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When it Rains…

Yesterday afternoon I watched my son run a cross country race in the rain.  Some of the hundreds of spectators had umbrellas, some had raincoats, some had no protection at all.  I read the weather reports.  I had an umbrella and a raincoat.

After the race that same son had to rush to the football stadium to march with the band.  The band wore full length rain jackets with hoods.  It rained so much the woodwinds didn’t even play.  I added rain pants, a warmer shirt and a hat to my umbrella and rain coat.  Some people in the stands had nothing more than a jacket without a hood.

This morning my other son had a soccer game.  He was the only kid on the soccer field wearing a rain coat.

Sometimes it rains.  Life still goes on.  The cross country team runs. The football players play.  The band marches.  The soccer game happens.

Some people are prepared for the rain.  They read the weather report and dress appropriately.

Some people don’t.  They hope the game or meet is canceled.  They pray the weather will change.  They make do the best they can and pretend it doesn’t bother them.

Are you reading the weather report for your business?  Are you prepared for the storms?  Or are you just praying and pretending?

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS Storms can be economic crises in your hometown, vendor issues, competition coming to town, over-buying, or even under-buying, cash-flow problems, profit problems.  Every business has storms.  The best businesses have umbrellas and rain coats ready to handle those storms.  One way to stay prepared is to make a list of storms you might have to face and find the appropriate “umbrella” for each one.

Fake It Til You Make It

When you smile, the simple act of your muscles pulling the lips upward sends a signal to your brain.  Your brain begins releasing Endorphins that lower your stress.  It also sends a signal to your brain to release Serotonin, which boosts your immune system, gives you energy, and makes you feel good.

Even when the smile isn’t genuine.

Isn’t that cool?  You really can fake it til you make it.  Fake a smile and in short time you will feel better.

You can do the same thing with other body language poses.

Power posing is another way to fake it til you make it.  According to a Harvard study, when you strike a power pose, a pose where your body is open, not crossed, and in a larger than life position (think Wonder Woman with her hands on her hips), you increase your levels of testosterone while also decreasing your levels of cortisol.

What are the applications of this for independent retailers?

First, remind your staff to smile no matter how they feel.  Just that act alone will make them feel better soon.  Plus, that smile is infectious.  If they smile, the customers will smile and soon everyone will be feeling better.

Second, teach your staff how to Power Pose every morning before the day begins.  Have them hold that pose for a couple minutes before they hit the sales floor.  Their energy will be better, they will have more confidence, and they will seem more likable and approachable.

Yeah, body language actually does make a difference, both inside and out.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  That picture is from the Monroe Chamber of Commerce Business Summit.  I had everyone Power Pose at the beginning of the talk.  Got the energy of the crowd up before I launched a new motivational talk – Better Your Business by Being Your Business Better which includes elements of Understanding Your Brand with more examples of how it works in real life. If you would like your organization fired up and working towards a common goal, contact me.  The presentation takes an hour (there is a 30-minute Reader’s Digest version if you’re strapped for time) and will do far more than just raise your testosterone or lower your cortisol.

What Did You Do Last Week?

What did you do this past week?  Write it all down.  Short-hand, as a bullet list, paragraph form, whatever it takes.  Write it ALL down.  Go ahead.  I’ll wait…

I played golf (twice), won a golf scramble tournament.  I led a group of Emerging Leaders through a Team Building training and then taught them how to be Team Builders on their own teams.  I did a Keynote Address for the Monroe Chamber of Commerce Business Summit on being true to your Core Values.  I helped my two sons with homework.  I taught a class on baby products for expectant parents.  I taught a class for expectant daddies.  I got a quote back for printing my next book.  I placed orders for the store.  I dealt with defects and problems for customers.  I calculated cash flow projections.  I wrote up a new schedule for staff for next month.  I planned a staff meeting.  I met with three sales reps.  I went biking. I went running.  I took my dog to agility class.  I played my guitar.  I set up a sound system for church.  I installed a bunch of car seats.  I ran errands.   I went on TV.  I wrote a bunch of emails.  I read a bunch of blogs. I wrote a blog. I cooked for my wife and kids. I ate. I slept.

Three things come from a list like this.

First, unless you wrote a chronological list, the first few things you listed were likely the items that meant the most to you.  Sometimes this is the easiest way to figure out where your priorities lie, and if they are aligned with your needs.

