In last months article I shared with you how to understand your defining moments in life. By piecing together these moments you were given insight to see the big picture of who you really are and what you have to offer your store.
Today I am going to give you some very important pieces of the puzzle to creating The Modern Day Store. Whenever you start a puzzle it is best to start by taking the outside pieces and building a frame of your puzzle. By doing so you are able to get a clearer picture of where you need to go in completing the puzzle. Today we will focus on your store environment which will be the frame pieces of creating The Modern Day Store.
Did you know that there are certain times and seasons that happen within your store that hold the keys to unlocking the truth of the store environment you create? Stop and think for a moment of the one time of year that your store environment is filled with positive energy and excitement. Of course I am talking about the Christmas selling season. This is the one time of year where the things that hold your store back from greatness take a back seat and the store environment is well and alive.
Have you ever taken a moment to examine why this time of year is so special? The common thought would be that the simple answer is prosperity. It’s the time of year where we make the most money! Therefore we work a little harder, longer and go the extra mile for our customers. This is all very true.
However, there are three elements that occur during the Christmas selling season that transform your store environment. They are hope, joy and unity. When these three things are present the enemies within your store like selfishness, greed and fear have to take a back seat for the season and let you have your time of excitement, passion and energy. They are powerless to operate within your store for a season.
In order to make my point more clear you only need to take a look at the store environment in January. Everyone’s friend – prosperity – has left and sales are not quite as easy anymore. It is at this very moment that you have a choice to make. Will you continue to operate with hope, joy and unity even when prosperity is gone? Or will you allow the enemies within your store to operate again and hold you back from greatness?
Sadly, many sales associates choose the latter. Suddenly the customer returning or exchanging the item is no longer received with the same greeting of enthusiasm and excitement. In fact many sales associates now view their customer as a problem. Hope is gone, joy has left the building and greed and selfishness are operating once again. Often your staff shows up to work fearing the worst and expecting negative things to happen during the month of January. Before long, unity begins to disappear and we allow ourselves to be defeated year after year.
Hopefully a light bulb just went on within your mind and you can clearly see the truth that this is how we often operate year in and year out. The good news is that it does not have to be this way. With the proper insight, mind set and training, your store environment could be like Christmas all year long.
The time has come to look past the common things and see the deep truths that have been hidden from us. If you are able to operate your store with hope, joy and unity, the enemies within your store will be powerless to operate. The process of change must begin within the minds of the leaders of your store. If owners, managers and elite sales associates are able to apply these truths then the others will follow.
Today a great truth has been given to you that can impact your store and environment in a very meaningful way. What you do with it is totally up to you. Will you choose to explore this truth in greater depth and lead your store to greatness? Can you help others see the truth and change their mind set?
We have all heard the saying that it only takes a little spark to ignite a fire. This is your opportunity to be that spark and ignite the change within your store and its environment.
Brian Barfield offers fresh insight in sales training and teaching people how to reconnect with one another. He has authored two books, “Modern Day Selling” and “The Modern Day Store,” available on Amazon and many other websites. Brian is currently setting his schedule for summer and fall in-store training seminars. For more information he can be reached at brian@moderndayselling.com or www.moderndayselling.com.
