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Despite all the decorations, and enough candy to make Willy Wonka diabetic there is one glaring problem. ALL my neighbors suck! Maybe that's a little harsh, but it is accurate. There are five other homes in our cull-DE-sac, and we are the only ones that are open for the business of “Trick or Treat”. No one else has decorations, and one guy “forgot” it was Halloween and bought no candy. From the main street you can do a very quick glance of the cull-DE-sac without ever entering it, and the image screams “Closed.”

Well needless to say this years foot traffic was very light, and the only redeeming aspect is that I have a four year old who now has enough candy to blast her into space. What is the solution when you have a business front in a poor location or in a dead shopping strip?

First things first. Look at your location, without being you! As business person's we tend to put on rose colored glasses and see things (both good and bad) that the average consumer will not see. The potential of a huge location, the end vision of years of dreaming of your own business, the promise of a rebounding economy. Forget everything, and look at the location from the eyes of your target customer.

• Is this a destination spot or is it a cruising area. The difference being a destination location is a place where the customer has to consciously decide that is where they are going, and will make a special trip there. A cruising location is one with high foot or street traffic where customers will pull over and stop or simply walk-in as they are browsing shops around you.

  • Destination spots are always going to be tougher from a marketing standpoint. Typically this type of location requires much more marketing because it is not highly visible nor does it receive a lot of foot traffic. (Culdisacs are destination spots BTW)

  • Cruising locations are easier in that you will be able to capitalize from your neighbors marketing efforts, and you will already have a good amount of foot traffic from customers shopping other stores in the shopping area. The downside is that the rent is going to be more.

• What does your storefront say about your business? When you have cruisers what can they quickly discern about your business? If you are not aware of it people have two common traits that we all share, more or less. 1. We are always in a rush! 2. We have very short attention spans. What this means to you is that your storefront must be able to quickly identify what you are doing in that giant box, and it must keep your customers attention from wandering to the next thing, and while enticing them to stop and check you out.

  • Are you clean? Take a moment and look at your storefront like a health inspector would look at a kitchen. Whats wrong? The front of your store is your customers first impression of YOU! Take the time, DAILY, to empty the trash, sweep the side walk, and clean the windows. The storefront should be a reflection of whats in-side, and hopefully whats inside is not a pigsty.

  • Make sure you have signage! It must be big, it must be bright, and it must be clear. It me clarify big and bright. This means that your main sign should be large enough that a person driving by at 45 MPH can easily read your sign without causing a collision, and bright enough that it can be seen on cloudy days, after the sun has gone down or there is an eclipse. This absolutely does not mean that you light up the front of your store like you bought the left over neon from Vegas. Clear, your signage must be clear. Your sign must tell your target customer what you do inside. Detail the categories that you sell or the services you offer. If in addition to swimming pool supplies you offer grills, and patio furniture your sign must say so. The customer is not going to take the time to figure our what goes on in “Bob's Store”. It is always a generally a good idea to speak to the lowest common denominator and apply the K.I.S.S (keep it simple stupid) principal when applicable.

• Do you have windows, use them! Windows are the most important piece of your real estate, they are the first time that your customers will look into your store.

  • Clean the glass and the window sill. Customers can see the beautiful store you have, if there is 3 inches of dust and grime on the glass. Dirt on the window makes everything behind the glass look duller, older, and much less inviting. Beyond making things look dull, it makes you look untidy, and less professional. Would you take advice from a Doctor covered in dirt?

  • Fun First! It doesn't matter what you are selling, customers want fun! No pool owner ever purchased a pool because they liked adding chemicals, or because they thought it would be fun to skim leaves and brush walls. They bought there pool because they wanted to do cannon balls and sun-bathe on a nice inflatable float. That is what the first thing in your window should be, FUN! Basketball games, loungers, toys, what ever is the most fun part

    of your business should be utilizing your window space and drawing your customers in.

• Display the fun! If your lease allows it, get the fun stuff outside. Let grubby customers touch everything, especially if they have kids. “Wait Don, are you off your rocker? Kids make huge messes!” Yes they do, but when a child gets a hold on something they like, the will beg a plead for it until they get there way. By the way, I am not just referring to young children when I say child. There are plenty of adults that act this way when they want something. So put your most desirable toys out where they can be seen and touched. If you have that kind of fun outside, what other treasures are on the inside?

So what have you found out about your storefront, and what is it doing for you? Is the low rent of a store, off the beaten path, worth the extra cost of advertising?

No, I did not touch on advertising, so here it is!

1. Best advertising is word of mouth. Until you establish your reputation (preferably a good one) you will have to do the following.

2. Traditional rule of advertising is that you should be spending 20% of you net! You know how much you want to make, you do have to spend money to make it.

3. Advertise frequently and consistently! Doing a one time spot on the local station will not drive business. You must get your business in-front of people with a consistent repetition for an average of four weeks before they will remember your name let alone visit your store. TV, Radio, Print... pick one if not all three and advertise consistently. By the way, advertising does not mean that you have to run a sale. It is not necessary to give away margin to get people in the store.

4. You need a website! If you have a business and don't have a website I assume that you are afraid of technology, and I am not sure how you are reading this right now. You do not need to go insane, a simple tasteful website that gets your message to your customers when they come looking for you is enough to start with.

5. Social Media! You need a Facebook fan page at a minimum. Social media is here and it is powerful. That's a post for another day. If you need help with your social media marketing check out www.themodernbusinessconsultant.com.

Take the time to step back and look at your location and what it is doing for you? You may be getting a hell of a deal on rent, but have to spend much more to compensate for the low traffic with your advertising. Get noticed and make a good impression. As for me, I have to move before next Halloween.

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