| Now that the busy holiday season is over, it’s time to focus on effectively managing your team’s sales performance. We have compiled a list of ten strategies that can help boost retail sales and can be utilized during coaching sessions. Assessing your team’s performance during peak shopping periods can be challenging. Sales tend to be easier during these times when customers are actively making purchases. However, when customers are less abundant and not obligated to buy, the competence of your sales associates becomes crucial for your business. Here are ten strategies to improve retail sales and effectively manage sales performance in your store: 1. To accurately assess performance, create work schedules that allow all team members to experience both busy and quieter shifts. This ensures fair comparisons of sales per hour between associates. Schedule your top performers during peak hours while providing equal opportunities for those with uncertain or average performance. 2. Take a close look at each associate’s Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) from the past few months, particularly during busier periods. Review previous schedules to identify high-performers and underperformers, and look for any correlations to the scheduling. 3. Use your top-performing associate’s KPIs as a benchmark and rank all associates accordingly. 4. Keep detailed records of your observations and conclusions in your sales reports. These will be valuable references during discussions with your associates. 5. Initiate performance discussions at the beginning and end of each shift or day. Providing immediate feedback and coaching proves to be more effective. 6. During coaching sessions, highlight observed behaviors and their impact on results, both positive and negative. Offer guidance on how to change unproductive behaviors and monitor the associate’s progress in implementing those changes. 7. Make sure that product knowledge materials are readily available for associates to review. Require them to acknowledge their understanding by signing or initialing the material. Excuses for not staying updated with product knowledge should not be tolerated. 8. Ensure that your management team understands their responsibilities when they are in charge. Consistency among the management team is crucial. If a coaching point is important to you, it should also be important to the rest of the management team. This united front is essential for associates to observe. 9. Always have a member of the management team available to answer questions and provide general assistance to associates in their sales efforts. 10. If an associate continues to underperform despite receiving feedback, suggestions, coaching, and a reasonable amount of time for improvement, it may be necessary to initiate a formal performance management process. By implementing these strategies, you can enhance retail sales and effectively manage the performance of your sales team. All the Success! DMSRetail PS. We have a tool to substantially increase your organization’s sales performance. It is called “The 33% Increase Formula” and can be found HERE |
Posts Tagged 'retail management'
10 Tips to Boost Sales
Published January 25, 2024 Sales Leave a CommentTags: retail management, retail sales skills, Retail Success
Retail Company Culture
Published July 13, 2022 Articles 2 CommentsTags: retail company culture, retail management
Having worked for several prominent retail organizations I have seen the impact of both positive and negative cultures on the workforce, the customers and, of course, the success of the business.
Have no doubt whatsoever, the head of the organization dictates, through words and actions, what the culture will be.
I want to tell you about the incredible culture created by a CEO, and a gentleman, I’ll call Sam.
For three years, I had the opportunity to work for the company that this man headed up before he decided to sell his successful enterprise to a large, old school retailer.
We were all very happy for him.
This sale was going to mean a lot more time for he and his wife to travel and generally enjoy life after a lot of years of hard work and dedication to their business.
We were saddened to be losing such a great leader but we knew he deserved the rest and we wished him well.
Those three years were perhaps the most rewarding and educational years of my entire career, one that spans over twenty years.
The company was managed in such a way that you had no choice but to feel like an important part of it.
No employee was ever treated like a number, unworthy of receiving up to date communication on what was happening within the company.
The executive were always aware of the impact their actions would have on store personnel and customers.
In this company everyone understood where, and by whom, sales were made and every effort was made to include input from the field whenever important decisions were being made that would affect employees or customers.
The man I speak of did not always have a successful company on his hands. At one time, as I understand, the company had been on the brink of failure.
He, and his loyal employees managed to save it.
It was quite a feat, requiring dedication, a new direction and a new way of being. Sam did many, many things to move his company in the right direction.
To detail all of them would require a book, which I hope he will write some day, and a lot more information than I have available to me.
I did not know this man as well as some of my colleagues did but I know, for certain, that he is a man with integrity.
If he says it, you can take it to the bank.
By the time I came on board the company was doing very well. A brand new culture had been built. That’s right…built.
Culture is something you build with every word you say and every action you take. A positive culture does not come about by accident.
It takes a lot of soul searching and checking with people and just when you think you have it all figured out you have to check again.
It takes the ability and the willingness to know and admit that you don’t know everything and you don’t have all the answers.
It takes a desire to get input and feedback from the people affected by a given situation.
It takes the guts to take action to fix something that’s not working. It takes coaching and loyalty and lending a hand to those who need it.
It takes understanding that people don’t make mistakes because they want to.
