Tag Archives: hiring

You Might Be a Marketing Consultant If the 1st Thing a Prospect Says is “I Really Have No Idea What You Do”

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Apparently a lot of people don’t understand consulting services. When many prospects shop for a marketing consultant (like me), they often expect some sort of price and package menu like the image below.

Superhero price packaging

Hmmmm, after looking at the fees for the services in this image… I may have to rethink my fees ;)

So why hire a consultant?

Seriously, the reason you hire a consultant is because they should “consult” with you on what you need and customize their services specific to those needs. And they should have specialized experience and know-how of what you require to succeed. And you don’t have to hire a consultant as an employee – no overhead, no insurance, no commitment to keep them, easy to hire and fire, and many more benefits of a non-employee status. You have total control.

However, you as a business owner typically don’t know what you don’t know outside of your areas of expertise, so package pricing is really of little to no use to you.

Every small business is different in their marketing needs, and every small business is at a different stage and level of marketing. There are thousands of self-help websites, books, tools, and more out there – and many of them free. But, it’s not just knowledge of using the tools you need, but the strategies and applications that would fit your particular business that are far more important for implementation.

Most small business owners do NOT have the time to learn marketing, nor how to properly apply best practices.

And if you start talking to a consultant who doesn’t ask you a lot of questions about you and your business, end that call!

Do you really want to hire someone for a generic marketing package that may or may not bring results to your business? That is why I don’t offer package prices. I do, however, work on a sliding scale based on the size of the job, length of time, customized preparation involved, and so on.

Food for thought:

The overall impact of a consultant is that clients have access to deeper levels of expertise than would be feasible for them to retain in-house, and may purchase only as much service from the outside consultant as desired.

You have total control. That’s the beauty of a consultant. You don’t have to employ another person to get a specific job done. You can retain a consultant for as long as you like as an as-needed go-to resource for your business.

It’s really quite a high ROI.

And why do I work exclusively with SMBs and NPOs? The passion of a SMB owner or NPO leader is contagious and energizing!

 

Can a dress code enhance sales?

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Best Pants

Image by Steve Sparshott via Flickr

Who cares what they wear if they can sell?

If you don’t think having a dress code for your store matters, think again.

You might think it really doesn’t matter what your staff wears as long as they can sell, but dress code can really have the potential to make or break a sale.

No, I’m not a prude, I’m a realist.

  • If Mrs. Jones is sitting with Mr. Jones at the shoe store and Ms. Deep Cleavage is on a shoe stool bent over arms squeezed together to put shoes on Mr. Jones, Mrs. Jones is not going to be happy when hubby starts getting positively giddy with the service! My bet is Mrs. Jones will think of an excuse to leave really quickly!
  • If “Ms. Whale Tail” or “Ms. Muffin Top” is reaching up to put stock on a higher shelf, that ain’t pretty or professional!
  • If “Mr. My Pants Crotch Has To Be All The Way To My Knees” is working today, his customers will have to slow down as they follow his waddle all the way down the aisle and they’ll get to read the designer name on his underwear band from behind.
  • If a customer’s favorite restaurant owner decides it’s cool to go grunge look with his servers, might they wonder how many times a server can get away with wearing those jeans without washing them and still serve food?
  • If the doctor’s office decides to permit fake colored fingernails on the nurses and lab techs, how can they tell the procedure is sterile if they can’t tell if the fingernails are clean?

What did I come here for?

What tone do you want set in your business?

What impression do you want the customers to have?

Customers don’t want to be distracted by navel piercings, nose rings, tattoos, and all the rest.  This is a business and they are here to do business. All those dressing quirks  are ways for the individual to say “look at me and see who I am.” The focus must be on the customer, not the salesperson.

Not that there’s anything wrong with that…

They can do whatever they want with those individualized fashions OUTSIDE the store or business.

Don’t you want your customer focusing on product instead of trying to figure out that tattoo?

Don’t you want your staff to be focused on their work instead of their individuality?

Do you want customers Tweeting about tattoos or worse yet, taking pictures and posting on Facebook? (Think People of Walmart.com or Freak Jet)

This is your business and when you are paying staff to work on your floor, they need to follow your guidelines. Don’t be afraid to detail what is and isn’t acceptable on your sales or business floor – especially during the interview process.

I know I’ll get some flack for this post, but …

It isn’t personal, IT’S BUSINESS.

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The Customer Would Have Just Punched Her Out!

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It’s a new year. We are more receptive to new beginnings, new ideas, new ways of doing things. So let’s also consider revisiting what works. Why not revisit the simple concept of hiring well so that your customers WANT to come back?

Customer Service is what sales are built on. It’s a simple thing - taking care of the customer in the best way possible.  There are websites and Twitter pages and blogs galore that talk about nothing but examples of bad customer service. Radio Consumer Advocate Clark Howard spends hours of air time discussing examples of bad customer “no-service.”

