He was beginning to see that the principles of the chassis applied to all businesses, no matter what industry they were in.

He was beginning to see the light.

I'm starting to realize how this could work for me, Brad, he said as we fastened our seat belts. And I've got to admit that I'm excited and angry both at the same time.

Why angry? I asked.

Because I should have known about this 20 years ago when I first started the business.

I can coach you in another 50 or so ways to boost your average dollar sale, so that anger will soon be replaced with extra profits, I assured him as we left for our final stop.

Charlie Meets Ryan, the Sporting Goods Retailer, for a Lesson on Roosting Margins

I couldn't wait to catch up with Ryan again. He had been referred to Action by a friend and our tutelage started with a fair amount of skepticism on his part. We soon began making some great breakthroughs, particularly in the area of improving margins, and that was why Charlie was here.

Good afternoon, Brad, he yelled from the tennis clothes section as we entered his shop.

I introduced him to Charlie, who was eyeing a handsome FILA polo shirt. Why not take a look at the new Reebok line, Charlie, offered Ryan as he led him towards the brightly colored shirts.

I'll bet you a hundred dollars that you're making a better margin on those Reebok shirts than the FILAs, I said.

Now hang on a minute, was all he could manage as we burst out laughing.

When focusing on the last part of the chassis, it was Ryan's huge range of products that meant we had to always try and focus the customer's attention on the product with the highest margin. 49