It takes a firm, but kind, word to someone who messes up. It takes the ability to foster a feeling of belonging among those who are in your business family.
Sam certainly did all of these things and he worked tirelessly to ensure his executive and management teams did also.
Store Managers were invited, and expected, to have an impact on the whole organization and not just their own store.
If she made a request there were only two acceptable outcomes.
1) The request was granted and a date for completion was to be given or
2) The request was not granted and the reasons were explained.
It did not stop there if the Store Manager was not satisfied with the outcome. She was never expected to settle for an answer that did not satisfy her.
The process that ensued was one of open and on-going dialogue until either the Store Manager became convinced and was satisfied with the reason that her request could not be granted or she managed to convince her Manager that the request should be granted.
It wasn’t over just because someone said it was over.
And the company flourished. Following the news of the sale of the company, most field management stayed in place for some time.
Unfortunately, as with all good things, the culture we had come to know and love ended.
It was like a period of mourning. Executive and management moved on to new challenges and the business went straight down, at least for the short term.
The new owners will never understand what happened. There will be reasons and excuses but they all amount to nothing.
The truth, that they probably do not even realize, is that the great culture was run out of town; obviously deemed unnecessary and not worth saving.
It’s that simple and it’s such a shame.
Those of us who lived in Sam’s environment clearly understand what happened when he and his carefully chosen team were no longer at the helm.
The key to sustaining a successful business is to RESPECT the culture — after all, the business is secretly thriving on it; OBSERVE carefully, for a time, and then ACT appropriately.
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Conversion Nightmare
Published July 12, 2022 Articles 2 CommentsTags: retail management, retail math, retail performance
Test your retail management analytical and problem solving skills.
Here’s the case store situation:
In a busy regional mall, which has been operating for approximately 30 years, and which has undergone several renovations, there is one very unusually positioned store.
The store sells women’s lingerie. It is part of a well known, multi-national chain which does very well.
The store volume is pretty good and they are above average in meeting targets for sales and most other KPI’s.
The one KPI they do not ever meet is conversion.
They are always below chain, region and district average in their percentage of achievement in this particular KPI.
Although they do many things well, they just cannot meet their Conversion targets.
The Store Manager and staff believe they know what the problem is.
The store is situated at one tip of the triangular shaped mall. For ease of access to the rest of the mall, this store has entrance/exit doors on both sides.
On both sides, the doors lead to the hallways of the mall with stores located across the hallways. The store does not have an outside access door…only mall access.
Directly across from one of the doors is a convenience store which sell all kinds of things…from milk and bread to souvenirs, lottery tickets to o-t-c medicine and skincare products.
It’s a very busy store that does not have an access door from the mall parking lot. The closest parking is located just the other side of our case study store.
The only way for people to get to the convenience store without walking all the way around the mall, is to cut through our lingerie store.
And, they do that in huge numbers…to get TO the convenience store and to get FROM there back to the parking lot.
Imagine the chaos. Imagine the traffic counter working overtime!
Needless to say the 28 year old Mom who is running in to pick up some Children’s Tylenol to take care of her sick toddlers high fever, is not going to be enticed to stop and shop for lingerie regardless of the promotions or the sales associate who is standing on her head trying to make it so.
And, the 79 year old gentleman who buys lottery tickets every Wednesday, Friday and Saturday, week in and week out, is not considering purchasing lingerie for his sweetheart.
But, what about the woman who is going to pick up some milk while she is at the mall shopping for shoes?
Or, the guy who is going to get some chocolates from the convenience store three days before Valentine’s Day?
The executive continue to lament the lack of conversion in our lingerie store and refuse to lower the target.
- Is the Store Manager making excuses?
- Is the Conversion Rate set too high?
- What should it be?
- Has the unusual traffic situation already been taken into account?
- Is there some wild and crazy way to stop these ‘walk through’ people and get them to buy something?
This situation illustrates the obvious requirement to know the facts before accusing the staff for lack of performance.
More stories like this at dmsretail.com
Back to Basics
Published July 11, 2022 Articles 2 CommentsTags: retail management, retail management training, retail performance, retail training
A brand new market reality is upon us and, naturally, most retailers want to lift their performance up a notch compared to last year.
How big a jump that’s going to be depends on the overall goals and objectives of the business.
Whatever the number is, reviewing the fundamentals of your retail operation is in order.
At DMSRetail, when it comes to performance, we place the highest degree of importance on people.
When all things are equal, people make a big difference.
In fact people make a huge difference even when everything else is not equal.
We have seen stores out performing other stores that are located in much larger market areas with higher average income levels within the same retail chain.
Therefore our first recommendation is to take a close look at the people oriented aspects of your operation.
