Golf is a game that people either love or hate. A lot of money is spent by players at every level trying to improve their game. A serious golfer will use any tool, gimmick or gadget to enhance his swing or improve his distance. Most of these tools actually work to give the golfer an edge and help him to achieve better results.

Aren’t we looking for the same edge in business? Business owners are always searching for ways to improve their operations, grow their customer base and increase revenue—much like the golfer trying to improve his handicap. Any new knowledge, tool or technique the business can use to improve its game can make a big impact on the company’s bottom line.

One of the important tools available to businesses is mystery shoppers. When your frame sales are lagging and the business is not generating the income it once was, it’s time to step back and take a look at your business from a fresh perspective. There may be any number of reasons for slow sales, and mystery shopping can provide important insight as to how your business is really doing. It gives you an objective evaluation of your company’s strengths and weaknesses and if the tools you’re using are, in fact, working to improve your game.

Whether you hire a professional mystery shopper or you’re successful in persuading your cousin Tom to do it for you, the shopper’s attention should be directed to areas that generate the most revenue for your store.

Customer Service

When customers call for the first time, who answers the phone? How do they handle the potential business? Are they knowledgeable? Is their speech clear and inviting? Do they sound like they want the business? Can they provide clear directions to your location? At the sales counter, is the salesperson friendly and helpful? Are they dressed professionally? Are their suggestions and frame designs up to standard? Can the salesperson list the product benefits? Do they sound rehearsed or relaxed and confident? How is customer’s artwork being handled? Does the salesperson go out of their way for the customer? Are they able to close the sale? Your salespeople are the key factor in generating sales. If they are unwilling or unable to close the sale and get the order, changes may need to occur. Mystery shopping can reveal information about the store’s level of customer service—and that is critical to your business’ success.

Appearance

When a customer drives up to your storefront what do they see? Does your store have easy-to-read signage? Are the signs well-lit and free from overgrown landscaping? Are your signs visible from the main road? Is your parking area clean? If your store looks dumpy or is in need of paint and repairs, customers will likely pass it by on their way to your competition. When inside, what does the customer see? Is the store neat and tidy? Are the wall displays fresh and interesting? Are the floors clean or is it obvious it hasn’t seen a vacuum in weeks? Can you see customer’s artwork stacked up behind the counter? Is artwork being stored properly?

The information gained from a mystery shopper not only provides feedback on how your business is functioning but, more importantly, it can become a valuable training tool. It not only reveals the negative weaknesses in your company but it can also point out the positive strengths as well. The evaluation can provide the owner with areas of focus for sales training, goal setting, employee incentive plans and bonus schedules for employees that exceed your expectations.

Mystery shopping can provide owners with an eye-opening perspective of your business and salespeople. Roy Smith said, “The successful man is the one who finds out what’s wrong with his business before his competitors do.” Any business owner knows that is so true. Staying on top of your game requires owners to use any tool available, just like a golfer trying to improve his handicap. From the knowledge and insights gained from a fresh perspective, you can ultimately increase your revenue and take a few strokes off your score.

The post Meg on Marketing: What’s Your Handicap? appeared first on Art Business News.

Did you make big plans for 2013? A few months have passed since our annual turning of the calendar and it’s probably past time for some of us to check in with the goals we casually sketch out on notebook paper. If you’re like me, you’ve got big hopes for your business, but if you want those hopes to become reality, you’ve got to have a plan. It’s time to click the “refresh” button and map out specific details on how to make this year your best year ever.

The economic situation may have changed over the past few years, but it’s hardly as bad as the “sky is falling” reports you hear on the daily news. Downturns in the business cycle are a normal part of the glamorous and ever exciting world of self-employment. I’ll admit though, flat sales numbers are much less exciting than the double-digit growth of years past. This is reality of the job we chose, accept it as normal part of the business cycle and make solid plans on how to weather the storm. To thrive in the upcoming year, we must develop an annual business plan. Here’s how:

Look at the past

Before going in a new direction, reconsider what worked and what didn’t. Specifically identify which activities have been your most successful in terms of profit, not just income. Evaluate the services and products you offer. Did photo frame sales meet expectations? Did installation charges cover costs? Is there an employee that needs retraining, or perhaps replaced? How much money did you make selling Museum glass versus Premium Clear? Identify what made you money in the previous year and what didn’t.

List your goals

Write down everything you want to do in next twelve months. Begin with how much money you want to make, services you want to add, or products you want to take away. Be sure to include changes in work patterns and store operations. If it’s your goal to be home at three o’clock to meet the kids coming home from school, set a goal to hire afternoon help. If you want to expand to internet sales, make a goal to hire a reputable web-development company.

