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India Fashion Forum 2010 Review and Franchising
What an exciting week. Like all good things, India Fashion Forum too had to come to an end. Two Days, over 1000 Brands and even more delegates, along with lots of networking. The India Fashion Forum was supported by Way2Franchise Corp. We are happy to support this event, make all those connections.

FENG SHUI FOR RETAILERS

Feng Shui is an ancient practice that continues to be relevant today. It is more than finding the right place for objects or, hanging a wind chime in the right place. Feng Shui combines how energy flows in a space, the balance of fluid and geometric, yin and yang, the balance of natural elements and the intention of the person who owns, rents or uses the space to achieve success, health and balance in their life. This article introduces Feng Shui for retailers in an easy-to-understand manner.

Seven Reasons Why Everyone Needs a Website
According to Cisco Innovators Forum guest blogger Audra Hajj, the selling world today has turned upside down. How can you broaden your exposure as business owners and take your business to the next level? Here are the top 7 reasons why you need a website:

Carrefour Plans To Enter Indian Market

Carrefour, the French retailer, plans to enter the Indian market by establishing a wholesale business. The Indian economy is one of the fastest growing in the world, with an increasing middle-class. However, unlike China, India’s growth has been fuelled by consumer spending, a fact that has caught the attention of foreign retail giants. However, restrictions on foreign retailers have meant that they have had to find a different route to enter this fast growing market.

At Target Everyday is Earth Day
Some environmentalists have criticized Earth Day as a one day event, but companies like Target are making Earth Day everyday. Target is reducing their environmental impact through a multitude of sustainable practices. Target is amongst a growing number of businesses that are marrying their profit motive to environmental responsibility.

Hot Retail Trends In 2010!
The latest and greatest retail trends for 2010!

The Top 10 Things Independent Businesses Do That Hurt Themselves The Most:
Top ten list of how businesses can hurt themselves and not even know it!

10 Reasons Competitors Have More Business Than You!
Top ten reasons why your competition is getting it, and you don't.

It was going to be a cold winter

Make sure your information about your market is coming from reliable sources!! Do not judge your market conditions only on the conditions of your sales and profits or the news media. a. Shop your competition - see how they are doing b. Talk to your customers about their plans for future purchases c. Talk to businesses in other industries d. Talk with and listen to members of your association e. Talk and listen to sales representatives From the book "Bad Business Assumptions" Chapter

What Aggressive, Sweat and Benefits have in common?

When I wanted to increase my truck tire business I asked my competitions customers what they liked least about doing business with my competition. They all told me the same thing. My competition was only open to fix their tires and sell them new tires from 9am-5pm. The hours the truckers should be on the road driving their trucks. So to solve their problem of lost trucking time we opened at 7am to fix their tires and sell them new tires and stayed open until 9pm. It took us less than 3 months to own the truck tire business.

The Post Office does it... SO CAN YOU

Have you been to your local post office lately? Take the time, make a trip there. Go right up to the window and "LISTEN". Sometime during the exchange between the customer and the postal worker they will ask the customer to buy postal products that most customers had no intention of even considering buying. They always ask you if you need any stamps or mailing supplies. They ask for the sale. Why do they do this? Because it works.

How to close the telephone price shopper
Most people in the selling business feel the telephone price shopper is the toughest sale to make. But the top sales producer don't feel that way. Because they know how to control the sale and change the shoppers focus from price to the benefits they want to receive from the product / service.

Going from a Clerk to a SALES PROFESSIONAL
Clerk: The person behind the counter that directs customers, rings up the sales and puts items in a bag for the customer. Sales Professional: The person that increases sales by:

How to bring the telephone price shopper to your business
We spend way too much money and time marketing, to get prospects to telephone us only to let them hang up before they make the commitment to come into our store or purchase our products and services over the telephone.

What is the lowest price?
You do not have to be a victim of the price cutters - You do not have to be the lowest price to sell.

5 Sins of a Startup Retail or Franchise Business
The DO NOT parts of starting your own business.

Aberdeen Retail Leadership Summit
Aberdeen Retail Leadership Summit filled with provocative discussions, interactive sessions, and multi-industry thought-leadershp.

