Sharpening the Sword is a regular column by retailer John Riley of Grasshopper's Comics, a 1300 square foot comic and game store in
Usually by this point in the Winter I feel like I'm beating my head against the wall, and this year is no exception. I'm not a big fan of winter and although this year has been mild, there's just way too much I want to get accomplished that I can't without getting outside a bit. So it's perfect that GAMA rolls around now to get us all out of our Winter doldrums and jump start us into a productive Spring!
I attended my first GAMA two years ago and can't believe that I waited so long to attend. While it certainly does cost a bit of money to attend, if you can't learn enough ways to improve your business to more than break even on the expense, you're doing something horribly wrong. So what's the best way to get your money's worth out of GAMA? Simple, learn the lesson that Danny Partridge learned.
I used to watch the Partridge Family as a kid every week, and strangely enough I can't really remember a single episode except for one episode where Danny was going to drop out of school. You see Danny was always trying to get rich (he had a very entrepreneurial spirit!) and he had learned that his idol, who was a self-made millionaire, had dropped out of high school. Nobody could convince him that he shouldn't drop out so they arranged for a quick meeting with his idol. It was at that meeting that his idol taught him his great secret. He told Danny that in fact he wasn't very smart and should have stayed in school. But he was smart enough to know one thing: surround yourself with people who are smarter than you.
This is the unique opportunity that GAMA presents, the opportunity to learn from people who may do things better than you do. It's not that they're better retailers than you, but everyone has their unique strength and area of specialty, and GAMA is a great opportunity to learn how other retailers handle areas that you may want advice on. Each year I go to GAMA with a specific area I want to learn about and focus on attending seminars and speaking with people who can help me improve in that area. I'm happy to say that the last two trips have been phenomenally successful and I'm hoping that this year's is as well.
If you're not going to GAMA this year I hope that you'll consider going next year. I understand that there are a lot of new people coming this year, so I thought I'd give a few tips to enjoy your trip.
If you are going and haven't attended before I suggest that even if you only attend one seminar (and there are many great seminars to attend) that you at least attend 'The Bottom Line.' 'The Bottom Line' refers to your store's bottom line and is essentially a seminar on evaluating the financial strength of your store. Few retailers have experience in reading or compiling financial statements, so this is a great opportunity to 'see the forest for the trees' and be able to really understand the financial health of your business. This is a real eye-opening seminar that will definitely educate you, although it might frighten you at the same time!
Premiering this year will be a new seminar called 'Selling Your Store' which is actually about how your store sells itself to your customers (not about selling your actual business). I'm honored to be co-presenting this Seminar with Dave Wallace. Dave first introduced me to these concepts at GAMA two years ago and they have literally revolutionized my business. While I can't guarantee that my additions will be that useful, I can say that the material Dave is presenting will definitely change the way you view your store.
Regarding food, remember that people who line up for dinner an hour in advance and the people who show up five minutes before dinner both eat at the same time, so use your time wisely. Want another food tip? Don't eat at the
I hope everyone has fun next week. It's great to put faces to voices you deal with weekly over the phone. If you run into me feel free to say, 'Hi!' It's hard writing this column in a vacuum, so I'd love to get your comments. And if you've got a killer marketing idea you use at your store, let me know! That's my own focus this year and I'm more than willing to share. And if you'd like to talk over a beer, even better!
There are tremendous resources at GAMA but remember that the best resources there are your fellow retailers. Ultimately, we can learn more from each other than from anywhere else.
