Lisbeth Calandrino::

According to a recent Shop Smart Survey, 76% of women will ask for help when shopping vs. 37% of men. This tells me that men would rather buy the wrong item than ask for guidance. Knowing this, you may not want to ask a man if he needs help in a retail store!

Also, 76% of women are likely to return an item they don’t like and for men it's 34%.

Oh, and men and women who shop together have closer relationships, how about that? As they shop they discuss their goals, their ideas and how they make decisions. They may also hold hands, which is considered a very intimate experience for women.

The study defined three male types and how women can shop with them.

1. Mr. Grab and Go!

This is the impatient man who just wants to get done with the shopping and doesn’t care what gets bought. You know what it’s like working with couples—he wants to run and she’s still looking. Give him something to do: television, wireless connection for his computer, magazines. If you don’t, most likely nothing will get done because she will get upset and just want to leave. Or he will be too antsy and insist they leave.

This is the man that stands there and taps his toe, keeps looking at his watch and talks about what else he has to do. Again, give him a task, get your Wii system hooked up and running, let him clean the warehouse or run the forklift.

3. Mr. Money-is-No-Object!

Sure this sounds like the best customer for you but he may just be there to flex the muscle that says "I can buy anything I want!" In any case, show that you are concerned about the money he spends and you want him to still get what’s right for him. With customers shopping bargains these days it’s wise that you show you’re concerned about spending and value.

More About Saleswomen

Remember, if you send a man out for a pair of pants, he comes home with a pair of pants. He knows what they wants, gets it and goes home. Mission accomplished. Send a woman out for a pair of pants and she comes home with everything, including a suitcase if she sees one she likes. Why? because women like the chase, and the chase is in your store. Don’t push her or “qualify her," she’ll do that when she sees what she wants and she’s ready.

The other night I went into a local furniture store, Raymour and Flannigan, in Albany NY, to browse. I had nothing in mind to do but look at things as I find furniture shopping to be a great pastime.

I’m greeted by a female salesperson who immediately says "nice shoes!" My friend Mary laughs — I think the salesperson must have been in one of my sales training classes. Rena takes us on a tour of the store, casually gets our names and asks, "What are you doing to your house?" Great line! I spend the next 45 minutes looking, talking, thinking of showing her a floor plan of my house. She continues to give me the tour, after offering a cup of coffee. We part as new friends. She says she'll call, which she does, and we continue to discuss my living room.

No she didn’t try to close me. How can you close a customer that’s really looking and doesn’t know what she’s looking for? Well you can’t and you don't; you make friends, get a phone number and go from there. She didn’t ask if I needed help—what woman needs help shopping? Name me one, I dare you!

The Hunt vs. the Kill

Remember, women like the hunt; men like the kill.

Hunting takes time; we look under every bush, in the cabinets and the closets if they’re open. We might even look in your price book if it’s handy. By the way, where did you get those shoes? No we’re not ditsy or disorganized, we just like the hunt, the planning and the big picture.

Women buy the big picture, men by products. Women only care about features and benefits when they’re ready to justify the buy. F&B’s don’t sell us—they just confuse us. We’re after how it will all come together, how we’ll use the room and what it all means. Men buy the pair of pants.

Women see endless possibilities, men see the pair of pants. Men didn’t notice your showroom—they don’t need it to make a decision. Women noticed everything about your showroom—that’s where we hunt.

Hey, if you’re female, happy hunting!

My friend Chris Clark, a Mohawk Territory Manager, sent me an email the other day about the importance of calling on end users and contractors. With business having been so good in the 90's, Chris feels that many of his dealers may be neglecting this profitable aspect of their business. At this time it's wise to think of all possible avenues and look outside your business as well as inside for new customers. In addition to picking up some new customers you are adding a stronger foundation for your business. 

Here are Chris's tips:

1. No one likes to make cold calls, so warm yours up before you go out. Before you call on anyone, go online to find out who you're calling on, their background, how long they've worked in the field and anything else that's pertinent to your call.

