OPERATING OPPORTUNITIES

S THE YEAR winds down. it's time to think about planning for next year. How can you survive amid all the competition? How can you increase sales and profit with a sluggish economy?

If you follow this column. you know its posture is to eliminate error. How do you do this in planning? Someone once said that a problem identified is a problem half solved. Here's a planning approach to idcntiling your problems. It's a three part look at your operation within your trading area.

Retail Skills

(A) Personnel policies (B) Advertising

List the above items on a separate sheet of paper. Write alongside each category how you rate your operation on a scale of I to 10. List your three toughest competitors and rank yourself on a scale of I to 4 among them. You'll quickly know what planning for improving skills is needed and/or what you need to find out about your company in the market place.

Imagemakers

(A) Assortments

(B) Credit

(C) Delivery

(D) Location, hrs, days

(E) Product lines

(F) Rest rooms

(G) Returns

(H) Warranties

Follow the same routine. It won't make you plan for or take corrective action, but you'll know what you should be doing and why to improve your image in the market place.

(G)

(C) Banking

(D) Clinics

(E) Credit

(F) Data Process

(G) Delivery

(H) Freight (I) Estimating

(J) Installation

(K) Insurance

(L) Leasing

(M)Legal

(N) Maintenance

(O) Printing

(P) Security

(Q) Store planning

(R) Utilities

(S) Warehousing

This list of services won't fit everyone. but it is a good start for most. Copy it on a separate sheet as before. Circle each service you're not performing and answer the question "Why not?" On the remaining services, ask youruelf "Why do we do this?" With each function examined for need, feasibility, viability and alternatives you won't have much trouble figuring out how to plan this area.

These exercises are like a pilot's before-takeoffcheck list. It's run through item by item until all is right to begin the process ofgetting the airplane to its destination. The destinations for this planning are sales and profits. Unfortunately they're not twins. You can't get the profit without sales. Planning must include consideration and direction in both areas.