Retail Selling Ain't Brain Surgery, It's Twice As Hard
Jim Dion is founder and president of Dionco Inc., Chicago. Jim is an internationally known consultant, keynote speaker, trainer and author and one of North America's leading experts on retail technology, retail selling and service, marketing, retail merchandising and operations, teamwork and leadership, future technology and consumer trends, customized training design and development.Jim started his retail career in 1964 in a men’s wear store in Chicago. He was appointed Store Manager in 1971. From 1972 to 1974 he was night Manager of the Sheraton Chicago Hotel in downtown Chicago. From 1975 to 1981 he was employed by Sears Canada where he started in Retail Management in Richmond Hill, Ontario and moved to the Toronto Catalogue Center in an operating position. He was promoted to Buyer, Jeanswear and was responsible for buying and marketing for 68 retail and 958 catalogue stores across Canada. In 1981 he left Sears to become National Sales Training Manager for Levi Strauss Canada. During his time with Levi Strauss he developed one of the most advanced Sales Training Programs in the industry, in addition to introducing a Just-in-Time inventory system to Levi Strauss factories. From 1985 to 1988 he was Executive Vice President of Gilmore’s Department stores in Kalamazoo, Michigan. He repositioned a 106-year-old chain in a highly competitive retail environment.He has taught at Laurier University, Ryerson College, and the International Academy of Fashion Merchandising and Design in Chicago.Jim is a frequent speaker for the National Retail Federation in Washington DC and the Retail Council of Canada on Technology, Inventory Control, Negotiation Techniques and Store Management, as well as the International Council of Shopping Centers. He has produced six video tapes on Retail Inventory Control as well as authored the definitive retail selling manual and video series titled "Retail Selling Ain’t Brain Surgery, It’s Twice As Hard." He has co-authored the "Start and Run a Profitable Retail Business" for Self-Council Press, which has been republished in 2000.Jim consults with numerous Retailers in the U.S., Canada and internationally. He is a recognized expert in the North American PC market, a Microsoft Developer, and has experience with over twenty major retail system installs and hundreds of POS installs. Jim also studies and evaluates new retail POS, EDI, merchandising systems and relationship marketing software. He was a judge for the Microsoft© Retail Developer Awards in 1996 and 1997 as well as a Judge for CIO Magazine Top 100 in 1996. Jim has presented over 150 technology workshops across the country for the National Retail Federation, Microsoft, IBM and Northern Telecom. As well, Jim lectures and writes for numerous trade and national magazines on technology issues and on the Internet and its use and misuse by retailers and manufacturers.He graduated from Chicago State University in Chicago, Illinois BS, MS in 1971 and Illinois Institute of Technology Ph.D. (abd) in Industrial Psychology and Marketing in 1975.