Special Talents
By The Mann Group
Being an independent specialty retailer is about more than technical expertise. It’s about sharing your passion for the experience, from browsing the aisles to sharing outdoor life lessons.
They don’t call it “specialty retail” for nothing. It is, indeed, special.
Sure, ours is an industry that falls within the technical bounds of the definition of specialty: “a pursuit, area of study, or skill to which someone has devoted much time and effort and in which they are expert.” Most of us have hours of experience to contribute to our storewide expertise; we know which products to recommend because we’ve tried them ourselves. We’ve all got a foundational knowledge of these products and their statistics, and we can compare them within our inventory and choose the best product to suit the requirements of each customer.
But “specialty retail” is so much more than the products and the technical knowledge. It’s the special experience that you’re helping each customer create, not just in your store, but outside of it, perhaps even for years to come.
Consider this: every time someone enters your store, they’re making a choice to buck the doldrum norms and do something more. They’re choosing to put down their phones and invest in a hobby or pastime that gets them outside. It’s the distinction between wasting time and making the most of it, between apathy and action, between living life and loving it. And it is your moment to shine.
Whether they’re planning a camping trip or want to ramp up their mountain biking itinerary, your customers are planning to create special moments with the products they buy from your store. Based solely on the things you sell, you’re helping them cultivate presence and a zest for life through some of the best hobbies out there. But you also have the opportunity to make the moments leading up to that climactic time special, too.
If you create an experience based solely in the ho-hum definition of “specialty,” the one about “expertise,” you’re technically satisfying the needs of your customer. You help them find and buy the products to make their future experience its best. But why make the experience solely specialty, when you can make it special?
The experience of their hobby should extend beyond the trail and into your store. It’s your responsibility as a special retail to make the entirety of their hobby—including those peripheral hours spent perusing wares and accessories—thoroughly enjoyable. How do you do that?
First of all, you share that esteemed expertise with your customers. No, we don’t mean reciting facts and figures; we mean engaging them on a genuine level, from one sportsman to another, and vesting them with some of the knowledge you’ve spent so long cultivating. Help them learn from your experiences to make their own experiences even better.
One of the most important aspects of a special experience is, of course, customer service—and that applies to every single customer, every single time. Don’t make assumptions based on a customer’s appearance or demeanor; if they’re in your store, they’re shopping for something special, and you should treat them as such. That means engaging with them with authentic interest, asking poignant questions, and actually listening to their answers. It means greeting every customer, never hovering behind the cashwrap, and prioritizing your relationships with your customers over your relationship with your coworkers (or (and we can’t believe we even have to say this) your phone). Treat your customer like they’re special, and that’s how they’ll remember the entire experience.
And lastly, take pride in your work. Again, you’re assisting these customers experience life in some of the best of ways! You’re helping them get outside, enjoy nature, move their bodies, and smile. Yours is a noble pursuit indeed, and one you should take pride in. That’s palpable to your customers, and will help them remember their experience in your store as a special one.
You’re preparing customers to live in the moment—and you should set the example by living in the moment with them. Let’s keep specialty retail special!
About The Mann Group: We are The Mann Group, a charmingly incongruous and blatantly genuine group of big thinkers and list makers. Get us together, and our ideas bloom into vibrant, sky-high projects; take us apart, and we work methodically and assiduously to accomplish the goals we created together. We create and implement practical courses and curriculum to help businesses and individuals grow.