Customer Reviews

You Can Compete: Double Sales Without Discounting (Second Edition)

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As a former owner of a retail/service business and continuing entrepreneur, I read Bob Phibbs' book with great interest. There is simply not enough I can say about this book. It is an easy read that is not bogged down with anecdote after anecdote trying to make the same point over and over again as so many self-help books are. Phibbs make his points with short, concise, relevant vignettes that more often than not pack an A-ha! punch. Any independent business person with a lick of sense who hopes to compete with the big box retail vampires will have Phibbs' book - not on their bookshelves, but in hand. Personally, I've always believed the little guy could compete, but how? Phibbs tells you exactly how. Interestingly enough, I happen to live in a community where Phibbs cites success stories and was surprised that I am a customer of one of them. I remember when Starbucks moved in a few doors down from Polly's with the sole intention of putting Polly's out of business (there's another Starbucks just a few blocks away). I didn't think Polly's would last a month, but Polly's began to change and began a campaign to beat the giant. Now, at least two years later they're still here... and thriving... and better than ever with Phibbs' expert guidance. You Can Compete is filled with his expertise in an organized, personable package that would almost make you feel as if Phibbs was your own personal consultant. I would recommend this book to anyone who is in the retail business or thinking about going into it - don't wait for the giants to come barging into your backyard. You could not ask for a better guide for success than You Can Compete.

I'm a consultant in the jewelry industry and this book tells it like it is and is like having lunch with a mentor once a week. Bob tells you exactly what to do in sales training, hiring, pricing, maarketing and just plain out how to compete against whomever your competition happens to be. Many thoughts are one or two pages on what to do. Some of it it's the number head on. Soemtimes it's a pep talk.

Example: Bob talks about if an employee doesn't work out in a short time or constantly comes in late to FIRE THEM.

This is a correct way to handle your business, it's just that many a store woner are WIMPS. "We're all family here". yeah, right. When it comes down to "who doesn't get a pay check this pay period-cash flow sucks" see who volunteers. YOU.

If this book doesn't nothing else than to make you a STRONGER manager it will be worth a 100 times more.

I give seminars to jewelers on pricing and sales commissions. I felt so strongly about the value of this book that I ordered 50 copies to give out to my attendees this June in Vegas.

Bob talks about commissions and marketing. There aren't as many extra books on commissions out there (Bob spends one to three pages on one" but there a few excelent books on advertising you should read, expecially if you're retail:

" The 33 ruthless rules of local advertising" by Michael Corbett.

Also 2 excellent books (Bob talks about branding-buy these 2 from anexpert) on advertising and marketing:

"The end of marketing as we know it"
"The end of advertising as we know it"

Both by Sergio Zyman. He used to be in charge of marketing at Coca Cola.

David Geller
www.JewelerProfit.com

You Can Compete!

This is a great straightforward read. It offers practical and simple to implement, small tactics to differentiate yourself from the big boxes. Instead of modeling them--cutting down on services and stock piling merchandise and heavy couponing--hire and train people full of product information and teach people to be sales people, not cashiers.

Many of his beliefs align with techniques I use in my sales training and consulting, those are what I'll highlight.

Phibbs has an easy repeatable 5 step approach to approaching a customer - and goes beyond the overused "are you doing ok"? I was in a big box after reading this and counted 8 times this was chanted to me, and I was in the store less than ½ hour. I agree with the author, this becomes distracting--can't I just look? (Geez, I was standing in front of envelopes!). I left without a purchase--I couldn't think.

He gives a step by step approach to training - and why the first 30 days is the best you'll get from a new hire--unless you build a process and "inspect what you expect".

Discounting doesn't work--in fact I train how it works against you. I know which stores provide a coupon and there are multiple times I have pulled in front of the store, discovered I don't have the coupon, and drive away without coming in for my purchase!

I also have a story illustrating his examples of how signage can create a "sales prevention" department. Signs that say "don't' touch"--displays are meant to be touched! My favorite hates are those saying "no soliciting, no change, no bathrooms". I was recently in a big box with a sign on a copier (that you pay self serve per copy) "15 minute limit". The retailer went to the expense of putting in a copier, hoping it's a profit center, and now tells you not to use it.

This book is not only how to compete, how and what to change and how to differentiate. There are plenty of reasons to choose an independent vs a big box--if yours is just to "support the little guy", stop and buy this book before you close your doors, content its their fault. You have a lot to offer, read this and get energized.

My firm, Kaffe Magnum Opus, selected You Can Compete: Double Sales Without Discounting as a gift to new and existing customers who operate or are about to operate a cafe or coffee house or coffee store. I am the founder of KMOCoffee and believe it is always a good idea to invest time in material that will help your business, mine and yours, to succeed. The ideas and methods developed by Bob Phibbs are applicable to all situations. He writes early on about constantly reviewing your facility and keeping it fresh and in tip top shape. My wife Cathy and I have for many years used 'bulbs out' as a litmus test of coming success or failure. You know what I'm talking about: a store neon sign with a letter dead. You have to read this book and then make sure you are generating the cash flow to keep the lights on for your customers.
Bob Johnson
Founder
Kaffe Magnum Opus, Inc.
www.kmocoffee.com

This is a quick read, but contains a lot of great advice. It is oriented toward the smaller mom-and-pop retailers who have to compete with the big-box stores. However, even a retailer such as the one I work for with hundreds of stores can get a lot out of Phibbs' ideas. This book has many great concepts that center around employee training and customers relations.

The book was easy to read, easy to follow, and makes alot of sense. I bought three books on retail sales at the same time. This was the only one worth buying.

Bob Phibbs takes running a small business seriously and he takes customer service VERY seriously. Best of all, he explains his principles well, without being condescending or preachy. This concise, well-organized book lays out the basics of "killer" marketing and customer service that can make your business stand out above the competition. YCC will light a fire under the complacent or discouraged business owner, as it provides a much needed motivational wake-up call for every independent business trying to stay afloat in corporate America.