Here are some of them:
Hiring:
Hiring the right caliber of people is crucial to your success in retail management, perhaps more so than in any other industry.
Every single one of your hiring decisions, as a Store Manager, District Manager or Regional Manager or a Business Owner will speak volumes about your organization and your personal values and abilities.
In retail there is no such thing as hiding behind a desk or a cubicle for any employee and, thus, for their Manager.
A simple but very effective way of hiring the right people is modeling.
Develop a sufficiently detailed profile of your most successful person and look for and hire people who fit that profile as closely as possible even if it means paying a few dollars more; you will be rewarded multiple times over in terms of elevated performance and lack of headaches.
Pure and simple.
Training:
Everybody seems to know how important training is, yet most retail managers give it only lip service.
One of the major reasons for the high degree of customer dissatisfaction and resulting lost sales in the retail industry is poorly trained employees who do not have a clear understanding of what is expected of them.
An important part of the training must be clear communication of goals, objectives and expectations in full detail.
Measurements in terms of sales numbers, customer satisfaction index and other performance indicators should be on paper and staff must be verbally quizzed regularly to make sure they know all the expectations and their individual performance against those expectations at any given time.
Performance Evaluation:
If you have installed the performance expectations correctly, then evaluation of staff performance is a simple and straight forward process.
If your staff is performing above expectations, all you have to do is stretch the expectations a little and support them with a pat on the back, prizes and other monetary and non-monetary rewards to keep them going higher and higher.
On the other hand, if they are not performing, there are usually 2 fundamental reasons:
a) Lack of skills
b) Lack of right attitude
Lack of skills is fairly easy to deal with — it means that they have to go back to training.
Dealing with a bad attitude can range from difficult to very complex.
If you followed our advice on hiring, you should not be suffering from bad attitude disease.
In any case, here are possible dimensions of an attitude problem:
a) Management-induced dimensions: incompetent managers almost always create an atmosphere where staff does not care anymore.
If manager to staff communication is poor and/or too seldom, the staff will feel neglected and if the situation continues for any length of time, the feeling will turn into a bad attitude.
Another management- induced dimension occurs when the manager doesn’t know how to motivate or doesn’t want to motivate, or both.
This again, will ultimately result in a bad attitude.
The management-induced bad attitude list can be a long one and will result in severe lack of performance of the store.
b) Lack of self motivation: Some people suffer from chronic lack of self confidence, often as a result of poor upbringing and lack of education.
Unless you are a psychologist ( which you probably aren’t) or have a ton of free time on your hands (which you don’t) this is a tough nut to crack.
Your best bet is probably to part ways.
c) Personal issues: these can be anywhere from physical convenience issues like living far from the workplace and not having dependable transportation to personal family dramas that may be affecting the individual’s focus, devotion and behavior resulting in lack of performance.
Your ‘all around high performers’ are your most valuable asset.
They are your goodwill ambassadors, your spokespersons; they create your image and your fine reputation.
They build relationships with your customers and they can turn them into customers for life.
They sell your products.
Because of the impact they have, you owe it to yourself and your business to hire, train and evaluate people with the utmost care and attention.
The bottom line is you have to be very aware of people performance issues and you have to be equipped to deal with those issues if you want to make this year your best year ever.
You can find our Retail Employee Evaluation System You can Use to Improve Performance in Retail Business Academy:
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Another Day in the Life of a Retail Customer
Published July 10, 2022 Articles 2 CommentsTags: retail customer service, retail management, retail performance
A recent shopping trip to a store — one of many stores in a large, well recognized chain — indicated clearly, that a performance culture does not exist in that organization.
I have shopped at several of their locations to purchase things for my home and car, for camping supplies, for Christmas lights and decorations, etc.
I can’t say I have ever been really impressed with the service level offered, but I usually found what I was looking for and paid a reasonable price for it.
They sell major brands and can generally be counted on to stand behind the merchandise they sell.
It’s easy to determine, very quickly, whether or not a performance culture exists in a retail company.
If it doesn’t exist, some customers will not recognize it for what it is — they will just be dissatisfied and leave with a bad impression.
On this particular occasion I was looking for a small appliance for the home.
I found coffee makers and mixers and toasters and just about every small appliance you can think of.
What I was looking for, however, was not on the shelves — an electric can opener. That’s a pretty basic small appliance for the home, wouldn’t you agree?
This chain has been in business for many, many years and, in my wildest dreams, I could not imagine that they would not have an electric can opener for sale.
So, assuming that I was just not looking in the right place, I sought out an employee to help me.
To be fair, I must tell you that there was a lot of merchandising going on at the time.
Not that their merchandising schedule should be my concern because customers should never take a back seat to any task being performed in a store.
