Management Techiques: Brainwashing

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Whistle Blowers: From busy body to management pet

An interesting article on those people that alert you to everything, interesting course of action on dealing with them.

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The strangeness of strangers

I have made a new acquaintance.

Another person who works in one of the large towers above my workplace.

A jovial chap probably more suited to a different role than the one he is presently in, he is like the wallpaper that surrounds our working lives, you know..."hello people".

It is amazing what you can learn, especially about yourself by stopping and talking to others.

The same applies to customers in my store. Just to go off on a tangent, I am actually stalking my customers in a sense, I try and position myself closer to them in store and listen to what they are saying, "I like this, I wish it was red, They don't cater for my size... etc..." It is all very worthwhile information gathering.

Anyways, this chap was asking me about my journey to my present position.
I have not really thought about how exactly I go to where I am now, and it is was a bit of an eye opener.

I told him how I'd worked in an airport, and in a CBD based retail store, worked in consumer electronics, DJ'ed my own radio show, and cruised through the USA. He was impressed, I thought nothing of it as it was normality for me.

He then proceeded to ask me what he needed to do to get in to a similar position.

I told him what I would do based on what it was that he enjoyed in life, I'd do things very differently If I had the chance to do it all again.

To cut a long story short, after our conversation, I felt that I had poured my many years of wisdom on to the floor and left him with some interesting points to ponder.

It was interesting to look back and go over exactly what I had achieved in my life.

No one can take that away from me...some bits though, I wish someone would.

Peace.

Business One Liners, Wit and Conjecture

A closed mouth gathers no foot.

A conclusion is the place where you got tired of thinking.

A conservative is a man who believes that nothing should be done for the first time.

A crisis is when you cannot say "let's just forget the whole thing."

Entropy has us outnumbered.

Every silver lining has a cloud around it.

A day without sunshine is like night.

A fail-safe circuit will destroy others.

There are two ways to slide easily through life: to believe everything or to doubt everything; both ways save us from thinking.

If a straight line fit is required, obtain only two data points.

Men can live without air for a few minutes, without water for a few days, without food for about two months, and without new thoughts for years on end.

Multitasking allows screwing up several things at once.

One good thing about repeating your mistakes is that you know when to cringe.

One of the greatest labor-saving inventions today is tomorrow.

One seventh of your life is spent on Mondays.

When you are up to your butt in alligators, it is difficult to keep your mind on the fact that your primary objective was to drain the swamp.

When you are in it up to your ears, keep your mouth shut.

(More here http://www.ahajokes.com/business_jokes.html)

Time Management

...is a complete lie.

I'm not sold on the idea at all.

This could explain some of my own stress.

How can you divide your day up in to segments and then allocate 13.5 minutes to internal store travel, 19.3 minutes to process a stock take and 27.269853 minutes to eating, fecal-removal and smoking?

If your day is predictable and you can do this, then my gosh! You be the rockingist person I have never met.

Perhaps i just never got the knack down for it? and perhaps no one ever stopped to teach me...properly, or at all.

One manager that I know has time management down to a fine art, I can't believe what they are able to accomplish. I'm wondering what other processes and environmental factors exist to facilitate this time management thing.

NOW PLAYING (C-quence Presents Assure: Enemy Territory-Original Mix)

Take my day today for example, my plan is to complete three concurrent stock takes that I'm juggling, make a judgement call on two store changes that have not yielded the results that I wanted and prepare for my conference call, the rest of the day is free to do other stuff.

I get to work at 09:30, prepare briefing for the early shift, this includes plan of attack, a feedback session and how well/or not we are hitting our targets.

My conference call is at 11:00.

My conference call is cancelled. Bugger, could have slept longer.

I go to check my email and my LCD monitor has shat itself. I think it is the back light, a quick test reveals that it is not.

I'm naked without email you know, all alone in the business world.

I then think it could be an issue with the PC and how the signal is being sent, next step, take the PC to pieces, remove the graphics card give it a clean and check it out.

Am I qualified to do this?...Hell No!...experienced? - Hell Yeah! I built my own PC, piece of cake...

Nah, didn't work, OK I need a monitor, no one uses the server... it's all remote log on anyway, sweet, one big ass CRT sitting on my desk taking up that valuable space that I never had anyway.

Good to go...

OK, moving to stock take, I need to upload the scan information from the scanner to the stock control PC.

There is a problem with the scanner.

The data is corrupted when transferred. I need a solution. I must change a setting on the application responsible for the data transfer.

Am I qualified to do this?...Hell No!...experienced? - Hell Yeah! I built my own PC, piece of cake...

OK, sorted - needed to change a couple of things on the scanner and the app but it worked sweet.

Now there is a problem with one of our POS units, the mouse and keyboard aren't working, OK, leave stock take for a second. Customers come first. OK, looks like a problem with the PS2 connect. Sweet as, give it a twiddle, no go - pull it out and check it out - it's got a bent pin, where's a knife? I'll bend it back in to place.

Am I qualified to do this?...Hell No!...experienced? - Hell Yeah! I built my own PC, piece of cake...

