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Michael "Bird
Dawg" Bergdahl
- Business Coach
- Author
- Workshop Leader
- Professional Speaker
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| Topics: |
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- What I Learned
From Sam Walton: How to Compete and Thrive in a Wal-Mart World
- F.I.R.S.T – Secrets to
Outperforming the Pack
- Building Bench – Attract/Retain &
Upgrade
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Michael Bergdahl began his career in an
entrepreneurial, highly successful, family owned newspaper publishing
business in Houston, Texas. In his next position, he got his hands dirty on
the manufacturing side of the petrochemical industry in J. M. Huber
Corporation's, Carbon Black Division in Baytown, Texas. He was recruited by
Frito Lay (a subsidiary of PepsiCo) to assume a position in their sales
organization. He worked in Bentonville, Arkansas at the Wal-Mart
headquarters, where he worked with Sam Walton. It was Sam Walton who gave
Bergdahl the nickname, “Bird Dawg”!
The first president of the National Speakers Association, Bill Gove,
described Michael Bergdahl as, “A storyteller who weaves entertainment into
his motivational business messages”. Lou Holtz describes him this way,
“Michael Bergdahl’s speaking ability coupled with his exceptional experience
with great leaders, gives you something that everyone who wants to succeed
needs to hear!” Roger Dow SVP, Global & Field Sales for Marriott
International describes him this way, “He’s a sales and service guy who
knows how to motivate people to reach their full potential. Speaking from
his hands-on experience, he inspires people to give that extra effort that
yields big results. If you haven’t heard him speak, you’ve got to hear him
speak!”
When Sam Walton died, Bergdahl left Wal-Mart and went to work as a member of
an executive turnaround team at American Eagle Outfitters (AE). The AE
leadership team turned the company around and took it public. The stock
subsequently split 4 times while he was there! He then joined the turnaround
team at Waste Management.
 Michael
Bergdahl is a full-time, speaker, business coach and author. He has recently
completed a book about his experiences at Wal-Mart working with Sam Walton
entitled: What I learned from Sam Walton: How to Compete and Thrive in a
Wal-Mart World, which will be published in the USA and Canada by John
Wiley’s Jossey Bass Division in August 2004. Internationally, the book will
be available in September 2004.
He wrote his book to help Wal-Mart’s domestic and international competitors
compete, survive and thrive in the shadow of the retail giant. He designed
the book around the acronym “P.O.C.K.E.T.S.” based on the fact that to
succeed in a Wal-Mart World you have to carve out a “niche” or “business
pocket” in order to be successful. Each of the letters in the acronym
represents a chapter in the book as follows: P. – Price, O. – Operations, C.
– Culture, K. – Key Item Promotion/Product, E. – Expenses, T. – Talent, S. –
Service. In each chapter he addresses some of the inside strategies and
tactics utilized by Sam Walton and Wal-Mart that make competition with them
so difficult. Retailers, non-retailers, manufacturers and suppliers will
gain competitive knowledge of the strategies and tactics necessary to
compete, survive and thrive in a Wal-Mart World!
#1 Most request Topic:
What I
Learned From Sam Walton: How to Compete and Thrive in a Wal-Mart World
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- Horror stories abound about Wal-Mart’s entry into new markets and
the subsequent destruction of competitors and downtown areas. In this
speech, using the acronym, “ P.O.C.K.E.T.S.”, which stands for Price,
Operations, Culture, Key Item Promotion, Expenses, Talent and Service,
Michael Bergdahl describes several effective strategies competitors
can and have used to counteract the inevitable pressure created by
“big box” retailers. Finding Your niche in the market or “POCKET” is
the key to Your survival! The key is to avoid the temptation to
compete on price. You’ve got to make the commitment to differentiate
yourself by looking for “POCKETS”! You will learn some secrets other
companies have used to compete with Wal-Mart and survive”!
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F.I.R.S.T – Secrets to Outperforming
the Pack |
- From his experiences working for World Class “Best Practice”
Companies like Pepsico’s Frito-Lay Division and Wal-Mart, Michael
Bergdahl shares with you some of the secrets of their success. As a
turnaround team member at American Eagle Outfitters and Waste
Management, learned what it takes to turn a failing company around.
He shares the secrets of outperforming the pack in this speech using
the acronym F.I.R.S.T. which stands for; Focus on the Customer,
Inspirational Leadership, Results through People, Succession
Planning/Bench-Building & Tactics for Driving the Business.
Combining energy, storytelling and humor with his practical
experience working with executives like Sam Walton, Bergdahl will
entertain and provide practical and actionable business ideas to
those in attendance.
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Building Bench – Attract/Retain &
Upgrade |
- What is your standard for staffing talent in your organization?
How do your people compare to those of your competitors? Are you
selective in choosing very bright, high potential people for your
business or do you settle for whoever walks through the door and
applies? Are you getting your share of “A” Players? The selection
and retention of quality employees is the foundation upon which
every one of your other strategies is based. Staffing should be one
of your most important competitive advantages. In this speech
Bergdahl will challenge your staffing paradigms. He will share with
you “World Class” Staffing strategies and tactics from his
experiences working for PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay Division. He will review
the methods of creating a “human inventory” or “bench strength”
analysis for your organization to help you improve your ability to
compete. In the competitive world we live and work in the companies
with the best talent…WIN!
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| “Your speaking ability coupled with your exceptional
experience with great leaders gives you something that everyone who
wants to succeed should hear.” |
Lou Holtz
Head Football Coach,
Notre Dame 1986-1996
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| “He’s a sales and service guy who know how to
motivate people to reach their full potential. Speaking from his hands
on experience, he inspires people to give that extra effort that yields
big results. If you haven’t heard him, you’ve got to hear him speak!”
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Roger Dow
SVP Global & Field Sales
Marriott International
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| “Dynamic, exciting, no nonsense, no pie in the sky,
no wishful thinking but nuts and bolts, guts and glory as to how to
become successful delivering your product to the world…speaking directly
to people, communicating directly to people, with a timely and important
message.” |
Richard Blockson
Bell Atlantic Yellow Pages
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