The Retail Management
Advisors
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SWAP
RETAILER Did
you ever wish you had someone to talk to about your business? Now
you can I have spent 31 years in
retail, first as controller for a 5-store chain of better family apparel stores,
then as a consultant helping independent retailers around the country survive
and thrive. Starting this year, I am
initiating a new teleconference service for independent retailers who would like
to meet with their peers but can not afford the travel costs or to be out of the
store 2-3 days every 6 months which is a requirement of a regular SWAP Group. As independent retailers
you face unique challenges. One of
these challenges is that you have no one to talk to about issues or challenges
that come up with your store. Or,
you may have a new idea to try and would like some input from other retail
experts before you go forward with it. You do not have to struggle
alone to solve all your store’s problems.
All retail stores have similar problems and many have had, and solved,
the problems you are facing right now. By
being part of this discussion group you can save time and money, and increase
your bottom line. What issue or problem do
you have RIGHT NOW that you would like some input about?
Sales? Employees?
Expenses? Buying?
NOW is the time to do something about it!
Some questions you may want input about are: How
can I motivate my employees to sell more? What
has your experience been with having a web site? What
advertising have you found to work best for your store? What
advertising have you used recently that did very well for your store?
What
do you do about……….? I
am sure you can think of many more. To sign up, click here. The new service will be a
monthly teleconference call that will be a combination of discussion group and
coaching. Each month there will be a
one hour conference call for the group. The
group will have 6-8 members with all members operating similar businesses in
non-competing areas. This makes the
information more relevant for those in the group since you will be meeting with
others with the same or similar merchandise and type of store operation.
For example, although menswear retailers and dance retailers both own
retail stores, their needs and challenges are very different.
Also, a single store operation has different issues than a 5-store
chain. The stores in the group
will also be in non-competing areas. That
way you do not need to be concerned with being on a call with your competitor
and you will be more open with your ideas and opinions.
This is critical to the success of the group. HOW
WILL THE MONTHLY SESSIONS WORK? At least a week prior to
the monthly teleconference call each group member will be asked to submit one
question, problem or issue they would like to discuss with the group. I
will compile the questions and distribute them to the other group members so
they can be prepared for the call. During
the meeting we will go around the circle and everyone will give their opinion or
suggestions concerning this issue for this retailer.
Everyone will get an opportunity to present their question, problem or
issue to the group and get input. Below is a quote from an
article in the Pittsburgh Business Times on one of the Forum Apparel Group’s
members. For those of you not
familiar with the Forum, they are a group of preeminent menswear retailers from
around the country who formed a group in the 1940’s to help each other, some
are second generation members. Tom
M. said “he couldn’t estimate the financial impact of the Forum Group
because it covers so many functions. The
stores share numbers and strategize about issues like marketing, advertising,
inventory and staffing policies. In this same article, Ann Dugan, Executive Director of the Institute for Entrepreneurial Excellence said “It’s like having a virtual advisory board or board of directors who are there for you and can help you avoid making some costly mistakes.” I
am excited about this unique opportunity for independent retailers and hope you
are too! To sign up, click here. The cost is very
reasonable. You have the choice of
paying your semi-annual fee at one time or by month using a credit card.
To pay by month with a credit card (through PayPal) the cost is $55 a month or
$330 per 6-month period. Or, you can save money by paying the fee with
a semi-annual payment of just $270 ($45 a month).
Get
the benefit of having your own private group of retail mentors I look forward to hearing
back from you. Linda Carter PS. I know that as the
owner you are pulled 10 different directions at once. Take 5 minutes now
to complete the application Questionnaire and send it in so it does not get left
undone! To sign up, click here.
Do you have a friend who could benefit from the information on this page? If so, click the link below to send this page to that person.
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