In his book, The Land of Strangers, Robert Hall writes, "The truth is, relationships are the most valuable and value-creating resource of any society. They are our lifelines to survive, grow and thrive." As company leaders, bosses and mentors, what are you doing to help your team members and coworkers build their network of professional relationships? What encouragement are you providing? What opportunities are available and does your team know about them? What are you doing to help yourself?
BKBG Shareholders relate that finding and retaining best-in-class talent is one of their greatest challenges. With unemployment rates dipping below four percent nationally, that challenge is becoming increasingly more difficult.
“In the U.S., they’re cutting corners and cheating, and driving everything to the lowest common denominator – in the brands themselves and in the channels of distribution: department stores, shopping centers. And it’s reach the point of no return, which means that retail in the U.S. will have to reinvent itself,” claims Value Retail’s CEO Scott Malkin in a recent Glossy interview. Value Retail owns and operates 11 luxury outlet centers in Europe and China.
Consultants Dan Hay and John Marshal recently published a research study entitled the Happiness Halo that identifies three parts of the customer journey that enable showrooms to make emotional connections with their customers. They are anticipation, interaction and afterglow.
Using the word if as part of a sales presentation is an absolute no-no because it sends the message to a client or prospect that they don’t know something. For example, if your sales professional proposed the following, “If your new housing project is going to sell quickly, the perfect solution for your bath is to depend on our ability to source products and deliver them on time and within budget.”
The Black Swan Group will be leading a negotiation workshop at the 2018 BKBG Annual Conference at the Marriott Sawgrass Golf Resort and Spa in Ponte Verda, FL (Jacksonville). In a recent blog post, the company offered four steps for taking control of negotiations.
Nordstrom is known for its exceptional customer service and does not deny publicly that it once took back a set of tires from a customer who was dissatisfied with the purchase even though Nordstrom does not sell tires. The story is not true, but that’s not the point. It speaks to the Nordstrom brand. Similar to other brick and mortar department stores, Nordstrom is challenged by a paradigm shift in the way consumers shop. In response, Nordstrom is constantly tweaking its business model to maintain its relevancy to its customer base and to provide more compelling customer experiences.
Michael Lewis has penned numerous best-selling books, including The Big Short, Flash Boys and Moneyball. In a recent interview with University of Pennsylvania Professor Adam Grant, also a best-selling author, Lewis shared several keys to exceptional story telling that can help kitchen and bath showroom professionals better connect with their clients and prospects.
Negotiating is a fact of life. Imagine how successful you could be with a no-fail negotiation technique. One of the nation’s premier negotiation trainers, The Black Swan Group, has a tip it says is almost always successful regardless of industry or context: To get to yes, eliminate the negatives up front.
If you asked your customers what is it that you actually do, what would they say? If you believe that you provide kitchen design and renovation services, most likely you would be taking a very narrow view of your customer’s perspective. Some may believe that you come to my home, destroy it, leaving me without a place to cook or eat for longer than expected. Others may perceive your services will help create more quality family time, make meal preparation easier and more enjoyable and reduce stress.
