My background is in retail management - yes, running stores, from tiny ones you couldn't swing the proverbial cat around in, to huge three floor jobs. Yet there are some guiding principles which, like Giuliani did for New York, that make a difference on a smaller scale. Guiding principles which make a huge, possibly unseen difference to your customers and no less so to your employees.
I'd like to suggest that, on the basis of 20% of the focus gives you 80% of the return, acting in just two areas of fine detail will make all the difference in a retail business.
As they say - 'Retail is Detail'
Presentation is perfection within the constraints of what you are able to do. Focusing on what you can't do, for maybe want of financing, is a waste of time and energy. Time and energy that can be focused on fixing that which is within your influence, and those of your people. This can be your own version of the 'Broken Windows' or graffiti analogy that Giuliani uses so well - applied locally by you.
So, for me, 'Perfection in Presentation' is:-
Bottom line is that you need to have a focus of perfection yourself, lead your people through it and, over time, they will deliver for you. And you know what, they will make sure that everyone who starts new with you works that way for you.
Yet there is a service you can and must provide for your people. Simple things that need fixing before they can be on top for to play their part in representing your business. Finding out about what will make a difference, those multitude of little things that get in the way of perfect performance can be challenging. It's down to asking questioins, and finding out by being there and engaging in conversations.
Simple things like:-
By attending to what matters most to the people you employ - many of them 'Just Do Its' - fixed today even, you will leverage a return far more than the cost it takes to fix. And leave a legacy of a culture that will be a benefit for years to come.
And by fixing things fast, you will develop a credibility in your leadership second to none. This can be used at the beginning of a new position, of in the middle - it doesn't matter. Once you start though, it works best if you have a developed sense of fixing easy things on the fly - fast and effective. Let that be your byword.
Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. He works worldwide, mainly by phone, with small business owners, managers and corporate leaders. He has hundreds of hints, tips and ideas at his website, http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com.
(Note to editors. This article may be edited for use in your publication or newsletter as long as a live link to the website is included)
...helping you, to help your people, to help your business grow...
Brand New Leather & Plus Size Lingerie & Kama Sutra Products
Any Size Lingerie has just added over 400 new leather & Plus Size lingerie products including men's under garments and briefs that are in leather and fishnet combinations. Any Size Lingerie also added over 200 women's leather lingerie outfits that are available to view online and most come in a variety of options in sizes and some in color including red leather and black leather choices.
Branding Article: Pepsis Missed Brand Opportunity
I love Pepsi. It's that slightly sweeter taste and the all-American logo combined with the non-conformist statement that, well, it's not Coke.
Great Top Picks For Nursing Clothes And Maternity Clothes
Many first time moms often think that once they have their baby they can just slip back into their pre-pregnancy wardrobe after a week or two Not so
Beautiful Plus Size Clothing is Available for the Sexy Full Size Women
America is known for its population of larger people. Men and women alike have a hard time finding plus size clothing that is in style. Though the population of the country is larger, the fashion industry is more revolved around those who are teeny tiny. This may affect both men and women but none worse than the beautiful plus sized women.
Plus Size Lingerie: Stylish & Sexy Lingerie
Back in the day, plus-size women had little hopes in terms of finding sexy plus-size lingerie. Most of the material was uncomfortable and the varieties available were less than perfect. Finding seductive lingerie for a plus-size woman became an unfeasible undertaking.
YMI Jeans - Official Jeanswear Sponsor of Miss Universe Pageants 2007
YMI Official Jeans for Miss USA, Miss Universe, Miss Teen USA 2007
Fashionable Designer Lingerie and Branded Lingerie
Beauty of a woman is a matchless attribute; with nothing to surpass it. So long a time there have been the existence of women in this world, there have been lingerie's as well. This fashion serving luxury undergarment expresses her beauty loving feminine personality, apart from the basic need of supporting her physique. Though the word 'lingerie' normally describes both male and female undergarments, the term is commonly used to refer woman's intimate wear. Lingerie is a broad term and includes garments like bras, panties, stockings, thongs, garters, peignoirs, sheer night gowns, and exotic night wears
Maternity Clothes For The Plus Size Woman
Being pregnant is one of the most joyous and happy times in a woman's life, although having to buy plus size maternity clothes is certainly something no woman really looks forward to. Having to buy plus sized clothes is bad enough, but plus sized clothes with room for a huge belly? Forget about it, right? Luckily, there are some fabulous plus size maternity clothes out there that are fashionable and can make you look great, no matter how plus sized or pregnant you may happen to be. Who said big girls can't look great in their clothes? Plus sized maternity fashions just got that much cooler!
Maternity Photography Specialist Chosen By Miss America 2002 Katie Harmon
There are a lot of photographers that serve Vancouver, Washington and surrounding cities, the Greater Portland, Oregon area, and Orange County, California.
Nearly all of them will claim that they too do maternity photography. However, even a brief search shows that preciously few specialize in this … and only one has been garnered with praise, appeared in eight top publications, and has their work displayed as art in locations as diverse as maternity clinics to yoga centers. Only one has been chosen to be the exclusive family photographer for Katie Hamrom (Miss America 2002).
Jeans That Heal: Custom Jeans Company Makes Ayurvedic Organic Clothing That Possess Medicinal Benefits
Makeyourownjeans.com have recently created a new fashion product using techniques that go back over 5,000 years, can heal the body and help loose weight too. They call it "Ayurvedic Organic Jeans", they give an overall sense of well being.