I was at a street fair yesterday where business owners setup booths, sold their wares, promoted their business or cause. As an intuitive, I watched with great interest booths that were full and those where no one could or would approach.

My observations from this street fair are going to be helpful to any retail business and perhaps others. Retail is about communication, and this is often ignored. Your customers are intuitive. They may not realize that but first and foremost they react unconsciously and sometimes consciously to your display and your demeanor. They pick up on the energy of your booth and your business. Let me give you examples of what I saw.

The booths that were packed were “open” on an energy level, appealing visually, presented an aura of something customers would want for themselves and the staff in the booth was approachable. Their goal seemed to be communication more than sales.

Mistakes I saw. One booth was beautiful; the jewelry was beautiful, the couple behind the table was beautiful and very much in the energy of their relationship more than showing their jewelry. It looked like a photo shoot for a magazine. They grabbed everyone’s attention as we walked by but no one walked in. My husband, who is a Casting Director, noticed them as well but since he is casting project that requires beautiful people, he gave them his card. They may get a photo shoot from the day, but I’ll bet they sold no jewelry. Your customers have to feel that you and your business are there for them.

Another booth had beautiful ceramics. An older couple sat in the back on high chairs looking bored and invalidated. This is the intuitive impression as people walked by. It made them uncomfortable. The couple’s energy made it uninviting, and we did not want to disturb them, as they seemed so disengaged from their display. No one went into that booth.

A woman was selling the most beautiful shawls was also empty of customers. Her mistake was simple. In order to show off the rich colors of her shawls, she laid them against a black display. Most of the folks at the festival were in a cheerful place on this beautiful sunny day. They did not want to go into the darkness, so they did not go into her black booth.

Customers steered clear of booths with staff that were pushy, loud or intruding as you walked by. Booths where the staff was invisible or disengaged also kept folks out. The busy booths were those where the staff were friendly, said hello without expecting anything other than a hello back. The staff was in the energy of customer service versus I NEED you to buy my product.

In the end retailers who were intuitive about their displays were most successful. What does the customer see, feel and hear? How do you want them to experience you, your products and services? Sometimes we have been doing our business so long that we lose our perspective so step back. Get out of your routine. Change your display completely. Notice if you are getting customers or not. Don’t think. Change the energy until you have all the customers you would like.

If you or your staff are not in the “mood” to sell your wares then you might as well go fishing instead OR change your energy. Decide to enjoy promoting or selling your wares. Passer-bys can read your energy. We are all intuitive. There is no faking it. Your vision of your day goes exactly as you see it. If you have no vision then, nothing happens. As always take the time to visualize your success.

Best wishes on your success, Kay

www.insightintuitiveconsulting.com