| | | Stephen P Smith | |  Retail | 15 articles |
| Page 1 of 1 | Previous | Next | STEPHEN P SMITH DECEMBER 26, 2011 Business Blogging: How Often Do I Write? Business Development Productivity Weekly Letter auto repair blogging tactics bookstores Facebook realtors restaurants retail stores social media literacyWeekly Letter Volume1, Number 3. How often should I write? There is a long answer and a short answer. The short answer is “it depends” The long answer is that you should write and post to your blog (and/or Facebook) often enough that: Your readers come back for more. You can create a conversation and valuable relationship. You and your community know about wins and losses. Everyone feels comfortable sharing. Successes. | STEPHEN P SMITH APRIL 3, 2012  Employees – Hiring, Training & Imparting the Culture of Your Business When I was in the Retail and Hospitality industries I used a method of screening called Competency Based Interviewing – a method of determining what applicants have done in the past and predicting how they might perform in the future. The theme for the April letters is Working on Your Business so You Don’t Get Stuck Working in Your Business. What are your weaknesses? | | | | | |
| STEPHEN P SMITH MAY 14, 2011 Global Crises and Economic Transformation Meanwhile, most people can’t walk or bike to any useful destination, because the law has forbidden retail or office buildings anywhere near where people live. Greg Hartle at Ten Dollars and a Laptop is writing about Conscious Capitalism and Prosperity becoming Scarcity , and it reminded me of an article by Richard Florida from a couple of years ago (how time flies!). Hartle writes: My Four Tenants[sic] Of Conscious Capitalism: * Understand and recognize the difference between and the consequences of excess consumption and sustainable quality of life. But not a financial crisis. | STEPHEN P SMITH NOVEMBER 29, 2012  Geoff Livingston on Negative Feedback But I agree with the online retailer’s guidance in principle, and use a similar barometer in coaching clients about negative commenting. Amazon on Negative Comments: Disregard 5% | Geoff Livingston’s Blog. When it happens to you, put it in perspective: a 0-2% negative feedback rate is great! ” Amazon has had its fair share of customer service issues over the years. | STEPHEN P SMITH NOVEMBER 20, 2012  2011 Workplace Injury Statistics & the Importance of Stringent Safety Policies The other sector, retail trade, experienced significant drops in supermarket and grocery store injuries. The survey , conducted by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), found that nearly 3 million nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses were reported in 2011, relatively unchanged from 2010. Safety Policies. OSHA has already compiled and published safety protocol. The approximately 2.8 | STEPHEN P SMITH OCTOBER 18, 2012  Upstart Passion: Launching an Auspicious Business! Depending on your company type, check out BBB.org reviews, SiteJabber.com for website reviews and Buzzillions.com for reviews on electronics, computers, clothing and other products useful for retailers and manufacturers. Launching a small business is a serious undertaking that requires vast deposits of passion, patience, time and money. Flexibility. Social Media. Feedback. Hiring. | | | | | | | |
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STEPHEN P SMITH | WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2011 All Your Ideas Are Belong to Us
Maureen Morrison has a post up at Ad Age Digital on how Sear’s latest call for advertising pitches is going horribly wrong: Who would turn down the opportunity to work on an iconic retail brand that spent nearly $500 million last year and ranked No. 22 among all U.S. megabrands in 2009? How about Omnicom Group’s DDB Worldwide and TBWA Worldwide; Interpublic Group of Cos.’ ’ Deutsch; and Publicis Groupe’s Leo Burnett Worldwide, all of which are snubbing Sears, Roebuck & Co. But the wording in this case is so broad that it is outside the norm. ’&#. MORE >> -
STEPHEN P SMITH | MONDAY, NOVEMBER 5, 2012 Small Business Saturday is Coming Soon
The copy and print retailer, with more than 1,800 locations nationwide, is offering free printing of two 11×17 Small Business Saturday posters. FedEx is teaming up with American Express this year, get your poster now! FedEx Teams Up With American Express To Support Small Businesses – Forbes. “America’s small businesses are a unique and vibrant part of their local communities and a critical component to the broader health of our economy,” said T. Michael Glenn, executive vice president of Market Development at FedEx. MORE >> -
STEPHEN P SMITH | TUESDAY, MARCH 15, 2011 Retail Apps for Mobile Devices
Michael Koploy shares some Apps that should be of interest to Retailers: Whether you own a small retail chain or sell items out of your brother’s apartment, there’s an app for that. Developers are beginning to produce mobile tools to help retailers operate their businesses. iTunes doesn’t have a retail category — in addition to being far from search friendly. Meanwhile, the new web-based Android Marketplace is a little more search friendly, but the lack of a retail category again stands as a roadblock. Read more: Best Retail Apps. MORE >> -
STEPHEN P SMITH | TUESDAY, JANUARY 4, 2011 Content is King
Yes, the retailer is now a publisher, rolling out a multichannel network filled with original editorial content spanning everything from how-to videos and gift guides to new-technology primers and behind-the-scenes looks at popular movies. Best Buy has been ahead of the curve in lots of ways. Here is another: NEW YORK (via [link] — The press corps at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show may find themselves jostling for soundbytes and product demos on the Vegas strip with video crews from Best Buy. Business Development content MORE >> -
STEPHEN P SMITH | TUESDAY, JULY 20, 2010 Beware the Spin on Economic Recovery
June turned out to be a sobering month for anyone hoping for more signs of an economic recovery, and online retailers are definitely among the underwhelmed. Probably the only bright spot to the International Council of Shopping Centers’ index of retail sales was that the numbers were still considerably better than a year ago. But the upward trend in consumer spending we’d been seeing the past few months all but halted as retail sales gained a meager 3 percent, despite the inclusion of the Memorial Day weekend in the month’s overall data [emphasis mine, Ed.]. MORE >> -
- Foundation Elements of Modern Businesses STEPHEN P SMITH | TUESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2010
- Open Up and Make Something Cool STEPHEN P SMITH | TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9, 2010
- Beware the Spin on Economic Recovery STEPHEN P SMITH | TUESDAY, JULY 20, 2010
- Foundation Elements of Modern Businesses STEPHEN P SMITH | TUESDAY, AUGUST 17, 2010
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