Retail Today with Bob Phibbs, The Retail Doctor

Tablets and Eyes | Retail Today With Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor - Flash Briefing

Are you one of those retailers that's given your associates tablets or something else as a training tool or as the ability to check stock or something? If so, be careful because your employees’ eyes are going right to the tablet and that makes shoppers feel uneasy because that doesn't feel like you really have focused in on them.
I was at a conference not that long ago when this one retailer was talking about how they had tablets so that they could see customers’ past purchases and their payment plans. And this woman stood up from the audience and said, “You know, I was in one of your stores and I thought your employee was playing a game or on Whatsapp because he didn't take any time to look at me.” 
What I want you to think about today is if you rolled out technology, make sure you train your associates to look up in a way, not just down at their crotch, because quite simply shoppers connect with eyes, not with screens.
If you love what you heard on Retail Today, connect with Bob by visiting retaildoc.com or send a message to bob@retaildoc.com. Thanks for listening!

Are You Actually Training Your Team? | Retail Today With Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor - Flash Briefing

Have you ever really thought you trained somebody and then only discovered that they really didn't listen or they weren't doing well? That's probably because what you did was confused. Exposure to training exposure would be like, “I'm going to show you a D major scale on the piano,” and then you would expect the person to be able to play Billy Joel's Piano Man. That was just exposure. They just had a chance to see how it looked. They didn't have a chance to practice or roleplay. When you're training somebody today, probably something on retail sales training, I hope, make sure that you drill down enough that they role play and get some quick wins. Otherwise you just expose them to training that really you can't hold them accountable for.
If you love what you heard on Retail Today, connect with Bob by visiting retaildoc.com or send a message to bob@retaildoc.com. Thanks for listening!

Be Curious | Retail Today With Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor - Flash Briefing

Have you ever had one of those experiences when you go into a store and it feels kind of slimy because the person is trying to find out if you're really going to buy something? “What brought you in today? Do you have a budget? What are you looking for? Did you see our ad?” Yes, that's exactly how they sound.
If you're looking to grow your retail sales, you want to avoid being slimy and trying to pin somebody down and instead, be curious. For example, if you just wonder, “Why is that woman in our apparel store today?” Well maybe she lost 50 pounds. Maybe she just had a kid. Maybe she wants to feel better. Maybe she wants to go out running with her family. There's a million reasons and if you're curious and you find those out, then you find that the party is in the aisles, not behind the counter.
I think so many people are telling you, "Just wait until people ask and then tie them down and move onto the next person." That's the recipe for having a transaction. What I'm saying instead is you want a relationship and that starts by being curious. So today, I want you to go out and be curious about the next person walking in the door. Because if you are, customers will tell you everything if you just invite them in with an open heart.
If you love what you heard on Retail Today, connect with Bob by visiting retaildoc.com or send a message to bob@retaildoc.com. Thanks for listening!

Customers Hate Repeating Themselves | Retail Today With Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor - Flash Briefing

Do you know one of the things customers hate the most is having to repeat themselves? I was at a store the other day, actually at a Starbucks and I said, "I'd like a black iced tea, no water, light, ice, no sweet." And the girl said, "What can I get you?" I was like, "I just told you." And she goes, "I think you wanted an ice coffee." It was like, "Uh, no."
So, one thing I want you to think about today is how much customers hate to repeat themselves. I teach the lesson on active listening in my sales RX course, my online virtual training, but you can do it too. It's quite simple. Have your employees repeat back what they think you said to them. And even if it's totally off base, you are making them before they open their mouth, you want them to repeat back what they think they heard. And what that does is it forces them to process the information in a new way and to realize, well, they really did hear it. They just got lazy in processing it.
If you love what you heard on Retail Today, connect with Bob by visiting retaildoc.com or send a message to bob@retaildoc.com. Thanks for listening!

What Are Your Store’s Key Performance Indicators? | Retail Today With Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor - Flash Briefing

Do you know how to tell if your store is healthy? Well, there are certain key performance indicators that your POS system probably has but maybe you don't look at every day. The most important are the average number of items going out the door. That's the one that your crew can most impact. So, if they've got a 1:1 or 1:2, essentially you have people who are clerking whatever people come in and ask for, and that's going to cost you money. Then, look at how much they sell per hour, because frankly, it's got to be a benefit, right? They're selling much more than what you're paying them.
Finally, look at the number of rings you have on the register per day, and track that, because even if you have slower traffic, if you have a traffic counter, you still want to look at how many times somebody made a sale, because maybe the conversion rate is really low. Key performance indicators, we call them KPIs, offer a wealth of how well your employees sell your merchandise. You just got to look at it. So, take a look today.
If you love what you heard on Retail Today, connect with Bob by visiting retaildoc.com or send a message to bob@retaildoc.com. Thanks for listening!

