Step 4: Get Your Staff Involved
You'll be pleasantly surprised at the ideas your staff presents to you when you tell them all about the new Web site.
Even if some of them don't have Internet access or have never touched a computer, staff will provide terrific support as long as you encourage their input. Your employees play a vital role in every aspect of your success, but you're already familiar with that.
Here are some questions to ask at the next staff meeting:
- What merchandise are customers talking about this season?
- Which local stores do you notice advertising their Web sites on windows
and within their shops?
- How many customers are asking if we have a Web site?
- Which of our customers will benefit from shopping with us online?
These thought-provoking questions will encourage staff members to consider options you may not have considered for your site rather than answering with close-ended "yes" and "no" responses.
Some of the results my retail clients have experienced by getting their staff involved are:
- A staff member who creates Web sites in his spare time became the site's
webmaster (the person who updates and edits pages). That person also trained
another employee to make changes when he's not at the store.
- An employee suggested that the store owner purchase "Ask Me About Our
Web Site" buttons for each staff member to wear. The button also included
the Web site's address.
- A large banner displaying the store's Web address was placed on the wall in back of the cash register. This employee recommendation brought lots of attention from customers who said, "I have to visit your Web site."
Consider tying the feedback to an incentive program. For example, the person with the best ideas to get customers to visit the Web site receives an additional day off, a gift certificate, a complimentary manicure, a night of dinner and a movie, etc.
Ask colleagues at chamber of commerce, merchant, and association meetings for other incentive ideas that encourage employees to share their ideas to increase sales on and off the Web.
Next: Step 5 - Launch Your Site
