*The Six Rights of Merchandising...

   The Right  Merchandise,
in the Right  Place,
at the Right  Time,
in the Right  Quantity,
in the Right  Condition,
at the Right  Price!

Learn more about the key tactics to this strategy in my book:
Pecan Pie: 32 Business Success Strategies Passionately Baked To Order!
"A must read!" Ivan Misner New York Times Bestselling author
BY IT NOW on AMAZON.COM  click on link below
Click here to purchase Bob's Book


*(originated in a 1978 retailing training seminar and has been generically translated by many retailers)

“Copyright (5-1-2011) by Robert V Gambone Sr.”

Work Expands to Fill the Time Allotted...and the Time Allotted Must Equal the Work Required.

The following questions are geared towards taking a proactive leadership approach with your most valuable asset.
(As a business owner / executive you are not doing yourself, your shareholders or your employees any justice by either overworking your employees or paying your employees for nonproductive, non value-added time.)
Ask yourself the following:

How many hours a week are you scheduling your employees? Why?

Are you writing schedules based on the hours needed for employee compensation requirements or based on the work that is needed?

When was the last time you measured the amount of work needed based on fulfilling all internal and external customer requirements?

Do your salary employees write daily work planners? How many hours a week are they really "working"? (note: overworked employees and slackers are equally detrimental to your team)

How many hourly employees punch in late and punch out early and do not get “docked” for pay?(a recent study done at a Fortune 500 company revealed this cost to be well over 11 million dollars annually).

Do you allow hourly employees to work "off the clock"? Why?

Think about this….as a leader you need to make decisions on what is best for the team. Successful teams are strengthened by creating a synergy of balanced input from each team member. Demanding too much work from some and accepting less work from others deteriorates that synergy. Ask yourself the above questions one more time...and then take a proactive approach with your "people".

Top Ten Reasons Employees / Managers should shop at [Your] Company

10. Spend your money where you make it, reinvest in your future.

9. A chance to see the store through a customer’s perspective.

8. Sends a message of confidence when customers see you shop.

7. Sends a message of teamwork to your fellow employees.

6. Can you say “Job Security”?

5. It is convenient, saves time, travel, and gas.

4. You know what the deals are!

3. What better way to increase sales?

2. It’s great to shop where everyone
knows your name.

And the Number One reason is:
The best employees deserve the best quality products and services, [Your] Company. --- Show, Know, and Live The Brand!

Communicating to Our Customers: Drop the Acronyms and Industry Speak!

Did you ever answer a customer's question and receive a very confused

look from them in return?

A few years back a customer asked me why we were out of a particular item.

My answer was, “I know that we “surveyed” that item, but I think it was either “scratched” or on “allocation.”

The customer gave me the same look I gave the young doctor when he told me that my “diastolic” number was fine but he was concerned about my “systolic” number.

The point is we need to communicate to our customers on their terms. Many of us in retail use words like “discontinued”, “selector error”, “focus item” “shipper” "drop-ship" ... just to name a few...and acronyms like "OOS" "CSS" "POS" ...what do these mean to our customers? Nothing!

Knowledgeable employees are one thing but the ability to successfully communicate and have your customers understand is another. This presents an excellent opportunity to “raise the bar” in customer communications and delivering your brand promise.

Be Seen...Be Trusted...Be Profitable

Three steps to building your “brand” …no shortcuts here.

The other day I had a conversation with a gentleman that recently launched his own independent carpet cleaning business. He was so upset because he spent over $600 in advertising and received zero business from the ad. His mistake: trying to jump from visibility to profitability without building customer confidence, i.e. building trust in his “brand.”

Why do we know that FED EX will deliver overnight?…because they have walked the talk for years…we trust them!

You can talk the talk through advertising…more importantly, you must walk the talk by building customer confidence…then and only then will you be able to walk the walk of a profitable business.

For more information on building a sustainable / profitable business, contact Bob Gambone
412-491-7317, or email rvg444@aol.com

Inviting Your Customers to Return, the Missing Link in Service

Companies that boast good customer service in most cases are missing one very important component that could really raise the bar…
…Invite your customers to return.

The next time you visit a retailer, restaurant or any business that serves the ultimate consumer, pay close attention to the final words you hear. 90% will offer a thank you, 5% will say nothing and only about 5% will thank you and ask that you to return in the near future.

Step back, listen and observe…are you inviting your customers to return? Asking your customers to come back can be a huge point of difference for your business. You will need to practice this until it becomes a habit. Say something like, “Thank you and please come back and see us again real soon, mention 'Joe' when you return.” (one way you can measure the process)

Do you remember the TV show that ended with… “Y’all come back now, Ya hear!”
.... and millions of viewers did and still do!

Great Players Win Games, Great Teams Win Superbowls

***This is a true story as told to me by my father many times over the years. Edited for privacy....the powerful message remains.***

Dad, you were the original Business Life and Leadership Coach. I know you are up there…this one is for you.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
John was an inventor of a product that is used by every retail business throughout the entire world. He played football with my Dad in high school, work with him for a short time and they became lifetime business associates.

When John was getting ready to launch his product, my Dad met with him to discuss his strategy.

“Who is on your team, John?”
“What team, I don’t need a team… I have over 35 companies out there ready to buy.”
“What’s your strategy, you know, your game plan?”
“Sell!, Sell!, Sell!...simple as that.”
“Do you have a test market area?”
“No.”
“So, let's look at it this way…you are ready to kickoff, you have never practiced, your fans are filling the stands in anticipation, and you have no team behind you?...no plays to run?"
“Hey, I thought you were my friend… not my coach!” ... John’s last words as the meeting and their friendship ended.

Good news and bad news followed.

The bad news: John’s product took off like crazy, but he ran into continuous problems with his patent, branding issues, competition, tax issues, quality of product, etc…until he finally went bankrupt.

The good news: years later John invented a process that is used in almost every vending machine in the United States. John went back to my Dad, not to beg for his friendship, to ask him to be his coach.

My Dad, a pure coach at heart, provided John with support. John formed a team by purchasing the products and services of professionals, referred to him by my Dad, and this time built a successful sustainable business that was passed on to the next generation.

---If you are an entrepreneur and in the early stages of starting your business, please contact me for more information on building a foundation for your company.---

Bob Gambone, Business Life and Leadership Coach / Consultant
412-491-7317 rvg444@aol.com
Find me on LinkedIn.