Be specific

Now is when you add details to each goal. Instead of simply saying you want to increase sales, be specific. List each product and service you offer and set a specific number for sales and number of customers you’ll need for each. For instance, if you want to double your sales of fillets; look at last years figures, set a number and project how many additional customers are needed to reach that goal. Repeat the same exercise with Museum glass, fine art and prints, installations and accessories.

Develop steps

After every goal, and the specific numbers of each, write down the steps needed to reach that goal. In other words, identify the specific actions you plan to take to insure your success. For example, if you want to increase your customer base you are going to need to attract more customers through marketing. List the ways you plan to do this; advertising, networking, e-mail campaign, etc.

Estimate resources needed

Each step will require time and money to achieve. Estimate the costs associated with each specific step so you can come up with a reasonable cost per goal. This will be a tremendous help when you’re building your budget for the upcoming year. Don’t forget to estimate the time needed to achieve each goal.

Assign people

Next to your goals, figure out who will be responsible for each and if any additional people will be needed. To reach sales goals, every sales person should be included, but if it is to “be green” you may want to assign the task of recycling cardboard to a specific person.

Prioritize your goals

If done right, this list would take more time and money than you probably have right now. So rearrange your list of goals and actions starting with the things you must do to survive followed by the activities with the highest chance of success. Be sure to give your plan a reality check, because if it is too far beyond what you and your employees usually do, you may need to re-prioritize.

Putting your plan into action will become more manageable when you assign a month, week or day for each task. Take it one step at a time and you will be on a steady path to success, strong enough to weather any storm.

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Each year, Finer Frames hosts a juried art competition in the spring to build name recognition and highlight the work of many talented local artists. Fifty area artists compete for $700 in cash and ribbons in watercolor, oil/acrylic painting and mixed media categories. Promotion for this event begins months in advance with press releases calling for artists, distributing posters at area art supply stores, and getting the event scheduled on art events calendars on television, radio and newspapers.

This annual event has been a tremendous success and has become my signature event. Entry fees cover all of the expenses and the media coverage is free. It’s so perfect that the only down side is the tremendous amount of effort (and room) that it requires, but I’m convinced it’s worth it.



Recruiting artists.
To attract area artists, I sent out a call to artists, arts groups and local media. I began by preparing a press release that contained all the basic information describing the media categories, prizes, show dates and location. I faxed the press release to arts editors of four area papers and the college paper as well. Arts groups like the Idaho Watercolor Society included the release in their monthly newsletter, which helped to recruit great competition in that category.

Judging the show.
The judge of the contest has changed every year. Each has had a professional art background and has given careful consideration to every entry. The first year, I made the mistake of asking three experts to judge the show. When the three couldn’t agree, I finally had to step in and choose some of the winners. I learned my lesson and invited a single judge the following years. The most passionate judge was an art professor from a nearby college. He really seemed to enjoy his role and spent hours critiquing each painting. Thus far, all have been willing to do this for free, although I do give them a nice thank you gift.



Awards.
The judge’s results are announced at a special awards presentation on the opening night of the show. Artists are encouraged to bring their family and friends and all are welcome to vote for the People’s Choice award. Winners in each category receive a cash prize and beautiful rosette ribbon, which accompanies their painting for the duration of the show. I serve complimentary wine and hors d’ovres for the partygoers. It is an exciting evening for the artists and for all those who attend.

Where to hang the ugly painting?
It has always been my intention to encourage new artists, but when it comes to displaying amateur artwork in questionable frames, I start to get a little concerned. The first year of the show, the entry fee was only $10. I learned the hard way that the price was too cheap to attract professional artists but low enough to catch the attention of anyone who had a whim to put paint to paper. The nicest people brought in the ugliest work.



Promoting the show.
From the very beginning, the local media was very interested in my effort to support the arts. The newspapers, radio and television were generous with their coverage (which, by the way, was completely free). This was community news: an event to get excited about and one with pretty pictures too. I faxed details about the event to the paper and sent them photos of a few paintings. The news release appeared in the papers with a color photo by its side.



Hard work pays off.
The generous amount of media attention helped to drive new customers into my store. Artists who were unfamiliar with my services brought me their business and introduced me to their own family and friends at the awards reception. They were so excited to have their work exhibited in a gallery that they eagerly told everyone they knew about the show. Attendance was good as supporters of the arts came out to see the paintings, and many patrons asked to be added to my mailing list. The exposure was tremendous. The event and its coverage cemented in my mind the reality that it’s not what a business says about itself that counts, it’s what others say that matters.

