Secret Service
Boost your business by doing a little shopping-undercover, of course.
By Kim T. Gordon •
Opinions expressed by Entrepreneur contributors are their own.
Thomas Stemberg, the CEO and founder of Staples, is addicted toshopping. Despite the fact that he heads an $11 billion storechain, Stemberg continues to shop the competition in person,sometimes even enlisting family members to help-including hismother-in-law, who, he says, "was a regular shopper at OfficeDepot's delivery business to help me learn how itworked."
Shopping the competition is one method of stimulating growth andinnovation for your retail operation. It's easy, do-it-yourselfresearch that can help you find your marketing edge by monitoringservice from the customer's perspective.
Continue reading this article — and all of our other premium content with Entrepreneur+
For just $5, you can get unlimited access to all Entrepreneur’s premium content. You’ll find:
- Digestible insight on how to be a better entrepreneur and leader
- Lessons for starting and growing a business from our expert network of CEOs and founders
- Meaningful content to help you make sharper decisions
- Business and life hacks to help you stay ahead of the curve