Nice one.

On way back to complete stock take... the paging system resounds with a voice that I need to pick up a phone and take a call.

It's a new supplier wanting me to order their product. We come to an agreement that I forget as soon as we hang up.

Back to stock take.

One of my buyers is having trouble finding information required to complete a long term strategy focus, I help her get the information that she needs.

OK, back to stock take.

I have another phone call as soon as I sit down, it is the builder, they are completing renovations the next morning and require a lot of preparation to be completed. I need to organise this. (Don't they get paid to do this?) I work it out with one of my managers - he will sort it.

Back to stock take.

Data transferred! - Product code variances pour out like sweat on a British SAS soldier on exercise in a high altitude rain forest. Delegate the checking of those to some sales staff.

Breathe.

I need to analyse sales for two months to see how a departmental change has affected sales.

It looks like I have lost 20k in sales over two months. -gulp-

Export data in to excel, run my filters, create cross comparisons, back up with macro-environmental detail to paint the context. (macro environmental detail, remember that one - it comes in handy, it is stuff like exchange rates, tax law changes for corporates, external things beyond our direct influence)

Basically, it didn't work.

Kill it and revert, or cross the line from brilliance to stupidity?

I talk to my 2IC... where's that stupidity line? we're gonna keep it and change the focus of the area, make it easier for the customer to select.

Stock take product codes are now confirmed and recounts are completed.

I now have an appointment with a supplier to discuss strategy for next months promotions. Somehow, I agree to ordering 100 dozen of his products. Where's that line again...?

It's 13:30, I have been at work for four hours. I need a smoke.

NOW PLAYING (LCM: Forgotten - Acues and Elitist Remix)

My day follows this pattern until 20:30, when I decide I have had enough and leave.

I think time management works if you have an environment that facilitates it - my day varies and can be eclectic as hell. Maybe I am a sucker for pain and stress. Perhaps a plan of attack would help...

Someone please teach me.

Akaroa: Retail Capital

So here is my approach on a kick ass business in Akaroa, based on 20 minutes observation.

Customer Service
Get your people out from behind those counters
Greet all people who walk in through the door

Product Knowledge
Ensure that your teams know about all of your products and/or artists

Pricing
Unless your attempting to secure an inbound chinese shopping tour market and are paying 40% commissions, work on a 47% - 55% profit margin

Check your competition out and see what they are doing

Develop mutually beneficial relationships with suppliers and/or artists to secure higher margins, by the way, think sustainability and share your extra margin with customers, if dealing with artists then try and have specially commissioned work made or become an exclusive sales channel for their work

Product Exclusives
Organisations that make stuff for you can help you achieve 60%+ margins - This is good.

Imported Products vs. Locally Produced
People always want bargains, regardless of origin. FIT Europeans especially want locally made product and this is an important area to be catered for...Akaroa, you have lots of excellent art

Promotions
I never saw one.
I was only there for 20 minutes.
Promote spend, highlight savings and capitilise on relationships with suppliers.
You've heard of 'bar-whores', how about 'shop-whores' - (Get your mind out of the gutter)

People
Akaroa needs a faster or alternative and interesting way to get people there, utilise a ferry service (I know it may cost a lot, take it to pigeon bay then or make it a seasonal service)

That's it - just a thought.

New Directions

I found out that my application for employment was a negative.

Bugger.

Without too much detail, this seems to have been a blessing in disguise, the job required a more "Superstar Salesperson' than a Manager, the salary was a little uncomfortably lower as well.

Since then, I have cruised to my home town in the South Island and spent a few days reflecting and dreaming, hence my previous post. So I feel that I have three real paths to go down.

1. Stay where I am,
2. Find another job, or
3. Find a part time position (say 30hrs) and relax for several months.

I am liking option three at the moment.

I have also thought that computer forensics would be a cool field to move in to.

hmmm... retail to computer forensics.

Transferable skills? - Possibly none.

Akaroa: The town that retail forgot...

Oh my god... I went to Akaroa (43.49S by 172.59E) during the weekend. The journey via Lyttleton (43.35S by 172.44E) lasted around 1.something hours, I travelled here with a special friend who wanted to experience this lovely township.

We arrived at 16:00 and shit was starting to close.

There were many people walking around who seemed very interested in the area. There seemed to be many arts and craft shops all over the place, pubs and cafe's.

That was it. Consequently after 20 minutes we went back to Christchurch. I over took a Lotus on the way.

Anyways, how could Akaroa be improved from a retail perspective?

Well, one place we went to was like a graveyard, no one acknowledged customers and infact four staff were dismantling a fixture and ignored three people on the way in...

At another place the sole worker looked terrified of everyone in the store especially when I bowled in with my cap on backwards!

However, one place had the transaction area placed nicely to the left of the entrance and the person welcomed you as you walked in, this was nice, crap products but the vibe was set and we were happy and comfortable to look around.

The predominance of local art was interesting but I felt that a serious retailer could jump in and tidy up with ease. I now understand supplier frustrations with low turnover accounts, some stores carried three items of product that looked a little out of place.

Solutions later...