We talk a lot about the importance of celebrating successes with your retail teams. There’s no right or wrong way to do this; just make sure you’re actually doing it and making it a part of your regular daily, weekly and monthly operations in the store.
How many of you believed (as I did when I was a toddler) that the Stork brought the new baby home? Conveniently, that fable left a lot of details out … and saved a lot of blushing!
So, what has the Stork brought to your store? You see, your new employees are much like new babies (hang in there with me if you’re a new employee … I’m not calling you a baby!)
I love the quote, "If you think you know everything, how smart can you be?' I'm not sure who wrote this, however, I agree! Often, when people arrive into a position of power and responsibility, they fail to realize that continued growth is essential to success as a leader. People often confuse busy with growth; busy just means busy. Busy doesn't even mean that you're not possibly bored. Heck, we're all busy these days.
I had a recent girl’s day out. Long overdue and naturally, it included a little retail therapy in one of my favourite clothing shops. Typically, retail therapy doesn’t end up being relaxing on any level for me. I have a hard time being a “regular customer” without assessing the entire customer experience through my retail expert goggles! I want to tell you about all the amazing goodies I found that day, but you know I have bigger story to tell, right?
Yes, I'm writing this while sitting on the dock on a beautiful morning up north. There's not much better than a morning on a dock, coffee in hand and the sun slowly rising. It gives you time to think and appreciate the small things in your life.
So, it got me thinking about all the often overlooked things that we don't appreciate enough about working in retail. We spend so much time complaining, worrying and being stressed out that we can forget what a great "place" retail is.
No, your significant other didn’t write the title for this blog. Nonetheless, it’s likely not the type of title that gets you excited, but give it a minute of reading.
How many times have you said or asked some or all of the following:
- Staff isn’t reliable any more
- Customers are so hard to satisfy these days
- Why doesn’t staff stay in the job longer?
- Why can’t I get ahead here?
- My boss just doesn’t get it
- My staff doesn’t get it
In the roles I’ve played in my retail career, I’ve had the pleasure of working with Retail District Managers in various capacities. As a Store Manager, I’ve reported to District Managers. As a Marketing Director I’ve relied on District Managers to help execute campaigns in their stores. And now, in my role at Graff Retail, I collaborate with DM’s on rolling out and sustaining new training programs at store level.
In all of these roles and through all of these initiatives I’ve learned that there are 2 kinds of District Managers; one is The Pencil Pusher and the other is The Sales Driver. There’s a big difference between these two types of DM’s. Let’s take a closer look.
Read more: There are 2 Kinds of District Managers...So Ask Yourself This...
I’m not so sure I’ve ever written a title for a blog with such an exaggeration in it. It’s the word “Big” that really stretches the limits, as you’ll quickly learn.
For the past little while, I’ve been working with a national chain on some important initiatives. They’re now at the point where they realize that the store standards are in disarray, to say the least. The brand is looking a bit ragged, and at the root of the problem is a lack of consistent execution on standards. Everything from merchandising, to inventory, to housekeeping to service standards have fallen behind.
Lately, I've been catching myself saying to my kids, 'When I was your age I didn't get to go there” or, “I didn't behave that way” or, “I appreciated…”
And every time I start the sentence, my kids get this glossed over look in their eyes. Their eyes literally roll back into their heads.
Today, I picked up my son from Canada's Wonderland and I said…(yup, you guessed it), 'Do you know how lucky you are to be able to go to Canada's Wonderland?' My 13 year old said to me, 'Mom, what's your point? I do feel lucky and I do appreciate it, so why do you keep saying that?”
Passionate sales people are happy and productive – they radiate energy, interest and commitment. Prospective customers walking into the store feel this energy and interest and respond positively to it. They relate more quickly to passionate people and are more likely to accept their assistance and advice.
Are your sales associates selling with passion and enthusiasm? How do you get them there? The best leaders know that coaching and developing people is not just another task to add to their busy schedules. It is a fundamental part of their leadership style.
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