Unconventional franchises.
Restaurant Franchising, Second Edition, the only guide to franchising written exclusively for food service professionals, is an indispensable resource for anyone wishing to break into one of today's most dynamic service industries.
Customer Reviews:
Great introductory book to Restraunt Franchising.......2003-10-26
After evaluating numerous franchising books, this one has been the most useful especially if you are looking to franchise your own restraunt. The content of the book more than pays for steep price.
Book Description
Paco Underhill, author of Why We Buy, wrote the foreword to Retail Success! Here's how he describes the book.
If you look at the graduates of the five leading business schools in the U.S. over the past fifty years and look at the first job graduates took with their new MBA in hand, only a tiny percentage went to retail companies.
Retail for the last millennia has been something people discovered they had in their blood. Whether brilliant merchant or plodding vendor, retail demanded a special commitment. At any level the only thing guaranteed was hard work.
The point of entry, if it wasn't through family, was often by accident. A part-time job that turned full-time. Discovering a flair or talent for something that precipitated the need to trade. For many senior executives the retail job offer came as a sideways career move. For many small merchants the step into the retail abyss came from the desire to work for themselves. However, running a store or a chain of stores is harder than it looks from the outside. Giving good store means understanding layout and merchandising. It means being able to lead and inspire employees. It means delivering on your promise to the customer consistently day after day.
Being a good merchant has never been easy. The great merchants of the twentieth century learned the details of their craft the hard way--by doing it. They succeed by guts, instinct, and ability to stay focused. If they were lucky, they had a mentor. Someone who brought insight out of chaos. Someone who was willing to teach and help revisit the fundamentals. Someone who could look and listen. For every merchant or aspiring merchant who has missed having that personal mentor, there is George Whalin.
Unlike Columbia Business School professors, George never uses a twenty-five cent word when a nickel word would do just fine. There are no flow charts or fancy three-dimensional diagrams. George dispenses plain and straightforward good advice. From small comic book store owners to the CEO of giant retail chains, George has been a mentor, coach, and cheerleader. In person, George inspires calm and confidence. He's old enough and gray enough to inspire trust and yet he has an easy laugh and melodious voice that is a pleasure to listen to. In this new book, that sonorous and easy tone comes right through the printed words on the page.
If you are in retail, time never comes to you in big chunks. You get breaks, some when you are bone weary, others when you just need to hide for a few minutes. Believe me, George understands. To be honest, you don't have to read this book cover to cover. You don't have to start at the beginning. You can flip and surf, dip and sip. But if you have anything to do with retail, I do recommend that you get to know George and this book is a great place to start.
Customer Reviews:
Excellent--Very Helpful.......2007-02-14
I thought our store was really good at service and individuality. But after reading Retail Success, I came to realize we have lots of room for improvement. It's an evolutionary process and we must continue to evaluate ourselves. This book is a good kick in the pants and offers constructive suggestions from a guy who obviously has been in the trenches. He wrote about asking myself, "What if...we tried something a different way?" That opened my eyes to the process of change. Also, I now ask my employees for suggestions and I ask my customers what they think. Great read!
Not recommended.......2007-01-05
The book contained basic information and was below expectations. The writing style was boring and uncaptivating. I expected to have my emotions charged while reading the book as consumer retail buying is widely accepted as an emotional experience. It was a disappointing read as the book did not do justice to the topic of retail success.
Good Basic Information.......2006-08-26
The book presented several good bits of very basic information. It was an easy read. For someone w/ any experience or familiar w/ the basics, it was a little too basic. Great for chceking on in a library in that case (since there were a few really good tips that were original) but otherwise save your money. For someone not familiar w/ the basics, this may be a good place to start.
Should have read this a long time ago!.......2003-03-22
This was great. Good advice. Sensible. Logical. Would have avoided so many costly mistakes if I'd had this book when I first got into retail.
Attended Mr. Whalin's seminar and then reread his book!.......2003-03-14
I read this book when it first came out and really got a lot of ideas from it. Every now and again, I would go back and look something up or reread a chapter. Last week, after attending a seminar given by Mr. Whalin, I decided to read the whole book again. I can't say enough--I keep finding more good stuff that inspires me. And if you ever get a chance to go to one of the author's seminars, do it!
Book Description
Shopping centers and other forms of retail properties continue to be among the soundest real estate investments in North America. But retail property is a highly specialized field of real estate development with a unique and complex set of legal, financial, development, management, and marketing variables about which investors and developers must possess a sound working knowledge. Now this book arms with you with that knowledge, and much more.
