Retail industry handbooks and customer service business manuals can be beneficial both internally for training and industry updates and externally as incentives and marketing material to customers. Retail business manuals serve as guides for entrepreneurs, industry education and networking and specific product information. You can use retail handbooks for business for training new employees and keeping your current staff current.

Retail services handbooks can be sent to your customer base to let them know of changes in the industry that could affect them while keeping your name in front of them. Retail handbooks written with the consumer in mind make great incentives to bring customers into the store for their free copy. You can reach customers and employees in a number of ways to set yourself apart as an industry expert.

1. Start a business with the aid of retail and consumer services industry business handbooks

2. Keep employees trained with retail services handbooks

3. Pass out consumer services industry handbooks to clients

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Check out help start-up retail business manuals

As a new business owner, you can use all the guidance you can get and retail and consumer services industry business handbooks can be a great adjunct to the personal advice and professional assistance you might be receiving. Retail handbooks for business can be short and full of tips or more in-depth with detailed business plans. Shoot for a variety of retail industry handbooks to get the most of your reading time.

I recommend: Calanis is an online consumer services business handbook and blog written by a successful entrepreneur. For a large selection of retail and consumer services industry business handbooks for start-ups in a wide range of industries, check out Entrepreneur’s small business bookstore.

Make training ongoing with customer service manuals

Whether you get regular product manuals from your manufacturers or your corporate office sends our new retail business handbooks, you should make those available to your staff for ongoing training sessions. Use commercially written customer service business manuals if you don't get them from a company resource.

I recommend: Successories has a slew of inexpensive consumer services industry handbooks that would make great additions to staff meeting and ongoing training efforts. More expensive customer service business manuals that include test and projects can be found at Business Training Media.

Lure your customers in with free retail handbooks

Customers appreciate thoughtful gifts of appreciation such as retail industry handbooks that offer tips for making their lives easier or for how to best utilize the products and services they get from your company. For example, a furniture retailer might hand out retail services handbooks with decorating tips.

I recommend: You can purchase retail business handbooks at Giveaway Guides, or create your own for them to publish. Use the National Research Bureau’s sports handbooks as giveaways to your customers. They fit in the clients’ pockets and your name will always be visible.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  If you do any kinds of giveaways, whether you purchase them yourself or receive them from your corporate office, make sure your local contact information appears somewhere on the retail handbooks, even if you have to stamp it on yourself.