The most interesting thing about Black Friday was...

The most interesting thing about Black Friday was that it was so darn nice.

Granted, we only went to a couple of stores, but the ones we did visit the staff was courteous and helpful, everything was well-stocked (as much as it could be on  the Biggest Shopping Day of the Year), and the customers were not pushy and cranky. I'm not sure the reason, but in the past it has been very different.

According to a National Retail Federation (NRF) survey, 212 million people shopped on Friday, that's more than half the country! USA! USA! Do we know how to spend or what? Better than any stimulus package, that's for sure.

And ahead of us is Cyber Monday, which is both the biggest day for online sales and the least productive day of the year for workers. Well, as long as they can pay their credit card bills, who's complaining? 
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Rob Wallis is The Marketing Outsider, a speaker, author, and consultant who helps business owners increase their profitability by improving their visibility. Contact him at The Wallis Group

Can You Break the Tie?

Joe Calloway calls them Tiebreakers.

Say I am looking for a plumber. I leave message for two of them, and only one of them calls me back. It's sad, but it is a tiebreaker. Right there I've made my decision, or at least narrowed it down.

Now say that I call a third plumber, and he (or his office) answers right away. EVEN BETTER. He immediately goes to the top of the short list. If it's something I need done quickly, and he can come out right away, EVEN BETTER AGAIN.

Recap: Plumber #2 did something just a little bit better than Plumber #1, he called me back. shouldn't be a big deal, but it seems that's the way it is.

Plumber #3 did something just a little bit better than #1 or #2, he answered the phone. And then to top it off he could come out right away. All other things being equal, it would be an easy choice.

What are you doing to break the tie? Comment here please!

Welcome!

photo by ell brown

Do you welcome your customers? Do they feel welcome in your store? Or are you one of those owners who sits behind the register and waits for somebody to buy something?

The fact is, you need to greet your customers, or even your potential customers. Everyone needs to feel like you are happy that you are there, giving you a chance to sell them whatever it is that you sell.

You can even draw people into your store this way. I passed a shop in San Francisco that had a sign outside that said, "Free chocolate! come inside and watch it being made!"

Now how can you pass up that? Honestly, who would not want to go inside and at least see what it was that was being made? Then, when they get in the door, give them a sample (see LAW OF RECIPROCITY) and start asking questions.

You may have seen a sign in windows stating, "Browsers welcome, customers, more so." How about turning it around? "Customers welcome, browsers even more so?" Let them know you are willing to let them come in, look around, maybe even ask questions. After all, every customer you ever had probably started out as a looky-loo.

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Rob Wallis is The Marketing Outsider, a speaker, author, and consultant who helps business owners increase their profitability by improving their visibility. Contact him at The Wallis Group

A Solution For Better Service?

Maria Palma on Her Blog talks about a possible solution to better service. Would a reward system work in most businesses?

I commented that Macy's had an interesting reward policy, in that they had staff members write their names on the bottom of the receipt, so you could go to a website and rate their service. The trouble was most of the staffers scribbled their name so illegibly, I couldn't have raved about them if I wanted to.

What's your take?
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Rob Wallis works with entrepreneurs who want to become known in their community and in the world. Contact him at The Wallis Group