After finishing Sam Walton’s book Made in America, I pulled from it this list that I found very useful in my own businesses. Some of them I have implemented (thankfully!) but others I have thought about doing but haven’t actually gotten around to doing them. Sound familiar to you?
Made in America, by Sam Walton
My goal for myself is to implement one more of these a week – in some form or fashion – to one of my businesses. In the current economic climate, any business can use something like this to differentiate itself and keep current customers happy and wanting more.
Some of these will be as controversial to you now as they have been to other business owners over the years. My take on it is that Wal-Mart is one of the most successful discount retailers in the world and there are very good reasons why that is. So what if I don’t like to shop there; so what if I don’t like the “associates” or how the store is laid out – their business is NOT about me, it’s about THEIR typical customer.
1. Commit to your business.
2. Share your profits with your associates and treat them as partners.
3. Motivate your partners.
4. Communicate everything you possibly can to your partners.
5. Appreciate everything your associates do for the business.
6. Celebrate your successes! Find some humor in your failures.
7. Listen to everyone in your company.
8. Exceed your customers expectations.
9. Control your expenses better than your competition.
10. Swim upstream. Go the other way.
These last 2 were not included in Sam’s actual list, but he does mention that no business can expect to be successful with them so I am adding them here!
11. Work hard.
12. Build a team.
