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...Consumers are growing increasingly tired of hype and hard sell. We are all exp...programs. These causes appeal to the stores' customers, who are primarily of t...

...ion has worn on so long that we’re tired of hearing so much bad news. Yet, pus...plenty of action in the Apple retail stores. Here’s why: Apple focuses on im...

...he front end, and mounts your snow tires in the fall. Not too many of those di...ng immediately wreaks havoc on your entire book of business. On the other hand...

... sells insurance.' 'She was just a tire kicker with no intention of buying.' ...

... for their special needs. They are tired of being asked to learn the insurance... and a few regional concerns, whose entire purpose is based in the successful ...

... impressions can have serious implications for a business. On the one hand, taking steps to shape and protect customers, vendors, stockholders, and the public's perceptions can be highly positive and beneficial, as such companies as Nordstrom know so well. Even people who've never shopped at Nordstrom have a positive impression of the company. The story is far different for Firestone, whose failure to respond to the tire crisis quickly created the impression that it didn't care or was stonewalling the issue. Even when the company came forward with its commitment to make good on every tire, the initial impression might have caused the public to doubt Firestone's sincerity — and to question the quality of its products Here are a few ideas to help you foster appropriate, positive impressions: Be painfully clear about how you want your ... they opened their mouths, we could tell … ' Making judgments on such limited knowledge might seem difficult to defend. Yet, studies support the extensive influence of first impressions. Consider, for example, one research project conducted by Jennifer Humble and Dr. Barbara Bremer. The objective was to evaluate the extent that dress and physical appearance affect the quality of social interactions. Using a retail store setting, the researchers discovered that the sociability of the clerks was significantly higher when interacting with a well-dressed actor than with a poorly dressed one. Other studies suggest that facial expression, gestures, glasses, personal coloring, garment style, and makeup can play a key role in impression formation. As Humble and Bremer conclude, Individuals tend to make intrinsic judgments about a person based on external cues. ...

... one-on-one discussions and from conducting insurance surveys of its members. &# 160 What are members interested in when buying insurance? &# 160 (1 ) Sixty percent of the members are concerned with cost. This comes as no surprise and is one of the constants of business life. &# 160 (2 ) Forty-nine percent of the members want coverages designed for their special needs. They are tired of being asked to learn the insurance business. When prospective insurance suppliers talk about a package designed for their industry, the immediate and enthusiastic response is, Thank heaven, someone in the insurance industry has taken the time to learn about us, and we are not being asked to learn the insurance business. The Scott Seed people put it another way: Don't talk to me about your grass seed ... , and employee benefits coverages. &# 160 (4 ) Fifty-six percent of the members do not want coverage limitations in their policy. If the insurance company cannot handle, or does not want to handle what the insured perceives to be an exposure of concern, then the inclusion of sublimits, special conditions, or outright exclusions are of grave concern to association members. An example within the convenience store industry: The underwriter is concerned about holdups. The operator is concerned about loss of food in the freezers. By talking to both parties, it becomes evident very quickly that the underwriter is perfectly willing to expand a coverage extension in the policy for food spoilage, and can exclude holdups (as this coverage is self-insured by most operators anyway) . &# 160 Cost Not Only Concern & ...