Customer relations
As stated previously, “Outstanding Customer Service At All Times” will be the motto of the Circle K I manage, and I feel it is customer service which will keep a customer coming back time and time again when he has the choice of patronizing other similar establishments.
The great majority of customers will come from the neighborhood areas, main thoroughfares, and nearby shopping centers. The store will attract lunchtime customers, early shoppers, weekend, and holiday customers and customers who may need only a few items.
The primary marketing objective for the Circle K is to gain maximum market share of the area neighborhoods as well as the travelers going both west and east on Ellison Road. These travelers are primarily area employees and those driving long distances, and their primary vehicle is the automobile. It is expected that the average number of passengers per vehicle will be two.
There will be some seasonality to the business in view of the much heavier traffic that is expected on the interstate during the winter months. However, our main concentration will be on becoming a positive influence in the community and in “courting” the “locals” who will be the “bread and butter” of our business.
A second marketing objective will be to gain repeat business from those who patronize the Circle K for the first time as well as to gain customers through word of mouth advertising from first-time users. This will be done by serving high quality products in pleasant surroundings and a clean comfortable atmosphere.
Store staffing and scheduling
In the area of store staffing and scheduling—a critical ingredient of success—I feel I am exceptionally well qualified to establish and manage a business which depends upon quality staffing and scheduling of employees.
Although I do not underestimate the difficulties of staffing and retaining good personnel at the lower-level wage scale which must be paid within a Circle K structure, I am excited about the challenge of recruiting and training good quality employees.
I am an experienced trainer and motivator, and I will aggressively tackle the challenge of finding the best employees and training them to do their jobs in an outstanding fashion with “Outstanding Customer Service At All Times” as our first priority.
I intend to attempt to attract quality individuals from the local neighborhood to work within the quality organization I intend to build, as I feel that many people could derive job satisfaction from having a job they enjoy at close proximity to their home.
Studies have shown that, when people are asked about what motivates them at work, they do not mention money first, but they say that they need enough equipment to get their job done, and they say that they want to feel appreciated.
With those research findings in mind, and with my 10 years of experience as a middle manager in the U.S. Army constantly training and managing employees, I am confident that I can attract and retain the most qualified employees who will be a credit to the Circle K Corporation as well as to the local community.
Last word
The competition to my Circle K store will come from the local Ellison Road Shopping Center which has four eating establishments which are located near the Circle K, and I believe we can compete aggressively with our competitors because of the professional store staffing and scheduling policies which I will implement and control.
