Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten

We are diving into how and why product demonstrations can increase profits and customer satisfaction.

I do get push back from retailers about this because they assume they will be giving everything away for free and their customers won't want to buy/act/signup. But in reality you are sharing your enthusiasm and passion with your customers, giving them the confidence to use the products on their own… and maybe sign up for your workshop, custom services or store events. It is a marketing tactic.

One of my coaching clients/retailers was very skeptical about putting in the effort into free demonstrations in her store. She ended up selling $800 in paint products alone

The same techniques, strategies and marketing tactics can work for all kinds of retail products, not just paints and brushes.

Giving demonstrations is totally worth thinking about for your retail biz. It's how I built my creative retail store and won over my customers. To help you master the art of demos, I have a freebie for you with my best tips and tricks for giving a paint demo. Make sure you download it and try it out

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

• How to Give a Paint Demonstration - Blog + a Free Downloadable of my best tips & tricks https://wendybatten.com/how-to-give-a-paint-demonstration/

Let's Continue the Conversation

Rockstar Creative Shop Owners Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rockstarcreatives/

Want to meet up in person?

Join other retailers at the CEO Retreat March 24-26, 2020 in Orlando

A few seats left: https://wendybatten.com/spring-ceo-retreat2020/

Let's Connect:

• IG @frontporchmercantile
• FB @wendybattenpaintpreneur
• WendyBatten.com

Subscribe to Creative Shop Talk

Here's what to do next, subscribe to Creative Shop Talk and then head over to our private Facebook community to meet other creative retailers.

I could really use your help getting my new podcast going and helping retailers find the show. Would you please leave me a review? Just visit ‎Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten on Apple Podcasts, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review . I may pick your review to highlight on an upcoming episode. Make sure you leave your business name, Instagram handle and location so I can give your shop a shoutout.

XO Wendy

Listen in to this quick episode to learn how to get customers chatting about you.

You don't JUST need more foot traffic through your shop's door, you want to keep your customers inside your door… or store!

Let me explain.

As small retail business owners, we have to be remarkable and memorable to keep our customers coming back.

We offer something so vastly different than big box chain stores: we are heart-centered, we really care about our customers and our products, and we strive to create a unique culture and customer experiences inside our stores.

So let's own it!

In today's episode, I have three questions to ask about your creative retail business. These three questions will help you win at retail by being truly remarkable and stand out from the competition.

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

• Seth Godin's Purple Cow

Let's Continue the Conversation

Rockstar Creative Shop Owners Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rockstarcreatives/

Want to meet up in person?

Join other retailers at the CEO Retreat March 24-26, 2020 in Orlando

A few seats left: https://wendybatten.com/spring-ceo-retreat2020/

Let's Connect:

• IG @frontporchmercantile
• FB @wendybattenpaintpreneur
• WendyBatten.com

Subscribe to Creative Shop Talk

Here's what to do next, subscribe to Creative Shop Talk and then head over to our private Facebook community to meet other creative retailers.

I could really use your help getting my new podcast going and helping retailers find the show. Would you please leave me a review? Just visit ‎Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten on Apple Podcasts, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review . I may pick your review to highlight on an upcoming episode. Make sure you leave your business name, Instagram handle and location so I can give your shop a shoutout.

XO Wendy

The Paintpreneur's Inner Circle is now open through March 5. Click here to learn more.

I've helped hundreds of retail business owners determine their next step in the back-end of their store or brick and mortar.

I'm totally seeing a pattern here, friends.

First, everyone thinks they are alone and the only one dealing with these "issues".

Not true. Every shop owner I have come across is facing something. Even if our stores look beautiful and our instagram feed is perfectly curated, there are always problems backstage and tough situations to manage. It happens way more than you'd ever realize.

Second, I see two different types of retailers asking for help.

The 1st type of retailer just started their retail business. They usually don't need help merchandising or with the tasks that come natural, but they are realizing that owning a brick and mortar isn't all sunshine and rainbows. *Surprise*

They are asking me: Is this normal? What should I be doing? What is the next step?

These retailers really need support from others who have been there.

The 2nd type is a seasoned shopkeeper, who has been open for a few years. They are getting tired doing all the things, they are getting burnout and find themselves winging it. They know they need to narrow it down and set up better systems.

They are asking me: How do I make more profits? How do I figure out my strategic plan? How do I manage my time better? How do I keep up this business and make it sustainable?

These retailers really need more than pieced-together advice telling them to do more social media. They need serious retail business guidance, direction and implementation.

Listen in to this episode to evaluate where you're at in your journey and learn what you can do when you're totally stuck. The truth of the matter is all retailers, at every stage, need help figuring it out. You are so not alone.

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

• Paintpreneur's Inner Circle

Let's Continue the Conversation

Rockstar Creative Shop Owners Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rockstarcreatives/

Want to meet up in person?

Join other retailers at the CEO Retreat March 24-26, 2020 in Orlando

A few seats left: https://wendybatten.com/spring-ceo-retreat2020/

Let's Connect:

• IG @frontporchmercantile
• FB @wendybattenpaintpreneur
• WendyBatten.com

Subscribe to Creative Shop Talk

Here's what to do next, subscribe to Creative Shop Talk and then head over to our private Facebook community to meet other creative retailers.

I could really use your help getting my new podcast going and helping retailers find the show. Would you please leave me a review? Just visit ‎Creative Shop Talk with Wendy Batten on Apple Podcasts, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review . I may pick your review to highlight on an upcoming episode. Make sure you leave your business name, Instagram handle and location so I can give your shop a shoutout.

XO Wendy

Who here has spent all day shopping at Market and realized, quite painfully, they wore the wrong shoes?

