Lost Opportunities

I walked into a large used furniture store recently looking for an antique bureau. I had never heard of this store and just happened to drive by. A man in his 50's, who appeared to be the owner, was doing work on his computer and briefly glanced up. I looked around the store for a few minutes and left shaking my head. There was nobody else in the store and part of the reason was obvious. The service was terrible and the store was boring and dull. There wasn't any music playing and the walls were bare.

This man lost a multitude of business opportunities by being complacent. A passionate business owner with powerful marketing skills would run this business different. Here is what a masterful marketer, like your self, would do:

• Get out of your seat and greet customers with warm smiles.
• Offer coffee and a doughnut, pastry, Glacier Ice Cream, etc.
• Try to strike up conversations with the intention of discovering commonalities.
  
• Ask customers if they are looking for anything specific. If they aren't, keep an eye on them and tell them to feel free to ask any questions.
• Offer to call a competitor for items you do not stock. A network of used furniture stores that cooperate can be very effective. New furniture stores are also competition to used furniture stores. I wound up buying a new bureau.
• Offer a $20 off your next visit coupon in exchange for the customers email information. Keep a database of items customers are looking for and send out periodic offers through email newsletters.
• Have music and wall decorations in the store. You should also sell everything displayed on the walls.
  
• Give your customers coupons for a 10%-20% premium when they sell use furniture to the store.
  
• Market heavily at and around the local university that has over 10,000 students move in and out each year. (None of the over ten used furniture stores in Boulder do this)
• Do fusion marketing with other used item businesses like clothing stores, bicycle stores, and home furnishing stores. You can network, offer coupons, and put small displays in co-operating businesses.
• Establish relationships with local landlords and property management companies.
• Put furniture displays outside your store on sunny days.
• When your customers are completely satisfied with everything you offer, hand out special offer coupons to give their friends. You can even make it more beneficial for customers. Offer $100 in free merchandise for each $500 in business that the coupons generate.

You have control of your destiny. Ignorance is not an excuse. Struggling entrepreneurs can either wallow in their misery or do something about it. There is an endless source of free marketing information on the web or you can hire a professional marketing consultant to help you regain your dream. This is your moment. Create a profitable business that is the perfect reflection of you.

Playing With Reality

It is human nature to question everything. Sometimes life is like driving a car: always adjusting to stay on the road. As a small business owner, you need to step back and occasionally evaluate the direction you are heading.

It is extremely important that you remain emotionally detached when you analyze your own business and solicit feedback. This can be very difficult. Small business owners can be a proud and cocky bunch.

Here are some suggestions for getting solid unbiased opinions about what people really think about your business and the way you run it:

• Ask your customers for advice on how you can better satisfy them and how you can enhance what you offer.
• Ask your employees how you can improve your business. Let them speak openly and encourage negative feedback.
• Give a small gift to customers that fill out a customer survey. Ask open ended questions on the survey and allow anonymous comments.
• Ask friends and relatives what they would do different if they owned the business. You will receive more honest feedback with this approach because it is an impersonal approach.
  
• Form a leads group or mastermind group of outstanding business people in your community. Successful business owners will be more likely to give and less likely to be offended by constructive criticism.
• Offer a comment box on your website and in your store.

A positive attitude is mandatory when you evaluate the feedback you receive. Suck it up, roll up your sleeves, and get to work on improving your livelihood.

"A smart businessperson is one who makes a mistake, learns from it, and never makes it again. A wise businessperson is one who finds a smart businessperson and learns from him how to avoid the mistakes he made". Jim Abrams