2. Make a list of end users, contractors and specifiers in your areas. Who do they represent? What types of products do they use and who do they presently do business with? Get yourself armed with this information so that you are focused and know the purpose of your call.  Business is tough for everyone so the more you know and the less time you waste the better.

3. Remember that with outside sales the possibility of sales is endless and you don't have to wait for the customer to come into your store. With business slow everyone needs to go out and "beat the bushes" as they say. In addition, think of how your attitude will improve everytime you find a new customer.

4. Objections? Sure, many of the people that you call on already have suppliers. This doesn't mean that they aren't looking for the future. In addition, good business takes time, business that is based more on value than price. It's up to you to have the patience and the knowledge.

5. Don't forget the annual report of a business and other subs that also call on these businesses. Hopefully you belong to a leads club or a networking group and can ask if there's anyone that might know the person you want to call. Can someone provide an introduction for you, in person or make a phone call on your behalf?

6. Want to increase your value? Know as much about your new contact's business as they know. Know their challenges and how you can supply them with solutions. This also means you've done your homework and they're not just another customer to you.

7. Plan not only the products that you want to show but your presentation. I'm amazed at how many salespeople know their products but stumble through their presentation, not anticapting objections and questions.

8. A good salesperson knows what to expect from their customers. If you do mostly retail business and you're going out on commercial calls you'll have to brush up on "what makes these people tick." One thing to remember is they're used to buying products, are aware of pricing and always are looking to save a dollar.This doesn't mean that they won't pay higher prices. It's for sure they won't pay you more money for the same product that they purchase from someone else at a cheaper price.

9. If you want to play the game "their way,"all  things being equal winning this game means having the cheapest price. The key is to change the rules of the game. Changing the rules means changing the products, providing  an additional service that they can't get that has value. When I was in the commercial floorcovering business I remember one of my installers, instead of standing around watching her husband and son install the product, she would clean the windows and the window sills. Unknown to me she couldn't stand the carpet fibers and dust that was created during the installation so she took out her glass cleaner and started to "tidy up." The word got around and she became the deciding factor on some of our jobs. Stella was our added value.

10. Don't hurry the process. Put together a plan, how can I add value, what written material would be useful to your new customer?

11. Get yourself dressed up, a jacket and a tie. Looking like you care what you look like also gives the impression you care about how your jobs look. Get yourself a good looking briefcase and hit the road.

Next time: what to do when you get there.

About 15 years ago I consulted for a company in the Cleveland market. On a trip to one of their stores the frustrated owner remarked to me "What am I to do?" His customers were speaking Spanish and he was losing business. In my mind it was a simple solution—hire Spanish speaking salespeople or teach the ones he had Spanish. This same problem occurred while I was doing training for another store in Ohio; the store was disturbed that a Hispanic grocery store was opening next door and the flooring store was getting many customers who did not speak English. Again the cry was, why can’t they all speak English? I guess the answer is: because they don’t. According to the research firm HispanTelligence, there area bout 40 million Latinos who make up 15% of the US population with a purchasing power of about $1 trillion by 2010. That’s a pretty big target market.

As I surf my TV channels, I see there are more Spanish speaking language channels than ever before.  Having traveled abroad it appears to me that in other countries residents speak multiple languages, it’s like going to kindergarten, you just learn. In the United States, it’s my experience that somehow we think that everyone should speak our language. Sure it would make it easier but maybe it’s what’s called globalization — not elitism or that the world rises and sets on the United States.

Do you have to speak English in the U.S. to succeed?  The C.R.I. publishes their specifications for installers in Spanish.

At the turn of the century, immigrants tried to assimilate to America.  And language was a big part in the assimilation process.  So a lot of immigrant families had an English-only rule. My mother spoke Italian with my grandparents but would not teach me how to speaking Italian—what a waste. My grandparents spoke English but when they didn’t want the grandchildren to understand what they were saying they spoke Italian.