Career Reinvention through Franchises that Focus on Recycling, Reusing and Reselling

If you’re ready for a career change and you’d like to own a business in one of the hottest industries, you may want to consider franchises that help the growing number of people who are looking to leave their days of over-consumption behind. As consumers shed their wasteful ways and embrace recycling, reusing and reselling their unwanted belongings, in an effort to rid their lives of excess possessions, certain businesses are reaping the rewards. From junk removal businesses, like 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, to resale retail franchises, like Complete Entertainment Exchange (CeX), Franchise Solutions’ business directory features a variety of concepts that let you tap into consumers’ new-found needs and priorities.

The Difference Between Training And Education
Training is only the first step, high sales come from educating.

Summer’s Rising Temperatures are a Boon for Certain Franchises

Summer ushers in a whole new way of life and offers a much-needed respite from months spent indoors. Almost as predictable as the beach-going crowds that summer brings, is the seemingly universal demand for particular products and services. As people spend more time outdoors, the interest in everything from tackling home improvement projects, to enjoying refreshing frozen treats, increases along with the rising temperatures. From home improvement franchises like Frames N Panes, which offers window restoration services, to ice cream and frozen dessert concepts, like the Fruti frozen novelties distribution franchise, a variety of concepts featured on Franchise Solutions’ business directory cater to consumers’ summertime needs.

Real World Advice for Retailers - How To Increase Sales Even When Sales Are Slow
In this article, Michael gives real world advice about how to increase sales even when outside factors may be forcing an industry-wide slow down. Michael not only talks about what makes customers want to come back to your store, but also how to entice them to come back sooner and more often.

Real World Advice for Retailers - Loss Prevention, Chapter 1
In this article, Michael introduces a three-part series of articles that address the serious issue of loss prevention. This first article discusses the ways that retailers lose money from their tills and explains how a POS system can prevent employees from "skimming the tills."

Real World Advice for Retailers - Loss Prevention, Chapter 2

Most retailers focus on preventing shoplifters from stealing merchandise from under their noses. Big investments are made in closed circuit camera systems and recorders, as well as expensive security tags and readers – all to prevent, or catch, shoplifting. But what about the other two leading causes of inventory shrinkage – employee theft and data entry errors. Chapter 2 of Michael’s series on Loss Prevention discusses how a good inventory control system can minimize inventory shrinkage.

Real World Advice for Retailers - Loss Prevention, Chapter 3
Chapter 3 of Michael’s series on Loss Prevention discusses ways that your employees can steal from you without physically taking merchandise or money. He also suggests ways that a retailer can use their POS system to minimize or even eliminate these problems altogether.

Real World Advice for Retailers - What Do Your Customers Think About Your Staff?

In this article Michael asks one of the scariest questions anyone will ever ask you about your retail company: what do your customers think about your business when they meet your employees? If you are afraid to ask yourself this question, then you need to read this. Good customer service starts, and ends, with how your staff members are viewed by your customers. Michael provides a number of practical ideas that you can implement right now to help improve the way your employees engage your customers and thereby maximize your customers' buying experience.

Retail Metrics: Key Performance Indicators ( KPI’s) – Turn
This article covers Key Performance Indicators that you can use to better manage your retail store with. Specifically highlighting Turn: how to understand the reports you get from your POS system, what to do with them and using them to make better business decisions.

Maximizing Retail Growth

In these hard times, every customer matters. Retailers must ensure that all customer who contact them have an extraordinary experience which, ideally, leads to better percentage of customers actually purchasing goods and services and larger average sales per customer. Traditional means of increasing store performance, typically training, have not been successful at developing store personnel sufficiently to provide this winning customer experience.

Is there a secret formula for business success?

On the long weekend I visited a regional mall in a suburb of San Diego. The mall was full of people but not as crowded like it used to be on previous long weekends. The first time I visited this mall was in the mid eighties when it had opened. Out of nostalgia I walked by the locations where I had designed stores when the mall had first opened. Unfortunately all of those businesses closed many years ago. Walking by numerous stores, many of them selling merchandise of similar categories I began to wonder how many of these businesses are going to be around ten years from now. A question popped into my mind. Why do some businesses succeed while the others fail?

