Asking for a bad review

You know how positive online reviews build credibility and trust with prospects. Hopefully you’ve trained your staff to remind customers to post words of praise on the review site of their choice.

But what about bad reviews? What do you do about the slightly or extremely disgruntled customer? Do you just let them walk and hope they don’t spew venom online?  

Here’s a better strategy for controlling negative reviews: ask for them!

If you sense a customer is having an issue, ask them to tell you about it. Solve the problem privately before it becomes public. But in the event the disappointment comes later (at delivery, for example) use one of these clever tactics to steer the negative feedback away from the review sites and directly to you!

Here are two great examples of this strategy.

Greek Eats Restaurant

This restaurant attaches a card to each order, asking for “notes” about your order. It’s a polite and subtle suggestion to voice your opinion and they make it easy for the customer to contact them directly should they have a problem.

Modani Furniture

This company sends an email after purchase (in fact, they send it out multiple times). It’s a much bolder approach that asks, “Would you recommend us?” then offers two links. The first leads to Google reviews. The second asks point blank, “Your experience not so great?” with a link to contact them directly. It’s a brilliant way to steer customers to privately voice their concerns.

Of course, if someone sends you negative feedback directly, be sure to resolve the problem quickly so it doesn’t escalate into a public and negative review.

Don’t be afraid of criticism. Ask for it! It will help you create a better, more customer service- oriented business and keep issues private rather than on a public forum for all to see.

Until next time remember…
You can do this!
Angel

Want more information on how to better manage and use Yelp and other online review platforms? Click here to get instant access to my free cheatsheet, Yelp Help!

An easy way to light a flame under your holiday sales

U.S. retail sales of candles are estimate at $3.2 billion annually! That’s billion with a “b.” And that’s not including accessories!

Candles are universally loved, make great holiday gifts and are a relatively inexpensive way to add ambiance to any home. It should come as no surprise really, that 35% of all candle sales occur during the holiday season (and the majority are bought by women).

Candles can help increase average sale this year in just about any category of store, from clothing boutiques to restaurants, hardware stores to beauty salons. And they make gorgeous visual displays!

Here are 4 tips for creating candle cash this holiday season

Explore local makers on Etsy and other crafting sites to find interesting and possibly exclusive lines to carry. Look for themed and specialty candles like those created specifically for men.

Bundle candles at special prices with other items to make them irresistible.

Offer them as a gift with purchase.

Gift wrap a selection as a great grab and go gift option.

Until next time, remember….
You can do this!
Angel

Research from candles.com

Ignoring your Yelp rating can actually cost you money! A Harvard study says so!

Many restaurant owners discount the impact of Yelp. A study from the Harvard University Business School suggests that's not a great idea.

The study, Reviews, Reputation and Revenue: The Case of Yelp.com. presents three findings about the impact of consumer reviews on the restaurant industry:

1. A one-star increase in Yelp rating leads to a 5-9 percent increase in revenue

2. This effect is driven by independent restaurants; ratings do not affect restaurants with chain affiliation

3. Chain restaurants have declined in market share as Yelp penetration has increased

This should be a powerful motivator for every independent restaurant owner! There is huge opportunity to meet and beat chain competition by providing exceptional food, service and quality AND carefully managing your online reputation!

Time to go get yourself another star!

Until next time remember, 
you can do this!

Angel

 

Want more information on how to better manage and use Yelp and other online review platforms? Get instant access to my free cheatsheet, Yelp Help! Click here

Are you making a great "last" impression?

So much is made of first impressions in business. But it's that all important last few minutes of a customer visit that can make all the difference!

2 Steps. More Money. 7 Days.

4 tips for getting your fair share of the boomer dollar - and why you want it!

While you're chasing after the millennials, you might just be missing out on big boomer bucks!

Best. Greeting. Ever.

A store's greeting should set the expectation for the entire experience. 
Learn more about greetings including my vote for the Best. Greeting. Ever. 

Five Lessons Local Retailers Can Learn from the Musical Hamilton

To be clear, I haven’t yet seen Hamilton. I do, however, have a somewhat, uh, obsessive relationship with the soundtrack.  And like anyone who hasn’t lived under a rock for the past few years, I am familiar with its place as a phenomenon not just on the Broadway stage but as an American cultural game changer.

I was listening to the music today and it occurred to me that there are a lot of lessons independent retailers can take from the show, it’s creator and it success -- as they create their own game changer – a retail renaissance.

