The next VDTA/SDTA Convention & Show will be in
New Orleans, LA
February 27 - 29, 2012
at the Ernest Morial Convention Center
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The next VDTA/SDTA Convention & Show will be in |
Stake Your Claim... by Rich Kizer & Georganne Bender We’re all starting to hear the “R” word. No matter where we are people tell us: “My business is down. It’s tougher than usual, but what do you expect? We’re in a Recession!” We’re not going to play the recession game, and we hope that you won’t either. We read recently that the retail industry in the United States represents a whopping four trillion dollars. Now, let’s think this through. Yes, business can be hard at times, but even if the retail industry took a devastating one trillion dollar hit, there would still be three trillion dollars worth of business being done. Stake your claim to those dollars by adopting a power approach to growing your business. Let everyone else cry recession -- you can’t shrink your way to greatness! How you stake your claim on your portion of that multi-trillion dollar pie is up to you. How do you see your business and your opportunities? You can move from the Defiance Syndrome to Positive Expectancy. Statements like, “This can’t be happening to me. I’ve been in business for 15 years!” is a sure sign the Defiance Syndrome has set in. It’s far better to adopt an attitude of Positive Expectancy and look for opportunity instead of failure. You can’t give up in recessionary times; now more than ever you need a positive can-do attitude. Stop Placing Blame and Accept Responsibility. Some people will blame the business environment or the economy on their store’s lackluster performance. They think there’s nothing they can do about it, it’s not their fault business is slow, so they “suck it in and tough it out.” Unfortunately, the only thing this does is create a self-fulfilling prophecy. Instead, accept the realities of today’s business environment and decide now what you can do to prosper in turbulent times. Don’t pull back, plan ahead; anticipate what needs to be done in your store to attract shoppers. Stop haggling with yourself and go with Accountability and Creativity. Self-Haggling is negotiating with yourself to do as little as possible; minimizing risk to get over a dilemma. “Well, I suppose if I just do this …” Self-Haggling is merely tweaking your business; making only small changes. When despair is in the air; when everyone’s talking about what’s wrong, go in the opposite direction. Despair breeds destruction. It robs you of the desire to step up and do what needs to be done. Adopting and maintaining a Positive Atmosphere in your store is hard when everyone else is complaining, but adopt it you must. Put a positive spin on things. Look for opportunities, not disasters. This is essential: your attitude is reflected in your people, and their attitude is reflected in how your customers feel about your store. Embrace a “One More Thing” Attitude. Ask yourself, “What one more thing could we do to go above and beyond what our customers expect?” We do. When we send our press kit to perspective clients, we shrink wrap all kinds of goodies in a big basket so the client can’t wait to open it. We add a bag of popcorn, a theater-size box of Dots®, and cotton candy for the client to nosh on while watching our preview DVD. We send freshly baked chocolate chip cookies with birthday cards. Our goal is to thrill our customers like crazy. We pride ourselves on the fact that we’re crazier about this “One more thing” attitude than our competitors are, and that’s a good kind of crazy! Regardless of what the naysayers tell you, you can prosper in turbulent times. Believe in yourself and your ability to do whatever it takes to keep your business healthy. Turbulent times call for leaders, not followers. Stake your sales claim now! And if you’re fresh out of ideas, give us a call. You know we’re always good for an idea or two. Or 200. About the Authors … Reprinted from Floor Care Professional, August 2008 |