Second, sometimes it is easy to forget all the incredible things you do in a week.  Pat yourself on the back for all you accomplished.  It is often more than you thought and quite often more than you expected.  Writing it all down helps bring into focus all you do and the impact you make.

Third, it helps you remember all that you didn’t do.  Compare one week’s list to the next and you will see what you failed to accomplish.  Don’t be so hard on yourself.  There is always more to do.  Put those things on this week’s To Do list and get busy.

It is good to stop and take your pulse from time to time and make sure you have your priorities straight.  Take a good look at your list and figure out the story it has to tell you.  Then decide what you want to put on next week’s list.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  Yes, it was a particularly busy week for me with some really fun big events.  But, surprisingly enough, the list is no longer than any other week.  Just different.  Isn’t variety the spice of life? And I can quickly see where I need to spend more time next week.

PPS Don’t compare your list to mine or anyone else’s.  You aren’t living those lives.  Live your own.  Just do it consciously and with purpose.  This list exercise helps you do that.

Starting or Finishing?

I asked some fellow store owners for their thoughts on the following quote:

“Don’t worry about finishing, just get going.”

Is this appropriate advice for a retail store?

Their thoughts were quite interesting.

Many people loved it, felt that it embraced their entrepreneurial spirit.  To them it meant to quit worrying about results and just start doing things.  You’ll adjust as you go along.  If you don’t get going, you’ll never finish anyway. Anything is better than sitting still.

Others hated it, felt that starting something without a plan or and end in sight was foolish and a waste of time.  You’ll spend far too much time, money and resources without seeing the proper return on investment.  I know one employee who left a retail job because her boss was far more interested in starting multiple projects without ever seeing one through to fruition, which drove this employee mad.

After thinking about it for a while and reading what others had to say, here are my thoughts…

On one side I believe you need to think about finishing so that you don’t waste your efforts but on the other side some initiatives just need to get started and then they’ll take a life of their own.

More importantly, however, I think this is a good statement for finding out an important character trait of a potential employee. Someone who takes umbrage with this quote might be more apt to do one thing fully to completion, whereas someone who embraces this quote might be more apt to come up with creative ideas and new initiatives.

Most importantly, I think every business needs a mix of the two mindsets, someone to get projects started and someone to see them through to fruition.

Stop.  Think about where you landed the first time you read that quote.  You might want to find someone on the other side of the coin to balance you out.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  I would venture to guess that most business owners fall somewhere to the side of agreeing with the quote.  That’s the entrepreneurial spirit in us.  But you do need finishers.  Seth Godin has a term for the person who sees things through to completion. He calls them Linchpins.  If you are not (yet) a fan of Seth’s, you might want to check that book out.

How You Lead

My boys (ages 11 & 13) asked me a question about why I was so flexible and accommodating in scheduling my staff.  They figure I could schedule the staff all the worst hours and save only the easiest hours for myself.

They liked my answer.

Leadership.

There are many styles and philosophies on leadership.

Role Model
You can lead from the front, modeling the kind of behavior you want.  Going first into battle, leading the charge.  If you have a staff that needs an example to follow, this is a good approach to take.  Your staff will only work as hard and care as much as you care. Never more, usually less.  But they will watch what you do and work accordingly.

Sacrifice
You can lead from behind in a role of service, doing whatever you need to do to put them in a position to succeed.  Many coaches take this role, teaching and encouraging their players to do their best.  If you have hired a staff of compassionate, caring people, they will relish in seeing you sacrifice your needs for theirs.

Guide
You can lead from the side, constantly guiding and overseeing their progress while keeping your own shoes out of the mud.  If you won’t be there in the trenches when the action takes place, this might be the preferred role as the staff learns not to depend on you.  Teachers often take this role in preparing their students for life after the classroom.

A smart leader chooses from all three based on the needs of the staff.  It starts, however, with who you hire.  

If you are going to lead from the side because you are leaving the staff on their own, then you need to hire a staff with responsibility and accountability.  If you are going to lead from the front, then you need to hire people who want to be led.  Free thinkers won’t flourish in this style of leadership.  If you are going to lead from behind, you need to hire compassionate, service-based people who will respond to the service and sacrifice you give to them.  You also need to hire people who can take the lead, while you support from the back.

Knowing who you hired and why helps you choose the kind of leadership style that will work best for them.  That’s a pretty good lesson for a couple young boys to already start learning.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  You probably already guessed that I like to hire compassionate, helpful, problem-solving leaders.  I lead from behind, which means when push comes to shove, I’ll more often sacrifice my own needs for those of the staff.  They work harder for me when I do that. (And isn’t that the ultimate goal?)

