RetailBizBlog

Is it just me, or does it seem that CEO's of today are everywhere?!  I can't recall such a time when CEO's have been such public figures.  The headlines have moved out of the financial pages and into mainstream news.  Power players like Mark Zuckerberg, Howard Schultz, Jeff Bezos, James Sinegal, Tim Cook, and Yahoo's new dynamo Marissa Mayer, have turned the front page into the business page! The greatest thing about this, is we have a glimpse like never before into the business and culture savvy these mega-executives possess.  Zuckerberg proved he is much more than a lucky (and very intelligent) college kid in a hoody, when he successfully navigated into the mobile space before his initial investors had to decide to bail on him in Q1.  Howard Schultz, has many wondering if there is a political future in store for him (he continues to strongly deny) when he decided to rally other business leaders against the indecision and fiscal irresponsibility of our elect...

Yesterday I took part in a TweetChat presented by the #bealeader community.  The topic for the chat was the importance of self-awareness for a successful leader.  One of the questions posed was "How does one keep self awareness from becoming the less desirable self involved?".   I responded with a concept that I had been taught very early in my career that I have since dubbed "humility time".  I had a few responses that unfortunately, the 140 limit of Twitter made very difficult to properly respond to. Very early in my career, I worked off the premise that knowledge was power.  At the time, I had all the knowledge, and assumed that granted me all the power.  My team very quickly delivered me a very harsh reality check in letting me know that was not going to be the case.  My manager at the time explained the importance of self-awareness.  She recommended I mentally schedule time for myself to intentionally be the guy "that does not have all ...

Every retail leader has had those employees that have simply seemed to have "lost their mojo".  Is it better to move them out before they contaminate your team with their "funk", or should you find out where their mojo went, and give it back to them? Strictly from a cost perspective, hiring and training a replacement can be expensive.  I will always advise in the direction of getting your rockstar back on track.  People fall into a funk usually from one of two things.  First, they have repeatedly felt under-appreciated for the work they feel they are doing.  Or second, the appreciation is always there, but the challenge is not.  The common denominator is pride, which in your business translates to ownership and performance. Lack of Appreciation - Appreciation can come in so many forms.  The easiest is a simple "thank-you".  If you really want to turbo charge that thank you, use your employees name and actually tell them specifically what you ...

As companies evolve trying to keep up with their tech savvy customers, there are still some very simple "Do's and Don'ts" to keep in mind. 5 Do's of Great Customer Service 1.  DO have a genuine greeting.  No longer is this a formal robotic welcome to every pulse that passes through your door, but a warm conversation intended to develop a connection with your customers. 2.  DO be honest.  I guess this should go without saying, but even if you ask the most successful commissioned salespeople, being honest will create a bond that will deliver long term results that will far outweigh any potential increase today (could even generate a larger increase today if your customer recognizes your honesty!) 3.  DO be happy.  If you don't like your boss, or are having a bad day, that has nothing to do with the customers.  They should always feel you are happy to be there. 4.  DO be Knowledgeable.  Product knowledge, corporate knowledge, current prom...

Yesterday, I spent some time walking the mall.  I was specifically looking at the visual execution of stores in the mall.  While, I was overall pretty impressed with the elevated level of appearance standards from the last time I did this exercise, I still saw several things otherwise great looking stores missed. Mannequins - These are the most important displays in your store.  Not only should the mannequin be in good condition, but it should be dressed in such a way, that a customer would want to have the same look.  Mannequins can drive your store sales by also including accessories to add to the detail and complete the look.  I was disheartened to see mannequins that were in store windows, with broken pieces!  I also saw clothes that appeared "flat".  They looked as if they were unfolded and then just draped over the mannequin.  As you adjust your own clothes after putting them on to look right, you should treat your mannequin the same. ...

When Fortune Magazine posted this year's top 100 companies to work for, a common thread between all of those companies is a culture that employees feel connected with.  Whether it comes from connecting as a family, supporting local communities or charities, or supporting the health and wellness of their people, the employees of those companies are very happy.  What I find interesting, is that most companies I talk to (that did not make the list) also talk about how amazing their "culture" is. If you listen closely to the employees, the difference starts to become obvious.  Those who work for top voted companies, will talk about their leaders as if they are people they know personally.  They will talk about things that they have actually done or been a part of.  Those who work for companies that don't make the list will talk about how their company has a strong foundation and leadership, good values in their mission statement, and they will list the great t...

Try this - take at least 5 people (no max limit, the more the better) and tell them to stand in a circle and look at the ceiling.  Instruct them that counting is cheating, and that they should start to raise their hands when they think one minute has passed.  Typically, you will start to see hands going up around the 30sec mark, and in most instances, all hands will be up by the 50sec mark.  Now, do the same thing, but instruct the people to look at one another and engage in casual conversation.  You may have one person being very conscious of the drill, but in most cases, the entire group will go way past the one minute mark without raising their hands. I first saw this drill used in the restaurant industry to illustrate that when a waiter says to a table "I'll be with you in just a minute", that that minute can have two very different perspectives.  I have used it several times since then to illustrate the power of conversation.  In traditional retail s...