Bob Phibbs, the Retail Doctor® blog at Retaildoc.com

Make the first sale of the day. Not greet the first customer but make the first sale.

When you’re in denial about your business, the financial results can be devastating. When it closes, everyone sees what the owners should have seen.

If you’re happy being in denial and flying blind in the plane, you are on a collision course with reality.

Those differentiating factors of how it is made will make it important to train the crew how to explain what you offer. They’ll also need to taste test next to Sbux and McCafe so their crew can speak about it intelligently. Again, someone who likes McCafe’s coffee should not be seen as a threat – they came to YOUR shop to try yours – the independent should win them over not piss them off.

You don’t have to do this for every trained action that is not 100%, but if it happens on key training or a couple times, you should say something.

Instead of complaining about the state of the economy in general and retail in particular, go out on your sales floor and see the folly of your “customer service” program as employees text each other how bored they are.

Your employees are hurting themselves and faced with debt. They identify with anyone looking for a deal. They already feel you are making boat loads of money off them. They don’t know how to sell to begin with so if someone will like them for giving them a “deal,” they’ll do it. That can kill your profits

When I was on MSNBC this week the question was asked, “What would you tell a person who wanted to start a new business but didn’t want to give up the safety of their day job?” Here’s my advice: If you have a plan, a talent and the drive – quit and follow your dream. Don’t listen to the siren song any longer. But also don’t think you can just quit without a plan and be successful.

For retailers, we often believe the “loss leader” will increase volume but for many, particularly those without a sales training program, it erodes margins. Just because the other guy is discounting either the hot new swimsuit or the leftover Webkinz, doesn’t mean you should join them. Look at your market.

I was on the Amtrak train from Hudson, near where I live in upstate New York bound for NYC yesterday afternoon.  We’d left at 3:20 on time for a 5:55 arrival at Penn Station.  At 4pm the conductor came back to Business Class and asked all of us to remove our earphones and bluetooth devices [...]

Once again I got in line behind a guy holding a shoe from the display and a lady holding two shoes. My turn finally came -I told the girl, “I want to return theses shoes for cash. ” She said, “OK” opened the drawer and handed me the money! I asked her if she was the only one working because once again it was pretty busy. She told me, “No, my manager is in the back stacking shoes!”