Retail Contrarian

The Fourth of July

When I was a kid one of my favorite holidays - besides Christmas - was Independence Day.  I loved the parades, the neighborhood cook-outs, and of course the fireworks.  I told anyone who would listen that the reason they were shooting off fireworks was to remind everyone that it was one week to my birthday. 

As I got older, though, I lost my enthusiasm for the Fourth of July.  I stopped going to parades, I might or might not make it to a cookout, and somewhere along the line I decided that going to the fireworks were just too much of a pain.  The Fourth became just another day.

You might be wondering what this has to do with retail or with you.  Bear with me, there's a good analogy here.  While reminiscing about the Fourth of July it occurred to me how much my earlier work life mirrored my experience around the Fourth of July.  I always started a new job or began my own business with tremendous enthusiasm.  I would tell everyone I met how happy I was and how much I appreciated the opportunity to do what I was doing.

But over time that enthusiasm would wane.  The job I once looked forward to became a chore. Instead of telling people how lucky I was I would start whining about unhappy I was.  The result was always the same . . . the great opportunity became just another job.

Over time and with the benefit of some great mentors in my life I came to realize that the job doesn't really change, what changes is my attitude. The Fourth of July didn't change, I did.  At work I realized that passion and motivation has to come from within me.  It's up to me to make my work exciting. 

Happiness and success comes from within me, not from outside forces.  I believe that holds true if you're the president of a company or a part-time cashier.  Sure, circumstances in a job can change, but it is how we approach change that determines our attitude.  While it might sound pretty Pollyannaish, the fact is that you can hold the power or give away the power.  It's your choice, and it is your destiny.

Today's Fourth of July is once again a special holiday. My family goes to a local parade every year and we love it although it's almost exactly the same parade every year.  I once again appreciate spending the day with my family and seeing my children enjoying themselves.  And the best part is hearing my daughter Jane telling people that the fireworks are to remind everyone that it is six days until her birthday.

Happy Independence Day to all, including our readers outside the U.S. Please enjoy the parades, cookouts, fireworks, and life. And if you have to work, make it a great experience for everyone around you. They deserve it and so do you. Keep the passion alive!

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Doug Fleener is a proven retail and customer experience expert that helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their results. Visit our website or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create an extraordinary experience and results.

The 50-50 relationship

The quality of the relationship between employees and leaders has a direct impact on the customer experience. I believe employees are just as responsible for their relationship with owners/managers as the owner/manager is.  All relationships are a 50/50 venture.  Sometimes we have to teach people how to carry their half.
 
How do you create a 50-50 relationship with a supervisor or subordinate?  Easy, just follow these tips. (Okay, it's not really that easy, but every relationship, both inside and outside work, will improve when you follow these suggestions.)
 
1. Don't hold back. Healthy relationships are the result of open dialogue. Unhealthy relationships result from of lack of trust and poor communication. When there is no open dialogue or trust there's usually resentment simmering right below the surface, poisoning the relationship.
 
The only way to create a 50-50 relationship is to bring issues and resentments to the surface and deal with them. Obviously this has to be done in an appropriate and respectful manner. You can always ask a third party to assist in the conversation if needed.
 
2. It can't be personal. Our relationships are the sum of our feelings about another person's behaviors and actions. When we feel good about a person's behaviors and actions, we feel good about the relationship. We have a 50-50 relationship. It's when we don't like the person's behaviors and actions that the relationship breaks down. 
 
For a 50-50 relationship, both parties need to be able to articulate what behaviors and actions the other person is demonstrating that are making them happy or unhappy. You can't have a 50-50 relationship if it's personal.
 
Here are a few examples:
Personal: "You're mean to me."
Behavior/action: "You always cut me off when I'm talking."
 
Personal: "You're condescending."
Behavior/action: "The tone you use when delivering feedback is the same a parent uses with a toddler."
 
3. Each person needs to articulate what he/she needs in the relationship.  Unless the other person is a psychic we need to tell the other person what we need from them to create a 50-50 relationship.  
 
A supervisor might need to tell the employee, "I'm sorry you feel my tone is inappropriate. I'm really not aware of when I do that, so would you please tell when it happens so I can change it?"
 
He/she might also ask, "In our group Take Five meetings you often openly challenge my suggestions and comments.  I'd like to ask that if you disagree with me that we meet one-on-one after the Take Five."
 
An employee might say, "I need five minutes of your time at the end of a shift to talk through any issues that came up."
 