10 Tips for Sweet Shop Retailers to increase Sales this Diwali
Diwali is a festival of diyas, candles, crackers and sweets. Here is a list of tips for our sweet shop retailer friends to make it memorable for the customers.

Retail Metrics: KPI’s – Stock to Sales Ratio
Retail Metrics and Key Performance Indicators for the Retail Industry.

How to Turn Back-of-the-Register Cashiers Into Front-of-the-Register Sales People

Do your team members' feet seem permanently glued to the space directly behind the cash registers? Do they use that space to gossip, lurk or hide? How to you turn back of the register cashiers into front of the register sales people? First...it's all about attitude. "I'm not really a sales person" "I don't like to talk to strangers" "I'm really fast just ringing up sales". That's an attitude you've got to nip in the bud. Of course you would have used the DISC personality tool in your interviewing process so that you know what drives and motivates each team member, who's a natural sales person, and who will need coaching. You didn't? Then let's start from who you already have on your team and work on making better choices in the future with bet

5 Key Steps That Will Turn Product Into Profit

If you have ever been to a retail training seminar (and who hasn’t?), you will no doubt have been told that retailing product in your salon can generate 2 to 3 times more profit for the time taken than providing services for your clients. With this in mind, there can be no better time than right now to review, and improve upon, your current retailing activities to ensure that you are going to maximise your sales during the busy year ahead. Retailing does not have to be the cream on your profit cake, if done effectively, it can actually turn out to be the cake itself! By implementing the ideas that follow, you should be able to generate more sales and therefore more profit in your salon.

There’s No Doubt About It … Times Are (Still) Tough!
James Dicks examines the current state of the economy.

A Return to Luxury: Consumer Spending on Luxuries Rises, Spurring Growth for Many Businesses

After swearing off excessive spending and shunning frivolous purchases, consumers appear to be ready to indulge again and are treating themselves to the most splurge-worthy items. Recently released retail sales figures point to strong growth in the luxury goods sector. From luxury homes and vehicles, to high-end fashion apparel, upscale dining and modest luxuries like haircuts and gourmet coffee, people are once again partaking in products and services they’d forgone amid the economic downturn. With consumer spending on luxuries rising, the pent up demand that’s being unleashed is spurring economic growth and benefitting businesses; making this an ideal time to tap into the momentum and own a business that offers consumers sought-after luxuries.

Lessons from a Shopping Mall
Regardless of what you do for a living, you must place your clients on a pedestal and adapt to their changing needs and preferences.

Social Media for Retail Marketers

The utilization of social media has completely transformed the world of retail marketing. Traditional marketing by itself is no longer effective. Retail marketers are now using social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter to develop relationships and interact with customers and potential customers. In today's world, this interaction is a key component to making a store appear more human to the public. Store representatives are online establishing dialogue with people, which makes people feel that their wants, concerns, and needs are being listened to. People are much more likely to shop at a store if they feel that the staff is genuinely interested in getting to know them.

Retail Sales and Dealing with 4 Different Customer Personalities
As retailers, we deal with many different personality types on a daily basis. Of course each customer is unique, but there is universal agreement that there are four basic personality types - Director, Analytical, Relater and Socializer. Knowing each style and their buying habits will allow you to drastically increase sales and repeat business.

It’s A Battle Out There: Retail Conscription and CX

What do South Korea, Brazil, and Singapore all have in common? If you said booming economies you wouldn’t be wrong, in fact, all three have enjoyed steady growth within the past 10 years. However, there is something else these countries share that is slightly less glamorous than power lunches and billion dollar deals. Military conscription. For those of you lucky enough to grow up in the peace loving bubble of Canada, that means a government regulated amount of mandatory military service for all males (and sometimes females) of a certain age.

Why Should I Come Into Your Store?
Give your customers multiple reasons to come into your store. The more reasons and the more people that you will appeal to, the more business that you will do.

