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Hanging on to your customers after Christmas

It’s retail focus week on Bdaily. Christmas can be a bit of a silly season and nowhere more so than in the retail world where shoppers queue like crazy to spend like crazy. The pressure at this time of year also brings out some strange behaviour in shopkeepers, but if you want to keep your customers into the New Year here are some tips from Business Guru Penny Davenport.

1. Customers are for life, not just for Christmas. Just because your customers are keen to tick off their Christmas shopping list, don’t take them for a ride. You want them back in January so this is not the time to offload shoddy seconds or to pressure-sell. Be utterly charming. Treat your customers with the respect they deserve so they want to come back to you.

2. ’Tis the season to be jolly. Although your staff may be exhausted and rushed off their feet, make the shopping experience a joyous one. Offer refreshments and live buskers. Keep queues short and offer beautiful gift wrapping. Greet all your customers in the store and at the till. Offer to help them find the items they need to save them having to queue more than once. The same goes for the January sales.

3. No January Blues here. Welcome your customers back in January with special money-off vouchers which thank them for their custom. Ensure you treat customers in January with the same level of enthusiasm that you did in January. Make sure everyone knows how to do all types of returns and sale items so that your don’t test your customers’ patience. Be generous about returns and exchanges. Keep your store looking beautiful.

4. Treat people as they want to be treated. Often good manners and common sense go out of the window in the retail world. On every shopping trip, each and every one of us experiences something we don’t like. Train your staff to maintain common courtesies and to practice being honest in a tactful manner. Give the customers what they need, what they didn’t realize they needed and definitely not what they don’t need!

For more, see www.pennydavenport.co.uk. Penny is offering one hour career exploration sessions at a discounted rate of £60 for Bdaily readers in January.

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Penny Davenport Executive Coaching .