Advocacy Articles

C2O Advocacy--Is It Deja Vu All Over Again?
By Mark Palmore

One of my industry friends asked me recently why the majority of the advocacy articles I write all have the same basic theme: "Be Prepared, Be Proactive, and Be Positive?" The answer I gave her is that being ready to meet the wolf at the door is much better than dealing with the wolf after he is already in the hen house. She immediately looked at me like I was crazy, but she understood the analogy (though I am certain she still thinks I am crazy).

College stores that are prepared and take the necessary steps before the contract management companies make their pitch have a much better success rate in staying institutional than those who are in a reactionary mode. The good news is that more stores are in the prepared, proactive and positive frame of mind and are ready to present their case and demonstrate their total store value to their administrations.

How do I know this? As I visit various state and regional bookstore meetings, NACAS and NACUBO, I see a trend in which administrators are looking harder at ALL of their options, not just taking a contract management company's money and losing control of their store. That is a major development, and the primary reason I feel this is happening is that the institutional/self-op college store directors and staff are working harder to meet the needs of their campus. Knowing those needs and working to meet and exceed those needs will indeed lead to success.

Here are some stores that have done just that and are thriving as self-op entities: Sweetbriar College, Bowling Green State University, University of Dayton, SUNY-Oneonta, Tarrant County College, Lincoln Christian, Bucknell, Indiana University of Pennsylvania, Utah State, St. John's, Oglethorpe, Kalamazoo Valley CC, Occidental, Vermont, Northern Arizona and many, many more.

If you want more details on how any of those stores fought off the lease companies or if you would like to request assistance from the Connect2One Institutional Store Advocacy Program, please contact me at (800) 563-9034 or mpalmore@nebook.com.

After all of this I can only end with a familiar tune: "Be Prepared, Be Proactive, and Be Positive!"