The CANEX teams have been Graff Retail ONLINE clients for several years; growing and developing their teams using the Graff Get Selling and Get Managing e-learning programs. We often get out in the field and visit the stores, so when our VP, Linda Montalbano came back raving about these two ladies, I knew I needed to find out what it was that impressed Linda so much!
Meet Nicole Mack and Gloria Keller (fondly referred to as “G Money” by her team … YES, that’s what they all call her because of her amazing ability to sell anything, seemingly to anyone!).
These two retail Manager rarities are making their CANEX Edmonton store locations awesome places to work and shop all because of their #HUSTLE. Sure, it’s their physical hustle, but after interviewing both of these retail rock stars, I learned quickly that it’s their mental hustle that’s really separating them from the pack.
In my conversation with these ladies, there were a few common threads worth mentioning:
- Both entered the retail industry without any past experience and were promoted to their current managerial positions.
- Both exhibited a huge sense of pride for their stores, product lines and staff.
- When asked, “What gets you out of bed in the morning?” both Nicole and G Money enthusiastically responded “it’s the people.” So yes, retail is a people kind of industry. Working with staff and customers alike, you have to enjoy being around people in order to survive, never mind thrive in retail. It was more than the fact that these ladies are ‘people persons’ though. They both spoke of the love of the challenge that working with people brings them. On the customer side, they are driven by getting to know their customers; getting to understand their needs and wants and ultimately building relationships that surpass the basic salesperson/customer exchange. And, when asked about their staff, I heard “I like to lead by example.” It’s not a new idea. We hear it spouted often, but rarely demonstrated amongst leaders.
These are retail managers who know what’s going on in their stores. They know their customers (and can both sell like nobody’s business) and they take time with their staff. Why? Because they have made it a point to submerge themselves in every aspect of their operations on a daily basis. But how do they sustain their own gusto for the retail game? This was where I noticed their approach was so much more than just a positive attitude. These women had a mental strength that clearly fuels them. That was the mental #HUSTLE that I saw in both of them that so many of us don’t have, once had and lost or constantly scramble to hang on to each day.
Want some words of wisdom from these CANEX successes?
- When it comes to training and developing your team, take it one lesson at a time
- Find something to be enthusiastic about everyday
- Use Get Selling to onboard and refresh on an ongoing basis
- Use Get Managing to stay on top of your own game as a leader
- Do the ‘watch me’ and ‘show me’ steps with your staff
- Keep the fun in all of it!
I can see why Nicole and G Money caught Linda’s attention during her store visit. It was their mentality towards all that they say and do in their stores that was so refreshing. Thank you to both ladies for sharing their secrets to success!
The purpose behind our monthly Spotlight on Success is to inspire and motivate all our retailers to think beyond the tasks at store level and embrace every opportunity to grow. I’m now on the hunt for our Spotlight on Success feature, so if you can help your fellow retailers out with an inspiring story of your own, please share at: solutions@graffretail.tv.
