Nicky's Rag Tales

The one thing that Independent retailers have going for them is the opportunity to give excellent customer service. In the course of my work I’m responsible for the Falke customer personnel in the Irish stores. Periodically they move on and I find myself interviewing potential staff for the new position. Once I have found them it’s time to start training them. It’s often said that good sales staff can’t be trained they are just naturally good at selling. There is some truth in that but there is a lot to learn and customer service when given at a high standard will make the difference between success or failure for any retailer.

Ireland doesn’t have a good record in this area. Often sales staff don’t go the extra mile or try to establish any meaningful relationship with the customer. When the owners aren’t there the turnover often dips. But there are things we can do to improve sales by constantly training and helping our sales staff to maximise sales and most of all have the customers returning. So a few tips for good selling.

I. Always establish a relationship with the customers. You will soon know the ins and outs of all their lives.

2. All staff should have good product knowledge, this includes the different sizing that varies from line to line.

3. On quiet days do some role play, and find out what works and what doesn’t.

4. Satisfied customers don’t always talk about the product but do mention the service.

5. Be one step ahead of the customer.

6. Know when to back off so the potential customer will come back. It’s not a failure if they don’t buy, it’s only a failure if they don’t come in again.

I remember walking into a shoe shop in America for a browse when a sales woman approached me and asked me what shoe size I was. It would have taken guts to tell her I wasn’t going to give her my shoe size and so I did. Within minutes she produced six pairs of shoes in my size! I thought wow! How’s that for service and promptly tried on a lovely pair and bought them!

Pr needn’t be the preserve of the few. Every small retailer can do a their own PR and create publicity which is free. Think of all the local press and remember that editors have to fill the magazines and newspapers. If you have new ranges coming in and you love them shout about it. Gather a list of all the local and national press and create Press releases. For information on how to do this check out Retail Rehab. The best and most professional site which outlines exactly how to go about putting together your own Press releases and information on how to create a profile for your business that helps to target your core customer.. Don’t forget tie ins with local charities which needn’t cost a lot but can produce a win win solution.

In these very challenging times those who believe in what they do and are passionate will succeed. But don’t hide, shout loud and often.. remember each time you issue anything to the press create a good story around it. A good hook is what is needed. Gather images from your suppliers and supply them along with your story. Think of the local press and don’t dismiss publications such as The Farmers Journal which has a huge readership and a regular fashion feature.

If we keep doing the same things then how can we expect a different result? “Chop wood and sparks fly” is one of my favorite mantra’s. The gloves are off but we can all of us in this business support each other and hopefully emerge when the upturn comes stronger and fitter.

During the 1980′s in Dublin there were several second hand clothing shops. For Vintage there was only (as far as I know) Jenny Vanders, Drury St, Dublin where I bought my Chanel Suit and a Kimono which I still have and love. The second hand shops took your old clothes and put a value on them which you would then get if they were sold. I remember being told that everything I had was no longer “In fashion” and was worth less than diddly squat! I left feeling awful and vowed I would never do that again. Read more

It seems that South Korea has taken our wearing of high heels very seriously indeed. There are now over 4,000 designated pink outlined parking spaces strategically placed near the doors of stores just for the high heeled customers. How’s that for taking care of the elevated amongst us! Unfortunately I’m not planning to totter over to South Korea just yet. Dundrum Shopping centre take note!

I’m just back from London where as well as business I took a couple of hours to stroll the Notting Hill/ Portobello Road area. With Twenty8Twelve, Anne Fontaine Shirts and blouses and numerous beautiful boutiques as well a wonderful cafes I spotted some beautiful women going into an old theatre. I have always been a follower (especially of well dressed people) and so I found myself In a vast theatre space minus my bag which I had to exchange for a cloak ticket and found myself at Mathew Williamson’s sample/trunk sale. With my business hat always on I was slightly perturbed at the quantity of stock, surely a sign of the times . I spotted a glorious Kaftan which I remember seeing in Harvey Nichols early in the season reduced from £450 to £149. For all those perpetual holiday hunnies there were great bargains. For me though I opted for a plain white shirt in Anne Fontaine (at full price, no sale here) and even in the searing heat of London imagined the Winter to come and the power dressing I will need to embrace to weather the storms ahead. Anne Fontaine makes the most perfect white shirts and even though Kate Gleeson, Diffusion Boutique, Clontarf, Dublin will tell me I should have bought it from her I couldn’t resist. Maybe I need a second one?

Tweed

Paul Smith, Military

Cocktail Louis Vuitton

Prints, Christian Dior

Shoulders (my favourite) Armani

You can’t open a magazine at the moment without seeing fabulous photographs of the latest catwalk shows and pointers to what is hot for Autumn 09. As I’m in full swing selling for Summer10 I feel somewhat in two minds and as I peruse the images I( and I suspect) all fashion buyers are trying to remember if they bought any of these trends which we are told are the must haves. I do remember having high waisted trousers, fabulous camel coats, short cocktail dresses, prints, tweeds and knits but I am hard pressed to remember if any of my customers bought heavily into them. Shoulders Ala Dynasty style are definitely back and it won’t be long until we see the dreaded perm atop many a head. The high street as always will be quick to pick out the best of the trends but for now buyers are continuing to play safe. Read more

A little trivia for the weekend had me surfing the web and a trend I noticed while I focused on the new Givenchy advert was that the models (Adriana Lima, the Brazilian beauty and her pals) had either shaven or bleached brows! Apparently it’s a trend that was all over the catwalks for Autumn 09. Apparently the runway was minus many a brow.

As I’m obsessive about mine I think this is a trend I definitely won’t be following. Last Thursday in Galway had me with my trusty Mac eyebrow pencil jostling in the Ladies in Morans on the Weir while my friend let me have a go at hers. Meanwhile other women joined in! Eyebrows are not twins they are sisters, and with that in mind I did a pretty good job at turning wispy non-events into fabulous face framing beauties. For those who can’t do the pencil thing, semi-permanent makeup is the only way to go, but be warned. The only person who can do the job brilliantly is Lisa Lam in Vancouver. If you ever happen to be in Vancouver, and lets face it, it’s a brilliant holiday destination, and you feel inclined to banish those pencil fill ins for good you would be in the best hands.

Following on a busy few days in the showroom and Heather Thomson’s visit from Yummie Tummie during which there was a great piece on TV3 and XPOSE I headed to Galway for R&R. For anyone who hasn’t been it’s one big party, lots of well dressed women with the Horse Racing coming easily last. Irish women make a huge effort for Galway race week and the Best Dressed Lady competition on Thursday is hugely popular. Personally I think it should only be horses parading in the ring though you have to admire the great effort they go to. The sun was shining and there was a huge amount of colour evident and lots of fancy head wear. I donned more simple attire wearing a Black MaxMara chiffon dress and a grey trilby and was one of the very few wearing flats. I spotted several women in bare blistered feet and a few broken heels dotted around the race grounds at the end of the day! On Thursday night we partied and ate good food in Kirwans lane where live music had us dancing on the tables until 3am. As I had to be up at the crack of dawn to make it to the RTE studios on Friday morning for the Coco Avant Chanel movie review I didn’t sleep a wink and just about made it to the finishing line. It’s more than the horses that need training for Race week in Galway!