Did you know that 97% of people read reviews of local businesses? And that 90% of buyers read reviews online to help them make a decision about a purchase?

Customer reviews play a huge part in helping to promote your favorite businesses. So how can you take advantage of Small Business Saturday®, and make an impact buying small and supporting local?  

During How To Leave A Customer Review, you will:

About your event host:

​Chris Guillot is a retail expert, teaching independent retailers and makers how to improve profit in simple, achievable steps. With over 23 years of experience, Chris has taught thousands of retail merchants how to combine industry strategies with emotional intelligence in order to remain compelling in an ever-changing market. She’s the Founder and CEO of Merchant Method, and host of Retail Charm School, a live video show that helps small business owners master the art and science of merchandising. Chris has been featured by Business Insider, Shopify, Vend, Big Commerce, and Total Retail.

Virtual events are playing a bigger role in life with each passing month. In fact, hosting a live event this holiday season is an opportunity to nurture important customer relationships, improve business success, and grow your customer base.

​Intention is a powerful thing. Whether you’re helping customers live a more thoughtful, intentional, grounded life like Ashley Brown from Compliments 'N Coffee or whether you want to create an ever-present brand connection, a branded playlist just might be the powerful tool you’re looking for.

As an Indie Retailer or Maker, where do your largest priorities stand? Right now, with the inventory or raw materials you already have on hand? Or in the future, with the new products and designs you’d like to offer to your customers as soon as you’re able to?

Now, more than ever, we need to refresh our critical thinking and problem solving skills as well as increase our confidence and I would think of no better person to help us breakthrough than Gary Ware.

With the holiday shopping season just months away, it’s the perfect time to examine gift cards and their benefits for small businesses.

The Reconnect With Your Customer 5-Day Challenge​ has come to a close and with it comes epiphanies and breakthroughs from Merchant participants. And I could not keep them to myself!

Do I feel that recording videos, whether livestream, Stories, or pre-recorded, is hard? You bet I do! When I acknowledge my feelings for what they are (nervousness that doesn't go away) I can then focus on what matters most.

When you're an enterprising creative, it can feel like there's an unending well of inspiration. For better, like when it helps you get past roadblocks, or for worse, like when you're too distracted to focus on work you'd rather not do.

Part of the creative entrepreneur's journey is finding that sweet spot between personal style and business style.

Do you formulate a hypothesis and test it, especially before making large investments of your time and money? I'm the first to admit that I make choices based on gut feelings. I've been know to say "Yes!" to...

An unexpected surge in retail sales is a welcomed surprise, especially if you can fulfill your orders with confidence. But what happens when you're not positioned to scale your business quickly in order to sustain the newfound momentum?

"If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together." This African Proverb has been displayed throughout this season of interviews on the Retail Charm School video show.

We know that hindsight is 20/20. But when you need those insights now, it's no wonder that we look outside of our businesses and past experiences for teachers and new lessons.

During this fifth season of the Retail Charm School show, I've come to learn a lot about you:

When I was thinking about how to contextualize this season of interviews, I wanted to do two things:

If you want to put your passion to work, then it's important to ask the question: What else do I need to know?

In the ongoing fight against bias and racism, which is pervasive in retail customer service, it's important for small businesses, micro businesses, and solopreneurs to consider how  we can use our small and mighty platforms to align passion and purpose.

When it comes to business "success", measuring, ranking, and benchmarking accomplishments are straightforward and also elusive. These practices are straightforward when the unit of measure is constant, which it no longer is.

In search for a point of reference, we often look for grounding by asking operational business questions like:

A compelling story makes us think and feel. It can speak to us in a way that webinar presentation slides and data can't. What makes storytelling powerful is its ability to connect people and help us make sense of our personal experiences in this world.

For businesses - including yours - a good story communicates your values and your beliefs to those to need to know them most.

So many businesses are pivoting left and right. They accepted the challenge to mobilize early and are thinking creatively, collaborating differently, and accumulating small successes. And yet...

There are so many businesses managing multiple survival strategies:

So what happens to those small business owners, makers, and creative entrepreneurs whose pivot is not happening as fast?

Raise your hand if you're working on your marketing strategy! Anyone that's ever developed and executed a marketing effort - of any size and any scope - will tell you it's risky business.

Whether you're a planner-at-heart like a Chief Marketing Officer or an entrepreneurial maverick who flys by the seat of her pants, if you need help with the mindset of putting yourself out there, you'll want to click play on this week's episode.

Did you know that the #1 thing you need to do before the economy bounces back is build deeper relationships? And that now is a great time to upgrade your marketing strategy?

Building a community of loyal customers plays a huge part in profitable selling.

Listen, if you want to stay nimble in an ever-changing environment, then stop scrolling and pay attention right now.

What I’m about to tell you could help you transform fizzled business plans into future business success. (I’m banking on it to help me with mine.)

Did you know that the best way to get what you want is to ask for what you want? And that the most effective way to do this for your business is with a call to action?

Asking customers to do what you want them to do plays a huge part in what you should and shouldn’t say on video.

Raise your hand if:

You and I have these challenges in common. In fact, every “non-essential” inventory-based business finds themselves in this boat.

The questions from merchants like you are coming in hot and fast so I hosted a live Q&A session created specifically for small retailers and makers.

There are as many work from home (WFH) styles as there are people. Our adult work styles are shaped over time, most commonly by:

Whether you WFM full-time or have been asked to WFH, the circumstances have changed and so should the way we craft our new WFH life.

Are you looking ahead and playing the long game? I think you are so it’s best to nurture your star players now, or you might not have the team to get you where you want to go and who you want to go with.

The business rules we typically play by are changing. Everything — EVERYTHING — is up for reinterpreting, reimagining, replanning, and refocusing, including business partnerships.

Attn: Retailers and Makers! Did you know there’s no better time to use livestream video for your inventory-based business than right now? Your customers are watching live videos and engagement only continues to grow.

According to Nielsen, U.S. adults spend about 6 hours a day watching video. And according to Forrester, users watch live video 10 to 20 times longer than on-demand content. They also found that consumers are 39% more likely to share content if it’s delivered through video.

Look, video can enable you to streamline your customer support practices and ultimately boost shopper satisfaction and loyalty, according to Ecommerce Guide.