The Chain of Bookstore Command: Strategies for...

The Chain of Bookstore Command

Strategies for Independent Bookstores

Facilitate the flow of information

Part 7 of the 36-part “Book Wars” series of articles

by David A. Rozansky, Publisher, Flying Pen Press

May 2, 2009

(Note: This is the 7th article in the “Book Wars” series of articles, a series of articles where the author interprets the strategies taught in The 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene, and applies them to the business of the independent bookseller, in the arena of the difficult book trade. The first article in this series can be read at http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.jsp?articleId=281474977657920.)

This series of articles discusses how war strategies can be applied to the book trade for the benefit of the independent bookseller. I now move on to the strategy known as Chain of Command.

Chain of Command is simply the military way of saying Managerial Technique.

Simply put, the strategy of Chain of Command is that in any large organization like an army, which must follow orders given from a distance and coordinate maneuvers in the fog of war, the advantage goes to that organization that best moves information between the leadership and the troops.

The leadership must give orders that flow out to the entire organization swiftly and accurately. If the message is delayed or changed, then any strategy the leadership has formulized becomes worthless.

In reverse, the leadership needs to have a clear picture of what is going on in all places at all times. Information must come from the front lines as well as the reserves, and it must also travel quickly and accurately. Without proper knowledge of reality, the leadership’s strategies are again worthless.

Here is one area where independent booksellers have a serious advantage over national chains and internet retailers.

The chain stores have a long chain of command that stretches out over states, perhaps across the globe. Decisions have to be made at HQ, and response time to local needs is long. The greatest challenge these chain stores face is responding to local conditions while at the same time acting as a single company and following a single business plan. An hierarchy of regional managers, local “community relations” directors and “empowered” store managers resolves some of this challenge, but these managers do not have complete autonomy. Many of their decisions are restricted by arbitrary policies.

Amazon and other internet retailers have no frontline staff. They collate data perfectly, keeping track of what a customer buys and when they buy it. But they don’t know what the customer looks like, or why they read what they read. Thus, they operate blind, and any competitor that operates blind can be blindsided.

Independent booksellers hear the bell on the front door, know the names of the customer’s kids, even strike up conversations. When one of the staff has a terrific idea or has critical data about a customer, it quickly finds its way to the manager. Also, when the manager wants to engage a specific strategy, it only takes a few minutes to go around the store and tell all the staff members.

When discussing Chain of Command in military terms, it is important to have a strict Chain of Command, so that everyone knows exactly who reports to who. The bigger the organization, the more strict the Chain of Command must be, and so the less responsive it is at the local level.

Oddly enough, however, smaller organizations have to avoid the strict Chain of Command and use a looser system that is described best perhaps as “friendly.” In a small group of employees, it is easier to think in terms of being a team rather than being an army. Like players on the ball court, it is easier to strategize in a huddle or on the bench, to allow any team member to call for the ball and all the staff to cooperate as one fluid entity.

With this in mind, the independent bookseller is well advised to create a Chain of Command where each person has a specialty task, such as buying, shelving or accounting, but to make certain that each member of the team can take on all tasks. Staff meetings should be quick, where the manager can deliver the overall strategy concepts and allow the team to use their own tactics to bring that strategy to fruition. Treat the employees with the greatest respect possible, so that they think of their store and their co-workers as family.

But at the same time, it is important that all responsibility for the store rests with one person. Approval for operations and the strategy must rest with the manager (who is perhaps the store owner). And when the manager makes a decision that is not popular, the staff must follow it nonetheless, or face termination. There is no room for more than one leader in a small organization.

The flow of information is critical. Establish an environment in your store where information flows easily in both directions, and impress on all staff members the importance of bringing information to the management, even if it is bad news. Especially if it is bad news. Create an atmosphere where people feel comfortable telling their managers about their mistakes, and the managers will find that those mistakes are less likely to catch them by surprise.

Most importantly, make sure everyone knows just how critical it is to learn everything there is about each and every customer, especially when it comes to information that cannot easily pass through your competitor’s Chain of Command. This information will give an independent bookseller the advantage in her market, always.

So, Book Warriors, can you cite any examples of how Chain of Command is working in your store...or not working?

This is just one article in David A. Rozansky’s column, Readers, Writers & Royalties, a blog column about the book trade, from writing and publishing, to selling and reading. This series of articles—“Book Wars”—is an interpretation of the strategies listed in Robert Greene’s The 33 Strategies of War, as they apply to the independent bookseller. Mr. Rozansky explores the strategy of Controlled Chaos in his next article.

Readers may find archived articles or subscribe to Readers, Writers & Royalties at www.ReadWriteRoyalty.Gather.com. Subscribe to all of Mr. Rozansky’s articles at www.FlyingPenPress.Gather.com.

David A. Rozansky is the publisher of Flying Pen Press. He has been in publishing since 1987, and has more than one million published words under his byline. Flying Pen Press is at http://www.FlyingPenPress.com. He is available for speaking on the subject of writing magazine articles, public relations, marketing and book-length material.

The book mentioned in this article is The 33 Strategies of War by Robert Greene (Penguin Books, 2007, ISBN 978-0-14-311278-5, trade ppb, $18.00).