Lesson # 1
Humanity makes the difference

In retail, we have plenty of choices – brick and mortar, online, local, chain, specialty.  There are hundreds of ways to purchase goods.  Similarly, there are any number of books about Alexander Hamilton available should you care to brush up on some history.

So how did the Broadway show take history off the page and create a larger than life experience?

Humanity.

By giving Hamilton depth and personality, the show connected audiences with a person and a moment in history even if – and here’s the real beauty of it -  they didn’t particularly care about the subject matter.

The same goes for successful retail.  The four walls of a store aren’t much different from the pages of the book or the competition, for that matter.  But even if those walls are filled with the most interesting and original items for sale, success will be elusive unless you create an emotional connection with your audience.

And the connection needs to take place across the spectrum of goods sold, from the luxurious and innovative to the seriously mundane.  The same way Hamilton lifted a seemingly dry character from the pages of history, smart retailers and marketers are understanding that you can (and must) make even the ordinary appealing. Yes, even a screwdriver can be special if you understand the buyer will be using it to hang a baby picture in their first home.  

Retail, done with humanity, can become a moment in someone’s own personal history.  

Lesson #2
Speak the same language as your customer

Lin- Manuel Miranda, the celebrated creator of Hamilton, chose to tell the story by using the musical language of rap. By doing so, he elevated not just the story but the way it was told. That language resonated with many.

Yet in brick and mortar retail we are trying to get new customers but still, by and large, talking the old-fashioned way. Asking the same old questions (“Are you looking for something special?”). Using the same old displays and traditional store layouts. Trying to attract customers with the same stale promotions.

Consumers tell us every day through their actions that they want new ways to communicate. Whether it be more information available online for research, richer in-store experiences, new technology to enhance the sale… we need to elevate our stories in ways that today’s consumer can hear and understand.

Lesson #3
It takes a team to build a brand

A Broadway show is a business that requires a large investment of cash, big marketing dollars and a renowned cast to keep seats full. Even though Hamilton is the central character, his story is told through the voices and experiences of those around him. And although Lin-Manuel Miranda, the star of the show, might have absorbed much of the spotlight, his ensemble cast was so carefully crafted that when he, and other members of the founding cast left, tickets still remained at premium prices and difficult to get. The show did not rely on a single star for it’s luster but rather, built a solid brand through its teamwork.

The same theory holds true for a local retail operation. Small shops often work lean, reliant on the owner or a single superstar sales person to function. There’s no cross training, no bench – no understudy. And when the day comes a key person leaves and the experience deteriorates along with the brand. Tomorrow’s retailer will need to create incentive programs, meaningful training programs and long-term career paths to build strong teams, healthy businesses and enduring brands.

Lesson # 4
Build your tribe (s)

This is where Hamilton enters phenomena territory. And where only the most successful retailers will ever emerge.

Most retail, even the most successful, generally relies on a core, targeted audience. And quite frankly, niching down to scale up is a solid strategy.

But Hamilton has been able to appeal to the broadest possible audiences through a series of well-defined niches.  Had the rap musical relied strictly on Broadway regulars, it might have been less successful. But Hamilton was able to appeal to multiple niches and provide an equally meaningful experience to all.

Here are just a few:
   Broadway lovers
   History lovers
   History lovers who don’t know rap
   People who like rap but didn’t care about the show’s subject
   People who like being on the cutting edge of what’s cool and hip

The depth of their appeal is staggering!

Small shops may never achieve such mass appeal; it’s not their job. But the more well-defined niches they can serve and serve well, the stronger their business will be.

Lesson #5
Create indisputable value

To bottom line it, Hamilton tells people a story they didn’t know they wanted to hear in a way they never expected to hear it. And people demanded to be associated with it not just because they enjoyed it, but because it made them appear to be hip and cultured!  That’s an awful lot to deliver for the price of a ticket!

But that’s exactly what Hamilton did. The show created such value in the minds of the consumer that objections to the ticket price – even the sky high premium prices --didn’t even enter the discussion. That’s the gold standard in Broadway – and retail!

Another great way to use your online reviews to grow business

Today's 90-Day Challenge video talks about using on-site reviews as a mini-research lab to gain insight that will help improve business and craft a marketing message that truly resonates! #retail #restaurant

Are you missing the obvious?

No matter how good we are at running our businesses, there is almost always some obvious little tweak we can make to improve it. Here are a couple of stories about how missing the obvious was hurting two small shops.

