Or as I think of it - Ongoing Saga Of CrazyPants!
Just a reminder - I'm committed to publishing CrazyPants stuff on Mondays, let's see if you like it!
DISCLAIMER - This isn't for the faint of heart, and I apologize in advance if I'm a little 'preachy'.
Last week I shared an overview of the various 'hats' a store owner has to wear on a daily, weekly, monthly basis. I thought we could delve into being the inspirer today.
Inspirer- Even if your store is a One-Man/Woman show you have to inspire yourself & customers daily. Everyday. I mean it! Everyday you have to wake up and be excited about what your doing. If you aren't on your A-Game, your customers will know. Trust me some days are harder than others and my customers could sense this and didn't want to shop.
Whether it's a family issue, money issue, inventory issue, or just over all not-having-a-good-day. It doesn't matter. Most customers want to shop with happy people. This doesn't mean manical, drugged, or overly caffeinated people. It means genuinely pleasant.
Most customers are looking for a place that 'feels' good when they visit. Makes them feel good about their purchases, and (Gold-Star) brightens their day.
Think about it, you want to shop in stores where the people are happy, engaged, and having fun. If I walk into a store where the workers/owners are whispering or sitting around. Especially if the workers or owners aren't doing anything, I usually can't find anything I want.
I leave.
It is very hard to get potential customers who have left, to come back. It's expensive, demoralizing, and frustrating.
It is much more cost effective to win customers over on their first visit. Building rapport on subsequent visits, and increasing their customer loyalty from the first moment you meet them.
You're probably thinking this is a no-brainer. Yet I hear EVERY DAY from customers, having just discovered our stores, how some other store was rude, not-friendly, and in most cases, they were not open their posted hours (another conversation).
My experience with this situation is the owners had become jaded. They weren't having fun at their shop any more. They had lost their JOY at the store. Because if they still loved their store, they would be excited to see every customer. Excited to share their latest treasure hunting finds.
Each of us gets our inspiration differently. One way I try to stay inspired is to hang out with positive people. Hanging out with negative people is simply too draining. And I found I was filled with self-doubt afterwards, instead of being excited to try that new technique. It has taken time to create a support team of supportive people, and it runs both ways. I'm as much their champion as they are mine.
Another way I stay inspired is I ONLY sell what I'm passionate about! I LOVE our Chalk Paint® decorative paint by Annie Sloan. LOVE LOVE LOVE IT.
I love holidays, I love Little Boot Peeps, I love rescuing real furniture. So it's easy for me to share our latest piece, new item, or crazy holiday decorations because I LOVE them and I hope you do too.
Who keep you inspired? What do you love?
B
