Providing Great Customer Service
As independent stores trying to compete with a growing influx of chains and franchises who want a slice of the scrapbooking pie, providing passion to your customers is a must. And that means more than just excellent customer service.
Make sure you greet everyone who comes in. Walk people over to the products they ask for and show honest-to-goodness passion for your business! This may even be one of the main things that keep customers true to you at all times.
Obsessed scrappers who want to turn their passion into profit by opening a store need to make sure they are as informed and knowledgeable as they can be. And this knowledge isn't just knowing what fixtures to buy, or what products sell best, or even how much money you need to invest.
It's knowing that, generally speaking, by saying "hello" to becoming a store owner, you are saying "goodbye" to time and money.
A lot of people think that opening a store means scrapping all day, or at least more than what they are able to do right now, when in fact it's just the exact opposite. Expect to work 70 to 80 hours per week, minimum….and sometimes more when you have a workshop or have to be doing bookkeeping, just to keep up, or try to catch up.
It's an extremely high maintenance business, the overhead is HUGE, and you are also in constant competition with the online stores, as well as the other brick and mortar stores.
But if you think this is the route you should go, don't hesitate to do so. The rewards can be HUGE as well! What's important is to take in more than you spend. While this might seem like an easy concept, it can be more difficult than it seems.
What can make the difference? Marketing! Which, of course, we'll talk about later!
You may wonder how in the world you'll be able to compete with corporate giants like Wal-Mart when it comes to selling your scrapbook supplies. Do you lower your prices and risk going out of business? Do you offer sales constantly? No. Figure out what sets you apart from Wal-Mart, and concentrate on those traits.
Continue offer outstanding personal customer service. This includes helping out customers who have questions about designing a particular page or album, demonstrating new products and having the customer try them out, offering special orders, greeting people warmly, and remembering customer's names and/or details.
Make sure all of your employees employ the same practices at all times. If you are not there, your employees represent you and your store. Upon hiring, go over "store policy" with them, outlining all of the ways that customer service should be handled, and WHY it's important.
Stay in contact with your customer list, with a regular newsletter AND various direct mailings. Send your direct mailings at various holidays or times of year. Prepare a direct mailing to customers who haven't been in for awhile.
Prepare a direct mailing that outlines all of the services you offer (extraordinary customer service, crops, playroom, classes, hard-to-find items), that implies why scrappers would benefit more by shopping at your store, rather than the large chain.
Research and carry hard-to-find items that the large chains don't carry.
Naturally, some people are going to want a "bargain" and the convenience of doing all of their shopping at once. A lot of people don't even realize what they are doing to the mom-and-pop businesses every time they give their money to a corporate giant.
If the Wal-Mart in your town is taking away business, just concentrate on the above-listed steps and stay focused on all of the ways your store is superior to a generic chain.
Now don't get us wrong, we love Wal-Mart just as much as the next guy. But the success of your business depends on going above and beyond what they have to offer.
Sure, they have low prices, but do they have people willing to help with their needs when they're shopping? How many times do you have to go looking for an associate when you have a question? Providing exemplary customer service will keep your customer coming back for more – even if Wal-Mart beats you by 1/3 of the price.