All around you, you have examples of employee excellence-people whom you can depend upon to get the job done. Whether it is merchandising a front window display, adding on to nearly every sale, or having expert-level product knowledge, people with admirable skills are all around you.

If you were to pool the talents of all the best people in your district or region into one store, could you create a store that would hit projected goals every month without question? Then, why not do it? Implementing the Model Store concept allows you to concentrate your efforts on truly exploring the potential of your business.

Isn't it true that there are ideas, merchandising strategies, staffing issues, store design issues, and a myriad of other things that you would like to address or implement in every store if only you...

" Had the budget for it? " Had the resources to get it accomplished? " Could get approval from senior management? " Had the extra time to devote to new projects?

Don't these concerns become less significant when you think about targeting just one store instead of your entire area?

Sure, it would be nice if you could manage your area as one entity-a team of managers and staffs and locations that could be supervised and cultivated en masse. But each store may be different and require a slightly different approach.

On the other hand, many managers are not enforcing the standards that are universally linked with success-such as flawless customer service, top-notch selling skills and comprehensive product knowledge. Given the predominance of that condition, your model store will at the very least, provide you with a general template for maximizing the return on your investment in people.

As you focus your macro view to perform micro surgery and examine every aspect of the way things run in a particular location, you'll develop a detailed breakdown of all of the areas you're going to scrutinize and perfect. Once formulated, you'll have a plan you can follow in each location.

Wondering "What if" is an exercise in futility if you never act to discover the answer. Put together a store modeled for ultimate success and watch what happens when you turn business as usual into an extraordinary business. At The Friedman Group's Multiple Store Supervision Camp, owners, area managers and district supervisors learn, among other things, the details of the Model Store concept, how to set standards for a model store, and how to formulate a workable plan for implementation. For information/registration, call 1-800-351-8040 or go to www.thefriedmangroup.com.