By Kevin Mcadam
VP Sales, One Step Retail Solutions

We recently hosted an event in Los Angeles focusing on how to meet the challenges of the current economy. Of course we focused mainly on how to use technology systems to overcome those challenges but we also were able to hear from retailers on what they are doing in their businesses to succeed as well as where they could use some help.

What struck me is how important it is to use what you have today to succeed. Now that's a pretty nebulous and vague statement; let me tell you about some examples.

There is an adage about how to grow sales -- the three ways to grow sales actually. First is to get more clients buying from you. Second is to increase the frequency with which your clients buy from you. Third is to increase the average ticket size of your client's purchases.

These three things all revolve around one thing: your clients! One Retail Pro user that spoke at the event shared in detail some of the things that he does on a daily basis with his system to create the experience that keeps his customers coming back. It was amazing some of the things that he shared, but I can assure you of one thing: his customers come back!

But let's keep it really simple to start. How many of you know how many new clients you are getting in a month? How about in a week? How about each day? Which days are best? What about which hours are best? Are you looking at that information and staffing accordingly? Start off by knowing this information. If you don't know how to get that out of Retail Pro, then call us to get the training on how to.

Even more basic, how many of you are collecting customer data at the POS at all? The most recent study I saw showed that 44% of retailers collect customer information but don't do anything with it and 25% don't collect it at all.

Specialty retailers live and die with their customers. After all, it costs five times more to get a new customer than to keep an existing one. For a specialty retailer it shouldn't be "know thyself", it should be "know thy customers!"

I often have people ask me how to get more customer information at the POS. At a basic level it's all about making it valuable for them to do so. Now this could involve everything from the theme or culture of your store, to your offering and merchandise, to the training that you give the staff who are ultimately asking for the information.

I spoke to one successful retailer this week who has an amazing culture that has been created around her store. The store and merchandise is almost a lifestyle and creates an emotional following with their clients; it's really amazing! Yet still she was asking how to do better at collecting customer data.

You see, if the process consists of a clerk saying "are you on our mailing list, no? Ah, do you want to be?" Well then you won't be too successful. But instead if you have a patter created at the register for the staff to say, "What's your name so I can look up your account? Oh you're not in the system? Well, we offer invite-only events, special pricing to members, and special notice on shipments that you might be interested in before general release to our preferred clientele. What's your name so I can make sure you have access to that?" Then have them fill out their information on a clipboard while the sale is ringing up so that you don't waste their time at the register but can still capture the information and update it after the sale.

OK, let's say you know how many customers you are getting and you are capturing information on them. Now, are you looking at how often they are coming into the store to buy and thinking about ways to increase that frequency?

Again, all this information is available in Retail Pro and if you don't know how to get it, then let's talk. How about who are your most frequent visitors? Do you know them? Do you treat them special? Do you call them or send them thank-you cards or offer special promotions to their friends if they want to refer them to you? These are just some quick ideas, but the point is to know this information and use that asset!

Lastly, how do you increase your average ticket? Do you know what your average ticket is? How about which staff has the highest average ticket? Why not look at that information and then find out what he or she is doing differently than the other staff and then duplicate that? Shoot, make it even easier than that and offer them a little something special to have a little training for the other store staff on what they do.

Now take this concept into a chain environment. What stores have the highest average ticket? What are they doing that others aren't? How can you use that store manager's successes to increase the success of the other stores? How about getting them all driving together in a fun competitive environment to meet some sales targets? In fact, in Retail Pro 9 there is a great new feature to give sales targets and measure performance against them between stores and even down to the individual staff level.

All of these ideas revolve just around the assets you have now. Customers are the biggest one. Simple reports and charts in Retail Pro is another. I see people all the time looking for the new thing that is going to save the day when challenges arise. In fact, it's often the old thing that is proven to work that just needs to be reinforced.

One Step has a perspective on this that comes from being in business for 23 years and navigating three economic downturns. We have actually helped retailers through those same downturns. Today we see some clients that are rapidly expanding right now and others that are shutting down.

Take a look at what you have today and how you can use it to succeed. It was amazing to me at our event last week when we were going over the "Six Biggest Challenges that Retailers Face" and then discussing some of the features in Retail Pro that should be used when facing them and then finding out how many people either didn't know they were there or didn't have the knowledge of how to use them.

So, to summarize for you some action steps to use what you have to succeed:

1. Make sure you are looking at the three ways to increase your sales:
   - Getting new customers
   - Getting current customers in the store buying more often
   - Getting customers to increase their average purchase size
2. Make sure you know how to use the system that you have today to do that and more.
   - It's crazy to me when people think they should invest in a whole new system when what they really need is to talk out what they are hoping to accomplish with someone that knows Retail Pro and then just get the training on how to do that. Sometimes even a simple enhancement to Retail Pro can be created if the core program won't do exactly what you want. You just have to ask.
3. Keep up on the changes in your current technology. Retail Pro 9 has some great new tools for reporting especially, and we can install it only on your back office if that's all you need to get those tools without disrupting the POS.
4. Don't miss the next Road Show!