But it did add to the confusion.
Anyway, the associate I found to help me definitely tried to help me find an electric can opener.
He was somewhat embarrassed because he was certain they had them, he just didn’t know where they were.
He was communicating via headset and tried several times to contact someone who would know where electric can openers were merchandised.
He offered his apologies, for the delay and confusion, while I followed him around and around the small appliances department.
In the end, he said that he was pretty sure they had can openers but no one knew where they were. He was sorry.
This was an excellent example of the lack of a performance culture.
The associate was definitely a performance oriented individual but his colleagues and superiors — the ones he contacted for help — were not.
In a truly performance oriented company, they would all have been on the same page. They would all have worked to find the electric can openers.
The loss of a sale of one electric can opener will not break the company.
But you can be sure that this was not just an isolated incident. When the lost sales add up we all know what the result can be.
Retailers who had been around for years are now gone.
A performance culture must be well defined, well communicated and constantly nurtured.
Amazing Little Store vs. Sluggish Giant
Published July 9, 2022 Articles 2 CommentsTags: retail customer service, retail management, retail performance
Today, we’re going to look at an important, but often ignored, part of running a profitable business…
… using a couple of enlightening (and very brief) anecdotes from my recent shopping adventures.
Let’s call this lesson: Amazing Little Store vs. Sluggish Giant.
See if you can spot how the following short story may apply to YOUR business…
OK, here we go.
In my line of work, I am required to shop a lot! For everything.
Over the past few months I’ve been doing a study on two markets…or grocery stores…in a city of about 500,000 people commonly referred to as Forest City, although that is not its name.
In Forest City, there is an affluent area which is well served by many retailers; chains and independents.
Now, the Sluggish Giant is a huge place — one of a large chain of other Sluggish Giants — but we are focusing on just one in this story.
It was built with selection and one stop shopping in mind.
As with other huge places, they have a pharmacy, an electronics department, a house wares department…you can get bedding, pots and pans, and garbage cans.
In fact, as I am writing I am hard pressed to come up with anything they don’t have when it comes to everyday needs in the course of running a household.
This Sluggish Giant is clean and modern, well signed, well merchandised (for the most part) and is generally well prepared for the public.
Oh… and prices are reasonable.
They even offer cooking classes and have a fitness club attached; a dry cleaners and a little kiosk where you can purchase a bottle of wine.
So, one could say the ‘product’ was great; product being the building, the offering and the whole store environment.
And, as I mentioned above, the prices are reasonable. I might even say they were good, but not cheap….not a bargain or anything like that.
I do have complaints about the Sluggish Giant, though… but not because of the stuff they sell, the prices or the basics they deliver like a clean and tidy environment, etc.
And I’ll get back to the complaints later on.
Now, let’s introduce the Amazing Little Store.
What a place. Lots of good things to say about The Amazing Little Store, but it is quite small and limited in selection due to its size.
There is no pharmacy, no wine store, no dry cleaners, no house wares or electronics department…you get the picture.
In fact, you cannot buy bleach or pet food there. It is definitely not a one stop shop.
Mr. & Mrs. Affluent of Forest City shop regularly at The Amazing Little Store…often. It’s crowded most of the time.
The shopping carts are miniature versions of the Sluggish Giants’ shopping carts. And they have to be, or you’d never be able to maneuver in the place.
Prices are not over the top at The Amazing Little Store, but they’re higher than usual…for everything.
I forgot to mention they have a small flower shop (with higher priced floral bouquets and arrangements) and a ready to go Sushi stand.
The produce is fresher, bigger and shinier!
Here’s a biggie…they have so much staff in the store it’s almost inconceivable compared to any other retailer.
But they do so much business they surely will not have a wage cost problem. There are 16 people working behind the scenes in the salad area.
Those people are working all day long making fresh salads of all types…and they are selling them like they are going out of style.
A final small delight…you can enjoy a free cup of coffee while wheeling your miniature cart around looking at every square inch of shelf and counter space, lest you miss some new and tantalizing foods.
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Now… here’s where the lesson comes in.
While the Sluggish Giant shines as an overall supplier to the household shopper, the staff and customer service policies are disastrous.
It wouldn’t be possible for any customer to think highly of them.
Certainly, many people shop at Sluggish Giant because it’s a huge market that is close to home and has just about everything they need… but that doesn’t mean they would be loyal if they had another option that provided the same things.
So, watch out Sluggish Giant, your future is probably not so bright.
They want you to do everything for yourself. They want you to use self checkout — where there is always a long line up.
If you do want a cashier to check you through, you will wait in an even longer line up. And here is the kicker…even if you are not at self check out…you will self pack!
