Management guru Tom Peters is kind enough to offer a load of free stuff for download on www.tompeters.com. Ignore his Twitterbook, which is hard work, but do check out his inspirational presentation to America’s independent retailers which begins with this quote from George Whalin, author of Retail Superstars: “Be the best, it’s the only market that’s not crowded”.
Many of Peters’ 49 potential points of difference for independent retailers could apply to any sector but seem especially relevant to wide-format print. There’s plenty of the gung ho get stuck in mantras that Peters has made his trademark but some of his advice, if too often restated, makes great sense. And the words of wisdom from the l ikes of Jack Welch (the man who turned around General Electric) are worth reading. Welch says: “In real life, strategy is actually very straightforward. Pick a general direction… and implement like hell.”
Just be sure to reflect on your unknown unknowns first.