Yesterday, in his New York Times column – and on his blog – David Pogue wrote about the gutting of CompUSA.  They are closing half of their stores.  Pogue's article caught my attention for several reasons:

1) I advise several retail clients in the music products industry.  And if an established store operation like CompUSA can fall to the rise in competition – or its own irrelevance – what does that bode for for the future success of my clients?

2) Pogue speculated that the main reason CompUSA was forced into this severe downsizing was low-ball Internet pricing.  Actually, CompUSA's  pricing policy was not even competitive with other retail stores – e.g. Circuit City or even Target.  Even now, as they close the stores, they are only offering a token 10% discount on a “no returns / final sale” basis.  Big deal!  Or rather ,,, not a big enough deal to attract anyone's attention or dollar bills.  Many of my potential clients are scared and clueless when it comes to setting  – and sticking with – competitive prices.  This development is not giving them encouragement.

3) Later in the article, Pogue lamented the disappearance of the the “local” computer store at a time when many people find themselves crying out for help – because they feel so “technologically helpless.”  The complexity of setting up home networks, integrating computers and home theater systems, changing operating systems, fighting viruses and spam – you name it – it is all so complex (for a time-pressed population.)  What lessons can my music products industry clients take away from the (partial) demise of CompUSA?

PLENTY!

Let's start with pricing, service, selection and then move on to building relationships with your customers.

Pricing:  Your pricing must must not only be competitive – it must be “dynamic” – you must have the ability to both raise and lower your prices to meet the ever-changing demands of your customers.  Some of the products that you sell are truly commodities and therefore they are extremely “price-sensitive.”  You should not try to “beat” Internet pricing but you can not afford to be “out of line” either.

Other product lines can be priced higher.  These are not commodities.  They are “desirables.”  They either have a certain “cache” or they are not available everywhere else or … they require more sales assistance in making the sale or more service opportunities (installation, check-up, etc.) after the sale.  These products deserve and can command a higher price.

Service:  Pogue's article was right on target when he described the shopping experience in a CompUSA store.  (Click here to read it yourself.)  Here is what Pogue said about the CompUSA staff:

“The company’s corporate spokesperson at the time acknowledged, 'Getting staff is a problem across the board. We need specialized talent; finding it can be a challenge.'

Between her lines, you could read the truth: technology experts are in demand everywhere. At $6.50 an hour (what CompUSA was paying at the time), you’re not going to attract many people who, ahem, excel in both personal and technical skills.”

Perhaps a better model to follow (if you are a retailer) is Best Buy stores and their crack service and systems installation team – “The Geek Squad.”

The dilemma for many music products (and electronics) dealers is: 

1) A significant part of my sales come from prices that are considered “commodities.”  I can't afford to pay good wages to my staff and remain competitive with Internet pricing on these “commodities.”

Hint:  You don't sell these “commodities” – competitive pricing sells them.  You don't need skilled and higher paid staff to sell these products.  Just price them right and let them sell themselves.

2) I can't train my staff to acquire the skills (product knowledge and people-skills) necessary to sell higher-end products.  I am also having a hard time retaining the staff that I have – there is a high turnover ratio.

Hint:  Take a close look at what Best Buy does with their electronics.  The higher-end products are in their own retail space – sometimes in their own store (Magnolia)   The sales staff is not a Best Buy clerk.  These are sales professionals.  They know the product.  But they are really trained to understand the needs, desires and the requirements of this customer.  And … they have the services of “The Geek Squad” to ensure customer satisfaction – i.e. “No wires showing!”

3) Selection:  You can't be all things to all people!  You can't possibly stock and sell every brand available.  Leave that to Amazon.com and other “Long Tail” retailers.

Hint: Offer your customers a choice – but make it limited and focused.  A proven strategy is offering a “Good, Better, Best” product line-up.  Do not confuse the customer with too many choices – the result … no choice!

4) Relational vs. Transactional Sales:  You can concentrate on the “transaction” – the customers who know what they want and they demand the lowest price or else …  If you choose to remain in this rut – well, just read the CompUSA story once more and this time insert your own store's name.  Or … you can focus your energy on building a strong relationship with your “core customers.”  Don't just make one sale.  Sell yourself and your interest in earning the next sale to that customer and … sales to the friends, family and neighbors of that one “satisfied” customer.

It can be done.  Local dealers can learn to thrive and survive.  Learn from the mistakes that CompUSA made.  Find your niche.  Grow your market.  Be different!

Of course they are!  They're human.  All humans are biased to think and act in certain ways.  We offer biased opinions.  Our reactions are biased, to a degree, upon our experiences and environment.  However, if you are a salesperson – or you employ salespeople – your bias is costing you money and profit!

How?  And how do I correct this?

OK – before you get concerned – I am not talking about discrimination or other odious practices.  I want to draw your attention, in particular, to how your salespeople behave when they are not on the floor selling.  Or when they are not out in the field selling.  Why?

Because they way that they behave when they themselves are shopping or making decisions has a direct connection to the way that they sell  and the manner in which they relate to customers.  For example:

1) What kind of shopper are they?  Where do they shop for personal items?  Do they brag about the great deal that they got on XYZ?  Do they only shop at “huge discount stores?”  Do they dress and look like they just came from the bargain basement?

2) How about the ability to make decisions?  Do they say, “I'll have to think about this some more before I can make a decision?”  Do they give this response more times than not?  Many more times?

Well then, there is a high probability that they will respond in a similar manner during a sales call.  They will show their bias.  They will project their own preferences onto the customer.  How?