He/she could also say, "When you tell me what I'm doing wrong in front of others it undermines me with the rest of the team.  Could we please have those conversations privately?"
 
4. Take responsibility for your 50%.  My friend Steve always says that he's 100% responsible for 50% of every relationship. When a relationship isn't working most people focus their attention on the other person's 50%, but that's the part we can't change.  We can only change our own behaviors and actions.  50-50 relationships are always the result of each party owning and working on his/her own 50%.
 
If your relationship with a supervisor or employee isn't 50-50, it is your responsibility to approach the other person and ask to meet to begin the path to a healthier and more productive relationship.
 
So let me ask, are your relationships 50-50? If not, what action will you take to move your half to 50%?

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Doug Fleener is a proven retail and customer experience expert that helps companies to improve their on-floor and management performance. Vist our website or call him at 866-535-6331 to discuss improving your company's customer experience and results.

A Roadblock to Growth

One of the greatest challenges in front of many retailers and individuals is costing both sales and market share.  Even more troublesome is the impact it's having on their future. This challenge has nothing to with the economy, the competition, or a vendor.
It's perfectionism.

Perfectionism is defined as a personal standard, attitude, or philosophy that demands perfection and rejects anything less. The fear of something being less than perfect too often results in not doing anything at all. It holds us back from moving forward on objectives and activities that will have a positive impact on today and tomorrow's business.

Some perfectionists label themselves as "having a type A personality" or "being a bit of a control freak," but the root cause of their behavior is perfectionism.

Here are some examples of perfectionism creating a roadblock to growth.   I've recently encountered every one of them.

1. The storeowner who hasn't got the employee performance review perfect enough to roll out even though the employees haven't been reviewed in over two years.

2. The executive who has had a sales training 90% complete for more than six months.

3. The salon owner who hasn't started a Facebook page because she doesn't have time and is concerned that if she gives it to someone else they'll do something that will have a negative impact on her brand.

4. The manager whose to-do list is a mile long because she can't delegate anything. She's running around like a madwoman while her staff stands around waiting for something to do.

How do you overcome perfectionism? The easiest way is compare the cost of not doing something with the benefit of going forward.

For example, what it is the cost of moving forward with a review the owner isn't 100% happy with?  If it's so bad he could be sued (highly unlikely) then he shouldn't move forward.  But what's the benefit to the storeowner of moving forward with a less than perfect review? Say the store does $2,000,000 a year and the review helps staff morale and the team to develop so they're able to improve sales 1%.   1% is extremely conservative but 1% is still an additional $20,000 in sales!  I have one word for this owner. . . GO!

I can't imagine the cost of not releasing a sales training for six months is, or putting off hiring me. (Yes, shameless plug. But it is my newsletter.) And what's the cost of the manager doing everything herself?  Not only is it costing her sales but she is probably so stressed out that it is impacting her life and maybe even her health. I have one word for this manager . . . DELEGATE!

I certainly don't advocate putting out sloppy or inferior work, but "really good and done" is much more profitable than "I'll wait until it's absolutely perfect and then we'll move forward."

So let me ask, is your perfectionism holding you back and at what cost?

Biorhythms, Moodiness, and Life's Ups and Downs

Let's be honest here.  There are days especially in late January that you want to look your customer in the eye and say, "I really don't care today" and walk away.  You might even want to say something worse but since this is a family-friendly Weekly we won't go there. There are some days you simply aren't in the mood to do what you do.
 
Believe me, I can relate.  Every now and then I want to publish a one-sentence newsletter that reads, "Had nothing to say."  And I'm sure you've read a Weekly here or there and wished I had done just that.  We all have a job to do, even when we're not in the mood to do it.
 
Wouldn't it be nice if, when you were in one of those moods, you could go up to your customer and tell him/her that you're mentally taking the day off?  "Go ahead, look around and since I won't be helping you much it will be nice if you'll buy something to help me make my numbers."  Then you could go back to thinking about that vacation you're planning or watching the clock tick so you can get on with your day.
 
Obviously we don't really say that to our customers.  Or do we?
 
The biggest challenge for any retailer is consistency.  It's difficult to deliver an extraordinary retail experience to every customer who walks in the door.  We're all human.  Call it biorhythms, moodiness, life's ups and downs, or whatever.  The fact is that it is difficult to be Mr. or Ms. Retail Perkiness every minute of every day.
 
