Email Etiquette in discussion groups. For those who are not yet aware, on the Internet there are hundreds of...
How To Set Up Your Small Office Home Office And Avoid Paying $2,000, $3,000, Or More
When starting out in business there are great temptations to buy
"the best of everything" and spend too much money in the
process. This is one of the potentially devastating mistakes
that new companies make and it can be a killer from the...
Is This the PR You Thought You Were Getting?
You know, where you do something positive about the behaviors of those outside audiences that MOST affect your organization? And where you do so by persuading those important external folks to your way of thinking, then move them to take actions...
Starting a Small Business: Balancing Risk and Reward
In a perfect world, starting a small business would be risk free, but just as with everything else; the degree of risk determines the value of the reward.
According to the National Commission on Entrepreneurship, at any given time, 6% to 9%...
There is nothing "small" about shipping during the Holiday season
(NC)—Being a small business in Canada during the peak holiday shopping season can be challenging, especially for those that offer great gift ideas. Helping customers find the perfect gift and offering the best possible customer service is key,...
|
|
| |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Ideas For Small Store Owners
Just when you thought you had run out of things to try, here are five ideas to customize and apply in your store to increase sales and gain the edge on your competition.
1. Animate your window display.
How often do you change your window display? Once a month? Once a week? Try changing your window display every day! I saw a very successful display that had five or six mannequins facing left and right with a backdrop of a street scene. Every day the mannequins would move a short distance in the direction they were facing and the backdrop would pan left or right along the ‘street'. Sometimes the mannequins would stop to ‘talk' to each other as those around them continued on their journey across the window. Although the store was slightly out of my way I found myself taking a detour to see where the cast of mannequins had got to and what they were doing! Your display does not have to be as complicated as the one I saw or even tell a story but use your creativity and imagination to change your window every day and create an illusion of movement.
2. Music does sell.
In a recent study French and German music was played on alternate days for two weeks in a UK supermarket. During the two week period there were in-store displays of French and German wines. The statistics showed that French music led to French wines outselling German wines, whereas German music led to German wines outselling French wine. Responses to a questionnaire suggested that customers were unaware of the effects of music on their product choices. Music is an essential element in any store because it can be used to create atmosphere and add texture to the environment. Can you think of a way to use it to directly influence product choice in your store!
3. Discounted impulse items.
This is an old idea but so often overlooked. Store owners know that "Save $15" is a much more powerful message than "20% off" and they also know that the best time to sell an extra item to a customer is when they come to pay. Experiment by combining the two and display only discounted impulse items near or on the checkout counter.
4. Your customers have email.
Now that almost everyone has an email address why not build a database of email addresses of your customers. Ask them at the checkout counter if they would like to be notified of seasonal sales, the arrival of new items etc. Don't give them a form to take
away and complete because quite a few forms will never come back. Also don't ask them to write it down because it can hold things up if you have a customer waiting. Just keep a pen and lined paper handy, at a suitable point, ask them what their email address is and write it down for entry into your newsletter mailing software later. You only need to be successful at collecting a few email addresses every day and by the time your ‘sale' comes around you could be emailing thousands of previous customers to let them know about the outstanding bargains!
5. Use the silent sales person.
Small store owners can be divided into those that care about in-store signage and those that don't. Poor signage, too many signs, misleading messages, spelling errors and signs written in black felt marker all send a negative message about your store and product. With the wide availability of desk-top publishing programs and cheap high quality ink-jet printers there is no excuse for poor in-store signage.
Make sure you produce professional looking signs, use good quality paper and uniform size acrylic sign holders. Decide what type of signs you need and for each kind select the key components. For example, title, price, product knowledge, ideas for use etc. then set up a template for each type of sign in your desk-top publishing system. This will make it easy for you to create new signs quickly and easily.
Choose a simple two or three color scheme and stick to it throughout the store. Make sure your signage is easy to read and don't try to put too much on one sign. Change the signage as often as you like so that regular customers don't get bored. Remember your silent sales person is always there when the customer needs them, can say everything about the merchandise that you would want them to and works all the hours your store is open.
