Critical Mass Group的动态

"Jim, I'm giving you the freedom to fail." Those words from one of my great bosses, John Hardy, Atlanta Division Deli Merchandising Director. I'm the yellow chicken in the back. We were kicking off the summer 1986 season with a fried chicken promotion. For the record it took six rides on the Six Flags Over Georgia roller coaster to get the photo shot just right. I think everyone thought John was nuts when he said we were going to sell "cold fried chicken" in the deli cases at Kroger. That's right. Marinate overnight, fry the chicken, put it in the cooler overnight, display it in the case the next day. "A lot of people in the South like cold fried chicken the next day," John said. He was right. The chicken tonnage doubled in the Atlanta Division from this smart marketing move. This is one example of how he led me to experiment and be unafraid to try new ideas. One way I did that was to take our fresh-made pizzas and tilt them on display in upright refrigerated cases to catch the attention of shoppers on their way to the check-out lanes. That was a success too. By late August I was invited to fly with John to Louisville KY to the #1 deli in the Kroger company to see how to merchandise in the new European curved glass cases. We were met by the Cincinnati corporate head of Deli Merchandising. That kind of exposure never hurts. Looking back, I realize this was my first "sales" job. It wasn't line management like it was when I was a store manager. It was a role where you had to "sell your ideas" to other store managers and deli managers in order for them to improve sales and profits. We did over 15 grand openings of many new Kroger stores during my two-year merchandising role, from Rome to Newnan, Alpharetta to City Center. I realize it shaped how I would approach job roles over the years. I became the person my bosses would pick to pioneer new initiatives. And I succeeded. It's amazing what giving yourself the freedom to take calculated risks, the freedom to fail, can do for your mindset and your career. What initiatives have you taken while being unafraid to fail? Please share in the comments. #risktaking #merchandising #salestips #jimkerlinconsulting

How can Walmart store managers earn up to $500,000 annually? ? #WalmartManagers #Salary #Opportunity #CareerGrowth Did you know that Walmart store managers have the potential to earn up to $500,000 annually? ?? That's right, managing a Walmart store can be a highly lucrative career path! ?? But how can one reach that level of success? Here are a few tips to help you maximize your potential as a Walmart store manager: - Focus on exceeding sales targets and ... Source: https://lnkd.in/gfEhbfss #mymetric360

Just the other week I posted that I had visited 44 unique chains in 13 states! Obviously, I have been to a lot more than 44 stores. Probably 50+ Publix Super Markets, Winn-Dixie, The Fresh Market locations alone. Well, after a trip to Northeast Washington/Idaho, I am up to 53 chains in 15 states in less than 6 months! A point can be made that 4 of these are owned by one company, but they are all unique experiences. I did see a Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage this time after missing them last time! I hope to get to 100 chains this year! That could be tough, but I do have a Denver trip planned and I am sure I will head north at some point! Why so many stores? Well, as a new(ish) founder of SMB Sales & Marketing, I need as much information as I can get while deciding where and how we are going to grow. I need to better service our brands that count on us for larger territories and to find new opportunities! I can always use the extra steps as well! I learn so much about philosophy and opportunity walking through these stores, that I could never learn from reports. I'm looking at you Insights reports..... So, walk.... just walk and see what stories the stores will tell you! #brokerlife #sales #retail #cpg #walkdontrun

How can Walmart store managers earn up to $500,000 annually? ? #WalmartManagers #Salary #Opportunity #CareerGrowth Did you know that Walmart store managers have the potential to earn up to $500,000 annually? ?? That's right, managing a Walmart store can be a highly lucrative career path! ?? But how can one reach that level of success? Here are a few tips to help you maximize your potential as a Walmart store manager: - Focus on exceeding sales targets and ... Source: https://lnkd.in/gd52CRAc #mymetric360

In case you are interested

Customer Needs Help with Carry Out!! While Recruiting has been my passion for nearly 20-years, I also raise Boer Goats for 4H and FFA in our local area and enjoy riding my old Mare, Cinder. (Why am I sharing this? You'll see!) I cannot tell you how grateful I am for the Team Members at our Family-Owned and Corporate Ag Retailers! Sadly, most stores are understaffed, and Team Members are being pulled in 100 directions. You can see the urgency as they unload pallets onto shelves or try to quickly chip away at a mile long check-out line. Or they hear a "Customer Needs Help with a Carry Out" call right when they're in the middle of doing something. Yet! When asked for help, they stop what they are doing and take the time to engage in conversation while walking you to your item. They'll ask about your day while loading your 500 LBS of Goat Grain into your truck. ?? ?? While John, the Store Manager, was loading my grain, I complemented him on his staff and how nice the store looked considering how few he had in the store that day. He shared with me that he had only been a Store Manager for a year and was loving every minute of it. He said the company's Senior Leadership is one of the biggest reasons he has stayed with them for nearly 10 years. He described his company as "a big family"! He also made sure to add how the communities they serve are a part of the family too. What a great young man! Why am I sharing this? To give a huge High-Five to Senior Leadership who pour themselves into their people. For creating a culture from the top down that a Store Manager like John felt valued and supported even on a tough day!! Well done! ?? As for the 500 LBS of grain.... After unloading it into the barn, my back reminded me why I should have it delivered next time! #storemanager #retail #retailindustry #storeoperations #stores #seniorleadership #retailexecutives #ceo #cfo #coo #vpofstores #districtmanager #regionalmanager #hiring #jobs #retailjobs #farm #agriculture #ruralretail #retaildevelopers #homeandfarm

