This one may be tough to deal with but we all gotta do it. We make a decision. The decision turns out to be less than perfect, not working as intended, sending the wrong message, creating an un-anticipated outcome, or just plain wrong. That aside, “it is my decision and that’s what we’re doing, daag-nabbitt”. Defending our less than terrific business decisions and then carrying on as if nothing is wrong is not like cheating at Solitaire. When one cheats himself at Solitaire he is the only victim of such weakness. When one defends a bad or less than terrific business decision, the whole team suffers. What we have to do is examine the effects of the decision without “taking it personally”. That is a very difficult thing for me to do for sure. I believe it is also very difficult for most people to do. Our decisions are a product of our recognition of a situation, ability to analyze the situation, determination of desired outcome, development of an action plan and then executing that action. In this regard we have more control over our decisions than we have over our own children. Everybody knows how much we all love…

In talking with specialty retailers, one of the most alarming complaints I hear goes sompin’ like, “I just can’t find good people to hire”.  I’d like to offer a solution to this problem. Three ABSOLUTE requirements to be hired here: ONE: Fit; you gotta fit our vision of how the team works together for the benefit of the company. TWO: Coachability, you gotta be capable of learning and successfully applying new skills. THREE: You gotta want to work here. This can’t be just a quick “something to do”. After the owner has interviewed, qualified and then hired people who meet the above criteria, it is the responsibility of the owner (or guy responsible to the owner) to make sure the staff is capable.  They don’t necessarily have to arrive with specific technical or sales skills, BUT they have to be willing and able to learn from you. Of course they must be willing and able to apply the knowledge and skills to the best interest of your business. The owner (or guy responsible to the owner) must provide training (education) for staff with… Three ABSOLUTE training focus points to work here: ONE: The consumer is our job, not an interruption in our job.…

In the May/June issue of Mobile Electronics Magazine, a story was run in the Peer to Peer section that featured an anonymous store and the comments from various retailers providing guidance. The photos that were used in the story are purely representative and do no directly relate to the retailer who submitted the question or problem. We apologize for any confusion this may have caused.  

I am a salesman. Indeed I am a damn good one, especially on the retail floor. In fact I once was so good that I could make a judgment about a consumer before I had a chance to QUALIFY him or even hear his voice. I’d look at his car, the way he carried himself, his clothes, his watch and then I would make an EARLY JUDGMENT to either engage with this guy or let the new guy on the floor waste time with this guy. Of course you can guess what happened next… The new guy wound up making a $3,800 sale at “full boat” (retail price and lotsa gross profit). Even better, the consumer, upon whom I made an EARLY JUDGMENT sent the new guy two more “full boat” consumers in the next three weeks. Well that LOST OPPORTUNITY experience taught me the difference between EARLY JUDGMENT and a proper QUALIFICATION. I even learned the importance of talking with every consumer, every time before losing that “full boat” opportunity again. A proper QUALIFICATION reveals the following … • What the guy is looking for• What he knows and does not know• How he heard of us and where…