Download the January/February 2010 PDF - Pond Trade Magazine

Make you facility a destination for people to come see.
Lets go over the old rules…they still apply
Rule 1 The customer is always right.
Rule 2 Even when the customer is not right…make them feel
that they are right!
Rule 3 What the eye sees…the mind believes. Gestures, dress
code, store appearance, and overall “buzz” will keep
your customers coming back or go away.
Store Hours
Don’t keep them waiting. Store hours are store hours. If
your store opens at 9 am … then be open by 8:50. Seeing a
customer waiting for a store to open might mean that they are
eager to see you and buy some stuff. But if you open 10
minutes late, it shows disorganization, and lack of caring.
Saying “hey I don’t really like my business enough to serve you”
or “ I am scattered and don’t have control of my business and
probably cannot help you solve your solution.” I have this
problem myself … not so much at the store but at other events
where I have let people wait sometimes over an hour to speak
to me and then not giving them the time I should once they
do speak with me. I have solved some of this by systemization,
more on that later.
Many times the customer comes in just before closing and
wants to look for hours (if you have been in business a while,
you have had this happen). The way to handle this varies on
a case by case basis. Systematic questions/observations are
best. A few questions, and prior employee training will go a
long way here.
1. Find out…is this an emergency for your customer
Did their favorite fish die Is it dads Birthday and he
wants a special fish What is important to your customer
must be important to you. Take the time to help that
customer and you will score points and gain trust with
your customers. This is priceless and a major business
builder. Remember just because it seems trivial to
you…does not mean its not important to your
customer. Take the time; solve the emergency, score
major goodwill points.
2. That you and your staff are on the same page and that
staying late will benefit both you and the customer.
3. Make sure you and your employees understand that
there will be times when staying late is needed. It may
be best to schedule the closing time of the store 1 hour
later that closing time to allow extra time to clean up or
help the “overtime customers”
4. If the customer is just looking, have the employee tell
them that you will be closing soon. This PRE-
SCRIPTED AND PRACTICED conversation should
suffice after the conversational questions have already
been asked.
The way NOT to do it ……
Get on the intercom and yell “store closing in fifteen
minutes…please come to the register now. This is especially
true when there is only one customer in the store…very
impersonal.
Okay, you are up and running and the store is packed and
you’re under staffed. What do you do The customers are
getting impatient You have three people and the one you are
helping wants an hour of your time. This is where proper
training comes in and staffing correctly is most important. Staff
accordingly to season and cross train your staff so everyone can
help and not leave one person to be the problem solver. You
can loose good employee by not providing them with the tools
they need to do the job. Give a man a fish and he eats for the
day teach a man to fish and he eats for a lifetime.
Here’s how. Break away from your current customer by
asking them if would be ok to tell the others that you will
be with them soon. When you approach the people who are
waiting …say “I’m sorry to keep you waiting” Tell them you
will be with them very soon “can I offer you a cold drink or
bottle of water” This lets them know they are important
and you care and want to help them. There is nothing worse
than seeing a customer walk away because they got tired
of waiting.
January/February 2010
POND Trade Magazine
15