Start Fast - Finish Strong!
That’s the key. A strong finish without the fast start can amount to hitting goal at the last minute. That’s better than missing it, but it is better to do as one of my clients preaches, “Kill the Goal”!
To Kill the Goal, a fast start is crucial.
GO!!!

Sell to 80% of your customers - Learn How!
Can you sell something to everyone?
Unless you work at McDonald’s, chances are the answer is, “No”.
The 20% 20% 60% Rule of Retail say’s, “20% of the people who come into your store WILL buy something regardless of what you say or do. 20% will NOT buy anything regardless of what you say or do. 80% WILL buy or NOT buy depending TOTALLY upon what you say and do.”
Obviously the percentages will vary slightly depending upon your product. The WILL BUY percentage will be a little higher in a convenience store than in a high end jewelry store, art gallery or furniture store, but the principle is the same.
The person that is face-to-face with the customer plays a bigger role in the buying decision than anyone else in the chain of events leading up to the customer entering the store.
It’s sad to see a great location with great fixtures; fabulous marketing and great merchandise at fair prices fail due to poor service. It happens every day!
Anyone can sell to the first 20%, and no one can sell to the second 20%. To capture more of that 60% be sure that customers are greeted in a sincere manner, given the information that they need to make intelligent buying decisions, and aided in making those decisions.

Fact; People like getting e-mail.

Of course there are exceptions, and some e-mail is better received than others, but generally speaking “You have mail” are welcome words when opening your e-mail program.
The same was true in times past when all mail came to your mail box.

When was the last time that you went shopping, came home and opened up your e-mail to find a simple “thank you” e-mail from one of the stores where you shopped? Such e-mail would likely be well received, especially if it came from someone you did NOT buy from, and does NOT have a “sales pitch” as a part of it. A link to your web site is enough.

I talk with many companies that have systems in place to gather e-mail addresses and other customer information, but in too many cases it stops there. Or, it goes into a data base somewhere with good intent to send e-mail about upcoming sales, promotions or new merchandise. In some cases even that doesn’t happen.

Seldom do I hear about a company sending “thank you for visiting us today” e-mail regardless if a purchase was made or not. This amounts to a big missed opportunity to impress people with your appreciation of their time and business. Everyone likes being appreciated.

A good way to get e-mail addresses is to have a weekly or monthly drawing of some sort with winners posted on your web site. Be sure that you do not ask for too much information on the drawing ticket; name and e-mail address is all you need.

I dropped my business card in a fishbowl at a cafe recently and got a return e-mail telling me who the winner was (not me), but offering me a consolation prize of a free bowl of soup with my next purchase.

Get creative; e-mail is free, and properly used can be the most effective and inexpensive marketing tool of all.

I love signing books.
When I returned to the Copenhagen Imports store in Phoenix this stack of books had arrived from Hawaii for me to sign.
I love seeing people get their own copies of Retail Selling Made Easy, and hope that someday… after I am long gone… a signed copy will be of even more value than it is today.

Three (or more) people are better than one.
I heard this quote (”There is no “I” in “Team”) in Tucson last week and loved it right away.

Napoleon Hill’s Master Mind Principle say’s, “Whenever two or minds come together with a common goal, and in a spirit of harmony, there is an visible mind created. The invisible mind is more powerful than the sum total of the individual minds, and it feeds the individual minds with ideas, hunches, motivation, inspiration and all the things it takes to be great”.

Why settle for just one mind (you own) when you can establish a Master Mind Alliance which includes many?

When you smile at someone, be sure that it is it seen as sincere?
The best way to do that is to really mean it!

“To be persuasive you must be believable; to be believable you must be credible; to be credible you must be truthful.”
-Edward R. Murrow

Your smile is a huge part of the first impression that you make when you meet someone. First impressions are lasting impressions, and you only get one chance to make it.
Make the right one the first time.
Smile with your heart, not just your lips.

Really?
This sign at the entrance to the lobby of the Gaylord Texan Hotel was a bit unsettling.
It makes one realize that all of the country isn’t as civilized as back home.
All we feel the need to outlaw (by signage) is smoking.
Lucky We Live Hawaii!

I had a Success Rally with Relios Jewelry and Southwest Spirit employees at the Gaylord Texan on Sunday July 22nd.
The Southwest Spirit Store in the Gaylord Texan is the only company owned store, although Relios Jewelry can be found in hundreds of retailers across the United States.
Relios Jewelry is manufactured in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The company was founded in 1975 and is owned and operated by Bill and Carolyn Pollack. Carolyn is a well known face on QVC. She has been selling Relios Jewelry on QVC for over 20 years.
On August 1st of this year Bill will be on the show. Check him out!

To see the team up close, click on the photo, and then click on your back button to return to the blog.

Can you remember a time when you knew HOW to brush your teeth, but not WHY you should?

There is always (well usually) a good reason for doing things.
When you are asked to do something by your company (or your mother) try to understand WHY, not just HOW.

“One who knows HOW to do a job can keep it. One who knows WHY can be the boss”.
-I forget who said that.

Bosses (and mothers) must know the WHY in order to get people who know HOW to do some things that are good for them, but that they might not WANT to do. How alone is not good enough.

Once YOU learned WHY you should brush your teeth, MOM’S job got easier. The same is true in business. If you do not know WHY, and are not told, ASK!

The top of the Gaylord Texan Hotel atrium surely say’s “Texas”.
This place is enormous; like Texas.
See more here: http://www.gaylordhotels.com/gaylordtexan/tour/tour_lonestar.cfm
I will be here for two days anticipating some great “Texas Hospitality”.
I am looking forward to meeting the team from the South West Spirit Store here at The Gaylord. The South West Spirit Store is owned by Relios Jewelry in Albuquerque, New Mexico. They are long time Success Dynamics clients, but this is my first time here.