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Sunday newsagency challenge: choose optimism

It is too easy to play the victim in small business, especially in the newsagency channel with challenges surrounding us and growing almost weekly.

It is too easy to become pessimistic and blame others.

Your situation is yours to own as I have written here many times before.

Your mindset is yours to own too. This is why I say choose optimism.

I appreciate it is not easy to choose optimism but I urge you to try, set this as your goal and work back from there figuring out what you need to to to be optimistic about your business and your situation.

For you to be optimistic you need to see a future where your business is profitable and saleable should you wish to sell in the future.

Both these goals require the business to be attracting new shoppers.

Attracting new shoppers starts with smart buying and involves out of store marketing to people who do not currently shop with you.

Smart buying involves you in buying from suppliers you do not deal with today.

Out of store marketing involves you in using new platforms that get you in front of people you have never seen.

I promise, it will only take one or two sales of new products to new customers to open your heart and mind to optimism and once you are there new ideas and fresh energy will well up and encourage you to engage with your business differently.

Optimism is a choice we man make.

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  1. allan wickham

    As a retailer I find selling a new product that I have taken a punt on the most rewarding part of my day. From unpacking it to selling it. Sure some things dont work as well as we would like sometimes but when it does work it is extremely pleasing. Whats even more enjoyable is having staff that are just as enthusiastic about new product.

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  2. jenny

    Couldn’t agree more Allan, love getting a phone call on a Sunday from a very excited staff member to tell me “guess what we just sold”.
    I’m finding just like myself the more enthusiastic the staff become the more they engage selling different products to customers.

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