Welcome to August and the buying group summer shows. This month features three of the major groups we partner with: APRO and TRIB Group, Nationwide and BrandSource. These groups will be having their buy fairs and educational meetings and they're all presenting exciting programs for their members.

The National Rent-To-Own Convention & Trade Show hosted by APRO and TRIB Group kicks off the month in Louisville, KY, August 6-8. RTO World in 2018 was a resounding success as professionals from around the globe gathered for the first-ever rent-to-own convention which was expansive and exciting enough to be called RTO World. The energy and excitement continue into this year’s 2019 convention. You can bet across the board that this year’s RTO World at the newly remodeled Kentucky International Convention Center in Louisville will give last year’s a run for its money. In addition to education, RTO World’s trade show will offer attendees an opportunity to connect with vendors, purchase inventory, and learn about the industry’s newest products and services.

This year, Nationwide Primetime will be held at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, August 17-20, in one of my favorite towns — New Orleans. The Nationwide Learning Academy at PrimeTime in NOLA promises to be the best live educational platform yet. Included will be more than 100 sessions across three days, with some of the leading authorities on a wide variety of compelling subjects. Again, the No Child Hungry program will be in full swing to package nutritious meal kits for hungry children in need.

BrandSource’s The Convention & Expo 2019 is a 4-day event beginning on August 24th, for the first time at the world-renowned Gaylord Texan Resort & Convention Center in Dallas. This year they will celebrate their 50th year anniversary of AVB. To commemorate the occasion, AVB and its core BrandSource division are pulling out all the stops this month with a collection of social events, seminars, and anniversary celebrations under the banner “Better Together.”

As usual, The Retail Observer will be in attendance of these spectacular events and we look forward to seeing you there. If you see me checking out the show, please don’t hesitate to stop me and say hello.

Happy Retailing,
Moe Lastfogel
​moe@retailobserver.com

In an Entrepreneur article, “Want to Be Successful? Focus on One Business,” CEO Tim Cook revealed a guiding principle that Steve Jobs instilled at Apple: the need to stay focused on doing only what you do best.

“It’s easy to add ... it’s hard to stay focused,” Jobs said during a Charlie Rose interview. “And so the hardest decisions we make are all the things not to work on.”

Jobs told a Fortune reporter, “People think focus means saying ‘yes’ to the thing you’ve got to focus on. But that’s not what it means at all. It means saying ‘no’ to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully.”

In the graphic arts, there’s a fundamental principle for laying out photos – always pick the photo with the greatest impact and magnetism, and make it bigger than the rest, to show the readers where you want them to look first. It’s a surprisingly useful rule – in life and in everything we do.

Same for running a business. When you’re focused on your strengths you’ll automatically be building a magnetic brand. There’s just one important caveat: your strengths absolutely must have a strong appeal for your customers.

The “big photo” of your company – the Big Story – should have a powerful emotional impact. And as our RO columnists are forever reminding us, the greatest impact occurs when we put our customers first.

There’s a reason why wise teachers have always emphasized the need for kindness and compassion – it’s not just because it’s a hard-wired rule, but because it leads to the greatest happiness and success for everyone, including us.

If you can tell stories about the wonderful ways you’ve connected with your customers, and how you’ve put yourself in their shoes with kindness and compassion, you’ll be amazed by how your Web visitors will be moved, and how they’ll spread the word and send new customers your way.

Let’s learn to say “yes” to our customers and “no” to anything that gets in the way. Let’s build high-impact customer-service magnetism – and tell the Big Story first.

Here’s to staying focused for success,
Eliana Barriga
​eliana@retailobserver.com