Keep in mind that you are not even on the radar screen of the mega--stores. You are not competition to them, yet they are competition to you. To survive, you must learn their weaknesses and develop your strengths.

Their Weaknesses

• Their sheer size makes them slow to move and adapt.
• They have information about national market trends but they may be weak about some specific local market conditions.
• Their management decisions typically come from corporate headquarters. This may include which products to stock, which price to charge and how to display merchandise.
• Customer service is sometimes a weakness. However, the mega--stores have improved in that area last over the last few years.
• Products are not always priced. Sometimes the mega--store employees are just too busy or have a “That’s not my job” mentality. There is nothing more aggravating than being interested in an item but not knowing how much it cost. Some customers will go to the customer service area and ask what it costs. Others will just leave without buying the item they were interested in.
• Some people just don’t like them. For whatever reason, some people just will not shop at the mega--stores.

• You are small. You can adapt to market conditions more easily, especially your local market.
• Customer service is your biggest strength. Learn more about it. Go the extra mile. Develop a more personable atmosphere in your store. Greet customers within 10 seconds of entering your store. Smile. Learn their names and call them by name. When they leave your store, say “Thanks for stopping by”, or “Have a good day”. Smile again. As a small store with few employees (or maybe just one!), they will learn to recognize you. They will feel more comfortable with someone they have dealt with before.
• You are small enough that your merchandise displays are very manageable. Make sure they always look nice. Make sure your customers can easily find what they are looking for. Make especially sure they can see the price of every item.
• Some customers will shop at a small locally owned business instead of a mega--store just as a matter of principle. It’s their way of protesting against the ‘big guys’. Give them a good reason to come back. Give them great customer service combined with excellent products.