That is, they do not pack your groceries in the bags (yours or theirs).
No, they just let the groceries pile up on the conveyor belt waiting for you to get the hint that you are supposed to be performing part of their job.
I can’t go on about this or we’ll never get through this lesson.
They are trying to save labor dollars. Well, good for them. Any well run business would pay attention to costs.
But, even though they are not a ‘no frills’ environment with dead cheap prices, they believe that I am supposed to help them out in their quest for wage savings! Really?
Perhaps they need to do a little more thinking about their business. I’m not inclined to help them and I don’t think many other people are either.
Here’s just one small example — one of many similar things that happened to me in that store …one of my items being scanned by the robotic cashier at the Sluggish Giant was ripped open at the bottom (and it was clear that a customer could not have caused this particular damage) — I don’t want packaged food that is not properly packaged, so I asked the cashier to call someone to replace it.
He nodded. A few moments later, because no one came to the desk, I reminded him.
He said “you should just go and get another one yourself”. (Just so you know, I did not go and get it and there was quite the little upset at that young man’s cash desk.)
And all of this from a fellow with a smock that has “Need Help? — Just Ask Me” emblazoned in huge, bold, colorful letters on his back!
And it just ticked me off that the staff members seem to have taken classes in offending customers. The staff members I encountered all need attitude adjustments.
But, alas, there is no management person, working at Sluggish Giant, who will take care of that. They just don’t get it!
If it weren’t so sad and annoying it would be hilarious!
Hey — I realize this isn’t earth shaking stuff.
You may be saying ‘so what’ if I have to pack my own stuff and ‘so what’ if I have to replace a ripped package (because it’s my fault that it’s ripped???).
But that’s the point of this little story.
It’s the little, lousy ’so what’ stuff that actually leaves the biggest impression.
This got me thinking about customer service delivery.
Over at The Amazing Little Store, the staff members are like long-lost family. The cashiers are always smiling and always make you feel like they are glad you are there.
And, guess what? You’re not going to believe this. They have 9 cash desks and, when needed, 9 cashiers. And what might be the reason for all this?
Well, gee, it’s probably to ensure that customers don’t have to wait in line to exit the store.
They love me!!! They’re happy that I shop here. And… they respect my time!!!
The life-time value of a customer is what counts and this little store has got me for life…or as long as I live in this city.
Remember, it’s not that first sale. It’s all the repeat purchases that build a successful business model.
Good business savvy demands over-the-top excellent customer service… all the way down the line.
It costs you a lot of money to acquire a new customer.
Have you ever tried to figure out just how much it costs, to acquire one new customer, in advertising and other promotional costs? Probably you haven’t.
And you probably haven’t tried to figure out how much of your profit comes from your loyal customers.
Well, at least you should understand that your loyal, repeat customers are giving you most of your profit. Think about it.
Without the loyal customer, who would pay for the marketing and advertising to get the new customer??
I probably won’t shop at Sluggish Giant again. They have what I need but I don’t like to shop there — I don’t FEEL good when I shop there.
They don’t like me or respect my time. Even if I do shop there again, I could never be considered one of their loyal customers.
So it’s worth noting that even a great product, at a great price…can be nullified by rotten customer service.
And it’s also worth noting that another place — like the Amazing Little Store — can leave you with great feelings about the experience, making you want to go back again and again even if you have to stop elsewhere to pick up the other things you need.
Convenience is not top of the list, but that’s ok.
So the perfect mix is: Great product, great value for the money…
… and great customer service.
It’s not brain surgery.
Apart from providing great service up front, if your customer has a problem, they better get personal service fast.
You will never make everyone happy, of course. You’ll always have unpredictable problems that just crank some folks so much it damages the relationship forever.
It happens.
And we’ll always see a very tiny percentage of strange customers who cannot ever be satisfied, because they’re nut jobs. Yes, some people are!
I came up through the ranks knowing that customer service can make or break a project; and a business.
Some businesses out there say “whatever”, and accept huge refund rates because they just don’t want to bother with good customer relations.
I don’t recommend that model. It’s a slippery slope all the way to bankruptcy.
Truly resilient success is built on having a killer product… supported by equally killer customer service.
The customer may not always be right… but that’s the right attitude to start out with when dealing with someone.
It’s a huge lesson. Great product, great service. Anything else just doesn’t make sense.
Highly Successful Retail Manager and Customer Service
Published September 9, 2021 Tips Leave a CommentTags: Highly Successful Retail Manager and Customer Service, retail customer service, retail management
Highly successful retail managers (HSRM) are passionate about delivering exemplary customer service; they treat customers with the respect they deserve – role modeling on the sales floor so associates can see and hear exactly what exemplary customer service looks and sounds like.
