ENERGIZING THE CUSTOMER EXPERIENCE
By Alan Miklofsky — November 22, 2025

Every moment in a shoe store either adds spark or quietly drains it away. There’s no middle gear. Customers walk in hoping for relief, confidence, or maybe just a small victory. Your job is to raise the voltage of their visit from the first glance to the last goodbye.

The First 10 Seconds: Greeting, Eye Contact, and Body Posture

Those first beats determine everything. A customer will decide—almost instantly—whether they feel comfortable, cared for, and ready to engage.

• Greeting: Deliver a real welcome, not a drive-by mumble.
• Eye Contact: A confident moment of connection. Not a stare, not a glance at the shoebox pile behind them.
• Body Posture: Stand open and ready, not folded up like a granite gargoyle perched on a fitting stool.

Those 10 seconds tell the customer, “You’re in good hands,” or “Brace yourself.” Choose wisely.

The Fitting Process as a Performance: Confidence, Pacing, and Enthusiasm

Once they sit down, the stage lights come on. This isn’t theater, but it is a performance of capability.

• Confidence: Customers instantly sense whether you know the product or you’re taking wild guesses at arch support. Move with purpose.
• Pacing: Keep things flowing. Too slow feels like purgatory; too fast feels like a chase scene.
• Enthusiasm: Not cheerleading, but genuine engagement. When a fitter is locked in, customers feel elevated.

A great fitting makes customers say, “Nobody else has ever helped me like that.” That’s energy well spent.

High-Energy Goodbyes That Trigger Return Visits and Referrals

Stores lose more momentum in the final 10 seconds than anywhere else. A weak ending wipes out the magic.

A high-energy goodbye is:

• Specific: “Enjoy those new Birkenstock Bostons—your feet will thank you tomorrow.”
• Personal: If they shared a name, use it like you mean it.
• Forward-Looking: “When you’re ready for a rotation pair, come back and we’ll set aside great options.”
• Warm: A true sendoff, not a half-hearted shout while walking away.

A memorable goodbye sticks with the customer and sends them back through your doors with company.

Final Thought

Energy isn’t noise or hype. It’s intention, presence, and care—expressed through micro-moments that add up to an experience customers can feel. When your greeting, fitting process, and goodbye are aligned and energized, your store becomes a place people talk about… and a place they return to.

© 2025 Alan Miklofsky. All rights reserved.
www.AlanMiklofsky.com