I visited a department store and looked around for a sales associate. Even though the store had few customers, it took a while to finally locate an employee. She seemed to be preoccupied and I had to repeat my request. She ambled to a counter, pointed to an array of items and leaned on the counter, waiting for me to decide what to do next. I simply nodded and walked away. Have you ever had a similar experience?

Going to another store later that day was like stumbling into the middle ring of a three ring circus! Chaos reigned, with several workers dashing in all directions. Some customers, overwhelmed by the disorganization and disgruntled by the slow service, left without buying. It was a case of understaffing, poor training, and retail anarchy! I was one of the people who left the second store without buying.

I was delighted when I walked into a third store. The third store was busy, but I felt a much different 'tempo' there. Employees were smiling and nodding as customers made their requests. I noticed the orderly flow of customers moving past the counters, carrying purchases. A sales person greeted me and offered to help, listening closely to my request. She led me to the right area of the store and produced several products that would meet my needs. She quickly compared the different choices and made a recommendation. I asked a few questions and she responded with knowledgeable answers that helped me decide. Glancing around, I saw other customers receiving similarly effective treatment.

Each store had a different 'tempo.' One was 'Dead on Arrival,' completely lacking in enthusiasm, apathetic. The second store's tempo was frenetic, but understaffed and ineffective. Only the third store exhibited an exciting, positive tempo along with effective and knowledgeable customer service.

Over the years, I have often reflected on the different tempos that I have encountered when visiting businesses of all types. It is not just part of the retail scene. Other commercial organizations like manufacturing plants, wholesale distributors, and service firms also have distinctive 'tempos' or personalities. It concerns me when I first visit a potential client and find almost no pulse...no 'tempo.' It is equally unsettling when the place seems more like a riot than a business organization. I believe that it is an important part of good business leadership to establish a positive 'tempo' for the company, a tempo that avoids apathy and inertia and, conversely, avoids chaos that confuses activity with accomplishment.

A good leader sets a positive example in the way he or she conducts business at the top level. Others look to the leader and usually copy what they see. Maintaining an effective business tempo also requires good systems and competent, knowledgeable people who share the leader's passion for customer service and satisfaction. When everyone takes pride in a job well done, and when there is a positive and effective tempo to the business, customers sense that tempo and they tend to return again and again.

Marketing Facets - The Market-focused Guide to Company Analysis

Should a salesperson's birth date be an important fact for a company acquirer to know? Could extended product warranties create a competitive advantage? How does the company forecast sales? What are the backgrounds and capabilities of the firm's key managers? Answers to these and a vast array of other in-depth questions receive attention in Marketing Facets.

Marketing Facets is a practical resource for those involved in determining the current health of a company and gauging its future prospects. Marketing Facets is a 103-page guidebook, and a supplement to other evaluation procedures and information normally gathered during a thorough due diligence or business valuation process. The workbook takes a holistic approach, assembling facts and management assumptions in key areas to help the analyst form and support conclusions.

Marketing Facets is a valuable resource to private investment fund managers, individual investors, venture capital specialists, investment banks, and valuation specialists. Marketing Facets is also a guide for C-level executives who wish to perform their own company analysis as part of normal business planning, or in advance of efforts to refinance, acquire or divest.

Marketing Facets is available in electronic form via the Internet, on CD/ROM, or in print with a ring binder.
> Electronic in MS Word .doc or Adobe .pdf format via the Internet @ $79.95
> CD/ROM format @ $85.95 including U.S. shipping and handling
> Ring binder version and CD/ROM combo @ $99.95 including U.S. shipping and handling

Consulting is also available. Please contact me for additional information.
Telephone: 972.931.7993 Fax 972.931.0542 rpmorgan@morganmarketingsolutions.com.

Smiles make the day!
About tempo and action

1. Enthusiasm is contagious - and so is the lack of it.

2. Enthusiasm is apt to breed more action than accuracy!

3. The gap between enthusiasm and indifference becomes filled with failures.

4. It does no good to sit up and take notice if you keep on sitting!

5. Some carve out a future, while others just whittle away their time.

6. Doing nothing is a tiresome job because you can't stop and rest.

7. Even when you're on the right track, you must keep moving or you'll get run over!

8. Do it now! Today will be yesterday tomorrow.

$ Million Marketing Tips

TIP: There is no such thing as "soft sell" or "hard sell." There is only "smart sell" and "stupid sell." Charles Brower, BBD&O

TIP: Marketing is the whole business seen from the point of view of its final result, that is, from the customer's point of view. Concern and responsibility for marketing must, therefore, permeate all areas of the enterprise. Peter F. Drucker

1. The common flu kills more than 20,000 people each year. Got your shot?

2. The Tin Woodsman's real name in The Wizard of Oz was Nick Chopper.

3. On average, people spend 5 years of life...eating.

4. Starfish have 8 eyes...one at the end of each leg.

5. A "Big Band" is any band with 10 or more musicians.

6. Business travelers tend to gain an average of 5 pounds each year they are on the road.

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IN THIS ISSUE

How 'tempo' can affect customers, sales, and profits

Marketing Facets - The Market Focused Guide to Company Analysis

Smiles make the day!

$ Million Marketing Tips