The HSRM knows that every customer, in every situation, must be treated with the utmost courtesy and respect and, if he does not role model that behavior at all times, there is very little hope of associates delivering consistently.
Role modeling correct and proper behavior ensures that you are seen as the authority on how the customer is to be treated.
It also earns you respect as employees see how easily you deal with customers in every situation.
They see how you change your greeting and overall approach to different customers.
For example, you would likely treat teenagers looking at headphones differently than you would treat a mature married couple who are upgrading their entertainment system – not in any way better or worse, just differently.
Approaches are not generic and need to be tailored, just like the rest of the sales process.
Role modeling is an excellent way to teach and HSRM’s take every opportunity to do so.
HSRM’s know their customer and they insist that their team members learn as much as they can about them also.
By talking to customers, and through various types of analysis, the HSRM becomes an expert on his customers likes and dislikes; their shopping habits; what they will, and will not, accept in terms of merchandise and various other things.
For example, an HSRM would be able to speak intelligently about how the customer will react to a proposed visual display or a promotion.
They know their customer and their subordinates understand that maximum performance depends on knowing the customer also.
The HSRM teaches by showing – by role modeling as mentioned above.
This aspect of the job cannot be underestimated because it speaks volumes about you and your expectations.
Associates must sincerely believe in the importance of the customer.
There is no better way to instill this belief, than by having the manager demonstrate how important the customers are to him/her.
The HSRM knows what the organizations’ service strategy is, knows how to deliver it, never fails to deliver it and expects the same from everyone in the company.
Before any associate steps on to the sales floor, s/he must have been made aware of the customer service offering of the company and how the company expects it to be delivered.
For example, if the business model of a particular company is one of self service then associates may not be expected to actively engage customers in sales conversations.
However, to ensure that the business is still focused on revenue generation through excellence in customer service, they would still want to see customers treated in a particular way; perhaps they would expect an approach and an offer of assistance.
Whatever the company decides to deliver as far as customer service is concerned, that is what the associate must be trained for once the customer service basics are in place.
Many companies incorrectly assume that their new associates possess the basics of customer service.
This is a mistake because when it comes time to layer on training specific to the company’s customer service offering the new associate may become confused and will not perform well.
It would be like learning to run before learning to walk, resulting in a lot of falls or, at least, missteps.
The key, here, is making sure that basics are understood first. Basics consist of things like:
Presentation – dress and grooming
Physical posture
Good manners
Telephone etiquette
Knowing what is, and is not, appropriate behavior on the sales floor
Showing respect for the customers’ time
Showing respect for the merchandise
Understanding the company expectations and general workplace rules
The highly successful retail manager knows how to assess associates to ascertain their level of competence when it comes to delivering customer service.
This is usually done at the time of the interview and with well worded questions to past employers during the reference check.
Of course, observation is an excellent assessment method also.
Once the basics are clearly understood and the associate understands what the company customer service offering is, and how to deliver it, they are ready for the sales floor.
The HSRM knows that this training is critical and that it positively must be done before the associate interacts with customers.
After that, the manager must keep a very close eye on the associate to ensure that all interaction with customers is exactly as it should be.
Watch for eye contact, body language, facial expressions, what is actually said and tone of voice.
We said earlier that HSRM’s role model exemplary customer service at all times and that doing so was the best way to ensure associates realized the importance of customer service.
There is, of course, more to be done to ensure the on-going improvement of our associates and one of the major things is to have coaching conversations as often as possible.
After observing an associate the HSRM spends a few minutes talking to them to either praise or correct, or both.
Praise comes fairly easily. The HSRM praises the associate for specific behaviors that were correct.
Having a coaching conversation where you must correct behaviors can also be easy if you direct your attention to the specific behavior and make sure not to criticize the individual.
The HSRM knows that these conversations are an absolute must and that they owe it to the associate, the company and the customer to make the conversation as productive as possible.
The HSRM knows, intuitively, how customers should be treated and, in addition to modeling the behavior, HSRM’s teach all associates these golden rules:
Treat every customer like a valued guest – using only the best manners.
Never say the word “no” to a customer – even when you cannot say ‘yes’, find a way to handle any situation without actually using the word “no”.
Respect the customer’s time – always – if the customer has to wait, be sure to let the customer know why he is waiting and approximately how long he will have to wait.
Put yourself in the customers’ shoes and try to see things from their perspective – ask yourself “How would I feel if I were the customer in this case?”
Never assume anything – ask questions to gain information.
Recognize the customer’s lifetime value to the organization.
Smile and show your enthusiasm for your work.