So, since your floor staff is the first point of contact for a customer, avoid having your business show up on Social Media as another example of customer abuse by hiring well!

Waaay back in 1970, this video of the classic movie “Five Easy Pieces” has Jack Nicholson‘s character getting “served” by a rude waitress who really doesn’t think it is her job to make a customer happy. Nicholson is clever enough to figure out how to get what he really wants, but her rudeness gets the best of him. And she likely thought HE was the problem.

So consider how to look out for who you hire in this new year to grow your business the best way possible – happy customers!

5 Red Flags for NOT hiring someone (and these are real examples):

  1. Applicant casually walks in – late.
    Really?! Do I need to explain that this person will most likely not be worried about showing up on time to work their schedule?
  2. Applicant shows up in jeans, flip flops, sunglasses on head, and a cup of mall coffee in hand.
    Even if your store’s dress code is shorts and store logo t-shirts, an applicant should be dressed professionally for an interview. Why? If they look sloppy for an interview (when they are supposedly trying to impress you), how will they look when they are more relaxed? And how well respected do you feel when they show up as if they are just stopping by on their way to a friends… therefore, how well will they respect your customers?
  3. Applicant doesn’t know one thing about your company.
    If they don’t have a clue what your business is, then they most likely are not looking to grow with your company. A great way to test is to ask them what they will contribute to your company in particular. Even if you are a basic donut shop, they should have a sense of your products, promos, who you target, and so on. A simple visit to your website would have given them all those answers.
  4. Applicant does not have references, contact info, hard copy résumé, …not even a pen.
    Seriously? They aren’t taking this position seriously.  See. Reason #2.
  5. Applicant comes in to the interview with BFF.
    Well, we know they are not sociopaths if they have a good friend, but lots of red flags here! Will this friend be hanging out in the store when you aren’t there? Will this friend be helping to unload merchandise at “discount” prices? Is this applicant not mature and secure enough without someone to hold her hand in the hiring process?

Ok – so if none of the above apply, now all you have to worry about is if they are qualified to do the job! And then – instead of wanting to punch your staff out, your customers will walk out happy and your sales will increase!

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Bosses Beware of Employee Flight in 2011

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take this job and shove it.

Image by Divine Harvester via Flickr

Unemployment sucks, but for those still working, sometimes the remaining jobs suck even more.

Bosses! Own up and Beware!

If you are one of the Employers out there who are taking crude advantage of your remaining employees after layoffs, beware of the tide that is about to turn.

The economy is showing more secure signs of recovery and there are more employment options opening up.

Many reports are surfacing that predict 2011 will begin a mass exodus of employees looking for a better job. Better start realizing that when conditions are bad, your people will only stay loyal as long as they see no other alternative.

A recent survey reveals 84 percent of U.S. employees plan to look for new jobs in 2011 – up from 60 percent a year ago. Only 5 percent want to stay at their current position.

Don’t wait until they start leaving…

So, those of you budget obsessed employers out there – just how long do you think your remaining employees will put up with the heavier workload, budget cuts, cancelled raises, lousy morale and fear of more layoffs and cutbacks? Should they really be “thankful just to have a job?” Added workloads, extended hours, postponed or eliminated raises and bonuses, and more – not a pretty picture for most employees.

Many who have seen their co-workers laid off have already updated and posted new résumés anonymously on the job boards. They have vowed to be better prepared in case they too are laid off. They are networking – getting the word out they are available if something better comes along. They are tired of bad working conditions no matter how loyal they may have been in the past.

So, what should you do?

Decide the value of those whom you still are employing.
Are you willing to take the chance they will leave? Are you so sure they are still happy enough to stay? Are they going to stay content to keep hearing your excuse that “times are tough for all of us?” Oh, Please!

Evaluate the results of your cutbacks
Be realistic. Take a long look at the results of your budget cuts. Did they achieve the desired results or have you created new problems? Just making the cuts does not guarantee better cash flow. If you didn’t plan proactively for the resulting effects, you may have caused more problems with increased error rates, lower productivity and higher customer dissatisfaction.

Boost Morale!
If you can’t afford raises or hiring on more help again to lighten the workload, find other ways to show them you aren’t taking them for granted. Recognize their extra efforts with praise and small favors until you can afford more. If you are avoiding them because you know they are unhappy, you are only making matters worse!

Listen
Tension is at an all time high for fear of more layoffs. They have a right to know what is happening. Share your profit margins and expenses. Include them in decisions to cut costs. Hear their concerns. If they feel they had a part in some of the decisions, they may feel more connected to the business rather than shut out and worried about future “surprises.”

And listen closely to see if they are singing this song …

(or posting on twitter or facebook!)