Past Behavior Predicts Future Behavior When Hiring for Retail | Retail Today With Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor - Flash Briefing

So many times I have people say it's hard to get good employees these days, and absolutely it is, but you know what, it always has. One of the things that I always look at is the past behavior of someone. So, if someone has worked at another retail store, or somewhere where they've sold something, I'll ask them to describe a sure sale that they lost, and why they lost it. Now, you might have to shut up. Don't try to fill in the blanks. They might be like, "Well, I don't know," and you say, "Well, just take a moment."
You want them to be aware that they had a role in somebody not buying something. They said the wrong thing. They confused it by putting in another item at the last minute. They had discounts, and coupons, and all of these rebates, and the customer got lost. Whatever it is, you're looking for honesty, because when you're hiring people, past behavior predicts future behavior.
If you love what you heard on Retail Today, connect with Bob by visiting retaildoc.com or send a message to bob@retaildoc.com. Thanks for listening!

Shoulder-to-Shoulder = Better Sales | Retail Today With Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor - Flash Briefing

You know, brick-and-mortar retailing is all about face time, right? So I want you today to think of taking a piece of paper and holding it between you and a buddy, face to face. Now act like that is something you're describing to the other person. Now I want you to move where you're more shoulder to shoulder and hold that piece of paper out in between you, it could be a piece of merchandise as well, out in front of you. Now, how does it feel? Which one feels more normal and which one feels more salesy? Well, I think the one that feels more salesy is when you are face to face. Because when you're shoulder to shoulder, we relax, it's like a buddy helping you figure it out. So today, I want you to look at your body position because selling from the side puts shoppers at ease, and people at ease by more.
If you love what you heard on Retail Today, connect with Bob by visiting retaildoc.com or send a message to bob@retaildoc.com. Thanks for listening!

Being More Strategic With Your Add-Ons | Retail Today With Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor - Flash Briefing

Let's face it, there are fewer people walking in your brick-and-mortar store, and that's because any trip we save by buying online through Alexa or something else is one less going into your community. So, how do you make up the difference? Well, you have to get more out of the people that are walking in your door. So that's why you want to be able to cross sell, to be able to say, “Buy this item with this in a bundle,” or to add on after someone decides on the main purchase, then you're going to suggest one other item that gives them more enjoyment or makes it easier for the first item they picked out.
The key is, don't just come up with a laundry list, right? “Oh, it goes with this, and you could buy this and this.” Just lock up the most expensive first product first. If that's flooring for the house, then you just suggest the moldings. If you're selling window treatments, then you're talking about the headliners, or the cords, or the automation. But you don't keep them all together - you selectively add on, and when you do that, you can increase the number of items going out your store and more importantly, increase margins. So that's the way add-ons help customers get even more from their original purchase.
If you love what you heard on Retail Today, connect with Bob by visiting retaildoc.com or send a message to bob@retaildoc.com. Thanks for listening!

Greeting the Shopper | Retail Today With Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor - Flash Briefing

Do you know what lazy retailing sounds like? "Can I help you? How are you? Looking for something special?" Those kind of lazy things your employees are saying are not going to build your sales. In fact, they turn most people off pretty quick because, well, it just doesn't feel normal. It doesn't feel natural. It sounds like it's an impersonal thing you've said a million times. Even if you've said it a million times, nobody wants to feel like they're just like everybody else. You know what I do instead when I teach how to greet a customer, just say, "Good morning, good afternoon, or good evening." That's kind of it because ultimately that's what starts you on the path to build a rapport. It's not all of it.It's that first step. That's important because you often lose the sale most often with what you said in those first 20 seconds with your greeting. Today, I want you to instead say, "Good morning. Good afternoon. Good evening," to everybody you meet. You know what they're going to probably say is, "Thank you." Or they'll say good morning back to you. Isn't that a nice way to start instead of, "No, I'm just looking." Of course, it is. Get out there and greet the right way and you'll build more sales.
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If you love what you heard on Retail Today, connect with Bob by visiting retaildoc.com or send a message to bob@retaildoc.com. Thanks for listening!

Eye-Level Displays | Retail Today With Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor - Flash Briefing

A lot of times people forget one of the most basic things you can do in a brick-and-mortar store to attract customers is to have a great window display. The problem is too many people just want to put a bunch of junk in the window. If you're at a mall location, maybe you're gonna just put a bunch of junk in the front. That makes shopping feel like work. The secret to having a great window is going into the window and have someone on the outside mark where their eyes are with a sharpie or a magic marker, right in the middle, so you're gonna see it about six feet up. That's the sweet spot.
You want the most important, the brightest, and most beautiful, the premium is right there as people are walking by, so that's what grabs their eye. Then come up with a color story around it. So, today, remember that eye level is the key to making a successful display that attracts customers.
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If you love what you heard on Retail Today, connect with Bob by visiting retaildoc.com or send a message to bob@retaildoc.com. Thanks for listening!