| Normally in this column I dispense highly-intelligent small | | | | two things females must do in groups. It makes |
| business advice in response to thought-provoking | | | | perfect sense when you realize that for teenage girls |
| questions submitted by future and fellow | | | | (and many grown women, I'm told) shopping is a social |
| entrepreneurs. This week, however, I have a couple of | | | | activity, an excursion to be taken with friends. The |
| questions for myself, one of which makes me wonder | | | | smart retailers know this and design their stores to be |
| how truly intelligent I really am.Q: Dear Me, I recently | | | | as much a social hot spot as a retail establishment. |
| took my teenage daughter shopping at the mall. The | | | | From the hip/cool music blaring from the overhead |
| experience raised two questions. (1) What business | | | | speakers to the hip/cool young sales dudes to the hip |
| lessons might be learned from such a foray into teen | | | | cool posters on the walls to the hip/cool selection of |
| commerce; and (2) What the heck was I thinking? | | | | merchandise, this store was a teenage girl's retail |
| -- Sincerely, MeA: Dear Me, great questions! Let me | | | | heaven on earth.Target Your Product To A Growing |
| answer them in reverse order since the second | | | | Customer Base Teens represent one of the |
| question is probably the one causing you the most | | | | fastest-growing segments of the consumer population, |
| concern.What was I thinking? Only the good Lord | | | | registering a growth of 16.6% between 1990 and 2000. |
| knows. I vaguely recall complaining that my | | | | Teens also wield significant buying power - both in their |
| fifteen-year-old daughter, who we'll call "Chelsea" | | | | own right and in the context of their family purchasing |
| (because that's her name), didn't spend enough time | | | | decisions. Recent studies have shown that teenagers |
| with her dear old dad anymore. It's a complaint that | | | | age 15 to 19 spend as much as $100 per week, much |
| every dad of a teenage girl formerly known as "my | | | | of it on clothing and accessories. That's why this |
| baby" has made at one time or another. I also recall | | | | expanding segment of the buying public is increasingly |
| my insightful wife telling me that if I wanted to spend | | | | being targeted by smart marketers like Old Navy, The |
| time with Chelsea now that she was a teenager I | | | | Gap, The Buckle, Pac Sun, and many others. As the |
| would have to do it in her element, which happens to | | | | old business saw goes, "Sniff for money, then follow |
| be any large structure with the word "Mall" on the side. | | | | your nose."Provide Great Customer Service I've |
| A fitting analogy would be that if you want to spend | | | | preached this sermon before. Know what your |
| time with a moody tiger you have to go into the jungle | | | | customer expects and always over-deliver. Cater to |
| to do it.No offense to my mall merchant brothers and | | | | their whims. Ask their name and use it with respect. |
| sisters, but a trip into the deepest jungle is more | | | | Make them feel like your friend, not your meal ticket. |
| appealing to me than a trip to the mall. I get no joy out | | | | Make their experience a good one and they will |
| of trudging from store to store, attempting to | | | | return.Good Employees Make All The Difference Hire |
| communicate with salespeople from other planets, | | | | enthusiastic people and train them well. The manager |
| browsing discount racks of last season's dollar | | | | of this store, who looked sixteen but privately |
| merchandise and peering into windows at mannequins | | | | professed to be twenty-six, was one of the best |
| that seem to be in some sort of inanimate pain (why | | | | salesmen I have ever seen. He dressed like his |
| can't they make a happy mannequin?).Bottom line: I'm a | | | | customers. He spoke their language. He knew their |
| guy. It is programmed deep within my genetic code to | | | | likes and dislikes. He was well-versed on fashion |
| hold such things in high disregard. But so strong is my | | | | trends. He pointed out things that might be of interest |
| love for my daughter that I pushed my true feelings | | | | to them and immediately agreed with whatever their |
| aside and off we went to the mall last Saturday | | | | opinion was."You'd look great in this shirt," he told a |
| morning. I called it, "Driving the green mile..."I was | | | | giggling gaggle of girls. It didn't seem to matter that he |
| perfectly fine walking through Sears (a real man's | | | | wasn't speaking to any one of them in particular. They |
| store). I held my own when we cruised through | | | | all giggled some more and trotted off to the fitting |
| Spencer's Gifts (I found the Ozzy Osborne | | | | rooms to try on shirts. You could almost hear the cash |
| bobble-head doll to be quite life-like). But when we | | | | register ring.Upsell, Upsell, Upsell Millions of dollars have |
| walked into one of those stores that specialize in | | | | been made by asking one simple question: Do you |
| clothing and accessories for the younger generation | | | | want fries with that?" When it came time to checkout |
| my psyche all but shutdown. Within minutes I found | | | | the young manager went into upsell mode by saying |
| myself standing at the back of the store holding my | | | | things like, "That's a great shirt you're buying... we have |
| daughter's purse while she tried on small swatches of | | | | a really cool pair of shorts to match that! These |
| material that the store was trying to pass off as | | | | earrings are on sale. They would look awesome with |
| clothing. It was there, standing among the mopey | | | | that necklace you're wearing!"My daughter giggled and |
| mannequins and teeny-tiny underwear and designer | | | | blushed with each compliment - slash - sales pitch and |
| nose rings, that I realized I was witnessing good old | | | | if I had not been the one holding the credit card, she |
| American commerce at work.This leads us back to | | | | would have bought everything he was selling.During the |
| the first question: are there business lessons to be | | | | ride home Chelsea made the defining comment of the |
| learned from a trip to the mall? As the young folks | | | | day."What a great store! I bet they sell a lot more stuff |
| would say, "Dude, definitely!"The following observations | | | | because of that cute sales guy!"Business wisdom |
| can be applied to most businesses, not just to retailers | | | | from the mouths of babes. I should've had sons.Here's |
| that cater to Generation Why.Know Thy Customer | | | | to your success!Tim KnoxSmall Business Q&A is |
| Well Not just from a demographic standpoint, but up | | | | written by veteran entrepreneur and syndicated |
| close and personal. Even from my limited vantage | | | | columnist, Tim Knox. Tim serves as the president and |
| point behind the rack of neon tube tops it was easy to | | | | CEO of three successful technology companies and is |
| identify the store's typical customer: young, hip females; | | | | the founder of DropshipWholesale.net, an online |
| ages mid-teens to mid-twenties. They wandered | | | | organization dedicated to the success of online and |
| through in groups of twos and threes. I suppose that | | | | eBay entrepreneurs. |
| going to the restroom in public and shopping are the | | | | |