The holiday shopping season doesn't seem to be the make-or-break time of year for dive retailers that it is for other retailers. We get busy but don't seem to get the mad seasonal rush that other types of stores do.…
Patricia LuebkeNovember 3, 2021
"If you view a generation Y employee as someone who is a slacker, has no work ethic, only cares about themselves, and has no loyalty, you are finished before we can even get started," says Eric Papp, whose consulting company…
Patricia LuebkeDecember 8, 2009
One of the most difficult aspects of dive retailing is selling. People have vastly different sales abilities and levels of comfort. You may be good at selling but others in your store may not be. Or it might be the…
Patricia LuebkeFebruary 3, 2009
What is the main value of a Web site to a dive retailer? Although the Web has worldwide reach, surprisingly it's the ability to reach out locally and sell people in your community on diving. Need convincing? Picture your store's…
Patricia LuebkeFebruary 2, 2009
If you are even a casual television viewer, you have become accustomed to seeing the magic of makeovers. Whether it's rebuilding and redecorating an entire house or refurbishing a single room or two, we know how makeovers work. You start…
Patricia LuebkeJanuary 22, 2009
When asked to describe his ideal rep, Jonathan Poore of Express Watersports in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, gives this description: "The perfect rep is a person who would come by at the beginning of the season or when the new…
Patricia LuebkeJanuary 22, 2009
Robert Burns's well-known poem ends with the wish that we could see ourselves as others see us. What do you think customers would say about your store? Does the quality of your store match the quality of the equipment you're…
Patricia LuebkeJanuary 14, 2009
Take a look at the surf and ski industries. If you attended the surf expo that was going on next to the DEMA Show when it was held in Orlando a number of years back, you were struck that surfboards…
Patricia LuebkeJanuary 13, 2009
Look around your store during the middle of any business day. Is the sales floor neat and attractive, or is packing material strewn on the floor and unsold merchandise draped over the chairs? Does your storeroom look like the wake…
Patricia LuebkeJanuary 12, 2009