For more on Retail Customer Service, Click on the banner below
DMSRetail Press Release – Singapore
Published September 22, 2016 News Leave a CommentTags: retail challenges, retail management, retail management training, retail performance, Retail Success, retail training
DMSRetail brings 4 Top Performing Retail Management Workshops to Singapore – For the First Time! October , 2016 – Sheraton Towers, Singapore
Toronto, ON September 22, 2016 — DMSRetail, a leading Consulting, Training and Services company for progressive retailers, brings leading edge retail management techniques to Singapore for the First time.
Senior Consultant and EVP for DMSRetail, Matt Parmaks says “Over the past two or three years we have seen huge growth in our business coming from the South East Asian Market.
We decided it is the right time to offer our premium Retail Management training programs over there where people could attend without incurring the huge cost of travel that is usually associated with getting the benefits of leading edge retail management training.
From sophisticated retail business success methodologies and analytics to good, old fashioned customer experience strategies as well as performance management techniques that are so crucial for these tough times, DMSRetail brings it all together in a fast paced workshops designed for retail managers and retail business owners alike.
Another Senior Consultant with DMSRetail, John Callaghan says “Doing well in a retail business is not as straight forward as it used to be.
There are so many fascinating ideas and new techniques that retail managers and business owners need to be aware of in order to really excel in retail these days and we want to share all of this with our fast growing customer base in South East Asia.”
With the overall economical conditions the way they are, South Eastern Retailers are buying in to the fact that they must do more about investing in their knowledge, leading edge techniques and their people.
DMSRetail is seeing a sharp increase in interest in their retail management training programs. Details of the programs can be found at
RETAIL SALES/OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP (October 17-18-19, 2016): http://www.dmsretail.com/retailtraining.htm
RETAIL BRAND & CATEGORY MANAGEMENT WORKSHOP (October 24-25-26, 2016): http://www.dmsretail.com/brandcatman.htm
RETAIL DESIGN & VISUAL MERCHANDISING WORKSHOP: (October 20-21, 2016): http://www.dmsretail.com/retaildesignworkshop.htm
RETAIL STANDARDS, COMPLIANCE & EXECUTION SEMINAR (October 27-28, 2016): http://www.dmsretail.com/retailstandards.htm
Don’t Miss These Game Changing Workshops!
To Your Success!
DMSRetail
You and Retail Management Resources
Published August 2, 2015 Tools Leave a CommentTags: boost retail sales, DMSRetail Products, future of retail, retail management, retail management library
“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” Peter Drucker
Create It Using Exceptional Resources!
You’ll likely agree that there are resources, in this world, that we really wouldn’t want to do without.
A dictionary, for example.
Imagine how frustrating it would be to hear a word that you didn’t recognize which, possibly renders a whole sentence or paragraph unintelligible to you, and not have a way to get the definition and understand the word and context.
How would you proceed? How would you take action if it was required of you?
You may find you could not do it.
We have to understand if we are to act appropriately.
Another well used resource is a medical text. Doctors have to learn as much as possible about the human body and how it works; about symptoms of every disease, condition, therapy, etc. They must have a reliable resource to consult when necessary.
How would the Doctor ever graduate from Medical School without using all of the resource materials at his disposal?
Accountants and Legal Professionals all consult volumes of texts and reports and case studies in order to gain their degrees and go on to do their jobs properly.
Skilled Tradespeople learn through books, apprenticeship programs and other resource materials in order to become licensed in their field.
Every profession needs resources available to them for study, and for future reference, regardless of what stage they are at.
Retail Managers are no different.
Trying to function well in their positions without resources is bound to be frustrating and not terribly productive.
Colleagues and Superiors are certainly excellent resources but they do not stay put and cannot be relied upon absolutely every time they may be needed. They have their jobs to do, too so as much as they may want to help….they just can’t always be there.
Perhaps you didn’t need any additional resources when you started out. You knew everything and did everything your way, right or wrong.
But, when you are in growth mode, you definitely need more sophisticated help.
Growth requires that certain systems, processes and procedures are in place and working well.
We’re not talking about red-tape and bureaucratic hold ups. There is no room for any of that in a fast moving, successful retail operation.
We’re talking about the disciplines, the principles, the consistency, the fairness and reward systems. We’re talking about performance management that works instead of fly-by-the-seat-of-the-pants coaching and employee evaluations.
What resources will you provide to the people working in the stores, the districts, the Head Office?
How will they function at the top of their game?
And, your high performing individuals will need reliable resources to help them get the knowledge and skills they need to move them to the next level in the organization.
A super Sales Associate will need help and training to move to Department Supervisor, or whatever that next level is in your organization.
An Assistant Manager will need resources to learn from so that s/he can take the helm of a store.
