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Project Gold Star
Most Ever Spent On Training Yields 25% Sales Increase
Project Gold Star represents the most money we've ever spent on training in the company's history. And it represents the biggest return we've ever gotten. We now have an infrastructure and plan of how to manage our retail business for growth. Before we were undisciplined. We had a staff with no direction or goals. Now we have weekly sales goals. We're on fire! We're up over 10% from last year on a store that was trending down 15%. I highly recommend this fantastic program.
BOB WAGNER'S FLOORING AMERICA
Matt Wagner, Owner
2 Stores
No Longer Hostage to Sales Staff
We entered this program looking for standardization for our operations. We not only came out of the program with that standardization, but with higher expectations from our staff and an understanding that we aren't hostage to our sales staff. It's a tremendous feeling and we certainly have more confidence and a plan for expanding our business. Well worth the time.
BIKE BARN
Rufus Barnes, Owner
4 Stores
From Last to First in Sales - 20% Sales Increase
It's hard to believe it was one year ago that we started Project Gold Star. In that time, our Westside location went from last place in sales to number one in sales, with an increase of 20%! We have implemented the program in our other four stores in January and our overall sales are tracking up 9% for the year, and our Westside location is still leading the group. Thanks for all your help.
COLUMBUS CAR AUDIO
Dan Foland
5 Stores
Focus On Selling Instead Of Operations Booms Sales
Project Gold Star changed our staff's focus to sales. We always looked at sales history, but not in a way to make goals. We didn't use history to increase sales. A major shift was changing from monthly department goals, to weekly individual goals - a goal that the individual had control over. We brought two departments in two locations into the program. For the first seven months, November of 2001 to May 2002, here are our results...
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Store #1
Department A – Up 56%
Department B – Up 22%
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Store #2
Department A – Up 32%
Department B – Up 16%
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We're now playing the 'sales game' and not the 'operational game' and we're having a ball!
HAMPTON ROADS HARLEY DAVIDSON
Mary Hughes, President
3 Stores
Learned More In 4 Months than Previous 10 Years
Over the course of four months in the Project Gold Star program, I probably learned more than in my last 10 years in retail. Before hand, I felt I had most of the answers. Boy was I wrong. The course is absolutely amazing.
RED WING SHOES
Paul Johnson
5 Stores
Add-ons, Conversion Rate Up—16.7% Annual Sales Increase
Because of Project Gold Star, there has been a paradigm shift in our thinking of how to run a retail store. The big issue has been quality help and compensation. Basically, we get what we pay for. The Big Hit is that it is a game. Our game. And it takes discipline to ensure that it is our game that is being played.
As a result of our implementation of the course, our add-ons, multiple item sales and conversion rates have all increased. Our managers now understand that this is a business we are running. The program took out the ‘familiocity’ and a no-excuses environment was created in our store. Thanks Harry!
BROTHERS APPAREL
Brother Ed Abdalla
Catherine Abdalla
1 Store
Priceless...A Retail Bible
Systems, systems, systems. Life will be much better with the Friedman system. Compensation plans, Fair Share Doctrine, Accountability. The list goes on and on. I am thrilled to have this ‘retail bible.’ Priceless.
FURNITURE WORLD EAST/MR. TILE INC.
Andrea Solomon-Eller, CEO
Giving Staff a Chance to Sell Results In 30% Annual Sales Increase
WOW! What an eye-opener! Coming into this program I thought we were a selling organization that needed help with infrastructure. Wrong. We needed both, but more importantly, we needed help with giving our salespeople a chance to sell.
This course has helped me with ability and confidence I thought only achievable with time. I feel myself and my organization are light years ahead of my competition. Harry & Company have given me the structure and organization to run my company effectively. Thanks for the information and most of all, the time.
AUCOIN HART JEWELERS
Tommy Aucoin
1 Store
A New Corporate Culture
Although I’m sure for many companies an increase to the bottom line is the main objective from this course, it was not mine. I am very pleased to say that I will use the bottom line information in the future, but the corporate culture change that this PGS has facilitated was desperately needed in my company. There are so many tools and so much information to get me back on track to running my company and leading in nine hours of fun every day. Work is now more enjoyable for me and more exciting, which should be contagious to our customers. So here’s to a new corporate culture – of my design.
LIFESTYLES HOME FURNISHINGS
Treasure Tannery, Owner
2 stores
Changed My Life...Sales Up Dramatically
I went to The Friedman Group’s Management Camp not long ago and came away feeling pretty bad about the direction our company has taken for the last 20 years and how off track it was. We were operations focused, not sales focused. I decided to turn it around and signed up for Project Gold Star. It has actually changed my life. It has completely changed our business. Our sales are up dramatically. My excitement and enthusiasm has carried throughout our entire company and I’m now very optimistic about our future.
