What an Atlanta Airport Bathroom Visit Taught Me About Customer Service On Monday I had a layover in the Atlanta airport. I don’t usually fly through ATL—mostly because I am a Southwest loyalist—but when I do I am repeatedly impressed by the airport’s amenities. If I’m passing through in the evening, I’ll head over to terminal E and visit One Flew South—a classy joint for … Continue reading We Aim to Please
Offer Your Customers a Good Luck Charm I’d like to introduce a new word to the specialty retail lexicon—handseling. Ever heard of this word? Neither had I until I interviewed the owner of a local bookstore for an article I was writing. She used it when referring to her staff’s interaction with each customer. As in, “When handseling, staffers really need to make sure we … Continue reading New Retail Word: Handseling
– Retail Archaeology: The Innate Passion of Discovery – My grandparents retired from their San Francisco jobs to a piece of property up north. Their hidden acre sat on the rocky slopes of an ancient volcano. The surrounding land was covered in shiny black glass—obsidian. Gramps told me if I’m patient and look closely at the ground, I might find an arrowhead. After scouring every … Continue reading Retail Archaeology
An Open Letter (on Apparel) to Specialty Running Store Owners… Dear Owners of American Run Shops, Many of you have asked me how to sell more apparel. Rather than get back to each of you individually, I’m blasting off this form letter with my thoughts on an ever-present topic of frustration in specialty run. Forgive my generalizations and take my comments with a grain of … Continue reading Reframe Your Apparel Category
14 Ways to Sell More Today (Let Feeling Be Your Guide) You probably think products or services are what you sell. Bikes, shoes, software, tents, beer, americanos, refurbished axes, therapy sessions, or whatever. Sure, all day long you trade these things for pieces of green paper, but these goods are not the most important thing in your inventory. Your fastest turner is not what carries the weight … Continue reading 14 Ways to Sell More Today
The traditional model of brick and mortar is taking a beating from well-executed e-commerce. This comes as no surprise. You saw it coming. Probably even lost sleep about its eventual arrival. Well, here it is. So stop complaining and get used to it. The internet is (at least partially) responsible for a decrease in sales and for the lack of customers through the door. Still, … Continue reading Things and Feelings: Retail Innovation
AUDIO OF THIS BLOG POST 1 I have to admit I was a little intimidated by GU‘s invitation to work with their sales team. As a long-time retailer, I worried my one-sided experience would make my messaging less relevant to vendors. Part of me was expecting the room of fifty-plus sales reps from across the country to like at me like, “What the heck could … Continue reading GU-phoria
Back in June, barely two weeks after starting my retail education business, I ran into Mark Sullivan at Fleet Feet Sports’ conference in Huntington Beach. Mark runs Formula4 Media and organizes the biggest trade show in the industry, The Running Event (TRE). I half-jokingly asked him what a greenhorn like me needed to do to get a speaking gig at his big show. I remember … Continue reading Why You Do What You Do
No matter what you do, I can be of service to your organization. But first you (and your team) have to want to evolve. Big difference between lip service and action. Bottom line: you have to want to shift your status quo. Here’s a secret – even if everything is rolling along just fine, your now, your status quo, will benefit from a shift. Kind of … Continue reading TG Training and Education
Tom Griffen 