I've just posted a new Freebie on my website based on the presentation I gave in January at the IDEX Show.

It's called Turning Your Customers Into Fans.

If you want to grow your business, you can use traditional marketing and advertising. But everyone knows that Word-of-Mouth is the strongest form of persuasion. And you'll get far more WOM if your customers aren't just customers, but are stark raving fans, evangelists for you.

Knowing how to turn them into fans, and how to empower that evangelism is now available for you free of charge. Check it out.

Cheers!

-Phil

Phil Wrzesinski owns and operates Toy House and Baby Too, one of the 25 best independent stores in America.  He shares his business secrets here and at www.PhilsForum.com.

At some point you will have a customer with a problem. And your success will depend on how well you solve that problem in the customer's eye.

The key is knowing the three people who can solve the problem. Those people are:

• The person Most Capable of solving the problem
• The person Closest to the problem
• The person Least Busy at the time of the problem

The problem for most businesses is the order in which we prioritize that list. From a business owner's standpoint the ideal priority would be:

1. Most Capable
2. Least Busy
3. Closest

From a customer's point of view, however, the order would be:

I usually advise retailers looking for merchandising to imagine their typical customer walking through the front door of the shop.  Is the shopper male or female? Under 20, over 40, or perhaps over 60?  What income level does the customer fit into?

This exercise helps you select items that have the right sense of style, and the right range of prices, for your target demographic. It also helps you select the background music for the store, and where you advertise. We would not, for example, play hip hop in our shop (although I do enjoy the rhyme) or advertise regularly in the student newspapers here in Madison.

My second day in retailing was terrible. The customer who bought a Danish chair (back then we sold furniture) on our first day returned it, resulting in a negative sales figure for day number two. I was devastated.

Since that time I’ve learned that returns are just a part of the retail landscape, and if you accept them as such life will be less stressful. Customers consider the opportunity to change their mind to be an essential right, and will take their business elsewhere if you adhere to a customer-hostile return policy.

What would be considered a customer-friendly policy? One of the most common policies is to accept a return within 30 days for a refund with a cash register or gift receipt. At our store we allow for returns beyond that time, or without a receipt, for credit only. Others allow only for exchange or credit no matter what the time involved.

Many businesses tend to focus on acquiring new customers while inadvertently failing to maintain healthy relationships with their regulars. This is only natural; it's simple to assume that once you've got a person's business then they're full aware of your products, what you're offering, and what your business is all about. This is an unsafe assumption and couldn't be more wrong. There are a variety of ways to spice up your relationship with your repeat customers. Some might seem obvious, but oftentimes the obvious is overlooked. Sound fun? Let's get to it.

For starters, get to know them. It's a simple way to cater to their desires. Customers are often more than willing to share information in lieu of a wonderful shopping experience. Data such as zip codes, shopping preferences, age, and gender all provide valuable insight into why a person might frequent your store, and more importantly, what they'd spend their money on.

Shoppers with dogs may be willing to leave them outside while they browse in your store, especially if you provide a bowl of water and a place to tie the leash. But shoppers with children are going to bring them in.  Ready or not, here they come!

The shopping experience will be more pleasant for you, and your customers, if you have a few distractions on hand for the little ones.  A big basket of books appropriate for a variety of ages will keep some children occupied.  Toddlers might enjoy playing with sturdy wooden or plastic toys, although you will need to clean these before sharing with other visiting children.

When people talk about your business what are they saying?  Do you know?  More importantly, are people even talking about your business?  Have you given them something to talk about?

Roy H. Williams, aka Wizard of Ads, mentioned three ways at a recent conference to help you get WOM (word-of-mouth) from your customers.

First, you could choose to be over-the-top excellent in Design.  Your store layout, merchandising, decorating, facade and mood could be so unique and outstanding that people talk about it for days and weeks afterward.  Have you ever seen the Ferris Wheel at the Times Square Toys R Us?  That's over-the-top Design. 

Another man gave flowers to my wife.  Should I be angry?  Jealous?  Should I hunt him down?  Threaten him?  I wanted to send him a thank you note.

Lately, one of the most creative solutions for local retail survival is using patrons as investors. Perhaps this is customer loyalty in its purest form. This CNNMoney.com article examines several retail businesses from NYC to Spokane and the different means they've explored to fund operations:

Retail job descriptions... Yes , Retail job descriptions are  for you. No matter what size store you run. I have given you a very good general outline. Customize the rest to fit your operation. Review the job description ( for a retail sales clerk )  with new staff  during their job interview if they are just starting with you or  asap with  existing staff if you have never done this. The people that work for you need clear guidelines that show them what you expect. You must also give your staff feedback on their  performance .