Music Retail Consulting

Hey folks…

I just wanted to let you know about a BRAND NEW FREE Master Class from the folks at WhizBang! Retail Training. In it, you’ll learn how to create a service culture in your store using the "6 Steps To The Perfect Purchase" selling system.

We have found this system to be very useful for us at Springfield Music!

Join the Master Class: "The Secrets To Surefire Sales Growth In 2019 Revealed" to shape your staff into customer-focused selling superstars and increase your sales in 2019!

Click here to register… http://WhizbangTraining.com/af/feb2019?af=1686481

The LIVE Master Class is taking place on daily, Monday, February 4 through Friday, February 8 at 1:00 PM Eastern Time. Make sure you register even if you know you won't be able to attend live because each class will be recorded and available to watch for 24 hours.
I’ll see you in class!

Donovan

In Part 1 we discussed the most important pipeline - your people. Part 2 we discussed the sales pipeline. In this article, we will talk about lessons.

First, you’ve got to have teachers. We’ve found great success in finding new teachers from our existing teacher network. If you have created a quality lesson program that is fun for students and demonstrates respect and appreciation for your teachers, they should be happy to make the referral.

To help the teachers feel even happier about giving a referral, we use an employee referral program. It works pretty simply - the teacher must make a referral before we receive an application from the future teacher. If the new teacher is hired, the current teacher can earn a total of $150 - $75 if the new hire is still with us after 3 months, and another $75 if they are still on board in 6 months. We are happy to pay out this bonus, and the teachers are even happier to receive it.

In addition to the referral program, we also write a Red Hot Help W…

The NAMM Show and Summer NAMM are always fun times to see new products, meet new people and catch up with old friends. But as retailers, we need to make sure we're getting the most out of each show. With all the fun distractions, remember that we're there to work. It’s easy to watch every demo, concert and artist signing, but if you do that, you won't leave your first booth. Now, it may sound as if I’m all work and no play, but the world around us is changing. What we used to do isn’t as effective anymore. Take a few minutes to consider the following: Essentially, what it says is time equals change. The more things around you change, what used to lead to success will eventually lead to failure. We need new ideas and approaches just to maintain our positions in the marketplace. The NAMM show is the single easiest way to get inspired with new ideas to keep your business relevant. With that in mind, here are my top 10 tips on getting the most out of NAMM shows. 1. Attend NAMM Ide…

Ahh - the new year.  This is the time where we can dive in and begin working on our businessesinstead of just in our businesses.  So with that in mind, allow me to share a few of my favorite ideas that invigorate me for the new year.
The first one, and perhaps most obvious, is to attend the Winter NAMM show.  Take as many of your staff as you can so that they get inspired to work on your business as well. Obviously the new products are always exciting, but if you spend time in the NAMM Idea Centers you will come away with many ideas that will make your business better in the new year. Also, make it a goal at each NAMM show to meet new people and to strengthen the industry relationships you already have.
“Fortune favors the bold” － Latin proverb Second, are you planning any travel this year?  If so, arrange some time to visit other music stores on your travels.  I love to drive when possible, primarily so that I can spend time visiting other music stores on my trip.  Recently I took a t…

The term “pipeline” is is often used to refer to customers going through the various stages of your sales process. The general idea is some customers are just getting acquainted with your business, all the way to loyal, raving fans. But in order to become raving fans, they first had to start at the beginning of your pipeline.
First thing first. Before you go out and tell the world how amazing your store is, make sure it is truly amazing. Now I know this seems obvious, but seriously, take a fresh look at your business and see if it is worthy of telling the world (or at least your local market) about it. Better yet, have your employees, friends, even some Mystery Shoppers, evaluate your business and give you an HONEST assessment. You might want to use an anonymous tool for this so people can give their unfiltered opinion - you’ll find you get MUCH better feedback this way. There are many ways to do this, but I prefer using an anonymous Google Form (http://forms.google.com), although you…

The term “pipeline” is is often used to refer to customers going through the various stages of your sales process. The general idea that you’ll have some that are just getting acquainted with your business all the way to loyal, raving fans. But in order to become raving fans, they first had to start at the beginning of your pipeline.

While the Sales pipeline is the most common, there are other areas of our business where this mindset would also be useful - Staff and Services. Together, they are the three S's of Music retail, if you will. I’ll share with you some of the things we do at Springfield Music to keep our pipeline full.

First things first - let’s start with staff. There is nothing more critical to the success of your business than the people who comprise it. To stuff this pipeline full you are going to need people working in your business that get it, want to be there, and have the capacity to do the job well.

Allow me to tell you something you already know (I’ll still tak…