Energy

October 19, 2015

Recently, a few of us went out to eat on a busy Saturday night in the suburbs and every restaurant for miles around was running at full capacity. We decided on a nearby chain restaurant and called ahead to get our names on their waiting list. But when we got to the restaurant, the manager told us our name wasn’t there and our wait would be half an hour.

“It’s Saturday night, and we have other people waiting,” he told us. “Whoever told you they would put your name on the wait list made a mistake.”

So instead of making good on his employee’s promise, the manager simply directed us to have a seat and wait with everyone else.

After 35 minutes we were finally directed to our table by the hostess. Oddly enough, as we looked around the room, virtually every table was empty. We all exchanged glances… did we miss something?

Later, when the manager stopped by to check on us, we asked him why we were forced to wait when easily a third of the restaurant was empty. He told us his instructions from corporate were to create a wait on weekend evenings, even if they weren’t busy. “Upper management thinks it creates energy,” he said. “They don’t want people to think business is bad.”

It should come as no surprise that every business, no matter what type of business it is, wants to create the proper energy.

Yet, underperforming restaurants apparently achieve this by creating false waits. Well run businesses on the other hand, create excitement with music, lighting, and creative merchandising. As a manager, there are many aspects to creating good energy in your store.

You should first begin by considering almost everything that the public sees. Successful restaurants (back to them again) will use every trick in the book to create an ambience that ensures repeat business and higher tickets. Employee uniforms are a good reflection of the attitude of the business. In a high-end restaurant, floor staff may be wearing crisp white shirts, ties, and black trousers. While a barbecue place may have their employees dressed in blue jeans and printed T-shirts.

Often, stores in cultural institutions don’t have a specific dress code. They must simply ask their employees to dress in appropriate casual attire (but not too casual). And in many ways this works as you try to create a friendly environment. But don’t forget the opportunities that are created by doing a little something special. You can create energy in your store by having your floor staff dress to match a special event or traveling exhibit. They can wear clothing that you sell, as another way of merchandising your inventory. Or they can reflect an attitude that is specific to your store. Consider using custom embroidered shirts, a unique hat, or maybe even Hawaiian shirts that give your staff a certain vibe.

Strong merchandising techniques created an immediate impression on your customers as they walk into the store. Don’t be satisfied by using the same tricks over and over again. Be observant when you shop at other stores and steal a few ideas. Fly merchandise with fishing line, use pedestals and easels, and always consider your lighting. Use spot lights instead of floodlights. Call attention to one part of your store with colored or moving lights.

When it comes to music, the temptation may be to let your employees decide what to play. But given too wide a berth in the choice of music and your customers could end up shopping to Black Sabbath’s Greatest Hits. Choosing music means often walking a fine line between giving your customers the impression they just walked into either an elevator or a heavy metal nightclub. Remember, the idea with music is to keep your customers shopping as long as possible and to help create energy in your store.
You can boost your sales by boosting the energy in your store. You can do it with dramatic lighting, spectacular music, dazzling displays, and nattily attired staff… or, you can make your customers wait outside in the hall while you pretend you’re busy.

Steve White is a writer and entrepreneur living and writing in Denver