PPS If you aren’t sure what leadership style will work best for your staff, think about what leadership style will work best for you, then hire a staff to compliment your style.

Politics and a Plan

The political campaign is upon us.  Let the mudslinging begin!

Don’t you hate when one side criticizes the plan of the other without offering a plan of their own?  Me, too.  But I know why they do it.  It is easier to rip someone else apart, than it is to counter with a plan of your own.

The same is true in retail.  It is easier to blame the _____________ (economy? local government? weather? federal government? competition? customer base? suppliers?) than to develop your own plan to deal with each issue.

“To open a shop is easy. To keep it open, an art.” -Chinese Proverb

The best way to be successful is to have a plan.  Have a counter proposal to any obstacle life may throw your way.

Even if all you do is think it through in your head, you are light years ahead of the shops that don’t have a plan.

Tonight, before you go to bed, say to yourself, “If _________ happens, our plan will be to do ___________.”  Pick one issue every night and think it through.  The next morning spend a few minutes writing it down.  Then you’ll be ready for anything that comes your way.

In spite of a bad economy, some businesses thrive.
In spite of the government, some businesses thrive.
In spite of the weather, some businesses thrive.
In spite of the competition, some businesses thrive.
In spite of a shrinking customer base, some businesses thrive.
In spite of supplier issues, some businesses thrive.

Be one of those thriving businesses.  Have a plan.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS If you want to win my vote, don’t tell me what the other guy will do.  Tell me what you’re going to do (and how it will benefit me).  Wouldn’t that be a fun campaign if both sides took that approach?  Yeah, they tell us that will never happen and that is not how to win an election.  But what if…

PPS  Whatever you do, however, don’t you start mudslinging your competition.  While it may work to win an election, it never works to win a customer.

Yes, I Forgot

The first phone call this morning was a guy wanting to know more details about the play we were hosting this afternoon.

Play?  You sure you’re calling the right place?

He was.  A month or so ago I had agreed to allow the Michigan Shakespeare Festival’s Shakespeare for Kids program to do a performance of Snow White here at the store.  I wrote it down in my calendar but forgot all about it.  I never mentioned it to the staff.  I never put up flyers, sent out emails, posted it on Facebook.

I forgot.

At this point some store owners would panic.  Some would fret about the missed opportunities.  Some would beat themselves up over it.  Some would wallow in the mistake.

I’m not that kind of guy.

I went to the grocery store and stocked up on waters.  I printed a few quick and simple signs.  I got on Facebook.  My staff posted the signs around the store, made a special display of Shakespeare books, and made a stage and seating area for the performance.

Before too long, the phone was ringing off the hook.  By 1pm we had a few dozen children sitting on the floor, another couple dozen adults sitting in chairs, and three fabulous actors putting on a wonderful show.  The kids laughed, made bird sounds, became trees and a few even got recruited to be dwarfs.

Parent after parent came up to thank us for the event.  There was a line to sign our Guest Book.  And the kids had a ball!

Lesson?  Sometimes you make mistakes.  Sometimes you forget.  When you do, you can take two paths, one of woe or one of WOW.  Yes, we might have gotten a bigger crowd if I looked at my calendar more often.  More importantly, those customers who were in the crowd had an awesome time and never knew of the mistakes I had made.

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  No matter what, never lament the customers that aren’t there.  Celebrate the ones who are and make it as special for them as you can.

PPS  And always look at your calendar at least a few days in advance.

I Went to Harvard

Well… umm… I went to Harvard yesterday… while I was in Boston visiting another toy store owner.

I thought about applying to Harvard when I was in high school.  I had the grades.  I had the test scores.  I had the extracurriculars.  I only needed to take three more tests and I could apply.  Problem was, I knew that even if I got in, I wasn’t going to go there.  I had already been accepted to the University of Michigan, which meant I had season tickets for football.  Plus, I didn’t want to take any more tests.

But it sure would have been nice to say…

“Yeah, I turned Harvard down.”

Today, however, those same grades and test scores and extracurriculars probably wouldn’t even get me into the first cut in the application process.  The stakes have gotten higher.  The bar has been raised. What I did in the early 80’s isn’t enough in 2012.

The same is true of your business.