About The Author:
Jodie Deen is the manager of Displayarama Store Fixtures http://www.displayarama.com a family run business selling discounted retail store display products. Talking with her many customers and listening to their experiences has given her a unique insight into retailing. Call her Toll Free on 800-292-5227 or visit the Displayarama website.
Copyright Jodie Deen - http://www.displayarama.com
|
|
|
|
|
| United States Small Business Administration |
| An electronic gateway of procurement information for and about small businesses. Search engine for contracting officers, marketing tool for small firms, ... |
| www.sba.gov |
|
| SBA |
| The Small Business Planner includes information and resources that will help you at any stage of the business lifecycle. ... |
| www.sba.gov |
|
| Main Page - SmallBusiness.com - Small Business Resources |
| Find Small Business plans, advice, tutorials about organization, corporations, entrepreneurship, and smallbusiness. |
| www.smallbusiness.com |
|
| Yahoo! Small Business: Domain Names, Web Hosting, E-commerce ... |
| Yahoo! Small Business provides products and services that enable you to establish and grow your business on the Internet. Services include domain name ... |
| smallbusiness.yahoo.com |
|
| Small business advice business start up small business finance ... |
| business start up small business finance start up advice. |
| www.smallbusiness.co.uk |
|
| Smallbusiness.gov.au redirect to business.gov.au |
| Business Entry Point - Helping small business in big ways. An Australian Government initiative. The content from this website has now been consolidated into ... |
| www.smallbusiness.gov.au |
|
| Business & Small Business |
| Online and print small business publication. Information to help start, grow or manage a small business. |
| www.entrepreneur.com |
|
| Microsoft Small Business Center |
| Your home for information about Microsoft's small-business products and services, tailored business advice, technology tools, and more. |
| www.microsoft.com |
|
| The Small Business Advisor - advice for starting and operating a ... |
| Advice and assistance for starting and operating a small or home based business. |
| www.isquare.com |
|
| SCORE "Counselors to America's Small Business" |
| A nonprofit association dedicated to encouraging the formation, growth, and success of small business nationwide through counseling and mentor programs. |
| www.score.org |
|
| Small Business and Self-Employed One-Stop Resource |
| IR-2006-2, January 3, 2006 - Temporary and proposed regulations will significantly reduce tax filing burden for nearly 950000 small business owners. ... |
| www.irs.gov |
|
| Welcome to Small Business BC your business resource in British ... |
| BC Business Services offers assistance and resources for those running or starting a business in British Columbia and Vancouver. |
| www.smallbusinessbc.ca |
|
| Small Business Service | Home |
| Provides information and advice to help small businesses realise their potential. |
| www.sbs.gov.uk |
|
| NSW Small Business |
| A site developed by the NSW Department of State and Regional Development for small businesses. Topics include management, resources, current issues and ... |
| www.smallbiz.nsw.gov.au |
|
| Business Management & Advice: Small Business Resources & Information |
| Looking for business management and advice? Our website includes small business resources and information that can help you. Visit the small business ... |
| www.businessweek.com |
|
| Small Business Lawyer, Attorney, Law, Legal Help - FindLaw for ... |
| Information and legal sites relevant to small business. |
| smallbusiness.findlaw.com |
|
| Small Business Funding Opportunities (SBIR and STTR) |
| Links to Small Business Funding Opportunities and SBIR / STTR Applications. |
| grants.nih.gov |
|
| Microsoft bCentral Small Business Directory |
| Directory categorized by industry with company business card feature. |
| sbd.bcentral.com |
|
| Our site has moved! Please update your bookmarks! |
| Facilitates the sharing and exchange of information among small business development centers, the small business administration and other business-oriented ... |
| sbdcnet.utsa.edu |
|
| Small Business Development Corporation |
| Our business information services provides guidance to improve business skills and knowledge on advice on starting, buying, selling and expanding a small ... |
| www.sbdc.com.au |
|