What you will learn in this episode:

* How Stacey helps business to get fantastic results

* Where to find the biggest place where businesses leaving money on the table

* How Google can help you with your business

* How to develop your relationship with your customers and readers

Don’t be too shy to share your personal stuff with your customers
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* How you can make WIN WIN situation for everybody

* Learn some awesome tips to make people spend more money in your store

You are going to cook once and eat twice – Use content you are creating and put them everywhere
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LINKS:

Stacey’s website

Consumer sentiment. Technically speaking, it’s a statistical measurement and economic indicator of the overall health of the economy as determined by consumer opinion.

Personally, I think the media has a lot to do with the way that consumer sentiment rollercoasters. If the media is telling everyone that we’re heading for a recession, then of course people are going to become more wary about spending.

So when your retail cycle is starting to slump, how can you change the lookers in your store, into buyers?

When a person comes into your store, they already, subconsciously, are looking to purchase.

So, making sure that you give them attention, is the first step to getting them over the line, and for them to have trust in you. Don’t be forced. Don’t ask “how can I help you today”. Be attentive, take in their body language. Do they want you there by their side, or do they want to take some time on their own to assess the product, and just want you to be available when they have a question?

Don’t force descriptions on them. How many times have you been browsing in a store, or even a market stall, and the sales person immediately starts throwing facts of a product at you? What’s your first reaction? Likely, it’s “ugh, give me a moment will you”. Try engaging your customer first, rather that talking at them.

When it comes time to talk about the benefits of your products, make sure that you aren’t talking jargon or expecting your customer to know technical terms. Essentially, don’t make them feel stupid. Ask opening questions, that will allow them to feel comfortable to get your to expand more. A sure fire way to get someone to walk out the door and never come back,  is to make them feel inferior.

Remember to pause. Listen and ask questions. Don’t get into your spiel, and expect the customer to be rapt on your every word. Stop, pause, ask for permission to move on.

Be passionate about finding the right product for the customer, not the one you love most. It’s easy to fall into the rut of recommending the same item, because you love using it.

And when it comes to getting them to hand over their cash, ask them if they’re looking to buy today, or researching – you can tailor your offering and information, and the time that you spend with them, to maximise their experience, and allow you to navigate between customers in the store.

If a customer appears to like a product, but just can’t make it over the line, is there a way to let them try before they buy? Is it possible to take it out of the packet, have a tester, or, even let them hire a product to let them experience it for themselves? Think of those products that people get stuck on, that they find difficult to take the leap, and work out a way that you can help overcomes the obstacles to purchase.

And remember, not everyone will make a purchase the first time they walk in your store. It’s up to you to follow up, to create a relationship with them, and to build trust. So, put a system in place, that will allow you to capture their details, and to stay connected with them in the future.

And my last tip, to turn a looker into a buyer, is to give them a quote. This too, is a great way to get their contact details, by offering to email it through to them. If a customer is open to you giving them a quote, their also open to you following up. And following up is where 95% of sales are lost. IF a retailer even bothers to follow up the first time, inevitably, if the customer isn’t ready to buy, they just let it drop.

It times when the cash register isn’t ringing as much as you want, you need to be chasing up every customer, love your customer, listen to them, find them what they want, and continue to communicate with them, once they’ve gone.

If you implement those strategies, then your conversion rate should see an increase.

What you will learn in this episode:

* What is digital marketing

* What is difference between push and the pull

* What is marketing strategy

* How to plan your digital marketing

Success is harder to judge than you think
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* What we can see in facebook audience insights

* How to get target audience and identify your customers

* What should you look for if you want to hire digital marketer

Tailor your case study to your audience, not to your business
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LINKS:

Google Analytics

Keyword Planner

Semrush

Talk About Creative

Are you using your B&M store, market stall, or pop up shop, to the best of it’s ability.

Whilst a lot of retailers shy away from the overheads and the responsibility that comes with having a bricks and mortar store, the fact is, with the overheads, comes a distinct competitive advantage.

But, are you using that, to the best of it’s ability.

When you have a bricks and mortar store, not only do you need to exploit every piece of real estate in and around it, but you also need to fully utilise the people you hire, and their skills.

Open a customer’s eyes to what else is out there.

If a customer comes in for a specific product, you have the ability to show them products that they may not have ever come across. It’s your job, as the retailer, to make the shopping experience as fulfilling as possible. This means offering cross sells. If a customer comes in for new dinnerware, show them placemats, a fruit bowl or a gravy boat. When opened up to new possibilities, a customer is likely to enjoy the experience more. Trust me, if they’re not interested, they’ll tell you.