Two Money Making Tips for the Price of One
It’s not the silver bullet and there are certainly other reasons why businesses fail, however, it’s a bullet in your arsenal of weapons that can hit the bull’s eye faster and more accurately than many of our other weapons. Here are two tips you can keep in your arsenal.

Boring Just Doesn’t Sell
Is your business boring? It doesn't have to be! Use these tips to add humor into your advertising and positioning. Remember, the way a company acts is now a determining factor in whether or not customers do business with them.

Retailer Stores Increase Product Liability Insurance Requirements for Manufacturers
This week one of America's largest retailers of baby products and home goods released their new Product Liability Insurance requirements to be imposed on makers of clothing, toys, play items, furniture, car seat, strollers and food items. (Hint the name has lots of B's in it)

How to Speed Up Your Business with Retail Management Software
You may be using the best retail management software available. It increases efficiency and available free time for you and your team. But is that enough for speeding up your business? Does the software provide complete satisfaction to your clients? Your competitors might use the same software. How will you have an edge over them?

Nordstrom’s Loyalty Program Creates…. Loyalty
Nordstrom’s loyalty program has been one of the primary reasons customers are LOYAL to the brand.

Are We Born With Customer Service Skills?
Ever meet someone in a retail store that appears genuinely happy to be at work? Have a customer service problem handled over the phone with representative on the other end that made you smile even at the end of a long complaint? Certain people are born with a serving mindset, eager to please the people they interact with.

Is Poor Customer Service Driving Cyber Activity?
Retailers are concerned the consumer is using the Internet not just to find their best price but to avoid poor customer experience. While Black Friday numbers were the best since the Great Recession, if you look a little closer you will see an interesting trend developing where traffic was up 11 percent and Cyber transactions were double that! Why?

Strategic Marketing Success for Distribution Retail Service and Manufacturing Businesses
Presents the common marketing strategy errors made by various types of businesses, and how to avoid them. Business types include distributors, services businesses, manufacturers, and retailers.

Support Local Businesses - Drive, Learn, and GROW

Have you ever driven by a little store and decided to finally drop in and asked “how long have you been here?” and they reply “years”? And isn’t it embarrassing that you thought they had only been there a few months or just opened? With my daughter owning her little Toy Store, I realized that I have NOT been the best supporter of other local businesses. It’s too easy for us to go to a one stop “Big Box” store to do our shopping and it squelches our learning, our exposure, and our FUN. So this year I’ve decided that at least 1 day a week I’m stopping at those little “emerging” businesses and supporting them. I’m going in and often times when I ask “are you the owner” I hear “YES!” I then tease about their “cot” being in the back room. It’s always my pleasure to say – I’m a business owner too – congratulations on your

10 Retail Franchise Businesses You May Never Have Considered
Everyone knows the most popular retail establishments, and even the word retail often brings to mind days as a teenager, working in a chain store or a mall boutique. Mainstream retail stores are perfectly fine, but for those who want to start a more unique retail store, take a look at some of the retail businesses you may have never considered.

Its Not All About Location Location Location
Last time we met I brought you the tale of how I scouted for and eventually found what I considered to be the best retail location for my new retail gunshop in my hometown of Madison.

Why Some Retailers Are Doing Better Than Others In The Current Retail Environment
In evaluating the overall retail situation I noticed that many of our own retail store customers had done well or at least fared better than their competitors in the same retail segment(s). I thought it might be of interest to some of you to analyze what they are doing that is working.

5 reasons to automate your Retail
Most often I heard retailer saying following: 1. Why do I need retail management software? 2. What are the reasons to automate my Retail? 3. I am running a successful retail without any IT system. I do not want to debate or argue, but yes I would like to say something on this.

RETAIL SALE BOOSTER MODEL (RSBM)
What is Retail Sales Booster Model all about? The RSBM needs a deeper understanding of the RCSM first, so that the base of all retail problems can be addressed. read on.

Tips For Running A Retail Giveaway
The primary goal behind any retail marketing plan is to increase foot traffic and drive revenue. One of the more effective ways of bringing more clients to your retail store is to have a promotional giveaway. There are a few tips and hints that every retailer can use to create a successful giveaway and use it to improve retail sales.

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