Built to Last
pro•fit n. the return on investment or business undertaking after all expenses have been paid.
- 12. Power is the ability to initiate and sustain action, translating intention into reality. You are here to help create an environment where individual needs are satisfied by a cumulative and focused effort. You are the power. You are the battery attached. You are the energy. Pour it on.
- 13. Security, Profitability, and Growth. Often, people do not feel involved because they do not see the effect their actions have on the final outcome, so they focus solely on the minutia of their particular task [in that limited environment they can see the immediate result of their effort]. That is why most people feel more comfortable being judged on a particularly controllable and well-defined task. It doesn't work that way at The Advantage. As a merchant, you are responsible for the eventual outcome. It’s the big picture. We are not here for a good effort, we are here to be successful. Success at The Advantage is defined by achieving security, profitability, and growth.
- 14. The two essential ingredients of success. In order to be successful you will need to give an extraordinary effort and you will need help. In order to give an extraordinary effort, you will need to have faith in yourself, and in order to receive the help you need to be a success, you will have to have faith in others.
- 15. Pride. As a merchant you must respect our customers, your fellow workers, and the community. It's a big job. You show respect by taking pride in your work and giving a 100% effort. Anything worth doing is worth doing well. Remember, if you don't have the time to do it right – you certainly aren't going to have the time to do it over. Get it right the first time. People will remember how well it was done, not how fast. Exceed expectations. Your success as a merchant will be regularly evaluated.
- 16. Merchant Evaluation. We use a confidential evaluation scored by your peers and management to evaluate your progress. The criteria we use in this evaluation is threefold:
- Understand. You are rated by how well you understand the core ideology of The Advantage Co. and by how well you understand the fundamental principles and philosophy of this handbook.
- Believe. You are rated by how much you believe in our core ideology and The Advantage ‘Magic’. This is demonstrated by your motivation and enthusiasm.
- Sell. And finally, do you sell The Advantage ‘Magic’ 24 hours a day whether you are at work, home, or play? This is demonstrated by your loyalty and concern for our reputation, each other, and our customers. It is not enough to have it in your heart, it has to show, we are merchants.
