If a supplier claims a product is selling well, ask for proof. If someone on the phone says they have been told to call you by a colleague, your marketing group or someone else, ask for proof. If a landlord makes a promise, ask for proof – get it in writing. If a salesman makes a claim about being better than a competitor, ask for proof – get it in writing.

Too often in our channel we are too trusting of what we are told. You’ll often find that asking for proof, evidence or documentation of a position put is ignored or declined – meaning it’ open to you to not trust what the have said.

There have been some grand lies told to newsagents, individually and collectively, over the years, lies that have cost individuals and the channel dearly.

Asking for proof is basic due diligence.

It’s healthy to be suspicious and trusting when you are provided appropriate evidence.

This week I am calling out five basic areas of retailing where some newsagents make the rest of us look bad. I am writing about these five areas because in the minds of plenty of Australian shoppers all newsagencies are as bad as the worst one they have visited.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Even in basic customer service there is a big difference in newsagencies from uniforms and name badges to eating and drinking behind the counter to over the counter service. What one newsagent things is good service another may consider appalling and another may consider too good.

While in banner group businesses with which we compete such as 7-Eleven, Officeworks, Australia Post, Smiggle, supermarkets and others there are guides to drive consistency, in the newsagency channel among independent businesses there are no such minimum standards.

Does this matter? Not so much if we each care about our own businesses. However if we are relying on public perception about our business based on experience with other newsagencies it does matter.

This is why I think we need to be concerned about other businesses trading under the same shingle as us. We all need to do better, to meet minimum good standards for our future.

It is very basic retail management to focus on a consistent professional customer service offering. I think it’s something that we as a channel need to talk about and work on together.

This week I am calling out five basic areas of retailing where some newsagents make the rest of us look bad. I am writing about these five areas because in the minds of plenty of Australian shoppers all newsagencies are as bad as the worst one they have visited.

QUALITY

I suspect that if a survey was undertaken of everyday Australians as to the retail businesses they trust, local newsagencies would feature high on the list. For decades we have been known for selling quality products from stationery through.

The core categories of our businesses are build around brands – in cards Hallmark is the best known brand in the country, in magazines the entire department is about brands, in stationery it’s Scotch, Post-It, UHU, Papermate, Uniball, Bic, Spirax and many others.

Respected brands can attract a higher price.

Unfortunately, some newsagents prefer to play down-market, where quality is not important, where price is the differentiator. They do this without thinking about the consequences.

Newsagents selling inferior product can damage the rest of us as our businesses are only as good as the weakest business trading under the same shingle.

Product quality matters as it is one factor that drives loyalty. The sale today achieved because you have a cheaper and inferior product is less likely to drive a sale tomorrow for the same product whereas a sale today at a higher price for a quality product is more likely to drive repeat business.

Unfortunately there are some in the channel who prefer ro focus on cheap. I am certain that one day, if they;re still in business, will realise that cheap is not a viable business plan for the long term.

We need to focus on quality products on which our customers can rely.