Unfortunately, customers don't plan their shopping around our biorhythms, moodiness, or life's ups and downs. We never know which customer walking in the door might be the biggest spender of the month or the most likely to tell others about their experience.
 
Think about how many times you've gone into a store in a good mood thinking you'll buy something and walked out empty-handed and in a foul mood. Yep, you got tangled up in some retail employee's biorhythms, moodiness, or ups and downs.
 
If your store is blowing away goal every single month then maybe - maybe - you can afford to have a "who cares" kind of day every now and then.  Personally, I don't know any stores like that.
 
The biggest challenge for any retailer is to be consistent with every single customer who walks in the door. The key to success is to be consistent with every single customer who walks in the door.  I think we know that it isn't easy to do.
 
There is, though, a list of actions you can take when "who cares" creeps up on you. It just so happens to be the same list of actions you should take with every customer or employee.  There is only one fix for when we're not in the mood to give our best to a customer: trying to give our best.
 
So let me ask, do you attempt to deliver a great experience to every single customer no matter what kind of mood you're in?
 
It's okay to fall short in your delivery.  It's not okay to fall short in the effort.

-  Doug Fleener and Brian Sullivan

Your 2009 Difference - Part Two

Last week I described the top five things the retailers I've worked and engaged with in 2009 learned and developed throughout the year.  I hope you invested the time to identify your top five so that you can leverage them in 2010 and beyond.
 
But as I noted last week, it's just as important to see where you fell short, maybe missed an opportunity, or didn't take action when you should have or could have.  I know a few people won't look at these shortcomings because it makes feel like they failed.
 
I think it's only a failure when you don't address areas that need improved.  Call it a delayed reaction!  It's all perspective isn't it?
 
So here are the top five things the retailers I've been engaged with this year need to improve on as they move into 2010.
 
1. Be more strategic in how they run their businesses.  While this is true for both high-performing and struggling retailers, it's vital for those stores who aren't doing as well as they hoped.  I still see too many companies that are in a slow death spiral and no one is working a well-defined plan to reverse it.
 
2. Address a major problem that is having a negative on the company and results.  Most of the time this is a person, and sometimes it's a family member.  Problems rarely go away on their own, no matter how much you try to avoid them or sweep them under the rug.  It's not fun to deal with people issues but the pain of not dealing with them is a whole lot worse.
 
3. Become more aggressive in capturing and using customer contact information.  Maybe obsessive is a better word.  If you're not obsessive about building and adding to a customer database, you're not maximizing your opportunities and leaving money on the table.
 
4. Hold people more accountable.  Way too many managers and owners let employees opt out of what are supposedly required activities and behaviors.  If there's no accountability and consequences then those behaviors and actions are not required, they're optional.  Rewarding and recognizing people is also important to maintaining high expectations and high performance.
 
5. Continue to challenge the staff to become even better.  At the end of every month (or quarter) you should be able to review with every employee how he/she has grown and developed.  A lot of people do this with under-performing employees, but they don't always push the good or great employees to become even better.  It's amazing how great people can be if leaders encourage and lead them.
 
What about you?  What can you learn from in 2009 and do better in 2010?  Again, I encourage you to write them down and share them with someone else.  Even more important, determine what one or two actions you'll take on each one to ensure you create the success you deserve.
 
So let me ask, as you close the books on 2009 are you ready to parlay that into an extraordinary 2010?

You're Never a Long Shot

Did you see the Kentucky Derby?  WOW!  It usually lives up to it's billing as the most exciting two minutes in sports but this year it was off the charts.

As you probably have already heard, 50-1 long shot Mine That Bird absolutely blew away the field.  A horse that was purchased for a mere $9,500 and was racing against animals valued at millions of dollars is not supposed to win.

But win he did.  Mine That Bird was dead last at the ¾ mile marker, in twelfth place at the mile marker, and by the time jockey Calvin Borel got him to the straightaway he had flown by the field to take the lead and win by over six lengths.  Love it!  For Borel in an emotional post-race interview to dedicate the race to his deceased parents was icing on the cake.

Obviously I couldn't help but think of all the lessons we could take away from Calvin and Mine That Bird.

1. You don't have to be the biggest or the richest to compete but you do have to be in the race to win.  Some of the horses that Mine That Bird beat were purchased as foals for over $3,000,000, are owned by very wealthy people and are trained by the most prominent and successful trainers in the business.  Mine That Bird's trainer is an unknown out of New Mexico.  While your competitors may have deeper pockets than you do, the one who executes the best will still win.

