Some good news for the New Year Thanks to your feedback through our Vital and Viable workshops we have identified that businesses in Alford were keen to access some retail focused business support. With this in mind, we have been able to use the Reopening the High Street Safely Fund to commission a special pilot programme that businesses in your area will be the first to take part in, for free!
Retailers in Alford and Spilsby high streets will have an opportunity to enrol their business and team on a three-part, action packed journey with Rural Retailer, Ophelia Gamble and her team of business specialists. The uniqueness of their program is the fact that they support the action planning stage to actually happen - it's not just a paper-based exercise.
Pulling out the three main areas that are proven to be the weak parts of businesses in general - Branding, Wellbeing, and Sales - makes their focus relevant, timely, and important. Having the three specialists in place to support the process with a bespoke action plan for each business on the high street really sets this apart from traditional purely signposting advisory services.
The fifteen-hour programme is an action driven course, with Ophelia leading with a Super Sales Workout to support businesses make their tills ring. With Ophelia's 30 plus years in retail her energetic, engaging and bespoke style will breathe new life into high street retailers.
The course also includes Branding and Wellbeing which at this unusual trading time really spins the support on its head. Healthy You, Healthy Business is the mantra that they are promoting, incorporating all the staff within each individual business that decides to take this important step to survive and then thrive in this unusual trading climate.
The team incorporate an in-depth Covid-19 checklist and each business will have a chance to look at the procedures and safety measures that they have in place for their customers and staff. Alongside this they will have chance to develop their own Covid-19 best practice checklists.
Wendy will provide branding health checks and advice providing each business fully armed with a bespoke pack of media templates that are easy to use.
Now we have moved into Lockdown once again we believe more than ever business owners and their teams require wellbeing support. Louise is an award-winning wellbeing specialist and will be looking at the health of the high street teams, making sure they have the tools to start to look after themselves and maintain a healthy outlook. Everyone is experiencing the effects of this pandemic in different ways and it is important we put this to the fore of everything we do.
Here is a little bit of background from Ophelia:
"With over 30 years of retail experience, I have dedicated my career to the art of selling and I am a specialist at 'Making Your Till Ring'. Having served an apprenticeship in sales at Hilda Hansons Boutique in the late 80s, learning from sellers that not only had featured as models on the cover of Vogue in the 1950s but were willing to impart their knowledge of sales techniques, relationship building and buyers mind mapping. I leapt to action and started to develop my own sales persona becoming a leading retailer in the city of Nottingham, managing small independents and department store floors. Alongside this for the last eight years I have been showcasing high-street retail at its best across the East Midlands with my very own brand of retail market which acts to enhance the existing retailers that sit in a rural high street offering a service to their community which is sadly very often under-utilised. "During lockdown I have been working with small businesses to support them to diversify, increase their sales channels and resilience at this very challenging time. The high street is now in need of a hands on, robust recovery program, a program that provides positive results to the customer journey. Let's work together to look at creating a healthy team and a strong customer journey that will put your business on the local map! 2021 is The Year of the Rural High Street, we have the chance to be radical and re-write how we retail! If not now, when?" Ophelia will be sharing project updates with us, we will communicate these through case studies on our Vital and Viable newsletters. If you would like to hear more details please contact Ophelia via email:
opheliameansbusiness@gmail.com or calling: 07807782469.
