nickshanagher

“To really excite and delight customers there has to be something unique and special about what you deliver,” writes John Hoerner at the end of How To Sell: Recipes For Retail , his brilliant book on everything he has learned in a stellar 50 year retail career. Put this book on your Christmas list. Hired from the US in 1987 to run Debenhams Hoerner was so successful he ended up running the Arcadia group until he retired in 2000. A year later Tesco recruited him to develop its clothing business. This book is organised as a series of recipes for success. He argues that his lessons will work for any retail business and I think he is correct. While convenience stores are not in the business of markdowns or as exposed to not buying the latest fashion must-haves, they still have to get the basics right and then find the magic ingredient that makes their shop special. “When you get it right for customers, almost EVERYTHING ELSE works…when you don’t get it right for customers, almost N...

Start With Why is a TED talk by Simon Sinek that has been watched more than 24.8 million times. Plus a further 701,000 views on YouTube. It takes 18 minutes to watch and is inspiring. There is also the book , advertised as a global bestseller. It will take you four to six hours to read and I recommend that you take longer than this. While the talk is brilliant and the book seems to say not much more across its 200 pages, the benefit of spending time with Sinek’s ideas comes from challenging how well you can answer the question: “Well why should I do business with you?” The first part of the book is all about business as usual. The manipulations that companies use to keep customers - price, promotions, fear, aspirations, peer pressure, and novelty (a.k.a. innovation) - are all entertainingly eviscerated. “Price always costs something. The question is, how much are you willing to pay for the money you make?” Sinek prompts. Manipulations are perfectly valid strategy for drivin...