2. Seize the opportunity when it presents itself.  One of the keys to Mine That Bird's victory was the ability to not only get to the inside rail, but to get through two openings between horses to get to the lead.  Any hesitation by jockey Calvin Borel and Mine That Bird may well have been caught behind the pack, unable to break through.  We are presented with opportunities every day but they'll pass us by if we're not a) looking for them and b) willing to act quickly and decisively to maximize them.

3. Pedigrees and experience are great but never underestimate hard work and a big heart. Mine That Bird came into the race as, the Boston Globe said, "An extra in a 19-horse race of stake winners owned by bluebloods." Jockey Calvin Borel is described by Sports Illustrated as ". . .not often thought of in the first flight of today's top riders even though he has over 4,000 victories and a Derby win in 2007."  It reminded me that some of my best employees never went to college, or had no retail experience when I hired them.  Don't look at what people don't have on the outside, but look what they have inside them. The same holds true about yourself.

4. Last but not least, believe in yourself.  As Calvin was celebrating his victory while still atop Mine That Bird, he pointed toward his helmet and screamed, "It's all in your head." Think like a winner, believe you're a winner, and chances are you'll fly to victory just like Calvin Borel and Mine That Bird.

Remember this; people, horses, and companies are only long shots because someone wasn't smart enough to bet on them.

Win Retail Gold Like Michael Phelps

This article ran in my Daily Retail Experience newsletter on 8/13 and I thought I should share it as the Olympics are winding down. You can learn more about the Daily newsletter at the bottom of this post.

How can you not be in awe of Michael Phelps? He now has  the record for winning the most gold medals in a single Olympics and the most  career gold medals than any other athlete.  This guy is awesome.

I sat at my desk this morning thinking about how I could become the Michael Phelps of retail. At first I thought it must be the Speedos, but heaven knows the sight of me in a Speedo would not be a good thing. Those of you who are having me speak at their events in the next few months can feel very grateful I came to that conclusion.

What is it that makes him the Superman of swimming and what can we mere mortals learn from him?  From watching the Olympics and from everything I've read, I've identified a few things we can learn from Michael to help us bring home our own gold.

1. Let your competition motivate you. Michael Phelps doesn't worry about what his competitors do or say; he uses it to motivate him to achieve his goals.  When a competitor knocks or doubts him he cuts out the article and posts it in the back of his locker.  He doesn't whine, complain, or try to one-up his competitors; he just goes out and beats them.

The same holds true for successful retailers. They watch and listen to their competitors and then go out and try to beat them at their own game. On the other end of the spectrum, retailers who are struggling inevitably are the ones to moan and complain about their competition. One thing I've learned in life is that moaning and complaining never get me anything. It's action that delivers results.

2. Train to win.  Did you see the interview with Michael Phelps' mother where she said his coach came to her when Michael was 11 and said it was time to start preparing for the Olympics?  She laughed at the idea but the coach was serious.  He saw the champion in Michael.  From that day forward Michael started serious training. Today he eats, sleeps, and trains.

I'm not saying you should only eat, sleep and work, although I'm sure some of you already do just that. We need to have a good work/life balance.  But while you're at work, train to win.

I used to see training as a deliverable, something that once I read or gave to employees I could walk away from.  I now know that training is an activity.  It might involve reading something but it also means working with people to improve both their skills and mine. I guarantee that if you dedicate time every single day to training, and I mean every day just like Olympians do, you and your staff will improve and achieve your goals.

3. Stay focused. Phelps lets absolutely nothing get in the way of his goal.  His goal coming into these Olympics is to win the most gold medals of all time (check) and the most in a single Olympics. He knows what he wants and that's what he plans to do. He's so focused that he skipped the opening ceremonies at both Athens and Beijing because they were too close to his first event. Makes me wonder how many of his competitors were at the opening ceremonies that night.

While everyone around Michael talks about the big picture, he must compartmentalize. U.S. national team coach Mark Schubert said it well,  "Michael really does a wonderful job at taking one day at a time and attacking whatever's in front of him for that day."

What's your goal for today? Not just your sales goal, which you need to have, but what are you going to attack today that puts you one step closer to achieving your overall goal? Don't let the petty distractions and flare-ups that always happen get in the way of achieving your goal, or if you will, your gold.

Have an Olympian kind of day!

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