Do Your Store Operations Take Over Sales?

You’re busy. We get that. But are you so busy that you have forgotten – or simply ignore – the responsibility of sales? Often, independent retailers are so swamped with unpacking inventory, planning their next event, checking their FB page and trying to make a beautiful store that they neglect one of the most important “checks” on their to-do-lists… sales.

As your retail store evolves, you will find that how you used to do things and how you need to do things are two different ways. Possibly the foot traffic in your store has increased… even if sales have not. Maybe you get more phone orders than you used to… despite being in a central location. Whatever the reason is, the reality is how you operate your business will effect all aspects of your business, and the most important aspect is selling.

The key solution to fixing this is identifying what may be getting in the way of making sales. Are you feeling stressed about getting products ordered? Do you spend more time managing employees than letting them sell? Or letting you sell? Are you constantly planning your next event? These can all be great things because it means you are busy and staying active in the retail community, but it’s not a good thing if sales are ignored. By identifying what is getting in the way, you can better support your customers and ultimately, make money.

Once you’ve determined what is prohibiting you from making sales, an action plan to conquer this is a must. If this means justifying a part time employee five hours a week so you can hide in your office to get office work done, then do it. Yes, this takes money… we understand. But you won’t make money if you are never doing anything to its best potential. Possibly it may mean closing your Facebook page and only checking it two or three times a day, with a limit as to how long you are on it each time. You may be amazed at how much time opens up for you!

Your goal here is to clean up any “messes” that are blocking your sales. All businesses should do a “clean house” check on their operations and sales at least quarterly to keep these messes from getting out of control. It may not be spring, but it’s time to clean! Ready? We hope so! And your sales will thank you.

Want more customer service tips? Check out our Customer Service Workshop: The Red Carpet Treatment in the Retail Minded store.