Author: Gordon Hecht

Friends and readers often ask me, “Isn’t exhausting to travel weekly for business?” I usually tell them it’s one of my favorite parts of the job. I get to see cities and towns and tiny burgs. Nothing beats meeting people where they live. 

The retail business may seem simple and easy to your shoppers, neighbors and even some of your employees, but those of us with long-term involvement know it’s hard!

Restaurants have regular diners. Airlines have frequent fliers. Jimmy Buffett had his Parrot Heads. And of course Taylor has her Swifties.

A string of several unrelated topics can be quite impactful. Back in 1971 Norwegian sound engineer Eirik Wangberg connected several short unfinished songs. In an era of three-minute tunes, Wangberg produced a 4 ¾-minute medley that shot to No. 1 on the U.S. charts. The song still plays on radios today.

It was more than just a loss for Major League Baseball this month. Willie Mays, one of the all-time greats, passed away at age 93. His accomplishments on and off the field are woven into to the fabric of our nation’s culture.

The No. 1 comment I hear from those of us in the Retail World is that store foot traffic is down. Perhaps as much as 30-50% less than a few years ago.

Like McDonald’s founder Ray Kroc, dealers should determine their core customers and cater to them relentlessly.