2008 Keynote Speaker Announced
George Whalin
Strategies for a Changing Retail World
George Whalin, author of Retail Success, spent 25 years as a retailer before starting Retail Management Consultants in 1987. He began his career on the sales floor and worked his way up, experiencing some interesting retail along the way.
In the 1960s, he opened and managed the original Guitar Center in Hollywood, California. He sold musical instruments to the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jackson Five, Grateful Dead, and many more well-known and not-so-well-known musicians of the era. “It was common for a famous musician to come into the store, pick up a guitar, and start jamming,” he recalls.
George’s mantra is Focus on the customer. Everything retailers do should make it easy for customers to do business with them. From marketing, merchandising, and selling to policies, procedures, and systems, satisfying the customer should be the number one priority. “This is especially important during difficult economic times,” George explains. “Focus your marketing message on the customer: Why should a customer do business with you? Merchandise your store to make it easy for customers to find things. Hire friendly, personable people and train them to serve customers the way you want them served. Offer convenient hours and equitable return policies. It’s all about building relationships so customers come back again and again and tell everyone they know what a wonderful store you have.”
George Whalin is coming to Richmond, and on August 5 at the Retail Merchants Marketing Expo, he will speak on “Strategies for a Changing Retail World.” George’s presentations are information-packed, exciting, entertaining, humorous, and motivational. But his top priority every time he speaks is to give retailers innovative ideas as well as practical, hard-hitting strategies and no-nonsense tools they can put to use right away to build their businesses, sell more merchandise, and better serve today's savvy consumers.
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Sights from the 2007 Marketing Expo
Photos courtesy of Robert Thomas Photography
The 3rd annual Retail Marketing Expo held August 7, 2007, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center was a huge success thanks to the efforts of more than 35 volunteers, the staff of Retail Merchants Association and 24 sponsors, including Longwood University, the Title Sponsor for the second year.
More than 1,000 attendees visited the 76 exhibitors that included all the major media and marketing outlets in greater Richmond. Three seminars held during the day by top experts in their field offered retailers tips on marketing, customer service and community involvement.
For the first time, the American Marketing Association joined the Retail Merchants Association in putting on the event. More than 300 business people attended the AMA’s VIP Luncheon with Richard L. Sharp. He advised entrepreneurs on starting and expanding a business based on his many years of experience as a retailer.
Sharp is the co-founder and former chairman of CarMax, the former CEO and chairman of Circuit City Stores Inc., and the current chairman of Crocs, Inc.
Don't miss out on the 4th annual Retail Marketing Expo to be held on August 5,2008, brought to you by Retail Merchants Association, at the Greater Richmond Convention Center in Richmond Virginia.
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