{"id":557,"date":"2017-06-08T17:28:40","date_gmt":"2017-06-09T00:28:40","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/?p=557"},"modified":"2025-11-19T20:43:43","modified_gmt":"2025-11-20T04:43:43","slug":"7-habits-of-highly-effective-retailers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/7-habits-of-highly-effective-retailers\/","title":{"rendered":"7 Habits of Highly Effective Retailers"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>Apply these 7 effective habits and improve your business!<\/h2>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every smoker knows that changing bad habits is a difficult task. Stephen Covey, the author of \u201c<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.franklincovey.com\/courses\/the-7-habits\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">,\u201d also knows that changing your habits is vital for becoming a successful person. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">But what about retailers? Can retailers change their habits to run a more successful business?<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most definitely.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s why we\u2019ve come up with our own version of Stephen Covey\u2019s book (for retailers): The 7 Habits of Highly Effective Retailers.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"background: #fffb90; border: 1px solid #fffb90; padding: 15px 15px; margin: 0 0 20px 0; font-size: 18px;\"><strong>Bonus Bad Habits!<\/strong> <a class=\"manual-optin-trigger\" href=\"#\" data-optin-slug=\"zsxkwqofofrjepcld9vw\">Download the 4 Habits of Highly Unsuccessful Retailers<\/a><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Read on to find out what habits you can integrate into your life to get more out of your retail business.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>1. The \u2018Why\u2019 Habit <\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Successful business owners know their \u2018why\u2019. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are 3 reasons knowing your \u2018why\u2019 is important:<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><b>Mission Statement:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Your \u2018why\u2019 will help you develop a mission statement that provides direction and purpose when things become chaotic.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Clarity and Purpose: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Knowing your \u2018why\u2019 will help you visualize your purpose and execute it with complete clarity.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Company Culture: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your \u2018why\u2019 will help build a consistent and unambiguous company culture. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3><b>Example of a Highly Effective Retailer:<\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.apple.com\/ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <b>Apple<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Apple\u2019s slogan \u2018Think Different\u2019 was created in 1997.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Apple is known for being an innovative company because they knew that their \u2018why\u2019 was to go against the status quo and create something that is for a \u2018different\u2019 kind of customer.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Apple had a vision and a mission and it shows in their products and marketing campaigns<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Just check out the Apple commercials from 2006. The ad is simple, impactful, innovative and unique, just like their computers. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/ByCyqSROGf0\" width=\"560\" height=\"315\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><br \/>\n<b>How to Develop the \u2018Why\u2019 Habit: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ask yourself the following questions so you can start finding your \u2018why\u2019:<br \/>\n<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What makes you feel inspired? <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What are your strengths? Weaknesses? <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What factors do you use to measure success? <\/span><\/li>\n<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Where can you add value in the world?<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Watch Simon Sinek\u2019s Ted Talks,\u201cStart With Why,\u201d to see more reasons and examples for knowing your \u2018why\u2019.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>2. The \u2018Customer\u2019 Habit <\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Highly effective retailers find ways to make their customers feel appreciated &#8211; and that means providing excellent customer service and support.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are 3 reasons putting customers first is important: <\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><b>Branding: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Every interaction a customer has with your retail business will shape their thoughts and feelings towards your brand. Excellent customer service and support triggers positive thoughts and feelings from customers. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Customer Retention:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Customer retention costs less than customer acquisition. Providing excellent customer service and support are the most effective methods for increasing your customer retention. \u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Trust: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Great customer service and support increases the customer\u2019s ability to trust your brand as it shows that you\u2019re listening to their concerns and you care about their feelings. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3><b>Example of a Highly Effective Retailer:<\/b><a href=\"http:\/\/www.traderjoes.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <b>Trader Joe\u2019s <\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trader Joe\u2019s is not only well-known for their wide selection of unique products, but also for going above and beyond customer\u2019s expectations when it comes to customer service and support. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One evening during a snowstorm, the daughter of an 89-year-old man was worried that he would not be able to access a grocery store for days. After numerous calls, attempts, and failures, Trader Joe\u2019s \u00a0came to the rescue. