Displaying items by tag: Heidi Owen West
Local Entrepreneur Invests in Team
Photos provided.
SARATOGA SPRINGS — In 2017, Lifestyles of Saratoga saw their net sales increase by 31 percent. Heidi Owen West has owned Lifestyles of Saratoga for nearly 30 years, and recently decided to invest in her customer service and in-store experience. Located at 436 Broadway in Saratoga Springs, Lifestyles of Saratoga sells clothing, accessories and footwear. West also owns Caroline and Main, a women’s boutique that opened in 2016.
“I mean coming off of the 31 percent is still really aggressive, so I’m really excited about that,” West said.
West attributes a large portion of 2017 success to a training program created by Bob Phibbs, also known as the ‘Retail Doc’. She happened upon Bob Phibbs at a conference and says she liked his no non-sense approach to retail. According to West, the program focused on the sales team and was virtual.
“One biggest lessons for me was, was that there’s a direct path on how to relate to the customers, how to create a rapport with them, how we connect with them and how we create a community so that they rely and trust us,” West said.
“We’re not just going to sell you that shirt, we’re going to help you if you want to figure out how that works into your wardrobe or how many different ways you can wear that. We’re gonna be honest... We’re here to create that relationship and that trust and take the long term view,” West added.
West is on track for a seven to 10 percent increase in net sales for 2018. The store usually falls between five and 10 percent every year.