“Serial Bargain Buyers” place a high value on a low price sticker.  For many, this is the only thing that they value – the lowest price possible.  Do you employ any “serial bargain buyers?”  If so, do they project their bias onto your customers?  Just because they shop for bargains, they may presume that everyone shops for bargains – i.e. they are biased to believe that everyone wants the lowest possible price – all the time – or else they will not buy.

Does this happen in your store or place of business?  Do you have some salespeople who constantly complain about losing sales to the competitor down the block who has a lower price?  If so … I would start to do a background check – on their attitudes and shopping habits.  If you find that they are a “serial bargain buyer,” I would suggest that you encourage them to seek employment at another business that offers lower prices than you do.  They are beyond redemption.  You can not train them to change their attitude.

This is an extreme example made to illustrate a point.  It is natural that each of us tend to think that people that we meet or work with share the same outlook on the world that we do.  When you do your training – and I sincerely hope that you do train your staff – try to spot these natural tendencies towards bias.  Sometimes just pointing the reaction out – making them aware of their words, actions and non-verbal responses will be sufficient.

Last year, I made a few presentations to musical instrument dealers on “How To Compete with Internet Pricing:  Lose the Sale?  Or Lose the Profit?”  I have attached a sample page from that presentation as a file for you to access or download.  You can get the entire slide show on my website – www.thecompanyrocks.com

I asked the retailers to visualize their staff.  How many of their salespeople were “gigging” musicians?”  How many of these salespeople / “giggers” had any money?  How many of them actually knew anybody who had money?  How many of them – really – thought thought that your store's prices were too high?  How many of these salespeople / “giggers” actually purchased any equipment from your store – or did they go to the Internet or a competitor to get a lower price for themselves?

Unfortunately, many of the retailers in my audience nodded in agreement – I had just painted a picture of their sales staff.  And … they had a sales staff that was biased!  And they projected that bias onto their customers.

That is the real key – projecting your bias onto the customer.  Frankly, I don't care how you shop for yourself and your family – that is your decision.  Nor do I care how you make decisions at home.  As long as … you do not bring your bias to work.  Do not assume that everyone is your identical twin.

Successful salespeople ask question and listen to the answers their customers give to determine the best product or service for each individual customer.  Successful supervisors make a real effort to discover the factors that motivate each employee.  And they coach and communicate with the employee accordingly.  They do not show their bias. 

Okay, admit it!  If you are a meeting leader, how soon after a meeting do you follow-up on action items and key points from that meeting?

a) within 24 hours?

b) before the next meeting? 

c) at the next meeting when you ask for a status report?

If you are like most managers and team leaders, your answer is likely to be “b” or “c.”  And this one of the key reasons that meetings fail – and important tasks get delayed, detoured or deferred.

To quote from the Harvard Business School Press Pocket Mentor, “Running Meetings”

“Meetings that end without a communications and action plan often have no life outside the meeting room.  After all, the point is rarely the meeting itself, but rather the action that comes out of it.”

“Following up energetically is the single most important thing you can do to make the meeting (and any to follow) a success.”

In my years of experience, I have rarely participated in a meeting that concluded effectively.  Seldom, did the meeting leader summarize the key points and review responsibilities before concluding the meeting.  Yes, there were some assignments made during the meeting.  And, sometimes, decisions were reached during the meeting,  But I would wager that if you took a quick poll of 10 people in that meeting to determine what was decided you might get 10 different answers or interpretations.  Is it any wonder why most meetings are a waste of time?

Most meetings run too long – long past the stated conclusion time.  They whimper to conclusion.  Far too many people either “sneak out” or they “tune out” – by checking email, doodling, or passing personal notes – while the meeting is still going.  Those that remain to the bitter end usually rush out to attend their “next” meeting – or they storm back to their desk to get their “real work” done!

Does this sound familiar?  I thought so.  So how do you start to change conditions in your business.  How do you begin to run effective meetings?  How can you make your staff understand that (effective) meetings drive your business; that real work is accomplished during (effective) meetings?

I suggest that you start by putting real energy and effort into making sure that your meetings come to a real conclusion – just like a piece of music!  An effective conclusion might include a brief recap of the decisions or recommendations that were reached during the meeting.  The meeting leader should be looking at all team members during this recap – paying special attention to “body language” to spot those who do not seem to “buy in” to or seem unhappy about these decisions.  (The leader should then seek these team members out after the meeting and ask them to express their real feelings.  Leaders who do this consistently have seen dramatic positive energy shifts in their teams.)

If at all possible, a meeting scribe will have written and posted these decisions / recommendations on a white board or large “post-ti” notes attached to the walls.  This helps to reinforce the message that this was a group decision or recommendation and not just some subjective conclusion.

Just prior to concluding the meeting, I recommend that the leader review the “action items.”  When your team member publicly goes on record  – in front of their peers – and commits to completing “X” task by “Y” date with assistance from “A, B and C,” the results are truly amazing and will energize the entire team – plus you will get more accomplished.  And that is the real reason that we have meetings!

This is your “Communications and Action Plan” at work.  A tool to help your team deliver results and to communicate key decisions and recommendations.  It is not just a fancy way of writing up the minutes of your meeting (which no one actually reads.)  It is a vital tool to running a successful business – a business that is successful in part because they know how to meet effectively to accomplish their goals.

The Pocket Mentor, “Running Meetings,” has several meeting forms (Meeting Planner's Checklist, Meeting Agenda, Communications and Action Plan) that you can adapt to fit your company's needs.  It is an invaluable resource for any manager or leader to own – and use!