Tag: Career
Engaging Your Retail Staff
Too often retail staff and associates have no idea how to convey their store’s brand to the customer and why it’s important. According to the Gallup State of the American Workplace report, “When organizations successfully engage their customers and their employees, they experience a 240 percent boost in performance-related business outcomes compared to an organization with neither engaged employees nor engaged customers.” This study is one of many reporting that employee engagement is critical to...
Delivering the Best Customer Experience
You can’t say it enough. Offering personalized customer experience is key in delivering retail sales and satisfaction. The world of brick-and-mortar is aware of this, but often the ability to improve on interaction and the will to do it are two different things. The benefits of online shopping have been publicized before: Variety and depth of assortment, offering millions of SKUs In-stock availability vs. physical stores Lower prices online The ability to shop anywhere, anytime 24/7 Pre-printed return forms...
Wal-Mart Follows the Lead of Some Notable Retailers
Wal-Mart recently made headlines as it announced plans to spend over $1 billion to offer higher wages for workers and a better path of promotion through the company and even higher pay. About 500,000 employees (40% of Wal-Mart’s workforce) will get a pay raise over the next six months. Entry-level wages at Wal-Mart will increase to $9.00 an hour by April, the company says, increasing to $10 an hour by February 2016. Managers will get a pay raise to a $13 and then $15 hourly wage...
Solving the Retail Store Staffing Puzzle
Figuring out store traffic and resulting retail store staffing has become a bit of a conundrum for retailers across the globe. Some retailers still haven’t figured the correlation between appropriate staffing and optimizing sales. An article in the Harvard Business Review (HBR) argues that while labor is often an expense that retailers have the most control over, and can account for 10% of revenues, they still consider labor to be a cost driver rather than a sales driver,...
Peer Training & Partner Training
There are a number of ways we can try to train our people. Some are more effective than others, and some are more appropriate for one group than for another group. For example, some companies do a great job with on-line training courses. Others don’t. If your company offers on-line training courses and all of your people in all of your teams aren’t up to date with the courses that are appropriate to them, shame on...
MUM’s the Word!
So you’re a MUM (Multi Unit Manager). In various companies you could be referred to as: District Manager (DM) Regional Manager (RM) District or Regional Sales Manager (DSM or RSM) District or Regional Operations Manager (DOM or ROM) Multi Unit Manager (MUM) In many cases where the MUM terminology is used, it’s because we’re actually the Manager of one store, and also oversee two or more other stores. In most such cases, the company...
Electrifying Retail
Sales of electronics are expected to be up for the first time in 3 years, according to NPD Group, which provides market research analysis for the consumer and retail industries. But even though real wages and personal income is up, consumers remain cautious, and the fight to win shopper traffic and sales has intensified in a market that in recent years has seen Circuit City go belly up and Radio Shack fairly decimated. Most retail CMO’s expect consumer electronics...
People Skills – The Rest of the Story
So we’ve got the “Processes” thing down. We’re working on and maybe even doing a good job with “Customer Experience”, “Customer Satisfaction”, and “Customers For Life”. We’re all done and can expect things to be good – right? Maybe not. Here’s the rest of the story, and it concerns the people that work with us, but also report to us. Our “Store Teams...
Sales Manager: Leading the Team and Driving Sales
Sales managers are the charismatic, analytical experts who know that selling products is simple. But bringing the necessary elements together to make it happen can be complex. So, they use their managerial skills and insider know-how to motivate their team and deliver consistent customer satisfaction. Job Description Sales managers typically have 1 to 5 years’ sales experience. Their responsibilities are varied. Sales and customer service - Negotiate discounted sales prices for major accounts and forecast monthly, quarterly and...
Assistant Store Managers: Climbing the Ladder to Retail Success
Assistant store managers act as an intermediary between team members, management and customers. Their customer-focused vision and managerial training ensure a positive shopping experience. As the “right hand” of the store manager, these dedicated professionals are a combination of technical wizardry and relationship-building mastery. Job Description Assistant store managers typically have 1 to 3 years’ sales experience. Responsibilities include creating marketing deliverables to increase sales, assisting with in-store merchandising and maintaining inventory. Customer-service skills entail helping customers...
Sales Associate Careers: Promoting the Company’s Brand and Generating Profits
Sales associates are the first people we see when we enter a retail establishment. This entry-level position plays a pivotal role in the business’s success. As they assist customers, they represent the company’s brand, establish long-term relationships and directly contribute to the store’s revenue. Job Description Sales associates are found in the retail industry, a sector of the marketplace that encompasses a wide range of operations. In general, retail is associated with online shopping...