How To Prepare for Small Business Saturday, Nov. 27

Small businesses have survived the judgment made about them as “non-essential.” Now there is a groundswell of support for them this Small Business Saturday (Nov. 27) that didn’t exist just a few years ago. We collectively woke up and realized it really mattered that we chose our neighbors to buy from so we could repair our communities.

The important thing for small businesses to realize is that the holidays in general and Small Business Saturday in particular are times you can be most connected with your community.

I think too many retailers and restaurants have used Small Business Saturday as a day to try to have discounts, but that is not the way to give value to customers, especially with supply chains still broken. If you hold a 20% off sale, you’re going to sell out of all of your best sellers – then have to go back to your vendor (who has raised prices) to refill. That doesn’t scale. It doesn’t build profits. It doesn’t make sense.

What does make sense? Give more than a discount. Smart retailers understand that Job No. 1 is to find ways to connect with their customers in a real way. That is not going to be through a discount that is quickly forgotten.

Partner up

The more you can partner with other retailers on your block the better – it’s a community day. And I get it, not everyone in your neighborhood will want to join in. You know them – they’re the ones griping about business and all that others aren’t doing for them. Maybe they own the building but haven’t invested in paint or upgrades in decades. I’m not talking about them. Don’t waste your time trying to convince them to join you. They think someone will swoop in someday and give them a pile of money for their old stock and building.

Instead, concentrate on getting as many positive business owners as possible to staff up, and welcome anyone more than you think possible.

There is still time for you to partner with a charity. Give more than the old, “We’ll donate a percentage of profits.” Instead, give them a chance to get their name out. Could you give them a featured place to sign up volunteers for the dog park? Adopt a shelter for the holidays? Be creative!

Yes, it takes a bit of planning, but don’t catastrophize it as “too much.” Make time for the community and they’ll make time for you.

Again, your main focus is on building community this year. We have all had our trust broken in multiple ways. Now is the time to continue the repair process.

Build and nurture loyalty

We don’t find loyal brands online. We find them in these moments: Someone opening the door for a stranger. A warm greeting on a chilly day. Gift wrapping a purchase just because.

Your shoppers want to put a face to your brand. Shoppers are out there now and will be for the next couple of months during this holiday season. They want to go back to brick-and-mortar stores, so make it something that feels jolly and happy.

What not to do with new shoppers?

Don’t share stories about how you can’t get anyone to work and how it’s horrible to be you. Instead, your messaging should be: “It’s great to be back.” “We’re glad you’re here.” “We’re looking forward to a big holiday season.” “If you see it, you should buy it.”

What kind of food to serve on Small Business Saturday?

I’m a big advocate of providing food, but why not make it more interesting? If you’re going to serve hot chocolate, make it something different, like a hot chocolate bar with milk, dark, and white chocolate, colorful sprinkles, the works. Make it something visitors find remarkable when they leave.

If you are a jewelry store, everyone likes the idea of a champagne reception. Get some of those plastic flutes and some sparkling cider. Hand visitors the flute and offer to fill it while they browse. Who wouldn’t want to feel they were living lifestyles of the rich and famous, even if they are in Poughkeepsie and not Paris?

“Surprise and delight” is the touchstone of great retail, so if they buy something over $1,000, gift them a bottle of good champagne as a surprise gift – but don’t promote it as a gift with purchase.

Again, the goal is to really think of Small Business Saturday as an event for building community, not trying to discount your wares.

What customers want is service, a happy smile, and to be taken away from the apocalyptic stories in the news of fires, hurricanes, deaths, and diseases. Shop Small is the antidote to Black Friday. It is about finding small interactions, not doorbusters.

Your shoppers want to feel they get to create a Merry Christmas, a Joyous Kwanza, a Happy Chanukah, or whatever their celebration is for the holiday.

Brick-and-mortar can do something that online can’t, which is giving people a feeling. And people who feel they matter buy more – something that has never been truer than at Shop Small this year.

Associates need your help too!

For the past nearly 2 years, anyone who worked in retail, hospitality, or restaurants was afraid of customers. They could give you Covid-19, they could get too close, they could challenge you for a video to post on social media.

Just as grocers have had to do, you’ll have to train your people to get over that. The customer isn’t the enemy. They aren’t someone to avoid. They are the reason you have a job. And while the customer isn’t always right, they are always the ones we serve.

That means you’ll have to train your associates on:

• How to show a welcome, not just say it.
• How to have empathy when a customer is struggling to describe what they want, need, or have questions about.
• Being able to compare and contrast items so consumers can focus.

Even with that training, shoppers may still say they don’t feel welcome when they go into smaller stores. Why is that? Here are several things associates and staff can do to welcome customers into your retail stores:

• Get as many Instagram pictures with the owner or with a fun crew that shows shoppers this is a place they want to go. Better yet, put up a Reel on Instagram and Facebook.
• Teach your employees how to engage a stranger. Begin with changing their greeting from “Hi, how are you?” to a simple, “Good morning.”
• Roll out an actual red carpet outside your front doors that says Welcome.

• Cross-promote to build everyone’s business in your community.

• Work with local merchants – have a card or sheet of stores your customers might want to check out.
• Work with local restaurants – have a list of local restaurants your customers might want to check out.

Everyone who wants to support small businesses will be thrilled at the opportunity you’re showing your local community. The important thing to remember is nobody loses in this – everyone wins!

Do’s and don’ts

Over the years I’ve seen the good, the bad, and the ugly. The worst promotion I’ve seen was a ridiculous 40% off everything in the store. They looked like they were going out of business – and customers even asked.

The smart ones (the good ones) try to find ways to hold onto their shoppers:

• They have the right attitude: “How awesome is it that you’re here in my store!”
• They find ways at their events to get shoppers to like their Facebook page.
• They enter their shoppers’ information into their CRM system.

If you can’t get it together for Small Business Saturday when consumer interest is high, you’ll have a much tougher job trying to win those shoppers back in the cold months of January and February.

Find more ways to participate in Shop Small here, here, and here.

And to get ready for a great 2022, check out my online retail sales training program SalesRX.com.

Bob Phibbs, “The Retail Doctor,” is a 30-plus-year retail expert with a proven track record to help brands lift sales, turn their retail staff into real salespeople, and get more out of their store traffic with innovative retail marketing tactics. Contact him at 562-260-2266, or visit his website.