The Problem Solver: Eight Great Ways To Make Your Retail Store Memorable

Branding is the key to success, says retail expert Rick Segel. His insightful new book tells you how to distinguish your store from all the others. According to Retail Business Kit For Dummies (Hungry Minds, Inc., 2001, ISBN: 0-7645-5381-X, $29.99)—from retail expert and national speaker Rick Segel—the brand you must devote all your energies to is your own.
“Because different manufacturers and lines will fall in and out of favor, build your brands with an eye on establishing your store name as a recognizable brand,” advises Segel. “If you do this, your store will stay strong—regardless of fluctuating trends. Promote your store’s name, not the name of a manufacturer. Repeat this phrase 100 times, write it on the blackboard another 100 times—and before you go to sleep every night, say it again.”

He offers the following tips on how you can build your store’s brand power:

• Find a niche. In this age of specialization, consumers are more than willing to pay extra money to deal with a specialized professional—someone who really knows his or her business, a real expert. In fact, the more you specialize, the better you get at what you do (and the more customers will travel farther or pay extra to do business with you).
  

• Understand who your customer is. When considering what kind of customers you want to attract to your business—your ideal customers—think about their income level, their education level, their lifestyle, and the media they are exposed to—especially the magazines they read. All this information helps you determine how best to build your brand to appeal to your ideal customer.
  

• Create a logo. A truly great logo is one that is both a powerful image and a specific representation of your business—not just a pretty picture. First, determine the look and feel that you want to create. Think of the types of people you have defined as your ideal customers. What would appeal to them? What stores do they already shop at? Collect logos that appeal to you. Finally, show the proofs of this new logo to friends, colleagues, enemies, family members, professionals, retailers, or anyone else you can think of and gather their opinions.
  

• Own a word or phrase. You can really make your brand stick in the minds of your customers if you can find a word or phrase that specifically represents your business, yet has a bread and catchy appeal. “Mothers are our specialty” is the expression that I used very successfully in my store (we sold mother-of-the-bride dresses) for more than 23 years. I included this phrase 8in all my advertising. The public came to accept my store, my employees and me as the “experts” on mother-of-the-bride dresses.
  

• Create trade dressing. Trade dressing simply refers to the colors that you use to represent your business. If I asked you, “What colors are used by Coca-Cola?” you would know—red and white. Pick your colors and use them on everything that you possibly can. On all of your packaging, on your signage (inside and out), and in your ads. You can try to include your trade colors in the interior of your store, but the colors that make great packaging and signage rarely make for good interior design.
  

• Become an expert. You want your business to be the first thing that pops into people’s minds when they think about the products that you sell. In order for this to happen, you must work to become the recognized expert in the field. Here’s how:
  

Do your homework. Today, you have access to unlimited amounts of information with just a few clicks of your computer mouse. Try to attend every seminar that your industry offers. Know more than your peers.

Obtain credentials. If you association, such as the Jewelry Association or the Photo-Marketing Association, offers any type of certification program, get certified. It adds to your credibility—and that can only help your business.

Spread the word. Once you have achieved “expert” status, share your accomplishment with the world. Contact the different media outlets, and let them know that they can call on you to comment on various issues that affect your industry. Send out a press release every time you go to a trade show to share the insights you gained.

Share your knowledge. If you own a gift shop, teach a class in your store on how to select the perfect gift. If you have a hardware store, give classes on how to fix stuff. And if you own jewelry store, think about this: Because every guy feels stupid buying a ring, how many wouldn’t love to take a class on how to buy the perfect diamond for their sweetheart.”

• Provide consistency. Your logo, your fonts, your signature line, and your colors must be the same every single time you use them. You may make some substitutions (such as using the name “Coke” rather than “Coca-Cola”), but don’t change your logo or typeface. If you vary the elements of your store’s presentation such as your logo or color scheme, you undermine the power of your brand. Remember, consistency builds brand power more than anything else.
  

• Protect your brand. If you say that your salespeople are professionals, yet you fail to train your staff, you hurt your brand. If you say that you’re efficient, yet your store is messy, you hurt your brand. If you say that you care about giving back to the community, yet you’re caught littering, you hurt your brand. Everything that you do (or your staff does) affects your brand.
  

Branding is only one of the many topics covered in Retailed Business Kit For Dummies. The book will teach you how to pick a location and select merchandise, write a business plan, define your customer base, write press releases and adds, handle permits, taxes and legal issues and use e-tailing effectively. The accompanying CD offers a wealth of customizable business forms, checklists for running sales and promotions, and sample coupons, gift certificates and more.