its nearly summer the most distracting time of year and
probably the last thing you feel like doing is starting a big new project and
staring at your computer screen or spending more time than you have to in your
store. No matter how much you enjoy your work sometimes it’s hard to stay
focused and motivated. If you want some simple advice on how to stay focused
set some goals for yourself and then make them happen. But where to start? Well
we have a few suggestions for you, four to be specific that are universal to
any business whether traditional retail or internet. Complete all four this
summer and you have laid the groundwork for tremendous sales growth for your
business throughout the remainder of the year.
Explore other selling channels– Big world out there
particularly for online retail have you fully explored all your options? Take
some time to explore some of the many alternate sales channels that are out
there. Sell on Amazon and eBay? good start how about Facebook, Poshmark,
eCRATER or Bonanza? There are dozens more options out there and some very
specialized marketplaces that just might be ideal for the merchandise you
specialize in. Build a list of sites you want to explore take notes maybe spreadsheet
it the pros and cons like the costs of selling, time involved setting up an
account, item creation etc. and test the waters pick your top 2 or 3 and start
selling see how it goes it’s always good to have multiple streams of revenue.
Traditional retailer and stumped for ideas? Take your show on the road this
summer why not explore selling at seasonal festivals or flea markets it’s a
great way to just get your name out there too and share your business with a
whole new set of clientele.
Clean house– if it has not sold in three months what is the
likelihood it will sell in another 6 months? Not that good right? Its good to
have a nice wide selection of merchandise but dogs are dogs and there’s no
reason to hold onto a clunker of an item. Move it out cheap or revise that
items description its not uncommon that a poor description or lousy photo can
kill a potential sale. The one exception to this rule is seasonal sensitive
items. Have a Moncler winter coat that sells for big bucks in season? Hold onto
it and maybe repost near the end of summer when demand starts to increase
again.
Get your name out there– are you advertising your business?
Even more basically do people know you exist and where you are? This is
particularly important for our brick and mortar clients make sure that when
your googling your business that it actually shows up and the information is
correct and up to date. Use google
business to claim ownership of your listing and make sure the info is
accurate. Little or no budget for advertising? how about Facebook, Pinterest
and Twitter these are great ways to cheaply and effectively promote your
business and put your wares in front of potential customers. Try not to just
post pics of items for sale but sell them by telling a story it’s a fun
creative way to interact with your customers and get some better ideas of what
appeals to your clients.
Give yourself a makeover-This step should go hand in hand
with getting your name out there spend some time improving the look and feel of
your store be it physical, virtual or both. Does your business have an
identity? Many online sellers just use their name or a nickname but does this
tell existing or future customers anything about what you do? Most of the
online platforms offer a lot of customization options to personalize your store
such as adding a logo, company overview or creating galleries of items you have
for sale and all of these things help you stand out from the crowd. Create your
stores identity and then continue to sharpen it up. Brick and Mortar try out
some seasonal displays are you in an area with a lot of foot traffic can you
put some merchandise in front of the store to lure some customers in? what
about store layout do you find clients gravitating to a certain part of the
store and ignoring others? Perhaps it’s time to play around with the layout of
the store or at least slightly tweak. One well thought out change can really
make a dramatic difference to your stores feel and bottom dollar.