In case you were wondering how I help retail and restaurant owners achieve transformation in just 90 days, I use a 3-Step Success Stack. Learn more about it here. 

How My 3-Step Success Stack Works

How my 3-Step Success Stack works
People ask me all the time how I help my retail and restaurant clients achieve transformation in 90 days. Today, I'm happy to share that process and I guarantee you, it's not what you think!

Would you like a copy of my Success Stack cheat sheet? https://www.angelcicerone.com/success-stack

Business Builders on a Budget - Part 2

To get your free copy of my Ebook, Business Builders on a Budget, click here.

Business Builders on a Budget - Part 1

To get your free copy of my Ebook, Business Builders on a Budget, click here.

How a bowl of edamame changed a restaurant's future!

How a field trip can improve your retail or restaurant business!

Yes, there is a way to increase sales- TODAY!

How to get "unstuck"

The daily routine of running a small retail store or restaurant can lead owners into to a serious rut where the flow of ideas just stop! That can be pretty scary place because new ideas are the heartbeat of small business. It's always a good idea to learn how to recognize when you're stuck and have a plan to get the juices flowing again.

Here's one of my favorite tips from my Ebook, "15 Ways to Get Unstuck." 
Get your free copy. bit.ly/15waystogetunstuck

Angel's 90 Day Challenge - and it's not what you think!

It's May 1 and the start of my personal 90-day challenge to bring local retail and restaurant owners an insane amount of free content to help you launch, grow or save your local retail or restaurant business! Follow me for all the great info: facebook.com/angelciceroneretail instagram.com/angelcicerone linkedin.com/angelcicerone

4 Questions for Business Clarity

What's a sticky pad moment? It's when you have ideas, thoughts, questions or answers important enough to  jot down and keep in front of you at all times.

As business owners, we can get sooooooooo caught up in the day- to- day we forget the original vision and goals we had for our businesses and ourselves.   Dealing with employees, inventory, customer service, scheduling, finances, marketing …it’s a lot. And these daily details are not just an inspiration suck, they can easily lead us into a maze of confusion!

That’s why it’s always a good idea, no matter where you are in your business life cycle, to take a minute and revisit these four important questions; questions which, by the way, have nothing to do with money. They are about understanding the essence of your business and your relationship with it.

While I won’t call them magic questions, their answers will certainly bring clarity to your business and life and that’s an amazing gift!

Question 1
What makes your business unique, different or special?

Do you have an unusual or proprietary product? Perhaps you’ve put your own twist on something like the mini-cupcakes that make people line up at Melissa’s bakery.

Maybe it’s your store design.  Or pricing. Or the way you wrap things in eco-friendly knapsacks. Maybe your business is family-owned.

Or your signature product is apple cake baked using a 5 generation-old family recipe.Or your staff is so knowledgeable people wouldn’t consider going anywhere else.

You get where I’m going.

But if you can’t come up with a differentiator, a meaningful one, I’m going to suggest you stop right here. Take a breath and put some serious thought into answering this question. If, after careful thought, you find your business is too general and unfocused, you’d be best served by doing some serious brainstorming to fine tune your concept.

Question 2
Who is your target audience? Be VERY specific`

Who you sell to (and their reasons for buying) are the pulse of any retail or restaurant business. “Everyone” isn’t a demographic and casting a broad net is dangerous in this day of market segmentation and personalized communication.

A boutique for women 25-49 probably won’t be met with much enthusiasm. A boutique for women 25 -49 that specializes in conservative clothes for work and offers a personal stylist will probably do a whole lot better.

Get in touch with that target niche. Find your tribe. Then do everything you can to get to know them and show them your love.

Question 3
What is the life you’d like to lead as a business owner?

Success in business isn’t just about making money (although profitability sure does make life a whole lot better!)  What do you want your life to look like? Do you want to work less? Or expand to 1, 5 or 100 locations? Is your end goal to sell? Or leave it to your kids?

Each one of these options requires a slightly different route and it would be a shame to work so hard and end up having detoured from your original goal. Defining your life goals help to define your business path.

Question 4
What do you need to know more about to make that happen?

I’m not exactly sure why but so many independent retail and restaurant owners fail to hop on the lifelong learning express. It might be fear, lack of time or even shame that they don’t know it all. Frankly, I don’t really care about the reason. I just care about the results.

In another day and time, learning the things you needed to know to succeed in business was important. Today, thanks to the lightning fast pace of change in our world, it’s critical. So what do you need? A crash course in accounting? Inspiration for marketing.