I've learned so much in just 3 weeks in a new role! I've learned that I have a love for more than just food retail, and although this role is completely new and can be challenging - I've broken a few things down. 1) Guests are guests regardless if you oversee Food & Bev, GM, Style or the entire sales floor. If you put guests as the guiding light you'll always be right. 2) Put your team members first. In my opinion, as a lead you are there to support your direct reports, and for myself that is team members. If I show up every day to make their respective jobs easier, I've done something right for the day. We think this can be a hard task, and ultimately it is not - a simple hello, how was the weekend, offer to help with freight or workload. The small everyday things will ad up to a big difference. 3) Fill the floor! Tell a story. When aisles and displays are full, guests are excited to shop, and that excitement breeds life into stores and makes the shopping experience enjoyable! Lastly - less share some news on GREEN metrics! We've dropped the INF% for GM 2% or better across the board. A few outliers that we're getting worked out, but soon I'm looking to post sub 1% in all areas. The GM team's hard work has led to drastic improvement in sales, going from a negative comp to a 3% comp over the last three weeks. The store is also on a giant upswing with a 5% store comp over 3 weeks, more to come! #worksomewhereyoulove #target #growtime #growth

Hey LinkedIn! Who are your favorite retail rep groups? Let me know in the comments! If you're sales person for a retail rep group, please self-promote in the comments as well! I'm working on expanding Havenlight's retail footprint and would love some introductions ?? #sales #businessdevelopment #strategicpartnerships #retail #retailsales #retailmarketing

Excited to Share My Journey and Expertise! With over two decades of experience in the retail and consumer goods industry, I’ve had the privilege of working with some incredible individuals and companies, including Campbells, Coca Cola Southwest Beverages, Walmart. My roles have spanned from sales and merchandising to customer satisfaction, inventory management, and beyond. Throughout my career, I’ve been driven by a passion for excellence and a relentless focus on building strong customer relationships. Whether it’s developing innovative sales strategies, enhancing merchandising techniques, or fostering community engagement, my goal has always been to drive business growth and deliver exceptional results. Current Role: Outside Sales Representative at Acosta Sales and Marketing (Campbells Team) in Easton, PA and surrounding area. Previous Role: Retail Sales Merchandiser at Crossmark, SAS Retail Services, Coca Cola Southwest Beverages, and more. Along with different roles within the field and the office both as a manager and a leader. Community Engagement: Founder of two networking groups. The first strictly for the community and businesses within to interact with each other and get to know each other. The second focused only on retail professionals throughout the world and having discussions, topics, etc. with them. I'm particularly proud of the initiatives I've led to foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the retail industry. My transition from urban life to embracing the countryside has enriched my perspective, allowing me to explore new adventures and engage deeply with my community. I'm always eager to connect with like-minded professionals and explore new opportunities. Whether you're looking for expert advice on retail strategy, need help with merchandising, or simply want to share insights, I'd love to hear from you! Looking forward to connecting! #Retail #Sales #Merchandising #CustomerSatisfaction #RetailConsulting #Networking #BusinessGrowth #CommunityEngagement

Retail Manager: "You've missed your sales goal again this month and you're responsible for 30% of the business. How can I help support? " Retail Associate: " I don't have enough time to clientele and outreach due to tasking. You and the ASM are always on business calls in the back, and interviewing since we have turnover vs. being on the floor to help support. The schedule for me is not flexible and closing alone missing sales. If we could get a little more coverage, I could just sell during peak times vs. tasking or coming in for floor sets during non-sell hours and have more time to outreach I could hit my goals." This is too real and another way Reflex can help. Sometimes you don't need a permanent hire, but you need extra support weekly to give back time to your sales associates! Having support from Reflex has helped free up time for teams to focus on selling, and allow the Leadership team to support and not be in the back doing operational tasking. #Reflex #retail #retailmanagers #managers #retailindustry #flexible #smart #solutions #thinksmarter #thinkdifferent