I was speaking with my accountant the other day who was explaining he had to pick up his three year old daughter from language school; his adopted daughter is of Chinese origin—at this point she is fluent in Chinese as well as English. About as fluent as a 3 year old can be with any language. What was interesting was his desire for her to learn her native language and understand her heritage.

What we’re talking about is marketing, knowing who your customers are and then what influences them to buy. There was an expression: when in Rome do as the Romans do.

Speaking of being Italian

Several years ago I got the urge to be Italian. I mean, I am Italian but I mean real Italian. I started by holding  Italian Night dinners— where everyone has too much to drink, too much to eat, someone spills wine on the white table cloth we eat too much garlic and kiss everyone. The men all cook, and somebody even makes candy.

Did I mention the women do the dishes and the men smoke cigars?

The night became so popular that non-Italians wanted to attend. I’m planning my next one but you have to have been before, know someone or been to Italy to come. I’ll also have lots of photos of all my Italian friends. So the event is getting bigger, and that’s what an Italian family is about, lots of  warm people with those  deep set brown eyes that seem to go on forever.

I also joined the local American Italian Museum in Albany, New York after running into my cousin Nicholas Cozzolino in the Italian market. I hadn’t seen him in about a year but he has his own Italian “food mates,” studies Italian and has been to Italy several times. Boy am I behind.

I recently found out there is a trans-fat-free cannoli. Instead of frying the shell, it’s now baked.

Go delve into your heritage, video some conversations between you and your grandma or grandpa if you’re lucky to have them around. Part of what makes you special are the traditions in your life and your heritage.

Hey, write me some notes about your family.

"As you walk down the fairway of life you must smell the roses, for you only get to play one round." -Ben Hogan 1912-1997, American Golfer

If you listen long enough you hear the greatest things. I just came across an interesting study online about word-of-mouth business.  According to studies done by buzz agencies and aired on Good Morning America, women are twice as likely to purchase a product if their friends tell them that it’s good. Are you familiar with the fast-drying nail polish OPI in a pen? The manufacturers hired the firm SheSpeaks to drum up excitement. SheSpeaks sent the product to 9,000 women asking them to try it and share coupons with friends. The result: SheSpeaks says 120,000 Nic’s Sticks were sold based on the campaign, which is 13-times the original giveway. SheSpeaks says the redemption rate for the coupons distributed by its marketers was 300 percent greater than the rate of redemption for the same $1-off coupon inserted in magazines! The power of the Internet. Go to GMA and look at the various studies, maybe you could adopt one of these to your business.

After watching the Olympics, all I can say is I really feel like a slacker. Listening to the training schedules, the pressure involved, etc. No matter what my age I could never bend over like that!

Anyone who knows me has heard me talk about small windows of opportunities in life. All of a sudden it’s there–your shot at stardom, fame or wealth. Speedo and Visa — who sponsor Michael Phelps — certainly got their money’s worth. But there’s also Michael’s mom, Debbie, who was spotted wearing clothes from Chicos. Apparently she’s a loyal customer, and Chicos, for their part, has been getting free exposure.

According to the company, customers have been calling and asking where they can get the jacket they saw her wearing. As a loyal customer, they sent her a $100 gift certificate and wished her son the best of luck in the Games. Now they’ve gone a step further: they’ve offered her a line of clothing exclusively at Chicos called the Debbie Phelps Collection.

Since then, the crew at Good morning America and other T.V. personalities have been seen sporting her garb. “She is the hero behind the hero,” says Dan Mintz of the ad agency DMG. Will it help Chicos, which also owns White House/Black Market — a favorite of mine in West Palm Beach? Let’s hope so. According to USA Today, the company was down 18.5 percent from July.

What does this mean for you?

Getting real customers to advertise for you. A customer who can be spotted sporting your rug or hardwood floor — or who’s willing to become your cosumer expert.

Remember to pay attention, and don’t let an opportunity slip by!