Educate them

a customer can be anti a product before entering your store. Maybe a friend mentioned something, or they saw a review on facebook. Perhaps they don’t even know why they don’t want a product. If you think a product totally suits what they’re looking for, it’s up to you to educate them on why the product will work for them, allay their fears, answer their questions, and let them make an informed decision.

Emotions

People buy on emotion. Now, no matter how great your images are on a website, nothing beats the physical. Being able to touch, to smell, to try on.

I love online shopping, and recently, I had to buy 4 new barstools for my kitchen. They had to have a back, and go with a timber and white kitchen. I thought I had found the perfect ones online, but, my husband was adamant that we had to sit in them.

I was so glad that he did, because the stools I’d chosen, were uncomfortable. The back wasn’t high enough, and in real life, they looked, well, cheap. I instantly reacted to those bar stools physically, and emotionally. I also became super clear on what I was ACTUALLY looking for. I’d educated myself (the sales staff weren’t particularly helpful), I was open to what else was in the store, and started looking at rugs as well.

Now, when I was shopping on the online store,  I hadn’t even thought to start looking at rugs and cushions. The bricks and mortar store had the ability to significantly increase my order value.

Ensuring that you’re staff are well trained, know how to actively listen and problem solve a solution for your customer, and that your staff know your products intimately, will have you increasing the money that’s coming into your retail store.

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From Pascale’s website:

A bit of my story

I had an early dream of being on the radio, at the time people wake up and have their cup of coffee. I always thought it was amazing, being able to sneak in people’s daily lives, inspire them, make them smile. The little things… I never dared go that way but the desire to be useful was always there.

I have done baby-sitting for years and years while studying and in my early days of freelancing. More than 50 families, most of them with 3 or more children to look after. From a few weeks old to 16 years old. (yes, 16. teenagers and younger children can fight. or invite teenagers friends. You know how that can finish…).

That has taught me patience and creativity to keep them calm and entertained (I always had low energy and I’m an introvert so coping with energized and crazy TinyHumans was a challenge. Totally rocked it. Happy customers, both kids and parents. ).

Daughter of an engineer and an accountant, I’ve grown up loving systems and technology. That was great as a PA.

I have to confess, I’ve actually grown up being obsessed with systems : I love trying apps, moving furniture to optimise a space, talking hacks… Problem was, working as a PA, I had to work in an office, and that was too hard for me.  I had to be more creative.

After working as a PA, I became a hairstylist & make-up artist working in film. I love colours. I love creating looks, characters, giving the impression that you have just time travelled to the 20s…

Being the geek I am, I fell in love with Internet early and wanted a site right away for my make-up services. I started learning HTML and CSS while waiting for the friend who had offered to create my site to have some time. One page, then another… I soon was able to get something online. Then I learnt how to use WordPress when I decided 10 years ago to update my old fashioned HTML make-up site to a portfolio with a blog. I learnt through forums, online tutorials… It was a slow process, started with pain and tears but soon the funny tingly feeling of my brain when learning code became addictive.

All that time, I was in awe of the resources I could find on the Internet, of the people I could meet online. Learning while being in my bed, with the cat and a cup of tea. Introvert bliss !

Through the years, I have kept helping friends and colleagues with their sites, brainstorming how they can get their problems fixed. I’m resilient, crafty, I love being useful. I can be a bit rough around the edges being an introvert, I can be socially awkward. But once you’re part of my pack, I am a proper lady wolf ready to support and protect you.

I’ve been called a little magpie of knowledge… I love reading, learning, discovering apps, people, ideas.  I want to share with you what I find. I believe in sharing, in spreading love & support. I hope the podcast will do just that.

Here’s to self-care, joy, and thriving businesses !

What you will learn in this episode:

* Learn few tips how to use apps to get your time back

* How apps can help us to keep contact with customers

* How Zapier can make your life easier

Your computer is like your kitchen
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* Learn more about another great app, it’s IFTTT

* What if you don’t like apps too much

* How to be a friend with your computer

Breathe. Reset your mindset. Fuel your creativity. Thrive.

When I went to New York recently, I was looking forward to some amazing shopping, but, not looking forward to those pesky currency conversion charges on my credit card, that can add up super quickly.

