Retail Store Performance

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.

You might be thinking that this is something that a millennial might say, however, quite frankly we all think the same thing as employees. It doesn't matter what generation you are from.

How great would your workplace be if all your staff had positive attitudes, confidence, determination, and loyalty? What would it be like if they worked with meaningful purpose and provided mutual support for each other in the work place? Sounds like utopia? This is not an impossible achievement.

The Retail Council of Canada pulled off another fantastic event with their annual STORE Conference this week and, of course, our entire Graff Team was there to join in on all the excitement! Kevin was on the main stage as emcee once again; introducing an impressive line-up of some of the most brilliant retail minds and the rest of us manned our booth in the Networking Hall which was busier than ever, chatting with the who’s who of the retail industry. That’s my favourite part of it all; hearing all the buzz from retailers both big and small across the country…I hear firsthand what’s hot and what’s not and always walk away with my head spinning full of thoughts and ideas about this wonderfully fast-paced, ever-evolving and complex industry we call Retail!

A few weeks ago I was speaking to a group about leadership; one of my favourite subjects! One of the characteristics of effective Leadership we focused on was Enthusiasm. I'm not talking about running into the office or your stores and high-fiving everyone, every day. I'm talking about the type of enthusiasm that inspires people to want to achieve their goals.

At this conference I had the opportunity to speak to front-line leaders as well as the store operations team from Head Office. I truly enjoyed working with these teams; however, I'd like to share one of my observations with you.

Who are the leaders in your company? The owner(s)? The CEO? The VP’s? We often think of leadership in terms of the most senior positions in an organization (especially if we occupy one of them!). But what if this wasn’t true? What if we were to tell you that the most important leaders in your company don’t hold an executive title? That they work much closer to the front lines than the CEO does? That they, in fact, spend a lot more of their time in the stores than attending meetings at head office?

Team Graff Spotlight: Mary

Spring always causes me to reminisce. I’m not entirely sure why, but earlier this week as we busy ourselves with all the prep for RCC’s STORE Conference, I found myself going down memory lane, back to the first STORE Conference I ever attended. That’s when I did the math and realized, this is my 30^th anniversary of working in the retail industry! It sounds unbelievable to me, but it is a fact.

I'm currently doing some research for Graff Retail that entails visiting 40 different retail stores both in malls and power centres. Perfect timing, as I have a lot of spring shopping needs on my list!

Like most of us, I tend to ‘webroom’ a lot, searching for products and services online; however, I then want to visit the stores in person so that I can touch, feel or try on the item. I’ve always loved the entire experience of looking around, discovering new products and feeling like a VIP while a sales associate passionately shows me great brands that would fit me and my lifestyle well. Feeling that excitement when you find a great deal or unique item, or simply just walking around with a tea in hand surrounded by awesome stuff is amazing. I actually find it therapeutic. It's one of the reasons I chose a career in retail; because I've always loved the store experience and I know many of you feel the same way.

I have to be very honest; I was not feeling the love this time around.