Retailers usually find their job rewarding, but sometimes is really stressful. The golf manager combines the retailer’s work with the passion for the game, but nevertheless, extra inspiration and motivation are needed.
Luckily, we can rely on the words of wisdom of many businessmen that had spoken about different aspects of retailing and life. Today we bring you some of those best quotes in order to help retailers be the best they can be. You can use them for yourself or if your team needs a boost.
Being customer-focused
“Retail is a customer business. You’re trying to take care of the customer-solve something for the customer. And there’s no way to learn that in the classroom or in the corner office, or away from the customer. You’ve got to be in front of the customer.” — Erik Nordstrom, President, Nordstrom Direct
Instead of thinking about trying to get more money from your customer, you need to listen to your client’s needs, take care of them, and propose solutions that really help them.
Being memorable
“You walk into a retail store, whatever it is, and if there’s a sense of entertainment and excitement and electricity, you wanna be there.” — Howard Schultz, CEO, Starbucks
Try always to make the retail experience memorable and fun, to give a reason to your customers to spend their time and money at your club.
About customer feedback
“Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning.” — Bill Gates, Founder, Microsoft
Do not take criticism personally. When a client gives you a bad feedback about a product or service, listen to it and use it to improve.
About getting started
“The only thing worse than starting something and failing is not starting something”.— Seth Godin
Even when is difficult to start a business, you cannot let the fear of failure holds you back. Failure is assured if you do nothing, while success only comes when you overcome your fears and try new things.
About leadership
“When you look at the reasons people leave companies, it’s usually because their boss is a jerk or because they aren’t learning and growing. So we spend a lot of time developing leaders internally and creating learning opportunities.”— Neil Blumenthal, CEO, Warby Parker
As a manager, you have to know by now that if you don’t give to your employees the opportunity to grow and treat them with respect, they will eventually resign.
About pressure sales
“This was one of my most important principles: Never have a mandatory sell. This rule gets violated all the time; it just drives me nuts. ‘Buy now!’ You should never give an order to a customer. “ — Joe Coulombe, Founder, Trader Joe’s
Customers are not pleased with hard sales or pressure tactics. You need to be tactful while making a sale and let the customer decide whether he buy something or not on his own terms. An aggressive, hard-sales approach usually backfires, letting the customer upset.
About technology
“It is a well-known fact that bringing in technologies in the retail sector is good for customers.” — N. R. Narayana Murthy, co-Founder, Infosys
Make sure that you are using cutting-edge technology to improve your effectiveness and customer experience. For a golf manager, it will be a state-of-the-art golf club management software with an app that connects all club members to online course booking, shopping, and restaurant services, as well as other features. The money you spend on tech will save you time and money later, so never be shy to embrace new technology.
About the customer experience
“People are always going to go shopping. A lot of our effort is just ‘how do we make the retail experience a great one?”— Phillip Green, Chairman, Arcadia Group
Keep in mind that golf is a competitive sport, and golf clubs also compete among themselves to attract customers. So you need to differentiate your proposal improving the experience you provide through high levels of customer service.
Creating brand advocates
“Make a customer, not a sale.” — Katherine Barchetti, Founder, K. Barchetti Shops
It is not about the money that you can obtain from your client today. Better than making a sale, is turning that sale into a regular customer. Bridge the gap between a one-time visitor and a full-on regular customer is the key to being a successful retailer.
About caring
“Your customer doesn’t care how much you know until they know how much you care. “ — Damon Richards.
Customers do not want to be bombarded with information about the product that you are selling. They want to feel that you care and you are ready to please them.
On company culture
“Businesses often forget about the culture, and ultimately, they suffer for it because you can’t deliver good service from unhappy employees. “— Tony Hsieh, CEO, Zappos
Take care of your staff and keep them happy. If you do so, they will take great care of your customers and be your number one brand ambassadors.
On corporate social responsibility (CSR)
“Why are you doing this? How are you making a difference? What is your reason for being, besides making money? There is no engine or vehicle like business to make a difference.” — Walter Robb, Co-CEO, Whole Foods
Business is not just about making money. Money is just a natural result of a great job helping the world be a better place.
On goal-setting
“Setting goals is the first step in turning the invisible into the visible.” — Tony Robbins, Author
A dream is just like that until you divide it into mile stone and assign them a concrete date.
About greeting customers
“The thing is, I don’t want to be sold to when I walk into a store. I want to be welcomed.” — Angela Ahrendts, former SVP of Retail, Apple Inc.
Rather than a sell, you need to create a human experience for your customers. They first need to be welcomed and have a warm, inviting experience.
On marketing
“Let your store associates be active on social. “Friendorsers” are more important than paid models in showing our clothes—social influencers, but also our store associates, who are 100% our customers too.”— Emily Watkins, SVP, Real Estate & Construction, Charlotte Russe
Word-of-mouth marketing is a great tool to sell. Around 92% of potential clients are going to trust in product recommendations from friends or family. So invite your staff to recommend the store on their personal social media pages.
