Great Advice For Quilt Shop Owners From Consumers

In my ongoing efforts to help quilt shop owners be as successful as possible, I am going to discuss all the additional suggestions that consumers had for shop owners when I queried them late last year. On November 18, 2019, I wrote a blog post that included what I thought were some of the strongest suggestions and points made by consumers. Feel free to read that post here.

In this blog post, and the two additional parts that follow over the next two weeks, I want to include the balance of the suggestions I received as they are all really good. These may or may not apply to your shop, but I imagine that no one is perfect and some of these do apply to every shop out there in one way or another. I feel strongly that every shop owner, or business owner for that matter, could gain something from reading this post.

GENERAL ETIQUETTE/CUSTOMER SERVICE:

• The first impression counts. Keep the place clean all the time.
• Never judge a book by its cover. Don’t say things like, “It doesn’t matter because it’s just a quilt for charity.” Or, “We only cater to experienced quilters.” How does one become experienced without your help? Comments of this nature are hurtful and are an easy way to lose customers.
• Treat all customers the same.
• Never assume.
• Always give a proper greeting and then try to check in with the customer after some time has passed.
• Make some contact with every customer that walks in…even if just a small gesture. Make sure that they know where to find help when they need it.
• Don’t favor the regulars as all regulars were all newbies at one time.
• Be interested in whatever it is your customer is making regardless of your opinion. Keep the opinions to yourself.
• Go above and beyond to service your customers. Do something for them that will make them want to come back to you every time they need fabric.
• SMILE!

• “Please” and “thank you” go a long way.
• Don’t stalk or interrupt customers.
• Don’t try to change your customer’s mind….work with them, not against them.
• Stop the negative talk. No one wants to hear it. Don’t disparage other shops or the big box retailers. Show them why they should buy from you and leave it at that.
• Don’t disparage someone’s machine in order to sell them a new one….especially if they bought the machine from you in the first place.
• Don’t talk about customers to other customers.
• Don’t spew misinformation.
• Show how you are different or better than online shops because that is a big part of your competition these days. Give people a reason to buy from you….that starts with service, pricing and selection.
• There are no dumb customer questions.
• Consider inviting customers to see what’s going on in your classroom.
• Have recommendations for things that you might not offer in your shop i.e. long arm services, machine repair, etc.
• Post info about local guilds.
• Consider offering light refreshments or snacks.
• Consider customer input and don’t negate it.
• The customer in front of you is more important than the one on the phone.
• If you want customers to obey certain rules, make sure those rules are clearly and concisely posted.
• Make an effort to get to know your customers and create community.
• Don’t write off a customer who has her kids with her. They are coming to your shop and unfortunately they can’t find a sitter. Deal with it! Even consider a kids play area.
• The owner of the shop should lead by example: greeting, offering help, etc.
• If you see customers lugging around bolts, ask them if they would like you to store them up front until they are ready to check out.
• Make sure the bathroom is clean, smells good and is stocked with the essentials.

FABRIC/PRODUCTS:

• Have new fabric coming in all the time. People don’t want to keep looking at the same old stuff. Make the old stuff disappear by promoting it out or offering it as a free giveaway. Unlike wine, most fabrics don’t get better with age.
• Know when to put things in the sale bin. Not everything can sell at the same pace forever.
• Be willing to special order fabrics.
• Be mindful of what your competition is carrying and try to be different. Also, maybe you want to befriend the your closest competition and work together. It’s easier to work together and be friends than to be enemies.
• Have stuff for non-quilters.
• Make sure prices are marked clearly. Leave the guess-work out.
• Offer small projects.
• Consider appealing packaging.
• Try to keep the precuts near the bolts of the same fabric.

EMPLOYEES:

• Hire knowledgeable employees.
• Make sure they know all the brands you offer.
• Make sure they know what’s new.
• Make sure you always have someone available to cut. There is nothing worse than having to wait when all the customer wants to do is pay and go home to work on their next project.
• Employees should not be on their own phones during work hours unless it’s an emergency.
• Consider having employees wear name tags or have them wear a tag that says, “How can I help you?”
• Dress the part. If you want to feel important, you need to look important. You and your staff are a reflection of your store.
• Train employees well.
• Take time to observe your employees and see if they are performing how you want them to. Provide constructive criticism both positive and negative, but make sure to discuss both. No one wants to only hear that they are incompetent.

Stay tuned for more great points in next weeks’ post and the week after that. Have a great week.