Advertisement Ideas: The View Only Changes For The Lead Dog!!!
Have you noticed that business is much like a dogsled as the scenery only changes for the lead dog? Think about it in business you have three choices you can lead, you can follow, or you can get out of the way. If you are truly going to be successful with your advertising campaigns and build your brand while increasing your revenue you must become the lead dog. How do you become the lead dog you may ask. The answer is simple by being ahead of the trends and setting your own trends, buy having unique selling propositions that attract your desired target audience, by being where your competitors aren’t. When you sit down to open your business in the morning you should have a way in place to drive sales and exceed revenue goals. You should know what is happening in the market place and find ways to attract people in the market to come and shop with you.
One of the biggest flaws that I have seen from entrepreneurs is that they do not lead they dictate and expect their employees to follow. This is not how you become the lead dog. The lead dog will work hard and show how the hard work pays off. The lead dog is given a plan and the trainer in this case the entrepreneur works the dog properly so as to utilize the skill set of the lead dog. One of the biggest mistakes I have witnessed from entrepreneurs that struggle is that they have a tendency to think they know everything forgetting that the day you think you know everything is the day you begin to lose everything. In many cases you may have an employee who knows what is selling and what is being demanded because they are in the store on a regular basis. A successful entrepreneur takes the input from the employee and begins to implement it thus become a lead dog in their respective industry. JC Penny once stated show me a janitor with vision and I will show you a VP of our company show me a VP with no vision and I will show you a janitor. The key to being a lead dog is to engage your employees, implement their concepts see if they work and the ones that work and the one that do not either scrap or find a way to improve them.
If you want to be the lead dog you must be able to plan your work, work your pan and make adjustments along the way. Knowing what is moving and is continuing demand is important to following your plan. I have entrepreneurs that I have worked with tell me I don’t look at Point of Sales Reports, I don’t do demographic studies, I don’t look at analytics. Then they will tell me how hard it is. I say of course it is because you aren’t looking at the essentials. The tools to be the lead dog are all around you so utilize them.
My expertise is in retail sales and I have been the top sales person for several companies that I worked with over the course of my career. I was even an assistant manager of a Footlocker Store. While I was at Footlocker I noticed that they had a frequent and consistent shipment schedule. We were given a daily report showing promotions and how to set the store up along with sales goals. If my store didn’t have something I could look it up on the computer and get it from another store or I could see if it was available through the catalog. The catalog has now been replaced with a website making fulfillment of orders that much easier. In being innovative Footlocker remains a leader in the sports apparel and footwear industry. When I was at Athlete’s Foot I set all types of sales records because I engaged the customers and showed them many choices. I even went as far as becoming a Fit Specialist giving me a unique selling position as I had a certification that not everyone gets and was able to use our resources like the fit master machine to match the customer to a specific style of sneakers.
If you are to be the lead dog you must commit to taking actions that build your brand and increase your revenue. In previous articles we discussed spending money wisely and following the rules to operate a retail business. It is important to stay ahead of your competition because if you don’t you do not become the lead dog and you will watching their backs as they pass you by.
