Her Badge Said Guest — Weekly Retail Tidbits #275
“Everyone has an invisible sign hanging from their neck saying, ‘Make me feel important.’”
— Mary Kay Ash, founder of Mary Kay
Back in my retailer days, my mother would go with me to Atlanta Market to help me make buying decisions. Daddy was the perfect chauffeur. He’d drop us off at the door, and in we’d go.
I made business cards for them with important-sounding titles to get them into market. Good times!
My mother’s badge, though, said GUEST. Mine said BUYER.
The salespeople would look at our badges and then focus entirely on me. And I’d think, why are you giving me all the attention? I brought my mother for a reason. I wanted her opinion. I valued her opinion.
It got to be a joke – although my mother was not really laughing. We’d walk out of a showroom, look at each other, and she’d say, “What am I, chopped liver?”
I finally got to the point that I would say, “If you can convince her, you have me.” And in many cases, she was easier to win over than I was.
It was a DUH to me – but not to the sellers.
Now that I’m a rep, I’m very careful to make sure everyone in the group is heard. Whoever a buyer brings to market is there for a reason – somebody paid for that trip. They may not make the final decision, but they’re going to influence it. No one should feel like the guest just because the wallet isn’t in their handbag.
Your sales floor works the same way.
The husband on the bench by the door. The mom helping her daughter decide. The best friend who’s there for a second opinion. Your shopper brought them for a reason, too.
So when two people walk in, greet two people. Look them both in the eye. Ask the one who came along what they think.
Win over the GUEST, and you may just have the BUYER.
If you’re planning to come to Atlanta in January, I would love to be the one working with you. 🥰
xoxo,
❤️ AmyFay
Technology Tip
Is Your Chrome Up to Date?
I needed this one myself this week, so I’m guessing I’m not the only one. Chrome usually updates itself when you close it and open it again. But if Chrome stays open for days at a time, an update can sit there waiting – and those updates carry Google’s latest security fixes.
To check, click the three dots (⋮) at the top right of your Chrome window, just past the address bar. Choose Help, then About Google Chrome. Chrome looks for an update and downloads it on its own. If a Relaunch button appears, click it, and Chrome restarts and reopens your tabs. No Relaunch button? You’re already up to date. (On a Mac, you can also click “Chrome” at the top left, next to the Apple, then About Google Chrome.)
One thing first: finish anything you’re in the middle of, like an order you haven’t sent yet, before you click Relaunch. The restart can lose it.
Missed last week’s tip? Take your name off people-search sites →
3 Tango Tidbits
One for Spring, Two for the Gift Table
erin gray — Order Spring Now, Pay When It Ships
Spring is open for pre-order at erin gray: Pima cotton tees in spring colors like Periwinkle, Marine Blue and Pink Haze. Here’s how it works – you order now, it ships in the spring, and your card isn’t charged until it ships. I’m happy to help you put your spring order together.
LJ Sonder — Sophia Earrings
The Sophia Earrings have a little texture and just a touch of sparkle, so they dress up a sweater as easily as a party dress. Made in the USA, they’re an easy yes when a shopper needs one more gift.
EvaBelle — One for Everyone on the List
Crosses are EvaBelle’s best sellers, and the little 2-inch cross block is a steady favorite, along with “You will never walk alone.” They can sell for under $15, so one shopper can cover her whole Bible study or every teacher on her list. They come in sixes; keep them together in your EvaBelle display so she can pick one for everybody.
“Make the other person feel important—and do it sincerely.”
— Dale Carnegie, author of How to Win Friends and Influence People
| Shop Tango here → |
The Tango Showroom is open 10 to 4, Monday through Friday, at AmericasMart in Atlanta, Georgia. Come see us! 🌟
AmyFay Chandler
AmyFay Chandler started out as a teacher, then spent 15 years as an independent retailer. Along the way she bought for multiple stores, dabbled in wholesale with two lines of her own, and found her way to repping. Today she is a sales rep for the brands she represents. That view from every side of the table shapes Weekly Retail Tidbits, which she writes from Knoxville, Tennessee, to help local retailers feel connected and maybe see something they do every day in a new light.
Also from AmyFay
One of the brands I represent runs its D2C side through me, with brick-and-mortar partners prioritized at every step:
- Caroline B Cook — children’s books (the Virtue Series, Church Kitty)
Wholesale questions? [email protected]
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