Advance Praise for
Philip Mitchell and Discovery-Based Retail
“This book is a great tool for a dealer willing to embrace change! … When a dealer looks in the mirror and says, “We have to do something different from what we are doing,” this book should be the first tool they grab.”
“What a great book. For forward thinkers, a must read.”
“…. Read it! You won’t regret it.”
—Art Brown, Mid-America Lumbermens Association
“No matter who your targeted customer and/or product mix is, you always have a choice of managing your business the easy way or the hard way. Following Phil Mitchell’s easy to understand Discovery-Based Retail principles will assist everyone in retail to quickly become more successful.”
“It is a must read for all retailers, especially for anyone in our industry!”
—Chris Goebel, President/CEO, Star Lumber & Supply Co. Inc.
“You can spend a short time reading Phil’s book and capture the essence of a lifetime of experience that has been converted to usable insights and practical applications. Although Phil uses the hardware industry to illustrate his ideas, I highly recommend this book to anyone who has anything to do with retail management or sales.”
—Chris Crouch, Memphis, Tennessee, Author of Getting Organized, Simple Works and The Contented Achiever
“Discovery-Based Retail was very informative. ... it was very interesting reading and hard to put down.”
—Don Diebolt, Presidentm Diebolt Lumber & Supply, LaHarpe, Kansas
“…You could see that Phil had ideas and concepts in his head that were ahead of the curve and cutting edge for this industry, and Discovery-Based Retail shows that forward thinking. Without those people [who are] taking risks and putting forth new ideas and directions, the industry/business grows stale and will die.
—John T. Durkin Sr., Owner, Durkin’s Hardware, Eudora, Kansas
“I feel that, without question, Phil Mitchell’s Discovery-Based Retail covers all the key elements better than any publication I have read.
Phil’s focus on change in the marketplace, customer service and identifying your business type is clearly defined along with product assortment, advertising and merchandising. Discovery-Based Retail is indeed a worthwhile read for anyone involved in retailing.”
—Joe Thomlinson — Retired, Valspar Corporation
“Discovery-Based Retail is … something that could be of great help to anyone in the retail lumber and building material business/hardware business.”
—Mike Kennedy, President/CEO, T.H. Rogers Lumber Company, Edmond, Oklahoma
“For the past 15 years, my job at the North American Retail Hardware Association has been generating editorial and training content designed to help make independent home-improvement retailers better and more profitable merchants. During that time, I have yet to read a book that addresses so many of the issues that specifically affect a home-improvement retailer’s success as well as Phil Mitchell does in Discovery-Based Retail. It should be required reading for retailers in any industry, but especially for home-improvement retailers.
I first met Mitchell during an interview. I was the writer and he was the interview subject. He had just been appointed vice president of sales for an industry wholesaler. But, shortly into the interview, it became clear that he was much more than your typical industry executive. Phil is a student of retailing — someone who has spent his entire career helping retailers achieve greater levels of success and inspiring them to change.
Inspiring change is what this book is about. It touches on each of the critical variables that retailers need to address: customer service issues, assortment planning, employee training, pricing/margin strategies, how customers shop and especially store layout and design. Just like retailing, this book is part art and part science. It’s part history lesson and part road map, designed to help you reveal your own unique path to retail success.”
—Scott Wright, North American Retail Hardware Association
