BE A LOCAL
HERO
Getting closer to your local community can pay dividends in the long run
Everyone loves random acts of kindness. It brightens the day and goes a little way to restoring people’s faith in humanity. There are plenty of opportunities for retailers to brighten people’s day with small acts.
Is there a local bus stop near you? No one feels that great in the morning starting the commute to work. Imagine how nice it would be if, once in a while, you offered someone at the bus-stop a sandwich, chocolate bar or a cup of coffee if you have one of the hot drinks vending machines. Not everyone has time for breakfast and apart from anything else it is guaranteed to make even the most hard-bitten commuters smile.
It may sound as if this is advising you to give away your hard won profits but in reality it’s an investment. Getting closer to the community around you is the major difference you can offer that the multiples can’t. Let’s face it, if you were given the choice to buy something you needed from a faceless corporation or a person who has treated you kindly in the past the choice would be an easy one.
Local sponsorship
Everyone knows someone who is doing, has done, or will be doing a bike ride for charity, a sponsored walk or a similar good endeavor. Within your community there are probably many people who do such good deeds every other month.
Sponsoring these people shows that you’re actively engaging in the community and that the things that it cares about matter to you also. It also makes you feel pretty good about yourself, which isn’t a bad bonus.
Apart from charitable activities there are many other areas of local sponsorship you might look into. Does the local school need new sports equipment? Perhaps there’s a fund for repairing the roof of the local church.
We’re not suggesting that you consider building a new library or anything wildly extravagant. It’s more about contributing to the little things that matter to the community. Small acts of kindness are more important than overblown grand gestures.
Making the community look good
Within any society of people there will be some who are more concerned with the appearance of their neighbourhood. Whilst not everyone appears to be, especially in the more anonymous and transient cities, people do respond well to those who make an effort to better their environment.
Improving the image of your local community shows residents that you are taking an active interest in the community. It positions you as a figurehead and someone who is trustworthy and has the resident’s best interests at heart.
It might be that just taking a look around the local area reveals things that could be improved. It might be as small as repainting walls that have graffiti or as large as hiring someone to collect litter in the local parks. Of course the local council should really be doing this, but as we all know council budgets are overstretched and their offices understaffed. In fact doing something that the council should be doing earns you more respect since you’re going out of your way to do a job you shouldn’t have to do.
Offering older local residents a few hours time from a local gardener to tidy up their gardens is something that will not only win you favour but is genuinely helpful. You might ask your older customer if there’s anything they need doing, and if one person has a problem then it’s likely that their friends have the same issue.
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Using a planogram is essential to not only maximise your profit per shelf, but also to help your staff remember where products are to be found when dealing with customers. If you want further advice on how to maximise your sales please book a visit from one of our trade reps who will be happy to advise you.