• Learn from the mega--stores. They spend millions of dollars on research and marketing. Visit their store and observe how they do things. You should b
  Going Public: How Long Does it Take?
  The process to go public via initial public offering (IPO) or Direct Public Offering (DPO) follows a prescribed path. While some elements can be handled simultaneously, there are a number of parts that must be done sequentially. As a result, it will often take between six and nine months for a private company to go public.We have highlighted the major time elements to provide a basic understanding of the process.1. The financial audit: Completing the financial audits is perhaps the most time consuming part of the IPO process. The actual timeframe will largely depend on the current state of your financial books and records. If your firm is organized, has internally generated income statements, b
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  • Their sheer size makes them slow to move and adapt.
  • They have information about national market trends but they may be weak about some specific local market conditions.
  • Their management decisions typically come from corporate headquarters. This may include which products to stock, which price to charge and how to display merchandise.
  • Customer service is sometimes a weakness. However, the mega--stores have improved in that area last over the last few years.
  • Products are not always priced. Sometimes the mega--store employees are just too busy or have a “That’s not my job” mentality. There is nothing more aggravating than being interested in an item but not knowing how much it cost. Some customers will go to the customer service area and ask what it costs. Others will just leave without buying the item they were interested in.
  • Some people just don’t like them. For whatever reason, some people just will not shop at the mega--stores.
  Your Strengths
  • You are small. You can adapt to market conditions more easily, especially your local market.
  • Customer service is your biggest strength. Learn more about it. Go the extra mile. Develop a more personable atmosphere in your store. Greet customers within 10 seconds of entering your store. Smile. Learn their names and call them by name. When they leave your store, say “Thanks for stopping by”, or “Have a good day”. Smile again. As a small store with few employees (or maybe just one!), they will learn to recognize you. They will feel more comfortable with someone they have dealt with before.
  • You are small enough that your merchandise displays are very manageable. Make sure they always look nice. Make sure your customers can easily find what they are looking for. Make especially sure they can see the price of every item.
  • Some customers will shop at a small locally owned business instead of a mega--store just as a matter of principle. It’s their way of protesting against the ‘big guys’. Give them a good reason to come back. Give them great customer service combined with excellent products.
  Some Practical Advice
  • Learn from the mega--stores. They spend millions of dollars on research and marketing. Visit their store and observe how they do things. You should
    Taking the Step Towards Starting a New Business is as Easy as 1,2,3, Err 4!
    It’s a fact that some people are not content with their current job and are looking for more challenges but are wary of the loss of security this may entail. Many others have that urge to start a business but are not sure when, where and how to make the jump to relying upon themselves. Starting out a business can seem overwhelming. Issues such as what you really want to sell, the legal technicalities of starting up a business, developing your business and marketing strategies and building that all important, customer base are just some of the initial obstacles entrepreneurs face. Here’s 4 steps for you to follow. 1. Form and define your ideas. Work out what you want to sell, in what format
    ave a “That’s not my job” mentality. There is nothing more aggravating than being interested in an item but not knowing how much it cost. Some customers will go to the customer service area and ask what it costs. Others will just leave without buying the item they were interested in.
  • Some people just don’t like them. For whatever reason, some people just will not shop at the mega--stores.
  Your Strengths
  • You are small. You can adapt to market conditions more easily, especially your local market.
  • Customer service is your biggest strength. Learn more about it. Go the extra mile. Develop a more personable atmosphere in your store. Greet customers within 10 seconds of entering your store. Smile. Learn their names and call them by name. When they leave your store, say “Thanks for stopping by”, or “Have a good day”. Smile again. As a small store with few employees (or maybe just one!), they will learn to recognize you. They will feel more comfortable with someone they have dealt with before.
  • You are small enough that your merchandise displays are very manageable. Make sure they always look nice. Make sure your customers can easily find what they are looking for. Make especially sure they can see the price of every item.
  • Some customers will shop at a small locally owned business instead of a mega--store just as a matter of principle. It’s their way of protesting against the ‘big guys’. Give them a good reason to come back. Give them great customer service combined with excellent products.
  Some Practical Advice
  • Learn from the mega--stores. They spend millions of dollars on research and marketing. Visit their store and observe how they do things. You should
    Consultancies return to MBA hiring
    These days a top MBA is almost a prerequisite in order to reach senior or even mid-management levels at many of the major consulting firms. The leading strategy consultancies in particular have redoubled their recruiting efforts: McKinsey hired over five hundred MBAs in 2005 and this figure was set to rise in 2006; Booz Allen Hamilton, BCG, Bain and IBM Consulting all hired over one hundred MBAs in 2005 and were expecting increases again in 2006. By comparison, the larger banks have been hiring as few as two hundred MBAs a year and the numbers relating to the technology and industry sectors are significantly lower again.According to the 2005 TopMBA.com Recruitment and Salary Survey, demand for MBAs in th
    . Learn more about it. Go the extra mile. Develop a more personable atmosphere in your store. Greet customers within 10 seconds of entering your store. Smile. Learn their names and call them by name. When they leave your store, say “Thanks for stopping by”, or “Have a good day”. Smile again. As a small store with few employees (or maybe just one!), they will learn to recognize you. They will feel more comfortable with someone they have dealt with before.
  • You are small enough that your merchandise displays are very manageable. Make sure they always look nice. Make sure your customers can easily find what they are looking for. Make especially sure they can see the price of every item.
  • Some customers will shop at a small locally owned business instead of a mega--store just as a matter of principle. It’s their way of protesting against the ‘big guys’. Give them a good reason to come back. Give them great customer service combined with excellent products.
  Some Practical Advice
  • Learn from the mega--stores. They spend millions of dollars on research and marketing. Visit their store and observe how they do things. You should
    3 Ways to Multiply Your Marketing Efforts
    Being contagious in the world of business is not a bad thing, it is a necessity. You have something the customer wants and you want them to do anything to get it. However, if you haven't noticed, you aren't the only business that sells or does what you do. If you think you are, then just go "Google" your product or service and you will be in for a shock.I believe that one of the best ways to get the customer's attention is through marketing. It is also one of the best ways to announce that you are "contagious"! Marketing is more than just advertising; it is the lifeblood of any successful business. I recently heard that we are exposed to 5,000 ads a day; from the size of a postage stamp to ads on floo
    ers can easily find what they are looking for. Make especially sure they can see the price of every item.
  • Some customers will shop at a small locally owned business instead of a mega--store just as a matter of principle. It’s their way of protesting against the ‘big guys’. Give them a good reason to come back. Give them great customer service combined with excellent products.
  Some Practical Advice
  • Learn from the mega--stores. They spend millions of dollars on research and marketing. Visit their store and observe how they do things. You should be able to pick up a few tips that you can use. For instance, there is a reason that milk is normally at the back of the grocery store. There is a reason that impulse items such as candy and magazines are near the checkout stands where you are normally waiting. Notice how the very newest releases are at eye level in the video store. Notice the paint colors used in various mega--stores. Different colors evoke different emotions. Listen to the music played in stores. Be observant. There is a psychology to marketing and merchandising. Learn how to use some of it to help your business without being manipulative. You want your business to be a customer--friendly place.
  • Listen to your customers – they give you your best market information. They will tell you what they like and don’t like. They will sometimes ask for a product that you don’t normally carry in stock. Maybe even the mega--store doesn’t carry it. If a few customers ask for it, you may try getting some to see how they sell. You are flexible enough that you can that. The mega--store normally cannot or will not.
  • As big as the mega--stores are, they don’t carry everything. Or they may just carry a small selection of a particular product group. You can find your niche by studying the mega--store in your area. You can find that product group where they are weak.
  • Don’t give customers too much of a selection in products. That may sound odd but it really depends on your product line. Sometimes, too many choices are not good -- don’t add to their daily frustration. 29 different choices of blue paint color is okay for a paint store, but 29 different types or brands of CD--Rom drives for a computer store is redundant and can be frustrating for a customer trying to decide which to buy. Sometimes people just want to get in and out with what they need. Help them make their life simpler. Sometimes just two or three choices for each particular product should suffice. You could give them a low--end cheap choice, a high--end higher quality choice, and a middle--of--the--road good value choice. Use common sense – you know your business best.
  • Always do the right thing. Don’t think you can get ahead by lying or cheating. You can’t. At some point, it will come back around. In addition to being wrong, it will hurt your business. Do what’s right and always treat people with