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Trader Joe\u2019s was the only grocery store willing to make the delivery. They even did the delivery free of charge. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Talk about excellent customer service! <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>How to Develop the \u2018Customer\u2019 Habit: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Start by understanding the wants and needs of your customer. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use various methods such as documenting customer service cases, analyzing customer reactions to your campaigns, and developing customer personas. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Click <\/span><a href=\"http:\/\/www.makemypersona.com\/\" title=\"Create customer personas with HubSpot&#039;s Make My Persona tool\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use HubSpot\u2019s \u2018Make My Persona\u2019 tool<\/span><\/a> to create detailed customer personas.<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"background: #fffb90; border: 1px solid #fffb90; padding: 15px 15px; margin: 0 0 20px 0; font-size: 18px;\"><strong>Bonus Bad Habits!<\/strong> <a class=\"manual-optin-trigger\" href=\"#\" data-optin-slug=\"zsxkwqofofrjepcld9vw\">Download the 4 Habits of Highly Unsuccessful Retailers<\/a><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>3. The \u2018Systems and Processes\u2019 Habit \u00a0<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Highly effective retailers use systems and processes to create an overall better experience for themselves and the customer. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are 4 reasons systems and processes are important: <\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><b>Efficiency: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Systems and processes streamline operations at all stages of the business cycle to improve efficiency.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Scalability: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Systems and processes are the building blocks for growing a business. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Cost:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Systems and process save time and money by eliminating inefficiencies. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Control:.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Managers can use systems and processes to monitor, review, and control each stage of the business process. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3><\/h3>\n<h3><b>Example of a Highly Effective Retailer: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/bellabridesmaids.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Bella Bridesmaids<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Bella Bridesmaid\u2019s was using paper-heavy spreadsheets to manage their business transactions and processes. Their manual systems was paper-heavy and time-consuming. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">That\u2019s when Bella Bridesmaid\u2019s decided to use<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Agiliron<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to support everything from online ordering to the automatic generation of POS for designers. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8220;The true value of Agiliron shines through in the exceptional support and responsiveness we receive when there is a question or need. We are confident we are in excellent hands and look forward to seeing where this partnership brings our business (and more importantly &#8211; our bottom line) in the next year.&#8221;<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">&#8211; <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/customers\/bella-bridesmaid.html\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Erin &amp; Kathleen Casey &#8211; Owners, Bella Bridesmaids Franchise Group<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>How to develop the \u2018Systems and Processes\u2019 Habit:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Ask yourself, \u2018What part of my business process can be streamlined?\u2019 Research solutions that can help improve them. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>4. The \u2018Proud\u2019 Habit <\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Highly effective retailers are proud of their business and will stand by the quality of their products. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are 3 reasons being proud of your products is important: \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><b>Customer Confidence:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> 100% satisfaction guarantees instill confidence in your customers. It shows them that you believe in your products quality. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Priorities: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A 100% satisfaction guarantee shows that customer happiness is your first priority. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Marketing: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Guarantees are a powerful marketing tactic as they reduce the risk for customers to purchase your product. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3><b>Example of an effective retailer: <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mec.ca\/en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Mountain Equipment Coop<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mountain Equipment Coop (MEC) guarantees the quality of their products. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How is a customer to know if their hiking shoes are a good fit until they\u2019ve actually hiked in them? MEC understands this problem and allows customers to return any products that don\u2019t meet their expectations. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">MEC also provides a guarantee for their employees&#8217; advice and expertise. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If a customer is dissatisfied with the advice they received to purchase a product from an employee, they are able to ask for an exchange, refund, or credit. Furthermore, if their products are damaged or broken, the customer may return them for repair. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>How to develop the \u2018Proud\u2019 habit: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Monitor customer reviews to see the pain points your customer are experiencing. This will give you an idea of where you can improve your products and guarantee customer satisfaction. