Retail Success!: Increase Sales, Maximize Profits, and Wow Your Customers in the Most Competitive Marketplace in History

I thought our store was really good at service and individuality. But after reading Retail Success, I came to realize we have lots of room for improvement. It's an evolutionary process and we must continue to evaluate ourselves. This book is a good kick in the pants and offers constructive suggestions from a guy who obviously has been in the trenches. He wrote about asking myself, "What if...we tried something a different way?" That opened my eyes to the process of change. Also, I now ask my employees for suggestions and I ask my customers what they think. Great read!

I read this book when it first came out and really got a lot of ideas from it. Every now and again, I would go back and look something up or reread a chapter. Last week, after attending a seminar given by Mr. Whalin, I decided to read the whole book again. I can't say enough--I keep finding more good stuff that inspires me. And if you ever get a chance to go to one of the author's seminars, do it!

After reading this book, I bought a copy for all my managers. We discuss various points in our monthly meetings. As an example, there's Chapter 13: Great Store Managers Make Great Stores. It tells what the best managers do and how they manage their stores. We use it as a guide for improvement and self evaluation.Many of my managers also use the book to help with their sales associates. There are several chapters on sales, salesmanship, and even selling from a customers point of view. The fact that this book isn't as "technical" as other retail business books I've read is a great plus. I think it's the reason my managers have been so willing to embrace the concepts and pass them along to their employees.I highly recommend this book.

I don't have time to read much because I'm always working. I was pleasantly surprised at how easy a read this book is. I don't have to have a PhD to understand what the author is saying, but it's not so simple that I lose interest. The best part is I don't have to waste time trying to find what I'm looking for. Each chapter is clearly identified and stands on it's own and the index is very helpful. I was looking for suggestions on rewards and incentive programs and was able to find what I wanted right away. The book is organized just like the author says a store should be--so it's easy for the customer to find what they're looking for. I keep the book handy so I can look things up as I need them and I have not been disappointed. Frequently I find myself saying, "Why didn't I think of that!" It's a true retailer's resource.

This is truly a book full of information that can be used in real life. It's practical stuff--none of that preachy, academic lecturing you usually find in business books. This guy gives lots of examples on how to use the ideas and strategies he talks about in his book. He describes what other retailers are doing to be successful and I got all kinds of ideas on how I can do some of those things in my business. It's great. I'm so charged up and eager to get going.