

When does aggressive promotion become stalking?ġ0. I’m not sure this can be applied to our business but I keep wondering about bombarding customers with messages on their mobile devices. Harassing customers: Here, Tobak talked about spam in inboxes and dealing with companies that do not honor unsubscribe requests.

I’ll come and get you when they’re ready.” Surprise! She did and as a result I probably bought twice as much stuff from the bakery as I originally intended.ĩ. The young woman behind the counter says, “Sir, you don’t have to wait. I was in the bakery department recently, waiting for the coconut custard Danish-I cannot help it, I am addicted. If you want to talk about great customer service, look to Wegmans. I cannot think of one customer who likes waiting patiently while a checker finishes texting her BFF. Keep employees off their cell phones-especially at the checkout. Dumb customer service policies: It is not a customer service policy per se, but lack of enforcement.

Or, retailers who think that consumer demand for Latin food means chips and salsa.Ĩ. Closer to home, we might cite retail executives who still think the Internet and social media are expensive, time-consuming follies. Ignoring hot new trends: The archives are filled with stories like the earlier one about the Digital Equipment CEO. Beware of that bargain-priced parcel in an up-and-coming residential community that has yet to be built.ħ.
Steve tobak invisor consulting Patch#
Make the investment in IT rather than trying to patch up an old legacy system. Do not think of this solely as their responsibility.Ħ. For instance, how many retailers out there keep an eye on food trends in restaurants and other places. Additionally, the best companies are those not afraid to try new things. There is a natural tendency to preserve practices and policies that have outlived their usefulness-whether it is a merchandising set, pricing policy, fad or trend. Chronically bleeding red ink: If something, or someone, is not working (up to and including CEOs) let it or them go. Failure to articulate the company’s strategy: A&P, Winn-Dixie, Albertsons, etc…etc.Ĥ. Lack of objectivity and perspective: Getting pumped up at conventions about asking employees and customers for their input and then ignoring it completely in favor of the same old safety net thinking.ģ. You have to wonder how big the meals business might be if some retailers didn’t worry about it taking business away from other departments or really paid attention to consumer trends and quality.Ģ. Killing promising new businesses to maintain old ones: Under the right circumstances, cannibalizing existing businesses to make way for new ones might not be a bad idea. But I think it is interesting to take Tobak’s list and see how it applies to grocery retailing.ġ. The supermarket industry has not made mistakes of this magnitude. who questioned why anyone would want to own a computer. Then, there is the former CEO of Digital Equipment Corp. The author, Steve Tobak, a partner in the business strategy firm Invisor Consulting, mentioned Kodak, which invented the digital camera in 1975 and sat on the technology for fear it would kill its cash cow-film. My inspiration for this column came when someone sent me an article from CBS MoneyWatch titled Ten Dumb Mistakes Companies Make Over and Over. But maybe it is time to apply some commonsense therapy to the business.
Steve tobak invisor consulting tv#
That is a perfect definition for celebrity rehab-so religiously followed by reality TV and supermarket tabloids-and the current state of Washington politics.īut how many of you sometimes feel like a candidate for the “funny farm?” Rest assured, you are not alone. Some say the definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again and expecting a different result each time. Supermarkets have avoided most of the major blunders that other companies keep making over and over.
