Servicing other businesses can significantly increase revenue and open the door to other opportunities. While every customer is an asset, the financial stakes are even higher when maintaining a relationship with professionals, companies, schools, and government agencies. These relationships can be demanding and complex since multiple individuals may be involved in the procurement process. These are valuable contacts, with each touchpoint being an opportunity to demonstrate your expertise in customer service.

Successful retailers develop a comprehensive strategy and execute it based on the plan. Independent hardware stores and home centers are unique businesses catering to specific customer segments. Owners have no desire to operate scaled-down versions of Walmart or Home Depot—they are proud to be authentically different. Thriving businesses should continually look for growth opportunities

Consumers have expectations about the service they want to receive. For some generations, it's higher than others. However, what's required to deliver an exceptional shopping experience continues to evolve, placing greater demands on retailers. Businesses often assume customers are happy with their service if they receive few complaints. Staff members are trained to manage challenging

Training new employees require a substantial investment of time and resources before they can contribute to the business. A survey conducted by the National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB), reveals that training is a challenge for small business owners for a variety of reasons that are within or beyond their control.

Going to the next Market? Independent retailers who regularly attend home improvement events have seen the industry change in the past four years. Various functions once performed manually, are now digital to enable transactions to be completed in real-time. The options for attending events have greatly expanded. Rather than flying or driving to conventions,

Shopping in physical stores has come back since consumers are eager to see, smell, and touch the merchandise. Online sales are dipping slightly after reaching record highs last year. However, people are now accustomed to the digital enhancements

Increasing sales requires making marketing a high priority on your to-do list. Home Improvement retailers who take a SMART approach to marketing understand the important role it plays in maximizing profits. Developing a structured marketing plan, rather than holding a series of random promotions

Successful home improvement retailers are forward-thinking and create a game plan for their team to follow. Since the new year is less than a week away, start with the basics. Create a checklist that identifies tasks that need to be accomplished to grow the business, motivate your team, and keep customers shopping at your store.

Consumers prefer to have multiple options when deciding how they want to pay for purchases. At the height of the pandemic, online shopping became the thing to do because people had little or no access to physical stores. Similar to other conveniences designed to make buying online more effortless, the option to Buy Now Pay Later (BNPL) grew in popularity.

Independent retailers wear many different hats to maintain day-to-day operations and deal with factors dependent on the economy's health. The local hardware store or home center is a unique business niche that caters to a specific segment of customers. Many of these family-owned businesses have been in the exact location for generations. They continue to exist when others have failed because they understand what customers want and expect of them. • Sell quality products and services at a fair price that solves a problem or improves my home. • Hire great employees who share information and knowledge to help me complete projects with confidence • Make shopping enjoyable and convenient—get me out the door quickly.