The food halls and nail bars were humming last Thursday evening. Apparently when they have a few extra shopping hours people want to do one of two things, grab a bite to eat or have their nails done. The designer clothes boutiques were dead. Not a soul in sight in any of them, apart from one, where the sales assistants were run off their feet for a reason.

That reason was permission.

The suits, shirts and shoes they stock are just as good as those in the store two doors down, not better. What this store has is something even more valuable than the stock that lines their shelves. They have my phone number, my email address and the permission to let me know when there is a genuine sale that I might be interested in. And they know how to use it.

Back in the day you just had to open the door and put stuff in the window. All you needed was a ‘come in we’re open’ sign. Because the customer had fewer choices a store owner didn’t need to give them a reason to walk in.

Thirteen years after Seth Godin wrote Permission Marketing retailers are lamenting the death of the old sales process, and only now realising their mistake.

Online or offline, you need to give people a reason to come now.

And you need to know who to give that reason to.

Image by Jill G.