The stakes are higher.  The bar is raised.  Your customer service has to be amazing and unexpected.  Your product knowledge has to be over the top and relevant.  Your inventory control has to be fine-tuned and adaptable.  Your marketing has to be refreshing and memorable.

What you used to do isn’t good enough anymore. 

I was thinking all of this while walking around the Harvard campus knowing that I was smart enough to go there 28 years ago. But I better get smarter if I want to be able to compete with those kids today.  Being smart back then isn’t enough in 2012.

What are you doing to get smarter?

-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com

PS  The one thing I do have over that kid back in 1984 is that I am a much better student today than I was back then.  I had the grades to get in to Harvard, but I’m not sure I had the study habits to stay there.  Now I’m trying to learn everywhere I go.  And I promise to share what I learn with you right here on this blog and in the Freebies section of my website.  Maybe we can all get into Harvard some day.

Do We Need a Law for This?

There is a bill before the State Senate in Michigan called the Family Education Leave Act that allows employees up to 10 hours of unpaid time off each year to attend school functions without retribution from the employer.

My first thought was… Really?  We need a law for that?
Let’s start with this simple premise… 
Your business is only as good as the employees in it.  
Can we agree on that?  Therefore, to make your business better, you need better employees.  You can do that one of two ways.
  1. Hire better people
  2. Train your people better
Obviously, even if you do the first, you will still need to do the second to reach your maximum potential.
Wanna know a secret that makes #2 easier?
Treat your people better.
The better you treat your staff – the more you praise them, appreciate them, recognize that they have a life outside of work – the better and harder they will work for you.  That is simple human nature.  
My employees know that I will bend over backwards to make sure they can attend school events, sporting events, and other milestone moments in their children’s lives.  In return, my employees also bend over backwards to cover for each other, and make sure my business is running smoothly.  
We don’t need a law, we need better employers.  Be one of those better employers.  It is good for your business.
-Phil Wrzesinski
PS  Some people cannot be trained better no matter how hard you try.  Fire them and go back to #1.  Sometimes, however, it isn’t the training or the person that is at fault, it is the culture.  You determine the culture by who you hire and how you treat them.  

What Would You Do With…?

What would you do with 60 copies of the book Hiring and the Potter’s Wheel: Turning Your Staff Into a Work of Art?

  • Would you use them to prop up a table leg or two that is out of balance?  
  • Would you use them as a door stop to keep the front door open when the wind blows?
  • Would you try to sell them and make some money?
  • Would you give them out as favors at your next big gathering?
  • Would you wrap them and give them as thoughtful gifts to anyone you knew who did a lot of hiring?
  • Would you have a contest to see who could stack them in the most interesting way?
  • Would you create a wall covering with the book jackets?
  • Would you use them to start a bonfire on your next camping trip?
  • Would you use them to hold down the floor or hold up the dust?

What would you do with four hours of time with an award-winning, creative-thinking, trend-setting retailer whose store was named One of the 25 Best Independent Stores in America?

  • Would you use him to train your staff to take Customer Service to levels you never knew existed?
  • Would you use him to give you one-on-one advice on your marketing, your inventory management, your hiring & training, or your financials to help you find the extra $10,000-$20,000 you know is hidden in there somewhere?
  • Would you have him help you uncover your Character Diamond so you will have a blueprint and guide for every single business decision going forward?
  • Would you get him to write you new advertising copy that will drive more of your type of customer through the door?
  • Would you share his talents with other businesses in the form of a seminar or workshop that helps everyone become stronger, raising the tide for all the boats in your area?
  • Would you ask him to bring his guitar and harmonica for a little performance?

What if I told you that you could have both for only $1200?  That’s it. 


Twelve hundred dollars gets you:

  • Sixty copies (one case) of my book Hiring and the Potter’s Wheel for you to use as you please.
  • Four hours of my time and business knowledge to help you succeed.

I’ll pay my own way to travel to your location (Continental US only).  I’ll pay for my own room for one night.  I’ll bring the books, handouts, and whatever other resources available to me to help you meet your goals.


What are you waiting for?  Contact me.  (Or share this with someone who could use it.)


-Phil Wrzesinski
www.PhilsForum.com


PS  In case you’re wondering if this is a good deal…  I typically charge $1000-$2000 plus travel expenses for a one hour presentation.  Books sold separately.  This deal is two-fold.  First, to help spread my book out to the world.  There is a lot of bad hiring going on right now that this book could remedy.  Second, I love to help others.  The more I get to do that, the more inspired I am to do more.