Specialty Retail Blog

Management One® will be hosting a free webinar on “What to Ask when Selecting a POS System” to be held Tuesday, September 27 at 3:00 pm EDT. This is a non-commercial presentation. We are asking that there be no mention of any particular vendor or system to keep the discussion completely non-partial. Anyone interested in joining in the webinar presentation, contact M1 by sending your email address to Fred@management-one.com by Saturday, September 24. You will be sent an email for sign-on instructions.

I am in the midst of switching from a Blackberry phone to a Droid.  I like fruit and I don’t know what a Droid is.  Obviously my phone is now smarter than I am. I can do anything I want to on my “phone”, however it is as frustrating to get used to a new phone as it was to get used to a new computer when my last computer crashed.  Initially I was frustrated when the phone buzzed and rang for an incoming call.  All I could do was stare at it in amazement like a spectator at a fire.  I knew something important was happening but I was powerless to do anything about it.

After my daughter gave me some lessons and I did the homework and took the tests, I could then turn on the phone and get to the home screen. Being so empowered, I decided it was time to make a call.  On my old Blackberry, I hit the speed dial key and the phone began ringing — one button and I was talking. I figured a smart phone might have the call already ringing before I made the decision to call. HA!

These are the steps I had to take on the new Droid: Press the button to turn on the phone. Swipe the lock to open the phone. Go to the phone icon. Go to the contact list. Find the person. Hit the green phone button.  What is so smart about that phone?

It can do so much more but the problem is it doesn’t do what I need nearly as efficiently as my old phone.  For all this inconvenience I pay more each month for a “data charge”.  The phones are free but over the course of the contract, I am paying three times what the phone costs!  Not a price increase but a data charge. . . Brilliant!

Give me a couple months and the frustration will become just another day and I will get used to the many swipes, punches and curses needed to do what I need it to do.  Of course with all my new apps,  I will be able to find Orion in the sky and quickly tell you how many calories I consumed last month.  Please don’t call me though, as I really can’t answer the phone.

It is with much sadness that we say good-bye to our affiliate Ed Cloeter (Michigan). Ed loved consulting and his clients loved him. His sharp wit and salty sense of humor endeared him to those who were lucky to have known him. He will be sorely missed.

At Management One® we are, and have been, in a growth mode. That means that we are challenged to find new affiliates in many areas. The process consists of doing everything possible to find people with a familiarity with retail business and a desire to establish and develop a career in retail consulting.

Seems like the opportunity to develop your own business at virtually no cost would be attractive. The fact that our affiliates can easily have 10 to 30 clients means that job security is not an issue. The flexibility to arrange your schedule within the limits of your client’s needs can be attractive. Working most of the clients in the first 3 weeks of the month means that once a client base is established, it can be maintained by referrals and an affiliate can take a week off for vacation every month if desired.

Working with Management One means that an affiliate gets continuous training to constantly improve skills and knowledge. A flow of marketing ideas and events concepts are available every week to bring new fresh ideas to clients. Trends and hot lines are shared monthly. Management One not only provides the training one needs to be a great consultant, a mentor is assigned to be sure the new affiliate is successful through the entire time they are with Management One.

The frustration of unemployment comes in finding enough retailers that want to expand to help other retailers succeed. One would think that with 9% unemployment, there are a pool of talented people with retail experience that are interested in establishing a whole new career. Too many of the unemployed seem to feel they will wait for things to get back the way they were. The sad fact is for most, it never will.

We are looking for people that are excited about finding a new career. Call us if you know any.

Every rental car company rents the same or at least similar cars, yet Enterprise emerged from the pack to lead the industry. Starbucks rose from primarily selling a commodity, coffee, to establish a business that grew to unprecedented size. Southwest Airlines listened to customers and grew to the industry leader in air travel. The list could continue. These companies found the ways to be different and better.

What does this mean to you? Walk into your top 3 competitors’ stores, but instead of looking at the lines and prices, look at the service. List 5 main ways you are not only different but better in the eyes of your customers. Then ask your customers if they agree. In 2011 find 2 new ways to be different and better.

Many progressive companies, including Management One®, are taking surveys of those who are benefitting from their goods or services so as to gauge the satisfaction with what is offered. The results are sometimes surprising. Sometimes you get no feedback and that is a message too! At times where you believe you excel is not important to customers, while sometimes what you do naturally is very important to them. The key is you need to know what they are thinking – then respond!

WhizBang is offering their Foot Traffic Formula four part training process to Management One clients for FREE.  It normally sells for $97.
Thanks to WhizBang for sharing.

Cheers

Evan

Thanksgiving is coming up and we at Management One wish all our clients, affiliates, supporters and retailers all the best this holiday season. We have a lot to be thankful for this year as our business has grown significantly and our clients are doing very well. We are very thankful for  a tremendous collection of retail professionals that make up the M1 team. Their dedication, professionalism and deep caring for each other and their clients is the heart and soul of Management One.

We are blessed with tremendous clients that work with us every month to make both us and them better. Their confidence and support are important to our growth and our success. We are always thankful they are with us  and  we are constantly working on how to make their retail experience with our services more effective, meaningful and easy.

We wish affiliate Ted McCoy a very speedy recovery after a serious accident and are thankful he is recovering well.

May all have a joyous holiday and take the time to reflect on all you have to be thankful for this year.

Cheers

Evan and Marc

There’s an anonymous anecdote that tells the tale of two cavemen who were shivering and trying to stay warm by the fire in their cave while outside it was uncomfortably cold, raining, thundering and lightning.

The first caveman turned to the other and said, “You know, we never had this crazy weather before they started using bows and arrows.”*

It’s humorous in its overt silliness, yet when you think about it, you can clearly see the steps the fictitious caveman took to reach his fallacious conclusion. In his simple, uncomplicated life, there had been two major changes that had occurred, one before the other. So, to him, it was obvious that the new use of weapons “caused” the changes in the weather. Aesop would say the moral of the story is when two changes occur, one is not necessarily guilty of – or possibly not even related to – the other.

There are many changes happening now in the retail world. It’s important to see the full picture to+ know what is real.

*Idea Bank McMurray Publishing 2008

Robert Reedy has <a href=”http://www.prlog.org/10552877-northern-california-retailers-can-now-win-at-retail.html?embed”>joined the Management One team.</a> He serves primarily the San Francisco Bay area and Northern California, although he accepts clients outside of that area.

We are looking for a few good Retailers with at least 10 years of retail experience that want to begin helping other retailers.  Management One is the source for the best merchandise planning (sales forecasting, OTB, cash flow planning), retail business guidance (Strategy, leadership, management, training) and other assistance for independent retailers.  If you have retail management or buying experience and want to move into using that knowledge to become a retail consultant, give us a call. We train and certify our affiliates in marketing, selling, delivering and getting great results for clients using the Management One processes.  If this sounds like your future, we can make it happen for you.