Doug Fleener
Doug Fleener
As the former director of retail for Bose Corporation and an independent retailer himself, Doug has the unique experience and ability to help companies of all sizes. Doug is a retail and customer experience consultant, keynote speaker and a recognized expert worldwide.
More than a lost sale
During a store visit I got a chance to talk with a young woman I consider an excellent sales person. She delivered very engaging...
This week’s two priorities and actions
Most owners, executives, and managers I work with are incredibly hard working. They're talented and smart people who are constantly coming up with new...
For the staff: Are you a TMI, TLI, or JTRAOI?
Here's a Weekly that you may want to share with the entire team. Last year my wife and I have had a number of salespeople...
Sell more this week with an emotional connection
I love the saying that logic makes people think, but emotion makes people act. As we get closer to Christmas, a shopper's emotions play...
Holiday Lineology: How to make waiting in line a better customer experience
The busier a store gets the more important the checkout experience becomes. As a consumer, I've had many a great store experiences ruined in...
Mastering the art of selling to multiple customers
With a shorter holiday season it is essential that every employee maximize every customer opportunity. That's not overly difficult when an associate works one-on-one...
Holiday Jerks, Clerks, Retail Pros and the 35% Difference
There will be three types of specialty store employees working this Black Friday weekend. The first type is the jerk. They hate working retail, so...
A must read and exercise for every store manager and owner
The difference between a wildly successful holiday and a good or bad one almost always comes down to one element. I know, because I've...
Selling what’s in stock. Or not.
A salesperson recently asked me if selling only what's in stock is good service. When I asked for details, she elaborated. It seems that her...
Building your bench
I've been working with several clients on how they can build a stronger leadership bench. Every organization, even every location, needs a strong bench....
Halloween tricks, treats and customer engagement
Halloween is big business. According to the National Retail Federation, 158 million people will be celebrating Halloween this year. Total spending on the holiday...
The cost of asking “How may I help you?”
I've always believed that asking a specialty store customer, "How may I help you?" costs sales. After testing and measuring a new sales approach,...
Performance improvement plan
A while back I was talking with an owner about one of his underperforming stores. He told me that the store manager had been...
Developing and maintaining an expectation of success
"Much of success is about performance. It's about what we do and what we are able to inspire others to do." - Zig...
A tip for the staff: Get the customer talking!
THE GOAL Increase customer connectivity and purchase intent by getting customers to talk about themselves. OVERVIEW Want to get your customer in the mood to…
Cultural priorities
I'm excited about my new audio program "The Ideal Way to Delegate: Four days to becoming a more effective delegator." It will be available...
“How” lasts far beyond “what”
My friend Bob, a Scottish fellow who has worked with people longer than I've been alive, said something a while back that really stuck...
A brainstorming tool to use with your staff
Your employees are a tremendous source of information and insight. They can share how to deliver a better customer experience, or how to sell...
Celebrating Labor Day
If you're reading this outside the United States, let's call the article Celebrating All People Who Work. The other day I started wondering about the...
Musings on cellphones, a fun game, leadership, and more
Here's what I've been seeing and thinking lately...... * It seems that many retailers are struggling with employees using their phones at work when they're...