Create a person-focused experience

By Tom Borg

Visit other stores to figure out what works.

When was the last time you and your employees shopped at another small retail gift shop? This activity can be one of the best improvement strategies to implement this year.

Step #1. Schedule a meeting with your team and ask what they would expect to see, hear and experience in another retail shop. Let the group share their comments. Assign someone to jot down on a whiteboard all the positive and negative things they expect based on past visits. Have the note taker use a red marker to mark the negative impressions and a green marker to mark the positive ones.

Step #2. Have each employee visit another retail shop. Ask them to take mental notes on everything from the way the store looks from the outside, including the parking lot, sidewalk, landscaping, window displays and signage.

Once inside, observe the friendliness of the staff, the displays, the cleanliness of the floor and the quality of the merchandise as well as any signage, aromas and music. How were they treated if they did or did not purchase an item?

"Have each employee visit another retail shop. Ask them to take mental notes on what they experience."

Step #3. After all team members complete their visits, schedule a meeting to discuss what they observed. Assign someone to record responses on flip chart paper. Record the negative impressions on one page and the positive impressions on another page. Use as many pages as necessary.

Next, go through each negative impression list and discuss which ones your shop might be guilty of and what you can do to change. Then, go through the positive impression list, and this time, prioritize which ones are the most important and that you can continue to use or implement in your shop.

The real magic of this exercise is that you are getting everyone to experience and own the best practices needed in your gift shop. Contact me for more ideas on how to make this work in your gift shop.