What I Learned From Sam Walton: How to Compete and Thrive in a Wal-Mart World - Softcover

Praise for WHAT I LEARNED FROM SAM WALTON "Michael Bergdahl's book presents unique insights into the staggering international success of Wal-Mart. Throughout the pages of this book, you can almost hear Sam Walton himself coaching and inspiring his legion of employees to greatness." -Tracy Mullin, President and CEO, National Retail Federation "Retailers, non-retailers, manufacturers, and suppliers will enjoy Bergdahl's insights into Wal-Mart's service culture and its leadership icon, Sam Walton." -Roger J. Dow, Senior Vice President Global and Field SalesMarriott International, Inc. Bergdahl outlines his competitive strategy with the acronym P.O.C.K.E.T.S. P-Price: Don't try to compete on price; differentiate your product selection. O-Operations: Break the retail "ready, shoot, aim" tactical orientation bydeveloping an actual strategy to compete. C-Culture: Build a can-do culture with a strong sense of urgency. Communicate your values and beliefs over and over again to your employees. K-Key Item Promotion/Product: Determine who you are and uniformly communicate your brand message to your entire team. E-Expenses: Become obsessed about controlling costs. T-Talent: Recruit constantly and hire people who have both experience and high potential. S-Service: Never take your customer for granted. Empower your employees to make decisions involving customer concerns.

" Innovative ideas backed by visionary leadership and hard work can lead to transformational changes in the world in which we live."
- From the Introduction

The late Sam Walton began his march to retailing supremacy by building stores in rural areas across the southern United States. After establishing himself and gaining momentum, he began his expansion campaign in the west, north, and northeast- using his innovative business techniques to catch his competitors flatfooted. Walto was innovative, visionary, and hardworking, but these weren' t the only traits that enabled him to take Wal-Mart to the top of the retailing world.

If you want to compete in today' s Wal-Mart world, what better way to improve your business than to learn from the strongest and fastest competitor? In What I Learned from Sam Walton, author Michael Bergdahl uncovers and unravels the principles, culture, and secrets of Wal-Mart' s unprecedented success in a way that no one else can. As a former director under Sam Walton, Bergdahl draws upon his firsthand observations of Walton, his company, and its executive team to help you adapt Wal-Mart' s best practices and principles to your own organization.

With an insider' s perspective, Bergdahl peels back the cultural layers of Wal-Mart and gives you a glimpse into the mind of the founder of the world' s largest retailer. He also shares seven effective strategies you can take from Wal-Mart to build your business. These seven strategies are illustrated by the acronym P.O.C.K.E.T.S.- because to compete effectively you have to carve out a niche or business " pocket" for your company.

Each aspect of