Retail Contrarian

The engaged local business

Monday was Patriots’ Day here in Massachusetts, commemorating the 1775 battles of Lexington and Concord that began the Revolutionary War. Since I live in Lexington I can tell you first hand that it’s a big day here.

Annual highlights include a sunrise reenactment of the battle and a big parade in the afternoon, both of which are a big hit with kids and adults alike. Watching the parade this year I couldn’t help but think about the involvement, or lack thereof, of local businesses in their communities.

Here in Lexington we are fortunate to have a number of retailers and other businesses that are engaged and invested in community. We also have those that aren’t. That’s their choice. It isn’t surprising, though, that the retailers that stay involved with the community are the ones that don’t just stay in business, they flourish.

It takes a lot of work and effort to be an engaged local retailer/business, and sometimes it doesn’t always appear to pay off. The effort doesn’t always show up in any given day’s bank deposit, but it does in a store’s long-term success.

I know, because I’ve seen it here in Lexington. For more than twenty years I’ve watched the same stores be a key part of my town’s success. There’s Michelson's Shoes, the shoe store that’s been in business since 1919. The one photograph is their antique car in yesterday’s parade. And there’s Crafty Yankee, a local gift store that opened in 1980. Kathy Fields purchased the store in 1994 and has been a successfully engaged owner ever since.

These engaged local retailers, among several others, have survived the recession. They continue to survive the Internet. They continue to survive national competition.

Here are three ways to be an engaged local business:

1. Be involved. Be a member of your downtown, merchant, and/or chamber group. Retailers, restaurants, and other local businesses must work together to be a destination for shoppers. This isn’t just for owners. Managers of multi-location businesses are the local face of that business, and need to be involved as well.

2. Provide an engaging customer experience. That’s the one big thing local stores and businesses have over Amazon and other online companies. As I teach in my Sixth Star online training programs, customers that emotionally connect with a local store will buy more, are more loyal, and will advocate the business to others.

Customers won’t emotionally connect with a company just because it’s local. They emotionally connect because employees deliver an engaging and personal service experience that is superior to what the customer receives other places. When your staff proactively engages customers and exceeds their expectations, they become your unfair advantage.

3. Stay engaged. Running a business/store is harder than it has ever been. As my client/friend Laura Young says, retail is not for sissies. The competition is fierce. The demands on an owner and manager’s time are higher than ever. We didn’t have social media and so many distractions thirty years ago.

What you can’t afford is for all of these new demands keep you from doing what has worked for local retailers and other businesses for hundreds of years: Never be too busy to leverage your point of differentiation - your people and your commitment to your community.

Luckily for us, those Patriots showed up on that April morning in 1775 to stand their ground against the vastly larger and more powerful British army.

As a local business, you can continue to win the battle in your community. Stand your ground. Stay engaged. Stay invested. People want and need you, their local business, to win.

So let me ask, do you invest your time and resources into being a key contributor to your community? Being local is an advantage only when you leverage opportunities to connect with your community.

Doug

About Doug Fleener

Doug Fleener, a proven business and customer service experience expert, helps companies achieve performance that exceeds customer and employee expectations resulting in more sales, profits, and customers.

Learn more about our services at Sixth Star Consulting, or call Doug at 844-861-7803 to discuss how he can help you achieve higher levels of performance and results. Learn about Doug's keynotes and workshops at DougFleener.com. Sample a Sixth Star University online training program at SixthStarU.com.

Teaching by example

Managers often tell me that they coach by leading by example. That's great in theory, but how do you know the staff is watching? How does the employee know what to look for? How do you know they learned it?

I'm all for leading by example. It's a vital part of leadership. Employees are more likely to do what you do and not just what you say, and if a leader isn't willing to do what is expected in the store, how important is it anyway?

Still, leading by example is not a coaching tool. Teaching by example is. The difference is that the manager is engaging the employee in the process, and transferring knowledge while demonstrating expected behaviors and actions.

Most people learn faster when they can first see how something is done. That's why teaching by example is a vital tool for employees learning how to engage customers and deliver a great sales experience. 

Here are four tips for effectively teaching by example:                 

1. Teach in small increments. Rather than teach the entire process on how to sell a particular product, focus on one element such as how to get the customer to hold it or try it on. 

2. Tell the employee in advance what to watch for. This a key success factor in teaching by example. Using the above example, you could say to the employee, "Watch how I take the widget off the shelf and hand it to her. I won't ask her if she wants to see it. I'll just hand it to her and she'll take it from me." 

