Big Al

The story was, you hated him, feared him or loved him…I was all three.

His name was Al. 

Al started in retail when he was thirteen and fifty years later died in action.

Al was an old school retail manager who believed that no one could be trusted and everyone should put his or her career first before family.

Al worked 80 hours a week, was a master micro-manager and believed that his day was not over until he fired someone or at least made an employee cry.

Okay, so you ask, WHY did I love this guy? Not for any of the above things, that is why I hated him and feared him. I loved him because I was able to translate his prehistoric management style into lessons that I still utilize today.

Three Lessons from Big Al

1). Al used to say, “The best and easiest recognition program is to have NO recognition program at all.”

            Translation: Employee recognition programs must be managed,  be fair and be consistent or your results could actually weaken employee morale.

2). When Al said, “Just because I’m pissed off at you, doesn’t mean you can walk around here with your tail between your legs.”

            Translation: Wear a smile and have a positive attitude; no one wants to work for a “Debbie-Downer” manager.

3). One day Al looked me right in the eyes and said, “I’m too old to change now Gambone, what you see is what you get…”

             Translation: I always knew where I stood with Al. Al taught me that leaders need to be right up front with people by providing balanced,  fair and concise feedback.

My 18 months as Al’s co-manager was very stressful, yet very rewarding.

Take a few moments to reflect on your old boss, teacher or coach…dig deep and I am sure you will find a few sunny days somewhere in that storm.


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Specific is Terrific

Attention BNI Members!
"A good referral for me is words. Please find me 19 words in the puzzle below without looking at the answers below the puzzle......... Kinda tough,  right?     It may take you a long time and most of you will give up.

BUT...  so much easier to find the words when I give you a "specific" list like the one below the puzzle.

This is the same mental process when asking for referrals...it has been proven that when you ask for a specific person, place, or business, you are helping your chapter members qualify the referral more effectively and efficiently.
"Specific is Terrific!"

                                                     

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ANT APHID BUMBLE BEE BEETLE BUTTERFLY CATERPILLAR CENTIPEDE

COCKROACH CRICKET DRAGONFLY FIREFLY FLEA GRASSHOPPER

HORNET MOSQUITO MOTH SPIDER WASP WORM

Three "Gives" for 2012

Give people confidence; by reminding acquaintances of your name.

Give people hope; by answering your phone “… how can I help you?”

Give people peace of mind; by confirming receipt of their email or txt.

 For more information on how to strategically implement the above tactics, please contact me: bobgambone@bobgambone.com

Make ‘em Laugh…But Don’t Tell Jokes!

Yes, laughter is the best medicine.
And yes, laughter is a great icebreaker when you are speaking to an audience.
HOWEVER… in today’s politically correct climate and social sensitivity, telling jokes is not the way to go.

Why? Odds are you might offend someone.

I suggest telling funny stories about you, we all have them.

“Blessed are those who can laugh at themselves for they shall never cease to be amused.”…or amusing.

“Copyright (4-13-2012) by Robert V. Gambone Sr.”

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Find Your “Role-Mate”

Business consultants worldwide strongly encourage entrepreneurs to seek out and develop relationships with “accountability partners” to help the entrepreneur/ business owner stay on track.

Quite often, these “accountability partnerships” quickly fade away because some fundamental requirements were never put into place.
A “Role-Mate” takes the accountability relationship to the next level and creates a sustained partnership of trust and success.

Here are three fundamental requirements that you need to look for in recruiting a “Role–Mate.”

1). Vision: your Role-Mate needs to believe in you and trust that your vision is realistic and achievable.

2). Courage: you must be open and willing to receive unconditional advice. Your “Role-Mate” needs to be professional and friendly, but never your best friend.

3). Leadership: Your “Role-Mate” must be a leader. Leaders inspire you to do things you may not necessarily want to do, but need to do.


How about you? What are some of your basic requirements for a “Role-Mate” ?
I would love to hear from you….email me:
bobgambone@bobgambone.com


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

Did you ever answer a customer's / client'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 (deer in headlights) 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 / clients on their terms. Many of us with retail experience 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!

Knowledge of the your business is good, but the ability to successfully communicate and have your customers / clients understand you is excellence!

This presents an unique opportunity to “raise the bar” in customer /client communications and in conversations with those that may not be related to your specific industry.

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So What is Your Business Saying?

By Christopher S. Musuneggi, VP of Business Development, The Musuneggi Financial Group

The goal for any business owner is to be a leader in their industry. When the business owner leads, clients and customers follow. Many businesses fall short of this goal because they don’t recognize what their business is “saying” to those they want to attract.

Recently a few new businesses opened near our office. One afternoon, my business partners decided they would venture out for a walk and visit these shops.

The first one they came to had a name that would make you assume that it was a store that sold decorative household items. But on entering the store, they discovered it was a women’s accessories store. As they looked around no one greeted them, and the woman they thought to be the owner stayed behind the counter on the phone making plans for the weekend.

Feeling ignored, they finally left still not having been acknowledged; and with the message that customers were really not important there.

The next store they went to was a flower shop and the doorway was blocked by a small gate. They peeked over the gate not seeing any sales person or owner. But they did see two small dogs running around – obviously the reason for the gate. Although they had to assume the owner was trying to keep the dogs in and not customers out, the message it was sending was just the opposite.

They called out “Hello” and the owner finally came out from the back of the building. She told them to move the gate or step over it and come in. When they did the owner laughed and commented that the dogs thought they owned the store. From all indications it was obvious they did.

Recently I needed to call a company to place an order for a piece of equipment for our firm. When the phone answered, the recording on the other end said that no one was available to take the call; but to press 0 if I was in need of immediate assistance. I pressed 0 only to hear a recording that said “0 is not an option.” To say the least I hung up and I called a different company.

So what were these businesses saying? “We don’t want to make it easy for you to do business with us,” or “We don’t want you to think you are important to us.”

If you own a small business and you want to be seen as a leader in your industry you want to rise above the competition. To do this you need to say things to attract your buyers.

So what is your business saying?

To learn more about The Musuneggi Financial Group and how they help businesses make wise decisions with their money while sending the right message to clients and customers, visit their website at http://www.mfgplanners.com/,
or call 412-341-288 for a complimentary consultation.

Securities & Investment Advisory Services Offered Through H. Beck, Inc. Member FINRA, SIPC. H. Beck, Inc. and The Musuneggi Financial Group, LLC are not affiliated.