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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, September 16, 2014
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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Website? Check. Now, how do you keep website visitors on your site long enough to be enticed to make an order? This week’s tip will help you do just that!
If you have any links on your website that go to a page that is not on your own website (i.e. external links), be sure that you have them set to open in a new window. This means that when a visitor clicks on that external link, they won’t leave your website completely but their browser will open a new window for the link. Then, if they want to return to your page, they can easily do so.
Common external links include social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. If you have these, you want your customers to click on them so they can keep in touch with your company. Using today’s tip, you’ll ensure that just because they click to Like you on Facebook, they won’t completely leave your page where they can make an order for your sweet treats!
P.S. Next week RCI is exhibiting at AACT’s National Technical Seminar. If you’ll be there, be sure to stop by and say hi!
Tags:
Marketing
Owning a Business
Social Media
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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This week’s tip is a simple one that will help your customers feel important. And who doesn’t like feeling important?
So, here it is: train employees to use customer names. Don’t just mention it to them every now and then as a side not but make it a part of your training process and company culture to use customer names whenever possible.
If you have regular customers, employees should take the time to get to know them so that as they walk in the door they are greeted by name. Customers will notice they have been remembered and take notice of the extra level of service your store provides. Want to take it even further? Remember their favorite chocolates or candies!
Employees may say, “Well, how do I know their name if they’ve never been in before?” If the customer is paying with a credit or debit card, one idea is to have them glance at the card if you require them to check the card against an ID and then use the last name as the customer leaves. For example, “Thank you, Mr. Smith, we appreciate you coming in and hope to see you again!”
As much as is possible, use your customer’s names. They will take note and remember that your store thinks they are important.
Tags:
Customer Service
Employee Management
Owning a Business
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, July 22, 2014
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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While we’re all enjoying the fun of summer, the holidays will be upon us before we know it! This means that you should be making a plan now for how you’re going to spread the word that your candy store is THE place to get chocolate and gifts for the holidays. Therefore, this week’s tip is to write a marketing plan.
Typical marketing plans include an analysis of the market and details of the marketing methods. Section headings often include:
- Executive Summary
- Situation Analysis (includes marketing, industry and competitor analysis)
- Target Market
- Marketing Methods with Completion Dates
- Results Evaluation
The great news is that you have time to complete your plan for the 2014 holiday season. View a few samples here and then set aside a few days to focus on preparing your plan. When you complete the plan, it will still be summer so you can keep enjoying the sun and fun knowing you are ready for the holidays!
This week’s tip was part of an article in a past issue of Kettle Talk, RCI’s quarterly newsletter magazine for members. Join RCI to begin receiving Kettle Talk in your mailbox!
Tags:
Holidays
Marketing
Owning a Business
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, June 3, 2014
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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Looking for ideas to get the creative juices flowing? This week’s tip is to use a mind map to spark creativity!
What is a mind map? It’s a diagram used to visually outline information. Typically it begins with a word, image or phrase in the center and then other ideas and images branch out from the center across the page. One of the key benefits of a mind map is that an idea doesn’t have to be full or complete or even in sentence form in order to be displayed. The idea is that the process of a mind map resembles how your brain actually works!
Tips for an effective mind map:
- Start with a large piece of paper (Give your brain room to think!)
- Use images, not just words
- Vary the size, color and alignment of your images and text
- Keep topics and labels short (Think big picture.)
Mind maps are useful tools for individual creativity and also can help to get creative ideas flowing among a team of people. In your next team brainstorming session, consider using a whiteboard or oversized Post-it to map out ideas as they’re given and see where mind mapping can take you! If you prefer tech tools to paper versions, check out MindMeld or Mindmeister.
P.S. There is still time to register to join us at the RCI Annual Convention & Industry Expo! Register online now to meet fellow confectioners and suppliers June 16-20 in St. Louis.
Tags:
Creativity
Employee Management
Organizing
Owning a Business
Productivity
Technology
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, May 6, 2014
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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Think about the last business you entered, retail specifically. Were you greeted upon entrance? If you received a warm welcome, did it leave an impression on you? Likely so as a warm welcome is no longer the norm when it comes to customer service. That’s why today’s tip is to train your employees in customer service.
One of the best examples of excellent customer service is the Apple Store. A Forbes article outlined the five steps of service that Apple Store employees are trained to follow for each customer interaction:
Approach customers with a personalized, warm welcome.
Probe politely to understand the customer’s needs (ask closed and open-ended questions).
Present a solution for the customer to take home today.
Listen for and resolve any issues or concerns.
End with a fond farewell and an invitation to return.
How are your employees doing at each of these steps? Oftentimes we assume that employees understand the basics of customer service, but it’s up to you as the business owner/manager to train them.
Remember, 70% of buying experiences are based on how the customer feels they are being treated (salesforce.com). So start preparing your employee training today!
P.S. The Opening General Session at the RCI Annual Convention & Industry Expo this June will provide more insight from industry expert Phil Bruno on building great customer experiences. Register online by May 16 and save $100 on full registration!
Tags:
Customer Service
Employee Management
Owning a Business
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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Is the technology at your company helping or hindering productivity? This week’s tip is to take some time to perform a technology audit to determine how it is working and also how it can be improved.
