DW's Blog
Now
by DW Green — July 26, 2017
Adam’s blog story is a good one. Too often we take time for granted. Too often we take life for granted. There’s always tomorrow, next week, next year and so on. The past is a treasure of memories and experiences. The future is a sky scape of hopes, dreams and desires. But all we really have is NOW, this present moment. Our memories are created now, in this moment and our future unfolds now, in this present moment. Sometimes it’s difficult to live in the NOW. But to be totally present and aware of what’s happening in the present moment is a powerful place to live.Jeff Foster sums it up very well. “This moment is not life waiting to happen, goals waiting to be achieved, words waiting to be spoken, connections waiting to be made, regrets waiting to evaporate, aliveness waiting to be felt, enlightenment waiting to be gained. No. Nothing is waiting. This is it. This moment is life.”Read More – Make the Most of Your Time
...read moreBe A Wordsmith
by DW Green — July 19, 2017
“The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and a lightning bug.” —Mark TwainHow management refers to personnel and store activities can bolster a store’s commitment to its employees and to exceptional customer service. For instance, calling part-time employees prime-timers conveys the excellent performance expected of them, the respect due them, and their full membership on the team. Often times the sanitation or janitorial staff is taken for granted, even though their skill set and talent is critical to the stores overall success. Consider a fresh name for those very important employees like the Clean Team or Cleanness Pro’s. Try coupling the word sales with various job functions, like visual sales instead of stock and display and register sales instead of cashier or checker. Deliberately use the word selling interchangeably with customer service to reinforce that they are essentially the same thing.Have some fun with this activity!Read More – Indispensible
...read moreThe Value of Storewide Signage Audits
by DW Green — July 12, 2017
Years ago I visited a successful, high profile independent supermarket chain in the southwest. It is an excellent supermarket company with beautiful and well-merchandised facilities. Since it was going to be my first visit I did some advance research about the company. I learned that the business was committed to, among many things, delivering exceptional customer service, exceeding customer expectations.You can imagine my surprise when the first thing I saw before walking into the store was a large sign announcing the store’s security camera’s, the penalty for shoplifting and a $25 returned check fee. Wow, the sign didn’t make me feel to good about the store or myself. I imagine from a legal perspective it is wise or even necessary to warn the public in advance of these types of activities but it doesn’t set the stage for a warm welcoming shopping experience.Store signage can have a significant impact on a business. Signs set the tone for customer visits and employees’ work atmosphere. Appearance, location and word-choice in signage create a lasting impression. Signage also sends a strong message to customers about whether or not the company cares about them and their business...read moreAmazon And Customer Experience
by DW Green — July 5, 2017
Amazon’s recent acquisition of Whole Foods signals that the future of retailing is moving toward a fusion of digital and physical experiences. The key word is experiences. Whether the digital experience is external (website, email blasts, social media platforms) or in-store digital devices (check stand screens, self service check stands, monitors, kiosks, ect.) the consumer experience is job one. And of course the store shopping experience is most critical. Store merchandising, product presentation, signage, product story telling, product assortment, food service offerings, product demos, employee training, and employee service standards must be exceptional. Duh…this all seems so blatantly obvious. Unfortunately, many retailers fall down in some of these important activities. Sometimes I think that efforts to control costs, wind up costing sales. Does your external marketing experience match your in-store shopping experience? Are you delivering a fun, informative and entertaining shopping experience? Remember, Amazon’s greatest competitive advantage is not its e-commerce network; it is its innovation engine.Read More – You H...read more
Teacher And Student
by DW Green — June 28, 2017
As Adam says “Being a mentor to someone who’s a freshman in life is one way that you can make your workplace a great place to work, and shop.” Being a mentor to anyone, regardless of his or her age, status, or station in life is a good thing. I have been blessed with many amazing mentors in my life, beginning with my parents. And I’ve learned from younger generations too. As mentor’s we are teachers, sharing our wisdom and experience.It’s been said that when the student is ready, the teacher appears. In essence, we’re both student and teacher. As students we can improve our awareness of restrictive thinking and seek to be ready for own teachers to appear. As effective teachers we make our impact by understanding the needs of the student. We light the way and ease the way—we facilitate learning—but the student has to walk the path.Mentoring builds powerful relationships that can last a lifetime. Success in any venture is simply the automatic consequence of being the best that one can be as a lifestyle, without looking for gain.Read More – The Freshman
...read moreStory telling
by DW Green — June 21, 2017
The difference lies in the story.Last summer I visited Tombstone Arizona. Tombstone is best known for Boot Hill and the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral. It was home of the legendary Earp bothers and their nemeses the Clanton family and Frank and Tom McLaury. The townspeople were largely Republicans from the Northern states and many of the local ranchers (some like the Clantons, were also rustlers) were Confederate sympathizers and Democrats. The story of Tombstone in the late 1800’s is a very interesting story. And like any great story, it includes the four basic elements of storytelling:The MessageThe ConflictThe CharactersThe PlotIn business, storytelling works on two levels: Storytelling is a strategic branding concept and storytelling as a communication tool. And like the frontier boomtown story of Tombstone, it includes the same four basic elements of storytelling.Klaus Fog writes in his excellent book, Storytelling. Branding in Practice. “Tough times lay ahead for companies that shut their eyes and continue to compete only on product and price.”“In order to retain the loyalty of your customers in today’s competitive e...
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