Beauty Store Business provides solutions for better retailing! New products, industry news, savvy business moves and important trends affecting both brick-and-mortar and online retailers are included in each issue.
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102 August 2016 | beautystorebusiness.com do all the fundamentals right: sales, human resources, marketing, accounting, opera- tions, social media and more. Manage these well and you'll lessen your chances for failure. N Nurture a cleanliness culture. Create a working environment where staff value a clean store as much as you do. Walk the talk. If employ- ees see you not walking past a piece of trash on the floor, they'll start picking it up, too. At closing, don't let associates leave until everything is super clean and ready for the next day of business. O Observe customers. Pay atten- tion to the psychological and behavioral motives of your cus- tomers. Where does the typical customer go when they walk in? Do you notice any patterns in the way people peruse your shelves? Do customers immediately notice price or product specifications? Answers to these kinds of questions help ensure you're not only stocking the right merchandise, but also have a store layout pleasing to customers and that ultimately increases sales. P Plan for the unexpected. It's going to happen. Maybe not tomorrow and maybe not even during the next year. But at some point, the roof will leak, a bullet will go through one of your windows and a customer will slip and fall. Do you have a contingency plan for any of these occurrences? If not, at least give it some thought. Having at least a vague notion of a game plan is better than no plan at all. Q Question ever y thing. Just because you've always done it a certain way doesn't mean it's the best way. Look at every aspect of your operation and question why you do it that way. It may have been convenient five years ago, but is a particular task now cumbersome? Encourage your staff to also question things. Bringing to light habits that have no current basis in necessity is a good way to bring effi- ciency and effectiveness to your store. R Radiate confidence. Sure, some- times you're scared and depressed. We all get that way. But don't let your emotions get the best of you. Associates will reflect the same kind of energy you're projecting. If you start the day in a foul mood, you'll find it's quite contagious and soon the entire staff feels the same way. S Strengthen your merchandis- ing. How do you showcase new items? What do you do when you need/want to run a promotion? Solid merchandising is how you move products. Window and countertop displays are vital. So are endcaps and wall and table dis- plays. If you're not creative or have an eye for great merchandising, you probably have an employee who is. T Thank associates, customers, and suppliers. "Thank you" is a powerful phrase. Thank employ- ees simply for choosing to work in your store. Thank your customers for spending their money with you. And thank sup- pliers for delivering on time or making helpful suggestions. U Utilize all your resources. There are many tools you can find that are readily available. Ensure that you're getting the most from them. Obviously, your human resources are critical, but you also have resources like professional associations, magazines like this one and the internet where you can find out just about anything. Social media is a key resource for finding trends Continued on page 130 Introducing a Revolutionary, Eco-Friendly Alternative to Foil! Eco-Wraps ™ Made from a sustainable, renewable tapioca base, that is non-toxic and degrades in landfills See-Through Highlighting Strips C O L O R A C C E S S O R I E S Ask your Product Club Rep for details, or call 800.308.3588