The most comprehensive, authoritative, up-to-date resource of its kind, Shopping Centers and Other Retail Properties covers every vital aspect of negotiating, buying, selling, developing, managing, and marketing shopping centers and other retail properties. Editors John R. White and Kevin D. Gray, of the leading real estate consulting firm Landauer Associates, and an all-star team of experts in the field of shopping center and retail property development, share everything they know about:
- All important legal issues
- Investment and feasibility analysis
- Valuation requirements and performance measures
- Planning, designing, and renovating retail properties
- Developing and investing in local and community shopping centers, highway retail centers, and regionals and super regionals
- Operating and managing retail centers
- Mortgage financing and financing through public and private equity issues
- Space marketing and lease terms
- Macro and micro market analysis
- And much more
Shopping Centers and Other Retail Properties is an indispensable working resource for both new and experienced retail property investors and developers as well as those who work with them, including attorneys, accountants, analysts, appraisers, planners, managers, brokers, and consultants.
"Timely insights into an industry undergoing tremendous change." â
For both newcomers and seasoned professionals in retail property investment, this book provides a wealth of vital information on every aspect of developing and managing shopping centers and retail properties. Written by an all-star team of specialists in the field, Shopping Centers and Other Retail Properties:
- Provides expert guidance on financing, developing, operating, and managing shopping centers and other retail properties
- Covers analysis of retail market demand, investment and feasibility analysis, appraisal, mortgage financing, financing by equity, new planning formats, and much more
- Serves as an indispensable working resource for investors, developers, attorneys, accountants, analysts, appraisers, planners, managers, brokers, and consultants
"An authoritative work that will be immensely useful to anyone interested in retail real estate." â
"Retail developments have become the key investments now targeted in real estate. No two people have commanded more respect for expertise than this book's editors. There are many, many books attempting to guide readers in this field. In my experienced view, none compares to the excellence and usefulness of this text." â
Customer Reviews:
AMAZING.......2007-02-14
This book is wonderful. I have never, in my life, thought that shopping centers and other retail properties could be so fascinating. A real page turner, and you'll probably learn soemething too!
AN OBSOLETE BOOK WITH OBSOLETE INFORMATION.......2006-11-13
I AM SO DISAPPOINTED TO READ THIS BOOK; IT IS SUCH A WASTE OF TIME. ALL EXAMPLES AND INFORMATION IN THIS BOOK IS FROM 1960s THROUGH EARLY 1990s. NOTHING IN THIS BOOK RELATES TO WHAT IS HAPPENING TODAY(2000 THRU 2006)BECAUSE THIS BOOK WAS PUBLISHED IN 1996. VERY POORLY WRITTEN BOOK AND THROUGH OUT THE BOOK ALL YOU WILL SEE IS A NEGATIVE TONE ABOUT THE SHOPPING CENTER DEVELOPENT AND INVESTMENT. I THINK THE TITLE OF THIS BOOK SHOULD BE " HOW TO AVOID INVESTMENT IN SHOPPING CENTER INDUSTRY...."
I DON'T RECOMMEND THIS BOOK TO ANY BODY WHAT SO EVER.
Book Description
- Beat the big-box retailers - Provide outstanding customer service - Use technology to your advantage
Customer Reviews:
Good content; light on colorful examples.......2007-08-17
The authors did a good job of explaining the academics of retail. They covered everything from strategies for purchasing, competing with big chains, advantages of technology and training for employees. This is a great book for those concepts. However, the authors explain these concepts in much the same way Ben Stein talks about dry eyes. Colorful retail experiences could be used to make fun examples and make the book more readable and less like a lecture from a finance professor. My only other gripe was that examples from the non-clothing world would have been great, such as selling technology items that lose value as they age on the shelf. Those gripes aside, I would recommend this book to anyone who needs to understand retail 101. You will definitely walk away thinking about your next trip to Abercrombie differently.
Excellent primer.......2007-08-15
Looking into starting a retail business prompted me to look for books that would give an insight into the world of retail. This book has not dissapointed. The writing is light while providing good information and real world examples.
The resource CD contains spreadsheets and documents such as job descriptions, payroll budget, supplier checklist, balance of business which provide a great starting point for the owner.
Ok, but out of date.......2006-07-24
This has some good information as noted by other reviewers, but also a few shortcomings. Some of its advice will be useful only for particular businesses. It contains many references to fashion retailing and will be very relevant for people doing that.
The major shortcoming is that the technology chapter is woefully out of date. Written in 1998, it contains such chestnuts as, "We believe that every one of the personal computers in your store should have a CD-ROM drive." and "Providing information over the internet is a much better business proposition than selling products over the internet. Even if you could get your home page address to a huge number of potential customers, we do not believe that you should try to sell things to them." Considering I bought ther book online, I must respectfully disagree with the authors. This is not to say the chapter is entirely irrelevant. No better website advice has ever been given than, "Customers are not interested in bells and whistles when they visit a website. Instead, they want useful information and they want it quickly." I would give a new edition of this book with an updated technology chapter a four star rating.
THIS BOOK IS THE BEST RESOURCE.......2006-04-13
Look no further for information on how to launch your retail business! This book has everything you need and more! Ted Topping is such an amazing resource on all things retail - he guides you in a practical, professional, thoughtful and caring way through every step of starting your retail business. If you want to be successful in starting your business - or if you need advice on your current business .... READ THIS BOOK!!! It is an invaluable guide which you will refer to for years to come.
