FOODS HOOKS CUSTOMERS
AFFILIATE SPOTLIGHT NOAH LAPORTE AND THE VIRTUE OF GIVING So there you have it — three simple but proven strategies for boosting retail at your box, straight from the mouth of a master retailer. Thanks Ahmed! SALES Ahmed points out that introducing new customers to a product is just half the battle; you need to keep them coming back for more. To ensure this, he likes to use sales to sweeten the deal. “This will almost always result in residual sales,” he says. “Customers often try products for the first time on sale, then buy again at full cost afterwards.” We asked Ahmed how often he likes to run sales at Whole Foods. “About once a quarter,” he says. “You don’t want to do it too much more than that because then you’ll have customers begin to expect the item to always be on sale and not buy when it isn’t.” SEASONS So when do you know if the time is right for a sale or a promotional offer? Well, Ahmed didn’t set summer sales records by accident. He knows how to use the weather to his advantage, especially during the summertime heat. “Pairing drinks with snacks for outdoors (trail mixes, protein bars, etc.) is a sure bet,” he says. “I would look at setting up some aggressive sales bundles of a drink and a protein bar — 2 for $5 together, if each item usually costs $3, for example.”
3 KEYS TO MAKING CORE VALUES COUNT ESTABLISH THE GUIDING HEART OF YOUR BUSINESS A cohesive vision for the future is central to any thriving business; it’s the road map by which you and your team steer the ship to success. But a set of lofty goals isn’t quite enough to motivate and unify an organization. It’s important to have an overarching aim for the coming years, but you also need to provide some guidance on how your business should conduct itself today. You need core values that encourage a certain spirit for your team and hold them to a high standard of excellence. To build a set of core values that’s unique and valuable to your business, you must first decide whose input you want during the process. This should be a panel of the key players in your business and employees skilled at providing new and powerful ideas. Ensure that each of the members of your think tank embodies the qualities you want to see throughout your organization. Next, get everyone in a room to start brainstorming. Set a date for a meeting and encourage everyone to come prepared with a list of values they feel are the most important for your business. Ask your think tank which values are central to them as individuals and expand that to include values that are vital to your entire company. After you’ve got a healthy list of good ideas, combine and define them. Look for commonalities. It’s likely that many of them will orbit just a few key principles. After a bit of pruning and rewording, these principles become your core values. Once you’ve got your set of 5–10 main ideas, outline exactly what each of them means in a few sentences or a paragraph. You may want a skilled writer on board during this step to nail down a set of clear and compelling definitions. The process may be difficult, but once you’re done, you and your team will have a set of powerful, unifying core values. These will state your business’s purpose and drive your team to excellence. Core values may seem like a small consideration in the midst of day- to-day operations, but they can make an enormous difference.
As the owner of Goose Island CrossFit and moderator of the Affiliate Owners forum on Facebook, Noah LaPorte has unique perspectives on running a box in the modern age. We sat down with him to get his insights for success. WHAT MADE YOU WANT TO OPEN A GYM? I lost 100 pounds in 2011 at Lincoln Park CrossFit. I feel like I received a priceless gift and just wanted to give that to other people.
HOW DO YOU CHOOSE WHAT TO FOCUS YOUR EFFORTS ON EACH DAY? When I first wake up, I try to establish three things I need to do for the day. If I do that, I always have a more productive day. WHAT’S SOMETHING FUN YOU’VE DONE RECENTLY FOR YOUR MEMBERS OR STAFF? I buy them dinner, coffee, or movies. I try to do events for members, and I pay for them if they bring a friend. I want to give back to them. WHAT’S THE MOST EFFECTIVE THING YOU’VE DONE RECENTLY TO BOOST SALES OF RETAIL ITEMS? Samples before class! WHAT’S THE MOST EFFECTIVE THING YOU’VE DONE IN THE PAST YEAR TO RECRUIT NEW MEMBERS? Facebook ads and six-week challenges changed my business forever.
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