Not sure where to start? Unless you have a skilled IT professional on your staff, you will likely need to hire someone to help you through the process and make recommendations that best fit your company size and goals. The following points are from the SCORE website as items to be sure you consider during a technology audit:
· Information Security
· Training your staff so that they’re using technology as efficiently and securely as possible
· Your future needs and what current/developing technologies will help meet them.
· What is not working right now or what could work better?
Be sure to include your staff in the process as they are in the trenches and can provide some great insight as to what is and is not working in terms of technology and processes. While a technology audit is an investment, it has the potential to provide a large return if you take the time to do it well.
Tags:
Employee Management
Owning a Business
Technology
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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We’ve mentioned Pinterest on our blog multiple times, typically because we love to find ideas there to share with you, our faithful blog readers. Did you know that there is a way to determine if your company has images or links being pinned by others on Pinterest? This week’s tip will show you how to check that and also why it matters.
First, why does it matter if people are pinning links and images from your website on Pinterest? Pinterest users post captions to their images. By reviewing the pins along with the captions, you may find great customer insight regarding your current products as well as ideas to adapt them or make them better.
Second, how to find if you are being pinned. You may search to see if anyone has pinned your content by typing the following into your web browser’s address bar: http://pinterest.com/source/retailconfectioners.org (instead of “retailconfectioners.org, enter your own url). The page that shows up allows you to check out the boards that have pinned images and links from your website. Take a few minutes to review the content and the captions. In addition, it might be a good idea to do a quarterly check on this to see if popular pins and content change based on the seasons or other factors.
It’s always a good idea to track your company’s online presence. We hope this week’s tip gives you a great tool to help you do just that!
Tags:
Marketing
Owning a Business
Social Media
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, March 18, 2014
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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We’ve all heard of the annual employee performance review. You may even currently implement one in your own candy company. This week’s tip, though, is to move past only meeting with your employees to review their performance annually and instead check in with them on a quarterly basis.
It’s been said about annual performance reviews that if there is anything within the review that surprises the employee then it’s the fault of the manager for not communicating throughout the year. Therefore, how are you doing at communicating your level of satisfaction with your employees’ performance throughout the year? This week’s tip will help with that!
Rather than having a quarterly review, consider a more light-hearted or casual meeting where you check in with the employee. Consider using this time to review the goals you laid out together for the employee at the past annual review. In addition to providing your feedback, this is a great time to ask open-ended questions of the employee and provide an opportunity to provide feedback on his or her level of job satisfaction.
By checking in with employees throughout the year, you are keeping the lines of communication open which has been shown to increase employee satisfaction. And happy employees means happy customers!
Tags:
Employee Management
Owning a Business
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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Emotional intelligence is defined as the capacity to be aware of, control and express one's emotions, and to handle interpersonal relationships judiciously and empathetically. As a business owner and/or manager, your level of emotional intelligence (EI) can mean the difference between having happy, productive employees who respect your leadership and having employees who feel uncomfortable with your management style.
The good news is that EI is something that can be developed; therefore, this week’s tip is to improve your EI quotient. To help you get started, here are 10 strategies to improve your emotional intelligence:
- Learn to Listen
- Adapt to Situations
- Never Give Up
- Communicate
- Empathize
- Setting Priorities
- Go the Extra Mile
- Forgive
- Show Courage in Difference
- Be Optimistic, Smile
Pick one strategy at a time from the list above to work on and before you know it, you’ll have enhanced relationships in both your professional and personal life.
This week’s tip was inspired by an education session presented by Geri Grossman at our 2013 Fall Regional. Save the date for the 2014 RCI Fall Regional Conference this August 25 - 27 in Las Vegas!
Tags:
Customer Service
Employee Management
Owning a Business
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Posted By RCI,
Tuesday, January 21, 2014
Updated: Thursday, April 30, 2020
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This week’s tip is to make caring for your community part of your company culture. As a business you have a great opportunity to give back to the community that supports you and to provide opportunities for your staff to give back as well.
Volunteer together as a staff The options for volunteering as a group are endless - serving a meal at a soup kitchen, preparing a meal for the families at the local Ronald McDonald House or doing yard work for a senior citizen are just a few ideas to get you started.
Make product donations to local charities Most candy and chocolate stores are asked for product donations on a regular basis. Are you giving? While donating to every single request may not be financially feasible, consider creating a policy for these requests such as a set number per month on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Provide paid volunteer hours for staff By providing paid hours for your staff to volunteer, you are solidifying that this is an important part of your company culture. Consider providing two hours per month for your employees to give back to your community. Best practice would be to require a form be signed by a supervisor where they are volunteering to ensure accountability.
It has been shown that individuals who volunteer have higher life satisfaction. And satisfied employees often are going to be better workers. So, what are you waiting for? It’s time to get out and give back!
P.S. Kettle Talk, RCI’s quarterly publication, had a feature story and interview with Kriston Dean of Purdy’s Chocolates in the Jul/Aug/Sep 2012 issue. She discussed how they give back as a company. RCI members may access past issues of Kettle Talk by signing in on the RCI website.
Tags:
Employee Management
Owning a Business
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