May 17, 2010

Your “associates” are your best assets — talk them up!

On a recent “pre-Quilt Market-let’s-decorate-the-booth” trip to Hobby Lobby, I overheard a conversation at the fabric counter. A customer asked a question that not everyone would know off the top of their head. The salesperson shrugged her shoulders, and said “I don’t know,” instead of a cheerful “I don’t know, but let’s see if we can figure it out.” I’m being sort of picky here — it’s a curse of writing a publication that speaks frequently of customer service. My standards are pretty high.

Great customer service and knowledgeable helpful employees are a strong draw for your shop. Your people know of what they speak, or at least hopefully they know how to find the answers. I read a small piece in today’s business section that said Lowe’s, the home improvement store, is switching it’s advertising emphasis from low prices to an emphasis on knowledgeable sales people. Do you talk up your knowledgeable staff? You could do this as a whole or feature different employees individually. Call them your “color” specialists, “applique” specialists or “garment specialists.” But, what ever you call them — talk them up!

And, on the same topic check out his link: Each month Kizer and Bender have a short video called a “Fresh Ideas” on their blog. This month it is all about rewarding your “associates” or “team members” — Bellagio style! — Susan