As I understand it, a person could come into a retail business, promise free education benefits, health care and other things from the union if they just “sign up.” If a majority signed up, the retailer would be forced to demands by the union. Yeah, we saw how well that worked in the long run for GM and Chrysler, now they want to do to Main Street what they did to Detroit.
As a retailer, once you market to the people who know you, do you try to understand why others don’t shop with you? Perhaps you should. Maybe it is the way your store is arranged – it doesn’t seem welcoming. Maybe your employees give an off-putting air to shoppers. Maybe your product offerings are seen as lacking or inferior. You won’t know until you try to engage them. And once you do, you might find some easy ways to address their needs that results in higher sales.
Don’t stoop to the level of pettiness like the RNC now or like Radio Shack did two years ago when they fired people by email. Or the big box who called their senior managers into a conference room telling them a few people would be let go by receiving a text during the meeting.
Regulars will look past the dirt, the pieces of leftover Valentine’s decorations, yellowing tape on the windows, broken or cracked counters, etc. and wait for your employee to wait on them. But new customers will take notice. After all, they were attracted by something – your clever ads, your mailers, your sponsorship of the local charity, etc.
While Sarah Palin’s selection did energize the Republican faithful, for about a week, in a poll published in today’s New York Times, nearly 60% of likely voters felt she hurt the ticket. In short, her selection didn’t bring new voters to McCain, it reinforced those who already were likely to support her. For retailers, this is a classic case of only attending to the regulars.
I can hear those analyticals out there, “You don’t understand Bob, that store is costing me money every day it doesn’t open. It’s hard to get an opening crew.” No you don’t understand.
I asked my dad Garnett Phibbs how he felt tonight watching the first black man successfully running for President of the USA. He said, “I couldn’t be happier – proud as a peacock.” He added, “Nobody even remembers that King wasn’t even allowed to vote in 1963 when he gave the “I Have A Dream” speech.”
