DW's Blog

Complacency

by DW Green — May 3, 2017

Markets are fluid

Complacency, noun:a feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like; self-satisfaction or smug satisfaction with an existing situation, condition, etc.In business, complacency is never a good place to be. Whether you’re first in the market or last, no one is exempt from complacency. Be humble and grateful for your successes yet remain focused and vigilant on improving yourself and your operation. Always ask, how can we improve our offerings…our product assortment, our merchandising skills, our customer service, our customer experience? How can we improve our relationships with ourselves, with our staff, with our vendors, with our customers, with our neighborhood and with our community?Remember, markets are fluid. Customers are choosing where they shop everyday. Nothing is certain or guaranteed. Today’s customer maybe tomorrow’s defection.How can we be better today?

Read More – The Price of Trying

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by DW Green — April 12, 2017

Make the choice for peace

Your higher self is always nudging you toward a resolution of the conflicts that you experience in your life so that you will have room for serenity and harmony. If you are living with inner turmoil, continually quarreling with yourself and feeling anxious and fearful, then you are allowing ego to dominate your life.In every moment, you have the option to choose peace for yourself. Your false self thrives on inner anxiety because that is what it thinks it needs to stay alive. The ego wants you in a constant state of turmoil. It convinces you that if you are not always on edge, you can’t grow. Keep in mind, though, that experiencing this inner turmoil is a choice you’ve made to allow your false self to dominate your life.When you make the choice for peace, you are literally allowing the Divine into your life. And rather than vegetate, you will discover that you can be busy, purposeful, blissful and still have peace. Just knowing that peace is always an alternative is a significant awakening. By replacing the turmoil, what you then feel is a simple matter of allowing your higher self to take over in any situation where you are about to allow turmoil to enter. Your ego will push you in the direction of the fight...

by DW Green — April 5, 2017

“In our response lies our growth and our freedom”

I read this quote yesterday. It’s a great quote, and one that I have read many times over the years. It’s a very profound statement, written by Victor Frank, a Holocaust survivor. Not sure why it is, that when one learns of a powerful life tool, one quickly forgets, filing it in a distant folder somewhere inside our brain.“Between stimulus and response there is a space_______________.In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.”—Victor FranklThat “space” between stimulus and response is awareness. And it’s within that awareness we consciously choose a more thoughtful response.Coming from a place of stillness and silence, we are wiser, less reactive, less conditioned, more creative and more intuitive, so we are more likely to respond to life rather than have a knee-jerk reaction to it.

Read More – Apple’s and Orange’s

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by DW Green — March 15, 2017

He must be Wacko

Growing up in the 60’s and 70’s, I became a non-conformist, a maverick, and a Beatles fan, always questioning and challenging the status quo. I think that’s why the study of brands is so appealing to me. Branding is about connecting companies emotionally to their customers and helping clients differentiate themselves in their markets. It’s about leading, not following. It’s about competing with yourself, making your company better, stronger, staying relevant in an ever-changing world and creating the best possible shopping EXPERIENCE for the customer.At the risk of sounding wacko, I invite you to have a look at a different organizational paradigm. Consider refocusing on the deep longings we have for community, meaning, dignity, purpose, and love in our organizational lives. Begin to look at the strong emotions of being human, rather than segmenting ourselves by believing that love doesn’t belong at work, or that feelings are irrelevant in an organization. Begin to see ourselves in much richer dimensions, to appreciate our wholeness, and hopefully, to design organizations that honor and make use of the great gift of who we humans are.In a word, it’s purpose. What is the underlying purpose of your orga...

by DW Green — March 8, 2017

A merchant mindset goes beyond selling products

I recently read an article entitled How To Compete With Amazon. The author writes that the only retailer truly taking Amazon seriously is Walmart. Primarily because Walmart has the resources to take them on. Sounds true enough.I wonder how much time, energy, and resources retailers should give to initiating plans to compete against Amazon. Of course, it’s wise to be mindful of competitors and their offerings, whether they’re on-line or brick and mortar retailers. Though it seems pretty obvious that the choice of what to do with finite resources is to improve and enhance the retail shopping experience.It’s worth reviewing the genius of Robert Wegman in comments he made in his “I am a Merchant” speech.“I am a merchant, and I have therefore my own philosophy about merchandising: That is, to do something that no one else is doing, and to be able to offer the customer a choice she doesn’t have at the moment. This is the only reason for being in business. To my own way of thinking, this is the only way it should be. “I think that uniqueness gives one an opportunity to profit. If you are doing the same thing that everyon...

by DW Green — March 1, 2017

So much of life is about awareness

Yep waiting is annoying. I know I can get upset and annoyed when I feel I’ve had to wait too long. Waiting is a commonplace occurrence. Having to wait “for something” happens practically everyday. And for sure businesses should do their best to minimize waiting…being respectful for customers’ time.The other side of the waiting equation, the personal side, and maybe the more important side, is our personal reaction to the WAIT. For me, it’s about being present and aware of my initial and unconditioned response to the situation at hand. Rather than getting mad or upset over something that I have little control, I need to relax, take a deep breath or two, and respond accordingly. If I choose not to wait, I can leave. If I can’t choose to leave, like being in a traffic jam, I can choose to accept the situation for what is and stay calm. Resisting the natural flow of things (of life) is not healthy. I need to remember that my time isn’t more valuable or precious than yours, or anyone else’s. Easier said than done!Gaining patience can be transformative to your overall life experience. So much of life is about awareness, growth, and learning—these are the things th...