This past October, LP Magazine hosted its annual editorial board meeting in Philadelphia. The three-day event was colocated with the Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) fall Asset Protection Leaders Council event and the Loss Prevention Foundation annual board of directors meeting.
At the magazine meeting, a panel of three accomplished asset protection executives shared their career stories and industry views with attendees. With the overarching theme of “Getting to Know You” in mind, moderator Kevin Lynch, LPC, executive director of business development for Tyco Retail Solutions, spoke thoughtfully with Mike Lamb, LPC, vice president of asset protection for The Kroger Co.; Cathy Langley, LPC, senior director of asset protection for Rite Aid; and Mark Stinde, MBA, LPC, vice president of asset protection for 7-Eleven [left to right in photo].
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Panelists’ insights are revealed in a revealing feature article in the November-December 2018 issue of LP Magazine. From the article:
MODERATOR: Let’s talk a bit about the interactions between retailers and solution providers. What are things that contribute to a good partnership and things that do not?
LANGLEY: From my perspective, it’s critical to work with provider partners who are good listeners. Integrity and honesty are absolutely key. And it’s also important to come to the table with solutions.
LAMB: I would have to say that you know going into any significant project with a solution provider that it won’t be seamless, that there will be hiccups—things that neither we nor the solution provider anticipated. And that’s okay. To me, what separates the really great ones from the goods ones is that they’re really quick to react to that, particularly if it’s on their side of the fence. That allows you to get past whatever pain point that is and continue the project.
The other thing that resonates with me is solution providers that sell me something and then they’re gone. I want a partner who will stick with me even if I’m not continuing to spend money, who continue to ask if the solution is still working for me.
STINDE: Let me follow up to that by telling a story. As you know, I left loss prevention for a while and went into the safety business. There were two gentlemen from Tyco who reached out to me, not to sell me something, but to see how my family and I were doing. These were guys who cared about me not because I was spending a dollar with them because at the time I wasn’t.
I’ve also had people spend time with me because they are in a new role; maybe they’ve moved from one company to another or from retail to the vendor side. They come tell me what they do, and we talk about my business needs. But at the end of the day, we say, “You know, there’s really not an opportunity here for you. If there is, let’s get back in touch and talk about it.” But that time spent has built a rapport that can pay off down the road. I am a big believer that it is important to dig your well before you’re thirsty.
As the moderator, Lynch goes in depth with the panelists on topics like the evolution of the loss prevention industry, changing skillsets in the workplace, career highlights, and much more. Check out the full article, “Getting to Know You,” to learn more.
For more great LP content, visit the Table of Contents for the November–December 2018 issue or register for a FREE print or digital subscription to the magazine. [Note: if you’re already a logged-in subscriber, the previous link will take you to the current issue instead.]