Excellent! Love the templates/worksheets in the back!.......2005-08-05
This book is so easy and straightforward. This book is definitely a keeper! Also I love the templates in the back, especially the competition checklist.
Book Description
In a new, completely revised and updated edition of his 1999 classic 1001 Ideas to Create Retail Excitement, public relations and marketing guru Edgar Falk shows small, medium, and large business owners how to make the most of retail opportunities in any economic environment, and teaches all business owners how to think big in the face of growing competition and consumer insecurity.
In our ever-changing economy, Falk's strategies are an absolute necessity for survival and success. Here, he offers a veritable encyclopedia of practical suggestions that show small- to medium-sized retailers how to attract new customers, then goes on to offer solid, time-tested advice on how to keep them coming back, over and over again. From proven-successful ideas for eye-catching window displays, in-store promotions, and special events to tested strategies for market research and publicity, this guide provides everything the small business owner needs to become more aggressive and effective in pulling in customers and fending off competition.
Customer Reviews:
great ideas.......2007-09-27
A Great book, to give some fresh new ideas. Which is much needed when you seem to get bogged down in the day to day activities of a retail store.
A book for reference, not dependence.......2006-05-20
As others have said, some of the ideas in this book are very basic. However, I see this book as more of a reference library addition than a means of learning out to run a retail store.
I can see a day when I open this book for a marketing idea and use it.
I purchased this book knowing full-well it hadn't gotten great reviews here.
Not very innovative..........2005-01-30
This book is so basic, for people who do not pay attention to mainstream marketing. It gives advice such as (on decorating for Easter): "decorate should be pastel colors, easter eggs, bunnies" Like I never would have thought of that!
Just watch what all the mall shops do and copy them - No creative, original ideas here, just rehash of what has already been done. Red hearts on Valentines, Santa Claus at Christmas...
Timely Ideas in Falk's Revised Book.......2003-12-04
Ed Falk's rolodex seemingly never runs out of ideas. While many of them fall in the category of "hey, I remember doing that a few years back and it worked", the revised edition of Falk's book has lots of new ideas, too. He's broadened his coverage of retail outlets and that makes the book even more useful. The suggestions in this book are clearly stated, helpful and in most cases easy to apply. It is also a great stimulator to help bring that germ of an idea the reader has been carrying around in his or her own head to reality.
Want more ideas?.......2002-03-26
It¡¦s really a great book. The author start with the theme that ¡§the name of the game in retail is ¡V to attract new customers and get old ones to keep coming back.¡¨
Just like what is mentioned in the title of the book, lots of ideas and comprehensive information are explained in the book. The book provided lots of helpful, informative details about how to create retail excitement.
However, different places have a lot of differences, such as the culture, regulations and policy, etc. It is similar to different customers have different needs and wants. I think that it is very important for the marketer to pay special attention to the different aspects of your target customers. So, the first step mentioned by the book about ¡§how to develop information¡¨ is very important. Once the marketer collect information in the specific region through the primary and/or secondary research, they can get more understanding about their customers and the culture or regulations of the regions. Then the marketer can develop their ¡§excitement¡¨ which is tailor-made for the target customers.
So, if you are the retail marketer who would like to get more ideas, or you are the retail marketer who nearly runs out of ideas, you would be highly recommended to have a look at this book.
Books:
- Rich Dad's Advisors®: The ABC's of Real Estate Investing: The Secrets of Finding Hidden Profits Most Investors Miss (Rich Dad's Advisors)
- SAP(R) R/3(R) Plant Maintenance: Making It Work for Your Business
- Service and Style: How the American Department Store Fashioned the Middle Class
- Sick: The Untold Story of America's Health Care Crisis---and the People Who Pay the Price
- Silent Selling: Best Practices And Effective Strategies In Visual Merchandising
- Stop Sitting on Your Assets: How to Safely Leverage the Equity Trapped in Your Home and Transform It Into a Constant Flow of Wealth and Security
- Stop Sitting on Your Assets: How to Safely Leverage the Equity Trapped in Your Home and Transform It Into a Constant Flow of Wealth and Security
- Stop Sitting on Your Assets: How to Safely Leverage the Equity Trapped in Your Home and Transform It Into a Constant Flow of Wealth and Security
- The Anglosphere Challenge: Why the English-Speaking Nations Will Lead the Way in the Twenty-First Century
- The Appraisal of Real Estate, 12th Edition
Books Index
Books Home
Recommended Books
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- Macroeconomics: Principles and Tools
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- Creating Emotion in Games: The Craft and Art of Emotioneering
- Easy Quicken Deluxe 99
- Suspicious River
General
| Business & Investing
| Subjects
| Books
Consumer Behavior with DDB Life Style StudyTM Data Disk
Advertising and Promotion: An Integrated Marketing Communications Perspective w/ Premium Content Card
Selling Today: Creating Customer Value (10th Edition)
Consumer Behavior (9th Edition)
International Marketing (Mcgraw Hill/Irwin Series in Marketing)