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3 Reasons Your Customers May Be Defecting to Online Shopping

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Macy's store during 2006 Christimas in San Fra...

Image via Wikipedia

In my experience, most retail sales-floor training is “baptism under fire” with a lot of apologies to both the new employee and ultimately, the customer. And since most hiring is done between customers without proper preparation and investigation before the applicant arrives, this is truly a heartbreak since there are so many super qualified people out there looking for jobs.

Would you pick just any location to place your  business? Would you buy just any equipment for your store? Would you put just any merchandise in it? Then don’t just settle when you are hiring. And invest in good training, too!

Don’t blame e-commerce for your sluggish sales – customers may be switching to online shopping vs. your brick and mortar establishments for these 3 reasons:

  1. Poor hiring and training
  2. Lack of staff loyalty to your company mission
  3. Lack of Customer Connection

Here’s an example:

True story:

I was Christmas Shopping Sunday at Macy’s in Alpharetta, GA (a northern suburb of Metro Atlanta, GA). My growing teenage son needed some jeans, too, so while he was in the fitting room, I noticed some tables marked “Morning Special.” I looked at my cell phone and saw it was about 12:45 pm, so I assumed I had missed it, but since the signs were still up, I asked a passing salesperson when the “Morning Specials” ended. She said she didn’t know and started to walk off.

HUH?! That stopped me cold. Are you kidding me? “I don’t know!!!” ??? Which part about this was the worst…

A. That she didn’t know because of lack of training.

B. That she lacked the loyalty to her employer and therefore was satisfied to tell me that she didn’t know, or…

C. That she didn’t care about me as a customer and didn’t mind leaving me without an answer.

I couldn’t let this go. I quickly said, “You don’t know?!!!” And unbelievably, she said, “No. (pause) I guess I could find out if you want me to.” I said, “Well, yes!”

She came back and said, (and I am not making this up), “Well, it’s either 1pm or 2pm.” HUH, again!!! I was nonplussed. Surprisingly, she seemed to sense I wasn’t thrilled with her answer, and said, “One lady says it’s 1, but I think I saw in the paper that it was 2, so I think it’s 2.”

Am I really having this ridiculous exchange with her? I told her I wanted to know for sure since it was almost 1. She answered again that she believed it was 2. I told her I’d like to know for sure, so she reluctantly left again to ask someone else.

She returned to tell me (yes, you guessed it) … that it was over at 1 pm. I was SOL since it was now 12:59 pm.

Was that salesperson stupid, indifferent, or let’s all say this together…Poorly hired and poorly trained. I have seen a lot of discussions on LinkedIn lately on how important sales training is.  Is this not the perfect example?

So who is really to blame? Yes, the salesperson was negligent and derelict of duty, and she was willing to likely piss me off as a customer who might have trusted her guess that the sale was over at 2, but in the end – it is the employer’s fault.

His/Her poor choice in hiring and lack of good training and follow up allowed the risk that I would be royally upset at the register when told that the “Morning Special” ended an hour ago and I was not getting the discount. Why would I bother to return there to shop after this experience? I might as well shop online…

There are so many potentially bad results from this possible scenario that I don’t have enough room or your potential attention span to discuss. But what is equally concerning to me, is the indifference many employers have regarding employee training. Is it any wonder the staff is not loyal to your sales mission? If you don’t care if they get it right, why should they?

Your sales are based on the response a customer has to your store, your products, and how they are presented.

YOUR SALESPEOPLE ARE YOUR STORE by all accounts and purposes in the eye of the customer. The salesperson answers the phone, is the FIRST point of contact on the sales floor and is responsible for the feeling the customer has as they leave your store – in other words, the behavior and response of the salesperson toward the customer determines the likelihood of whether a customer will come back far more than the merchandise.

So, if the customer has no reason to feel that the shopping experience in your brick and mortar location is any better or more productive than an online shopping experience, why should they come back? Why shouldn’t they buy online if the experience is little different?

Fortunately, the bad taste in my mouth left later when I found a better salesperson who actually gave a damn about me as a customer – a young man who wanted to help me find some jeans with a very cheerful and helpful attitude and knowledge of the merchandise! YAY! Maybe the young lady I had earlier was temporary help for the holidays – but wouldn’t you still want to maximize your sales with properly hired and trained staff regardless of whether they are temporary or permanent?

Spend as much time researching those you employ as you do your products and marketing! And properly train them! (more on training in another post)

In these times, it is an employer’s market when it comes to hiring. Take advantage of it! Unemployment insurance is limited and quality people are spending 1-2 years seeking employment. They may be overqualified, but who better to serve your customer? They may eventually leave for something better, but the influence they have on the rest of the staff and your customers will make it all worth it. You might learn something, too!

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