Business & Professional
EXECUTIVE TIPS
Embrace Your Customers
I
am intrigued by the news at all levels. I
cannot keep from thinking, "When will
we realize this did not happen in the last
six months, there are no quick fixes and, the
most important point, (and here is where I
get really angry), the thinking that we will
somehow go back to what we used to do?"
NO WAY! GAME OVER!
We must do the following:
1.Accept that the world has changed.
There has always been a business cycle;
but the fact that what used to take a busi-
ness cycle years to run its course, now,
due to technology (think about the book
The World Is Flat) has made the change
cycle so fast that unless you take strong,
powerful actions to control the direction
and exact outcome, you will forever cycle
further behind and just disappear.
2. People want to have the "old days"
back; well sorry, this will not happen. The
Dream Cruise is nice and fun, but those
days are what they are — a "dream cruise."
3.We need to understand the cycle and
how to use technology to adapt ourselves
to the customers and what they find as
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convenient no matter what
we want; what do they want? I
read articles that say, "Class of
2014 says E-MAIL IS DEAD;
too slow?" When was the last
time kids (meaning ages 20 to
30) were interested in what we
in our 50s find great? And if
the kids carry iPads, PDAs and
more, why would we ever think
they will go backwards?
4.Own it: I also hate when
people blame the past for the
results today; it is what it is. We
have to deal with and take action
on what hand we are dealt. Just know what
you have, learn from what has or is hap-
pening, then take decisive action. But what
instead is happening is that we are spend-
ing all our time blaming the past and then
trying to "dream" ourselves backwards.
Business Application
Let me share some examples:
• Barnes & Noble: What did it miss? Here
is an idea to help solve its issues. It saw
Amazon coming and then saw
technology, from the Internet to
the Kindle. What did the corn-
pany do? I have a basic theory;
we need to always look at the
basic habits and instincts of
people. If we do that and then
say, "Now what tools today do
we have to address these basics
instincts?" we will win.
So back to B&N: It should
have embraced the changes and
turned the company into the
place to go for customers that
love to learn. So, let's merge a
Phoenix University online education with
a craft/scrapbook and sewing company
and suddenly, here is a place for "learners"
that love to learn/read, to come and do it
all: have a coffee, do some online learning,
browse a class schedule, buy a book in the
store or just take a class and download the
book. Make it a place of learning, not a
place just to buy books.
• TVs: The day is coming where a TV
is no longer a main word in our lives;
instead, we'll say "communication center":
web, phone, music, movies and more. The
best yet: Just touch the media sheet and
get what you need.
If you don't agree, go to our website and
link, www.thejewishnews.com/latest-tech,
and see the world of today; you will be
shocked what is already there you have
missed or just type in the following link
and watch the show ...
The bottom line: Determine what your
customers want and like. Then deliver the
product and/or service in the manner they
want it in today; not what is easy or nor-
mal, but what they want today.
• Ebay? How about just calling it a
"garage sale." We all like to buy things
at garage sales; they threw it online and
we love it ... same old, same old — just
delivered in a new way.
Join in change and fast; or guess what:
"swoosh." There goes another "dream
cruise." You are left watching on the road-
side in the dust.
F. Kevin Browett is COO of Renaissance Media,
parent company of the Detroit Jewish News.
He is a former Kmart Corp. vice president of
merchandising.
Who will run the business and how
do we make it equitable for all our children?
Get the conversation started with your family and the team
at Schechter. For 70 years we've designed conservative and
creative strategies to solve many business and family challenges.
Let's talk about it. 248.731.9500
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September 16 • 2010