A solid social media primer? A better understanding of omnichannel sales? Training in sales, customer service, negotiating a lease?

Whatever it is, go out and get it. Thanks to our friend, the internet, there is so much available at little or no cost, available 24/7 so you can squeeze it in whenever you have the time.  

Do me a favor. Shoot me an email with the answer to this one. – success@angelcicerone.com. I am always looking for great free resources on the topics of interest to you and this will help me identify the types of training you’re looking for.

Final step

Now, take your answers to these 4 questions and jot them on a sticky pad. Place that note somewhere where you can see if every day.  And as you make decisions about your business, you can make them within the framework of your answers to these questions. If it doesn’t help your business become more special, appeal to your target customer, get you closer to leading the life you want or give you a better understanding of how to achieve success– there’s no need to move forward or waste time. Clarity is one of the keys to achieving goals and these four simple questions will help you stay on track!

Until next time, remember
You can do this!
Angel

Would you like a free 4 Questions Worksheet to answer these questions? Just click here.

Follow me on Instagram and Facebook for even more great information and insight!

The ONE thing you need to do to get great Yelp reviews!

Boy did I have an epiphany!

Let me explain.

I work exclusively with locally-owned retail and restaurants. So as you can imagine I have read literally thousands of Yelp reviews over the years! I analyze them for clues to what my clients do well and what they could be doing better. From there, we try to improve what needs improving in the hopes of getting less negative reviews and more positive ones.

Makes sense. Right?

Well it did to me too. Until yesterday when, after a rather lengthy review analysis for a client – and trying to figure out next steps -- I started looking at this whole review situation a bit differently.

Let’s say you have a restaurant with 40 items on the menu. There’s a good chance somebody’s not going to like one of them (either due to personal taste or it perhaps it wasn’t prepared properly) and they write about it. Or a particular server is having an off day. Or the restaurant’s too cold. There are so many moving parts and personal preferences that even the best-run establishment is bound to elicit a negative word or two from a reviewer.

The same holds true for retail and service businesses. With a thousand pieces of merchandise on the floor or a lengthy menu of spa services from which to choose, there’s always going to be someone who doesn’t like something…even if it’s the distance from their parking space to the front door! And out comes the laptop and your ranking takes a it.

Even for the most meticulously run business, the odds are sort of stacked against you.

Click here to download your free Yelp Help cheat sheet!

Unless you change the way you approach your business using my new super, secret plan to get rave reviews.  

And that secret is….Give them ONE thing to talk about.

Do one thing better, different, more exciting than anyone else! Just one thing that excites and inspires your customers to rave … and write.

Make sure there’s one thing that looks or tastes spectacular or is presented in a unique and memorable way. The best or biggest burger. The most amazing packaging. Silk robes for spa guests. Just one thing!

I did a little research and I’ll use Eleven Madison Park in New York City as a glowing example of this technique.

Eleven Madison Park has 3 Michelin stars and was voted the number one restaurant in the world in 2017. At about $300 per person, you can imagine its customers are pretty discriminating with the highest expectations fortheir dining experience.  Yet despite all their accolades, even Eleven Madison Park falls short of a 5- star Yelp rating.  (They claim 4.6 stars out of five.)

BUT (and here’s where is gets interesting) despite differing personal opinions on specific dishes, service and atmosphere, one thing is universally mentioned in almost every review: the to-go gift. When you leave Eleven Madison Park you are given a gift of menu and a jar of homemade granola as you leave.

This little surprise causes reviewers to leave comments similar to this one,
“To wrap up the evening we were brought a small bag to take home which had our menu folded in a tiny box along with some granola. A very beautiful gesture and elegantly presented."

It totally changes the tone of the review. And regardless of the overall impression of this business, which quite frankly has many glowing reviews, this one small gesture giveEVERYONE something to write positively about.

Just one thing!

No matter what type of business you own, you can employ this same technique. You can find a way to surprise and delight your guests and actually make them gasp. Take a little time to think about your customers and what you can do that lets them know they’ve just patronized someplace very special. Whether it’s a parting gift, amazing packaging, an extraordinary presentation or a singing server, find that connection that makes your customers so entranced, any other potential issues are forgotten.

The positive reviews will follow and increase your ratings, but even more importantly, they’ll let readers know your establishment has set a higher bar.

Until next time remember…
You can do this!
Angel