Have a GREAT Meeting!
by Kate Holmes, author of Too Good to be
Threw, The Complete Operations Manual for Resale & Consignment Shops
and The Picker Who Perished, A TGtbT Consignment Shop Mystery
It's easy to get the most out of any business meeting. 5 steps to to prepare for a worthwhile time!
1. Talk to people!
Now is NOT the time to be shy. Walk up,
introduce yourself, hand out your card.
Whatever you do, do NOT stick with
him what brung ya. If there's more than one of you from your shop, split
up. You'll get twice the helpful info that way.
2. Get serious
Sure, every conversation starts in
generalities. But a meeting is not the time for chitchat. Ask a
question: What type of sale brings your customers in best? or
offer an insight: Since I started sending postcards every 6 weeks,
I've been able to cut my media advertising in half. Get down to
it. Share what helps you sell 100
designer bags a month...
In
preparation for serious fact-finding, list your concerns before you go
to the meeting. What do you want to find out? In order to share what
YOU know, pack those extra sale fliers that were such a success,
your shop photo album, the specific names and contact info of
your favorite wholesales, supply houses, etc.
3. Is
it your style?
Listen to all sensible ideas. It may not
suit your shop's image, but there's a lesson there. Just what does that
person's idea do to their bottom line and HOW? Figure out how you can do it too.
For
example, you may not want to do an after-hours party. But maybe
listening, you'll learn that people really like to "belong",
and you'll turn that party idea into a Preferred Customer Club...
4. Take what fits
They might have a really big budget. They
might have a teeny shop. They might be in the country or the city.
Not everything will seem to fit. But we
all have similar customers, when you come right down to it.
5. Keep notes
Scribble flashes of insight down, along
with the person who said it. Later, in a free moment, go back over your
notes and flesh them out. If you need clarification, you'll have the
person's name right with the idea.
Write
each brilliant idea on a separate page or index card. That way, you can
shuffle ideas around, combine and subtract... and put them on your to-do
calendar when you get back home.
And most of all: have FUN! The resale
business is unique... and so are you and everyone you'll meet!
All my best,
Kate
Holmes
Oh, one LAST TIP: (Don't you hate how I always seem to do this? Me too.) BEFORE you leave home, make up a handful of business-sized stamped envelopes addressed to yourself. Then, when you ask someone to send you something, you can write WHAT on the back of the envelope and hand it to the person. You'll increase your chances of actually GETTING it 1000%.
You'd love to go to Conference....BUT....? See why whatever's stopping you shouldn't.
Absolutely can't go to Conference? Learn how to make your own at home!
| TGtbT.com is the premiere web site for professional resalers. Start a consignment, resale or thrift store with our free articles and Products for the Professional Resaler. Interested in business plans, operating your shop, consignment software and selling secondhand clothes, upscale designer fashions, children's gear or used furniture? Consignment shops, resale stores, thrift stores and consignment sales use Too Good to be Threw. As a lifelong member of NARTS and a consignment consultant, our information is designed for the resale industry. | ||
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