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"background: #fffb90; border: 1px solid #fffb90; padding: 15px 15px; margin: 0 0 20px 0; font-size: 18px;\"><strong>Bonus Bad Habits!<\/strong> <a class=\"manual-optin-trigger\" href=\"#\" data-optin-slug=\"zsxkwqofofrjepcld9vw\">Download the 4 Habits of Highly Unsuccessful Retailers<\/a><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>5. The \u2018Hiring\u2019 Habit <\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Highly effective retailers hire selectively.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3 reasons hiring selectively is important: <\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><b>Branding: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Employees are your brand\u2019s ambassadors. Select employees who will promote the right image. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Reputation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Good employees who provide great service will reflect positively on your brand\u2019s reputation. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Cost: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/pulse\/how-important-really-hire-right-employee-ph-d-mba-pmp\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">US Department of Labor and Statistics<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cthe average cost of a bad hiring decision can equal 30% of the individual\u2019s first-year potential earnings.\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><b>Example of a highly effective retailer: <\/b><a href=\"http:\/\/shop.lululemon.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"><b>Lululemon<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Employees at Lululemon are extremely perky and helpful to reflect their brand\u2019s athletic, healthy, happy image. To create such an environment, Lululemon hires employees that have lifestyles in line with their brand\u2019s image. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Interviewers ask interviewees their habits, hobbies, and how they define success to get an idea of the type of person they are. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>How to get into the \u2018Hiring\u2019 habit: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check out the article<\/span> 10 Tips to Find and Recruit Superstar Employees <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> so that you can look in all the right places for the right employees. <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>6. The \u2018Creative\u2019 Habit <\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Highly effective retails are able to create new methods for increasing sales. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here are 3 reasons being creative is important: <\/span><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li><b>New Audience:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> A creative marketing campaign advertised on new channels can reach new audiences. <\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Reputation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Putting efforts into making a creative marketing campaign will reflect positively on your brand\u2019s reputation.<\/span><\/li>\n<li><b>Innovation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Innovation is important for any business. Adapting to the times and coming up with new ideas is what will keep customers coming back for more. <\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h3><b>Example of a highly successful retailer:<\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/xboxdesignlab.xbox.com\/en-ca\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <b>Xbox<\/b><\/a><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xbox\u2019s Instagram marketing campaigns are creative, innovative, and interactive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Xbox asked gamers to design Xbox controllers with custom colours to debut the Xbox Design Lab. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">To show off their designs, Xbox posted \u2018flat-style\u2019 photos of the controllers on Instagram with the hashtag #Makeityours.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>How to develop the \u2018Creative\u2019 habit:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Spend time brainstorming your own marketing campaign ideas, or if you have the means, hire a marketing expert to help design a truly impactful marketing campaign. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><b>7. The \u2018Thoughtful\u2019 Habit <\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Habit #7 is not only the conclusion to this article, but also the most important habit. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Highly effective retailers are thoughtful about which habits do and do not bring their business success. Highly effective retailers do not carry on with habits that don\u2019t drive positive results. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>How to develop the thoughtful habit: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Track, measure, and analyze your efforts to determine which habits are delivering positive results and which habits need to be changed. <\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Overall, don\u2019t be afraid to experiment with new habits! <\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div style=\"background: #fffb90; border: 1px solid #fffb90; padding: 15px 15px; margin: 0 0 20px 0; font-size: 18px;\"><strong>Bonus Bad Habits!<\/strong><br \/>\n\t<a class=\"manual-optin-trigger\" href=\"#\" data-optin-slug=\"zsxkwqofofrjepcld9vw\">Download the 4 Habits of Highly Unsuccessful Retailers<\/a><\/div>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Apply these 7 effective habits and improve your business! &nbsp; Every smoker knows that changing bad habits is a difficult task. Stephen Covey, the author of \u201cThe 7 Habits of Highly Effective People,\u201d also knows that changing your habits is vital for becoming a successful person. But what about retailers? Can retailers change their habits [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":565,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[49],"tags":[78,81,80,52,82],"class_list":["post-557","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-retailers","tag-business-success","tag-effective-habits","tag-effective-practices","tag-retail","tag-retail-habits"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=557"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/557\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.agiliron.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}