So when I found that my airline Frequent Flyer card could also be used as a pre-paid credit card in local currency, I immediately transferred some cash into it, and watched the exchange rates daily.

Exchange rate fluctuations can seriously affect the profitability of a product in your store. Not only is there the actual unit cost, but also the freight to get it to you, and both of those amounts will change, depending on the exchange rate for the day.

I’ve seen many small businesses that order a small shipment of stock, for say, a thousand dollars, but by the time the payment comes due, the price may have changed by hundreds of dollars. Those dollars could mean the difference between a profitable product, and one that ends up costing you money.

There are a few options that you can utilise, when it comes to hedging your currency.

If you have the funds upfront, you can use a pre-paid card, like the one I used when I went to New York. So how to these cards work. Essentially you use them like you would a visa debit card, or a credit card, but you have to load funds into the card, and once they run out, they run out.

The great thing, is once you’ve converted the currency, you have a set amount. You’re no longer affected by currency fluctuations and you aren’t subject to those pesky currency conversion fees on every transaction.

The downside, if you want to call it that, of this method, is that your funds are tied up, until you use them.

There’s an opportunity cost that comes with not being able to access your funds immediately, but there is also the benefit that comes with the security that the amount you have available isn’t going to change.

The next option that you can use is Forward Rate Agreement, also known as a Forward Foreign Exchange. Utilising your financial provider or foreign exchange company, you simply fix an exchange rate for a date in the future. If you do this often, you may qualify for a line of credit associated with the account, meaning you only have to pay, when the exchange is due.

This ensures that you know exactly how much an order is gong to cost you, ahead of time, which allows you to plan and forecast your cash flow.

And my last, super simple way to hedge our currency, is to use Paypal. If you’re already using paypal as a payment gateway for your online store, did you know you can convert currency at any time? Simply log into your account, and find the Manage currencies option. If you have the old interface, it’s in the top right of your overview screen, and if you have the new interface, it’s in the money section. From their, you simply choose a currency, and how much you want to exchange. Once you have exchanged the currency, again, it’s a set amount.

And, being able to track and forecast your cash flow, can put you in quite an enviable position compared to your competitors. Having that advantage, can save you thousands of dollars every year.

I’d love to hear whether you’ve considered hedging your currency, or if you do, what methods you use. Head over to Salenaknight.com/retail?? And leave me a comment.

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Short Bio:

* She is a published author and has written about Online Reputation in the book Hit Me! How To Get Your Business To Punch Its Weight Online

* She was invited to be interviewed on TV about personal branding and finding your mojo. You can watch this on the homepage.

* She  was invited to be part of the The Global Personal Branding Telesummit line-up where she appeared alongside people like Mike Dooley, Dr Robert Holden, Julia Cameron and Nick Williams.

* She regularly speak on things like Reputation, Personal Branding, Digital Presence, Head Trash and other personal development and motivational themes.

* She is the Personal Branding contributor to Fresh Business Thinking and she has a column in the Nottingham Post.

* Her businesses and she regularly appears in women’s magazines such as Psychologies, Easy Living, Mother & Baby etc.

* Her podcasts regularly hit the top of the iTunes charts and are listened to in over 75 countries.

What you will learn in this episode:

* What is a headtrash

* How to discover when you need a therapy?

* Learn clearance method for yourself

Find your own strategy to throw out your headtrash
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* How clearance method reacts on fears and pain

* How to turn your trash into treasure

You have to listen to your body and see what is right for you
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Start a Head Trash Clearance To-Do List

LINKS:

Fear Free Childbirth

Google+

Facebook

When you first put together a website, there is so much going on, you often through in everything you need, load up your products, test your cart, and move on to the next thing that needs to be done.

Like everything in life, a good spring clean is in order, to keep your site fresh and up to date

A spring clean of your website is an essential, to keep your customers happy, to keep your business trading within the law, and to make sure you don’t get caught out in expensive mistakes.

Outdated policies and processes and poor user experience are a sure way to end up costing you money and sales, so here are 7 spring clean must-do reviews for your website

* Is your website mobile friendly.

When Google announced that it was going to rate websites that were mobile friendly in 2015, it was a sure way to know that the state of ecommerce as we knew it, was changing.

Your website should already be mobile responsive. If it’s not, that the first thing you need to organise.

More importantly, is your website actually mobile friendly? Is it easy to shop on your website? Are the menus easy to read and find? Does the layout flow in category and product pages? Have you gone through your shopping cart on a mobile device? How easy is it to navigate through the checkout process, on a mobile device? You should be looking to minimise the steps the customer has to take, the clicks they have to make, and the number of keystrokes they have to enter.