You won’t be able to avoid the pitfalls of growth without the required preparation. And, for that, you need to get hold of serious retail management resources.
Increase your chances for positive outcomes…
Become a member of the Retail Business Academy. Below, we spell out the products, services, systems and advice you get access to for just $97/month.
You have access 24/7…at your leisure.
And, of course, you can cancel your membership in the Retail Business Academy at any time.
For those of you who want to share information and offer the very best chance of growth and development to your people, get them their own membership in the Retail Business Academy.
Volume Discounts on Memberships
Invest in their future to give them the skills to invest in yours. We offer volume discounts on our memberships so it’s easy and painless to upgrade the skills and capabilities of your entire workforce.
First, let us tell you that absolutely everything that DMSRetail offers for sale, is included in the Retail Business Academy.
Plus, there are many more products included that are not available for sale anywhere.
And, we’re growing it every day making your Platinum Membership more and more valuable. We’re working day and night to get new stuff uploaded for you.
This membership will offer new and different things to you all the time.
You’re going to have access to a wealth of different things, such as…
- Success Guides
- Tools
- Study Courses
- Performance Solutions
- Information
- Tips
- Advice
- World Retail News
- Gems
- How-To’s
- DVD’s
- PowerPoint Presentations
- Pearls of Wisdom
- Forms
- Checklists
- Videos
- Consultants
- Instructors
- Motivational Quotes
- and other seriously good stuff
Special Platinum Membership Benefits
Discounts on Workshop Attendance
- The Retail Operations Management Workshop
- Retail Category Management Workshop
- Retail District Management Workshop
- Retail Math, Metrics & KPI’s Workshop
- Store Management for Maximum Success Workshop
- Retail Design & Visual Merchandising Workshop
- Retail Marketing & Brand Management Workshop
- Cashier Etiquette & Performance Workshop
Access to Consultants and Instructors at DMSRetail via email
Scheduled telephone conversations with DMSRetail Consultants and Instructors
All of this is being brought to you by DMSRetail – a company that has been in business since 1991; on the web since 2003.
So, check out this link to the Retail Business Academy. You won’t regret having your own Platinum Membership.
It’s the best $97/month investment you’ll ever make. If you’re in retail, you really have to have this.
All the Success!
Director
Retail Business Academy, Membership
DMSRetail
PS: We sincerely look forward to counting you as one of our Retail Business Academy members. Join now.
Conversion – May the Sales Force be With You
Published January 17, 2014 Uncategorized 1 CommentTags: Retail Front Line, retail management, Retail Selling Skills
You may remember the phrase in the subject line – even though we took some liberty with it to suit our purposes.
Luke Skywalker and the Jedi Master, Obi-Wan Kenobi of Star Wars fame used the positive phrase “May the Force be With You” to wish someone good luck and hope for victory, before a battle.
Your sales force must be with you if you are to reach any level of success in retail. Retailer’s battle to hit their targets every day, while struggling with tons of detail – big and small – everything from the effects of the changing economy to the show rooming phenomenon; from hiring and training to current technology. As a retail business owner, or high level management in a chain, you know it’s a battle!
Truth be known, it is your sales force that actually does the battling for you on the front lines, day in and day out. Unfortunately, they are the ones who are often – not always, of course – the least informed, least empowered and, subsequently and not surprisingly, least engaged people in the organization.
More and more we hear about brick and mortar retailers losing sales – due to losing traffic – because of online competition. Yes, indeed, online retail is alive, well and growing and there is no expectation that it’s going to go away!
But, if you listen to a lot of so-called experts, they will tell you that you can compete so much better and win back that lost ‘traffic’ just by investing in marketing. While we agree it’s always a good thing to improve marketing, we think the deterioration of the in store experience is being overlooked.
Just driving customers into the store does not equal a significant increase in sales. You must have a capable, engaged sales force.
To find out whether your sales force is capable of converting shoppers, or not, start by watching what’s going on. The baseball great Yogi Berra, who was known to put things in interesting ways, said “You can observe a lot just by watching.” So simple and so true.
Watch them, talk to them, ask and answer questions, and work with them. You’ll come away with a wealth of information to help you do what you need to do to engage your sales force.
It is a waste of money to drive people into your stores if you cannot convert them to buyers.
One thing we know, with absolute certainty… if your sales force is not with you, everything will be harder than it needs to be.
All the Success!
DMSRetail
PS: We have excellent resources for you. Check out:
Ultimate Retail Success ToolKit – a huge addition to your training library.
Retail Selling Skills & Customer Service Fundamentals Self Study Course – for your new and/or less experienced sales and service associates.
PPS: Join our Facebook community. If you like us, please ‘Like’ us. Thanks!!
DMSRetail 