Keep family members of all ages occupied over the festive period with Rick Turner’s annual Christmas Quiz. He always comes up with plenty that get me stumped and yet other family members do far better. It’s great fun and will get the conversation going.
To download click on Christmas Quiz.
ou will find the answers at www.thebigsheep.co.uk after Boxing Day. Good luck!
The 2009 series of Christmas TV ads from Marks & Spencer were outstanding. They created an emotional attachment for their shoppers and boosted sales. Here’s a sample and you’ll find others at YouTube. Well worth a look. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fbwS9kNboM
This year’s, ‘Don’t put a foot wrong’ commercial just doesn’t get near it. Check it out at: http://www.marksandspencer.com/Christmas-TV-Advert/b/526976031
Whereas John Lewis 2010 Christmas ad’ gets to me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mpV-xagkTDU . It’s the best I’ve seen so far this year. How about you?
If so are you dishing it out to your staff and are they poring it out plentifully to your customers?
The reason this question is so important is because we know that the 'science' of shopping is dwarfed by the 'emotion' of the buying experience. Imagine being a customer out shopping for gifts, dreading the expenditure and search, only to be confronted by store staff who are bored or tired of the whole 'go wait on another customer' thing. How likely is it that you would want to buy something in that store?
Sure, this 'Christmas spirit' thing might sound a little too warm and fuzzy, but the truth is that if you have plentiful supplies of it, you're more likely to be able to share it with those around you.
If you manage others, it is a wonderful gift to give them. If you sell to customers, you can brighten their day and reduce their frazzle factor. What a wonderful gift!
Source: Inspired by a great piece from Canadian retail specialist Kevin Graff www.graffretail.com
Here is some invaluable advice from John Albertson of the New Zealand Retailers Association www.retail.org.nz in their December newsletter.
“Your customers are under real pressure. They too have had a tough year as they have had to re-organise their household balance sheets, they are under family pressure to participate in gift giving, they are short of time as they deal with all those pre-Christmas events, and they don’t want to return to high debt levels. They are feeling pressured.
“The service you give them can help ease that pressure; you and your staff really need to be on top of your game.
“Plan carefully, execute well, help your customers make those gift buying decisions and have a great Christmas trading period.”
In this day and age where every company regularly emails their, ahem, customer database, it’s important to make yourself stand out from the crowd.
In the current climate, people are as selective about which emails to read as they are about the shops they’ll go into. And it seems the way to persuade them to step through your door - or open your mailing - is to tailor your piece to their interests.
According to research published in the UKs Grocer magazine, targeted, personalised emails are more effective than “generic one-size-fits-most” emails. That said, certain headlines do have mass appeal – 50% of consumers prefer to receive money-off emails over any other, followed closely by offers of free delivery. Furthermore these sorts of offers, and personally appealing messages are more likely to be spread across social networks, spreading your reputation and message.
It’s all about tapping into what customers want, not what you think they should be interested in, and making sure your message is target specific.
Source: www.farma.org.uk
It’s that time of year. Elf Yourself is back. You can again insert photos of your children and family members at http://www.elfyourself.com/
The essential December question is, “Have you finished your Christmas shopping yet?” If your team are not sure how to handle the response and turn this into $$$ and grateful customers, scroll down to the 11 November 2010 posting.
On the other hand, who else but a man would:
Download a series of fun Santa Claus and even a Santa Paws created by Sean D’Souza at: http://www.psychotactics.com/ho-ho-ho-here-are-some-santas
This year’s seasonal sales growth in the UK will be just below the 3.2pc growth seen on the high street last Christmas, according to a report by BDO, the accountancy firm.Predictions of solid growth over the five weeks between November 29 and January 2 will come as a relief to retailers who had feared that the festive season would be a washout as shoppers hold back due to concerns over their household budgets.
BDO said that, while this Christmas will be far from bumper, it should attract relatively heavy spending from consumers.
"It may sound like a cliché but Christmas always comes every year and consumers pretty well always spend more every year whatever the state of the economy. Even in 2008 after the collapse of Lehmans and the financial meltdown that saw sales fall off the proverbial cliff in the autumn, consumers still spent relatively heavily at Christmas," the company said.
Source: www.farma.org.uk
Jurek Leon is a speaker, author, trainer and consultant. He presents courses and addresses seminars and conferences on marketing, motivation, selling and customer service.
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