Marian Dineen is a retail business development consultant based in Limerick with over 30 years of experience. She owns Think Retail and provides services such as staff training, customer service, promotions, merchandising, and gift wrapping. Dineen believes that to succeed in business, customers must be at the center of everything a company does and that innovation and developing people are opportunities for businesses to grow. Her motto is that customers must be at the center of all business decisions.

1. Marian Dineen
Retail Business Development Consultant
Welcome to Think Retail

2. • Owner of the retail consultancy “Think Retail” located
in Limerick.
• Over thirty years experience in business development.
• Trained in London with Jane Means the gift-wrapping
expert.
Staff training , Customer Service, Promotions, Merchandising ,
Hamper Design/Gift-Wrapping.
Marian Dineen
Retail Business Development Consultant

3. In these current and challenging times
businesses can respond in two ways.
Be Proactive or stand still

4. Today’s market place is exciting.
There are opportunities for innovation
New Technologies
Opportunities to develop people
&
opportunities to grow your business.

5. Motto
To succeed in business customers must
be at the centre of everything you do.

6. Staff Motivation
• Lead by example: your presence, enthusiasm and passion
motivates people.
• Empower and engage your team share your business vision.
• A positive motivation philosophy and practice will improve
performance quality and service.
• Develop genuine relationships connect with people.
• Innovation is Motivation

7. This is your time
to improve performance .
seize the opportunity to build
Positive, steady and profitable results.

8. Drive Performance
• People are your greatest asset, success in business is all about
people.
• Recognise effort, be generous with Praise.
• Promote regular team communication.
• Challenge staff with interesting projects.
• Remember what gets measured, gets done.
• Is progress being made toward desired goals.

9. Tools for the Job
Do they have the skills and the knowledge
to step up?
Training, education, upskilling
set you free.
Let people be creative

10. Stock & Product Advice
• Work closely with your suppliers
• Keep up to date with current trends
• Plan promotions, start a promotions calendar.
• Stock must be well merchandised
• Great visual displays attract attention
• Refresh stock and displays regularly

11. Customer Service
• There is no excuse for bad service.
• The customer is the most important person in the business.
• Positive moments of truth.
• Staff Image, people judge how much you know by how
professional you look.
• Product knowledge, know your products.

12. “Ihave learned that people will forget what you said, people will
forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made
them feel.”Maya Angelou
How do your customers feel when doing business with you?
–That they are a valued customer
–That their needs are being met
–Have they enjoyed the experience

13. Consumers and clients are looking for
“value for money”
What does that mean?
This does not necessarily mean
that you have to be the cheapest.

14. “We’re not as busy as we
want to be”
“Customers are not buying as much as
we’d like them to”

15. Do we converse with our customers?
Know what they want from us –
or do we still think we know what they’re
thinking all the time?
Do you, as a business, inspire them to maximise on their
purchasing experience?

16. . . . . . . . . Customers
. . . . . . . Attractive & Comfortable
The Environment . . . . . . . .
Product Range . . . . . . . .
Value for Money . . . . . . . .

17. Recruitment
• The people you work with are the face of your business.
• Hire for attitude, skills can be taught.
• Identify candidates willing to roll up their sleeves and make
things happen.
• Recruit people with the ability to choose the right response
from a range of possibilities.

18. "Insanity is: doing the same thing over and over
again and expecting different results”
– Albert Einstein
"If you keep doing what you're doing you'll keep
getting what you're getting."

19. “It’s not the strongest of the species that
survive its those most able to handle
change.”
Patrick Coveney
“Change is challenge and
challenges are full of
opportunities to grow.”
Pat Falvey | Global Explorer

20. Change
• “There is nothing so useless as doing efficiently that which
should not be done at all.” Peter F. Drucker
• Review business model, what, why and how you are doing
things?
• Challenge traditional ways of operating.
• Continue to learn and promote training at all levels.

21. Staff Communication
Customer is King

22. Thank You!
Phone: 085-1731476
Email: marian@thinkretail.ie