SPORTSMAN’S SKI HAUS
Dave Harvey, Vice President
2 stores
The Best Thing I’ve Ever Done For Myself
Project Gold Star was the best thing I’ve ever done for myself or our business. We needed this big time. The learning was amazing and the interaction with other kinds of retailers was outrageous. We’re a high-end luxury market retailer and always believed we were different from other retailers. After this I realized we’re completely the same as every other retailer. That was a very big lesson to learn. I can’t wait to roll this out to our other stores and I highly recommend this to any retailer.
ARTISTIC TILE
Lauren Levinson, Vice President
6 Showrooms
Tools To Put an End to 30 Years of Frustration
Project Gold Star is going to totally change the way we’re doing business. And after just four months, we’re already seeing the results. We now have the information to help us do what we’ve tried to do for 30 years, and the tools to make it happen.
SPORTSMAN SKI HAUS
Mike Gwiazdion
2 stores
Objective Standards, Measuring Results Turns Into 12% Sales Increase
Our biggest struggle, once we knew we needed to change, was to make it happen. The impetus came through attending Project Gold Star, and it has set us up for success. I can’t believe how much of our business was run without objective standards and how much money we were paying for work that wasn’t being measured for results. We knew that our employees are the foundation of our business. But we never expected to be able to have someone consider sales as a career in our organization. Now we know a career with us is a great option.
ECO-OUTDOOR SPORTS, RICHMOND, BC
John Hall, Co-Owner
2 stores
Zero Staff Turnover and Average Sale Up 14%
We started Project Gold Star in September. Since then, we have ZERO staff turnover. We have not lost a single employee at this store since October, other than one sales associate we terminated due to low statistics. Our average sale is up 14% and we’ve seen better morale and compliance on policies and procedures. We’re very proud of our growing monthly sales increases:
October +1% January +11%
November +12.2% February +25.6%
December +15.3% March +24%
GREGORIE DOUGLAS FURNITURE
Harry Gregorie
2 Stores
National Luggage Dealers Assoc. President Sees 10% Sales Swing
I’m happy to report that our Friedman pilot store finished July only 2% down. While I’d rather be in the black, that number represents an almost 10% growth from three months ago. I am committed to succeed with the Gold Star program. My brothers and I have tried a lot of different things over the years to affect our business. The results have been mixed. The difference with your program is that I noticed change almost immediately. There’s not doubt that the store culture is changing for the positive and that my people are buying into it. Harry, I have benefited personally and professionally from your course. As president of the National Luggage Dealers Association, I’d like to have you ‘show the light’ to the other owners in my group!
SHAPIRO LUGGAGE
Alex Shapiro
7 Stores
Vision of How to Run a Successful Retail Store No Longer Blurry
I can count the very few times in my life I made wise decisions. Project Gold Star is one of them. Having two family members in the business that didn’t see the reason why I would spend eight days in Colorado, I can now say they see for themselves the positive changes, which have and are taking place in our business. I have a vision, which is no longer blurry or deceptive, on running a professional and successful retail operation. Thank you.
GALO SHOES
Edna Galo, Owner
4 Stores
From Down 3% and Staff Discipline Nightmares—To Up 8%
Our sales were already at -3% and heading steadily downward. With the help of Harry and everyone at Project Gold Star, I struggled through an incredible amount of staff resistance, discipline nightmares and some very dismal sales statistics, to come out on the other side with sales increases that have made some of my other retailing friends truly jealous.
Despite the slumping economy and the recent impact of 9/11, we have experienced a third quarter growth of 8% and my sales associates have become selling machines. They sell with enthusiasm and style and treat each customer with loving care – a philosophy we stole from The Friedman Group.
You gave me the tools and support to take my store to the next level. I can’t begin to thank all of you for the professional, courteous and enthusiastic way you presented your program. Despite the demanding curriculum, it was always fun to visit your facility and work with your staff. (But, it might take a year for me to lose the weight I gained from those incredible cookies!)
QUINN’S GOLDSMITH, INC.
Joni Peth, General Manager
1 Store
Manual Like A Bible—Takes You To Another Level Of Thinking
This program has been an opportunity of a lifetime. The manual is like a new bible for me because I can easily refer to the section I need at any time. I have always felt like I was pretty sharp, but this program showed me what I was missing, what I forgot, and how to organize it all. It reminded me to play the bigger game. Project Gold Star truly takes you to another level of thinking.
AUCOIN HART JEWELERS
Wendy Laurent, Sales Manager
1 Store
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