The post Meg on Marketing: Let’s Put on a Show appeared first on Art Business News.

Consider what John Moore, a former marketer at Starbuck said about the ordering process:

While it may take a little longer to figure out how to order your double tall, half-caf, vanilla, nonfat latte, once you do, there’s a feeling of belongingness, that you’re part of the “club.”

Whether it’s an exclusive ordering process like Starbucks, a club membership like Costco, or a sense of community like Harley Davidson, creating a feeling of exclusivity is the best way of successful branding of your art and framing business.

The power of exclusivity is often overlook and under-utilized by framers focused on discount coupons to compete. But the truth is that it is the best way to penetrate a very tough marketplace and is best used when competition is fierce. Custom picture framing is exclusive by definition; limited distribution, sold at select stores and at a higher price. The major benefit of this is that customers tend to attach a higher perceived value to products like this which in turn allows for higher profit margins.

How can framers harness the power of exclusivity? Although it’s not nice to exclude people, you can be exclusive in your business. Here are a few tips to keep you focused.

Carve out a niche – Identify a target customer group, and not just one, make a list of several groups that need framing services.

Create a need – Think ahead to solves needs they haven’t realized yet. For example, golfers needing hole in one scorecard framed, or student pilots completing their first flight.

Invent ways to invite friends – Consumers that value exclusive memberships take pride in that exclusivity and will likely invite a few friends to join in.

Establish value for your framing services – Over the top frame displays, strong store merchandising and great website photos are a terrific way to create value by building trust.

Back it up with substance – Making sure every step of the sales process is executed to the best of your ability is the key. Deliver more that you promise is always the best policy.

Considering the success major brands like Starbucks, Costco and Harley Davidson have seen in a difficult economy, we should be encouraged by their commitment to offering a high quality product at a premium price. By following their example and harnessing the power of exclusivity framers can enjoy enduring success.

Meg Glasgow

The post Meg on Marketing: The Power of Exclusivity appeared first on Art Business News.

It was the week before Christmas when this customer came in looking for a print she has seen in the shop weeks before. We found the print and worked for nearly an hour selecting mats and a beautiful frame that I actually could have delivered in time for the holiday. When she came in the next day to pick it up it all seemed fine at first, then came the melt-down. I’ve seen a lot of different behavior displayed by customers over my 20+ years in retail, but I never expected this. She was upset – well beyond what would be considered reasonable. She was down right hysterical! There were whiney cries of disappointment in between big sobs and a river of tears. Everyone stopped, eyes open wide, jaws dropped while they listened to her rant and waited to see what I was going to say next.

This situation was uncomfortable for me, but a great training session for my employees. It reminded me of how important handling difficult customers can be and how critical it is to the survival of a retail business. Surveys say that 95% of dissatisfied customers become loyal customers if their complaints are handled well. Here are eight tips for diffusing customer anger and creating calm with cranky customers.

1. Respect the customer. Give the customer time to vent (and rant if need be) and let them explain their entire situation. Don’t apologize too quickly – they won’t hear it anyway. If you interrupt too quickly they may feel stifled and will be unwilling to hear your solution.

2. Don’t get defensive. Remember that their attitude and behavior aren’t personally against you. Keep your voice pleasant and your tone helpful and compassionate. You will make things much worse if you sound irritated or defensive.

3. Focus on the facts. Ask questions and listen carefully to what the customer is saying. Are they unhappy with the color or the design, was the project not completed on time or is there a problem with the frame. Find out exactly what the problem is.

4. Repeat the problem. “I heard you say you were disappointed with the mat color.” Restate their concerns so the communication is clear. “Do I understand you right…?”

5. Say you’re sorry. Say you’re sorry even if you didn’t do it, even if the customer is wrong. “I’m sorry this isn’t what you expected.” Don’t pass the blame – the customer doesn’t want to hear it. They’re talking to you – it’s your problem now.

6. Fix it. Before you offer your best solution, ask the customer what they would suggest to fix the problem. Perhaps they would be happy with $20 off the price, a replacement or refund. Tell the customer what you plan to do to resolve the situation and when it will be done.

7. Give a gift. To show that you care about them and their business, give them a coupon for $50 off their next order, a gift certificate. A small token of your appreciation of their understanding will be remembered.

8. Follow up with the customer. Even if the problem is solved send them a note in the mail or write an e-mail to make sure the customer is happy.

9. It’s important to remember not to let the customer’s drama become your drama. Try to create calm and correct the problem while diffusing their anger. Take these steps to resolve the customer’s complaint and an unhappy customer can become one of the 95% of satisfied customers that help improve your business.

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