My guest today got her "retailer start" by going to Market to help her mom sell furniture. There she began her under-the-table shoe business by hooking up other women who were shopping with her comfortable shoes from Mexico.

I can't wait for you to meet a fellow creative retailer, Neely Powell, the founder of Charleston Shoe Company.

After going to shoe design school, Neely opened her first store in Savannah in April 2010, borrowing the first and last month's rent from her mother. By July of that year she opened a second store on King Street in Charleston. Now she has 26 locations and as a wholesale product line in 300 boutiques.

This is so impressive because she did it with very little marketing budget, a baby on her hip, and not many employees.

In this conversation, she shares how she attracted customers to her store wearing two different shoes… how the power of referrals built her empire … and why the store atmosphere is so crucial to the customer experience.

I know you'll find so much inspiration and encouragement from hearing her "accidental shopkeeper" journey. She's overcome many obstacles but her fighting spirit is always willing to turn failure into opportunities.

"I love to say I'm a 22-year-overnight success because this didn't all happen yesterday."

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

• https://charlestonshoeco.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/charlestonshoeco/

Let's Continue the Conversation

Rockstar Creative Shop Owners Community: https://www.facebook.com/groups/rockstarcreatives/

Want to meet up in person?

Join other retailers at the CEO Retreat March 24-26 in Orlando

A few seats left: https://wendybatten.com/spring-ceo-retreat2020/

Before you roll your eyes at this episode title. Know that I don't mean corporate, stuffy, suited CEO….I mean head honcho, the queen bee, the chief creative, the VISIONARY of your biz, etc.

I mean the person in control of your business. The boss.

Take a minute to think about why you started your retail business. Do you remember your original business dream? Are you living that dream?

Your dream can get lost in the daily grind of doing ALL THE THINGS in your shop. I'd love for you to change your thinking and take the small steps to becoming the Creative CEO of your business. You're not just an employee. Your dream was not just to create a job for yourself. You've got to take control.

This CEO mindshift doesn't come overnight. You'll want to practice it.

To help you get started, this episode covers 4 strategies to shift your mindset into running your retail business like a CEO:

1. Acknowledging your mindset
2. Never stop learning
3. Build time in your schedule to do the CEO work
4. Knowing what success look like for you

Remember what got you and I here into our creative retail businesses, isn't going to get us there! It's not going to help us go even farther to making more sales and achieving a well-balanced life. We have to level up and become the CEO of our store. You can do it!

Want even more CEO tips? Check the link below.

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

• Wendy's 10 CEO Habits for Shopkeeper

Let's Continue the Conversation

Join our Rockstar Creative Shop Owners Facebook Community

Want to meet up in person?

You're invited to our Spring CEO Retreat March 24-26 in Orlando

There are a few seats left!

Let's Connect:

• IG @frontporchmercantile
• FB @wendybattenpaintpreneur
• WendyBatten.com

Subscribe to Creative Shop Talk

Here's what to do next, subscribe to Creative Shop Talk and then head over to our private Facebook community to meet other creative retailers.

I could really use your help getting my new podcast going and helping retailers find the show. Would you please leave me a review? Just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review . I may pick your review to highlight on an upcoming episode. Make sure you leave your business name, Instagram handle and location so I can give your shop a shoutout.

XO Wendy

I've always been the weirdo doing things my own way. I'm a corporate dropout. I owned a coffee shop back when $3 espresso drinks were unheard of. I painted furniture and started a DIY blog before it was a trend. I opened a creative retail store and studio in my hometown in Moncton, Canada.

People thought I was crazy. I didn't have plan. No one had heard of my paints. But I built my business with excellent customer service, lots of enthusiasm and was able to franchise my store.

This is my origin story. How all these experiences and lessons became my journey. And I am hoping you can relate.

Now my passion is to help other creative shop owners run stronger, healthier, more profitable businesses. As one creative retailer to another, I've been helping and coaching retailers all over the world for several years now.

We are a rare breed of business owners.

We're not just selling.

We're heart-centered.

We love what we do.

We love our customers.

We love our products.

We have this vision of our dream business and life.

We all have such similar struggles with our creative retailer life.

This is why I started this podcast. To help you thrive and grow as a retailer and know you're not alone!

Links Mentioned in this Episode:

• The 'From the Heart' blog post that changed it all
• My DIY Front Porch Blog

Let's Continue the Conversation

Join our Rockstar Creative Shop Owners Facebook Community

Want to meet up in person?

You're invited to our Spring CEO Retreat March 24-26 in Orlando

There are a few seats left!

Let's Connect:

• IG @frontporchmercantile
• FB @wendybattenpaintpreneur
• WendyBatten.com

Subscribe to Creative Shop Talk

Here's what to do next, subscribe to Creative Shop Talk and then head over to our private Facebook community to meet other creative retailers.

I could really use your help getting my new podcast going and helping retailers find the show. Would you please leave me a review? Just click here to review, select "Ratings and Reviews" and "Write a Review . I may pick your review to highlight on an upcoming episode. Make sure you leave your business name, Instagram handle and location so I can give your shop a shoutout.

XO Wendy

In Creative Shop Talk, creative retail coach and mentor Wendy Batten digs into the problems and solutions facing "accidental shopkeepers" and hobbyists turned retail business owners.

Wendy works with creative shop owners all over the world and with industry leaders. She specializes in working with creative retailers to get control over their brick and mortars, avoiding burnout and overwhelm while achieving more success and profits.

Thinking about opening your own creative retail shop? Ready to stop playing shopkeeper and "winging" the business stuff? Looking for more foot traffic? Want to turn your brick and mortar into a viable business? Want predictable profits? Want to take the next step to run your store and not let it run you? Turn to Wendy Batten to take the proven steps to achieving your dream store, living your creative life and helping your amazing customers.