Every extra click they have to make, moves them closer to abandoning their cart

* It’s time to take a look at your google analytics.

You should be reviewing your website traffic at least monthly. Your google analytics account will tell you which pages customers are spending more time on, your bounce rate, which is where someone leaves almost as soon as they hit your homepage and where on your website, their dropping out. For example, are they leaving during the shopping cart process?

Google Analytics will also tell you which pages are people visiting most. You’ll probably find that your shipping, FAQ and About pages, rank very highly.

* Spring clean your terms and conditions, your about page, and your shipping and returns policies.

It’s time to spring clean all those pages you set and forget. Laws change, your returns policy may change, your courier company and their rates may have changed. Now’s the time to go back, read over them and make the changes that you need to.

* Review your email subscription giveaway.

If you’re new to Bringing Business To Retail tv, let me tell you know, that you have to be giving your customer something, in return for their email address. And, it shouldn’t be 10% off.

If you’re already offering a pain point giveaway, or as we call it in the biz industry, a lead magnet, it’s time to review what you have on offer, and change it up a little. Get some new subscribers onto your customer database with a new lead magnet.

* Make sure all of your images are consistent

The images on your website, are paramount to getting sales. Make sure that the images are all the same size, that the pages flow well, and go back and test out the experience from a users point of view.

When it comes to images, the themeing should also be consistent, for example, make sure the deep etched image is on the category page, and lifestyle images, close ups and flat lays are within the product page.

The more relevant images you have for a product, the less guess work a customer has to do, which makes it easier for them to add to cart.

* Link products that go well to increase customer order value

Which brings us to the number 6 website review must do. Linking products that sell well together.

Whether you use flat lays, widgets such as people who bought this, also purchased, or, preferably,

What you will learn in this episode:

* Why is it important that we get a lot of sleep

* How much sleep do we need

* How to overcome insomnia

* How to read body signals to know do we need more sleep or not

Life’s Too Short To Waste On Stress, Anxiety, or Negative Thinking.
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* Do you need to check emails before you go to sleep?

* Tips to help us get to sleep

* What is the worry?

Worry is just a waste mental energy
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LINKS:

Chel’s website

ReWire It!

Facebook

Should you sell stock before it arrives in your store?

What are the pros and cons?

Pre selling stock before it comes into your store can generate significant cash flow for you. Just look at any Apple product.

People line up, sometimes for days, in order to purchase their products, and quite often, they don’t even get to walk away with a physical product . Sometimes it’s months, before they receive the goods they’re pre-purchasing.

Apart from having an amazing brand, Apple creates demand by releasing snippets of information in the lead up to the event. They don’t just go hey, here’s a new product, you can have it in 3 months.

They create hype and demand.

They trade on FOMO, the fear of missing out. Apple use this as a status indicator.

Another benefit of preselling, is that it creates scarcity. Similar to FOMO, creating scarcity increases a product’s desirability, and prompts customers buy, even if the product hasn’t arrived.

Preselling an item can also validate the viability of a product. If lots of people are talking about it, and buying that product, it gives the product credibility. We call that social proof.

Speaking of validation, when you presell a product, you are able to forcast a level of demand. True, the urgency to buy a product will start to dwindle once the product is actually in your store, but using pre-selling as a validation technique, will help you to work out, just how much stock you should be bringing in.

Are you on trend? Are you stocking exactly what your customer wants? Pre-selling shows your customer that you’re paying attention to what they want, that’ you’re up to date with the latest styles, trends and products.

But arguably, the biggest benefit for preselling, is that it brings revenue into your store. Being able to use that money to pay for the stock, to have guaranteed sales, is a massive benefit and sanity saver.

So let’s recap on the strategies you should focus on, when it comes to preselling.

* Advertise the product, don’t keep it a secret

* Create hype and demand

* Use social proof to increase credibility

* Create scarcity

* Maximise FOMO

* Be a trend setter

* Generate cash flow

Often, people have already made a decision, even if it’s subconsciously, about whether or not they are going to buy a product. When you’ve created a buzz, when you have that social proof, you increase your odds of a successful product pre-sale.

If you’ve found this information useful, come join the Bringing Business To Retail community. You’ll be joining a bunch of retailers from all around the world chatting all things business. Best of all, it’s free.

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