3. Confirm afterward that the employee saw and understands what you just taught. Ask the employee what she saw, and why it works. That second half is vital. You taught the how, and the employee needs to internalize the why.

4. Have the employee give you feedback. Tell the employee that after you're done with the customer that you want him/her to tell you what you did well, and what you could have done better. This way the person will be watching with a critical eye. In addition, you'll know by the feedback if he/she learned what you were teaching.

Of course you’ll want to have the employee demonstrate for you what they just learned. That’s when you shift from teacher to coach. And that's another post.

So let me ask, how well do you teach by example? Which of these tips can you apply to be an even better teacher?

Here’s how to use this post as a personal development tool.

First, have your entire management team read this post. Next, have the management team practice and roleplay teaching by example. Choose a specific scenario you want the team to improve in.

Finally, have each manager teach by example with at least one employee each day this week. You'll be amazed at how much more your management team has to teach, and how much faster your staff learns and applies it.

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Doug Fleener, a proven retail and customer experience expert and speaker/consultant, helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their sales results. Visit the Dynamic Experiences Group website, or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create extraordinary results. Learn about Doug's keynotes and workshops at DougFleener.com.

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Join the number of stores that have immediately increased their sales with our new online training program Beyond the Add-On. The program can be taken on any tablet, smartphone, or computer. Details here.

 

Be a better retail sales coach

Here are four tips on how to become a better retail sales coach.

1. Focus more on sales. That might sound obvious, but the fact is that almost 95% of all retail management coaching is focused on operations. Most managers are surprised to learn this - until they track it themselves. Managers who take a look often discover that they most often give feedback on tasks rather than on the behaviors and actions that directly impact results. 

This isn’t surprising, because operational coaching is easier. There’s very little room for interpretation. She’s late or she’s not. He did the task or he didn’t. Coaching on selling and the customer experience is much more subjective. It’s a little harder to do and it’s more time consuming, but it’s also significantly more productive.

2. Work the floor with a coaching purpose. The most successful leaders we’ve worked spend between 20% or more of their time on the floor actively coaching employees on sales and the customer experience.

That might not seem like much, but when your starting point is that most managers do less than 5% of what I call active sales coaching, it’s a big improvement. Active sales coaching means observing employee(s) with customers, proactively giving feedback, roleplay/practice, watching associates apply the feedback, etc.

If you can spend 20% or more of your time on the floor actively coaching, you will see the results in your employees and end of day sales. The key is to schedule time when you’re doing nothing but working the floor with a coaching purpose.

3. Sales coaching is more than just reviewing numbers. I once worked with an owner who told me what a great sales coach she was. She showed me the individual and store data she collected, and said she reviewed it every day with her team.

Kudos to her! She knew what a lot of owners/managers miss. Good data tells you what your employee’s strengths and growth opportunities are.

Unfortunately, she wasn’t turning that data and conversation into action. Telling is not coaching. Her opportunity to grow her people and business was to help the employee determine what behaviors and actions he/she should take to build on those strengths, and improve in areas that would impact sales and the customer experience.

She quickly changed how she was doing her one-on-one sessions. She became much more focused on what do, rather than the data. Not surprisingly, her store’s conversion and average sales quickly went up.

4. Improve your accountability. The feedback you provide and what you teach do not impact your sales at all. Zero! Nada! Nothing!

It’s the APPLICATION of that feedback, and learning by your employees, that makes the difference. It’s the application that elevates the customer experience. It’s the application that inspires the customer to make a purchase and/or buy more.

That means it is essential for you to know that your staff has applied what they’ve learned and the feedback you’ve provided them.

The fastest and most effective way is to observe them. Watch them with their next customer after you’ve worked with them. Another way is to have them report back to you after they’ve put your feedback into practice. You can also have them share examples with you at the end of their shift.

I’m also a big fan of having staffers write down examples of how they applied the feedback or what they learned. A lot of people think they don’t have time for that, but rarely do you see a store too busy for it. (Except in November/December)

Remember this. Accountability isn’t about being a tough manager. It means that you’re following through to make sure every employee is applying what he or she have learned in order to be even more successful.

So let me ask, which of the above resonates most with you? What actions will you take over the next week to become a better retail sales coach?

- Doug

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I’ve opened up enrollment to the next session of my From Boss to Next Level Manager and Coach program, which begins on Thursday, September 3rd. This four-week program is perfect for new managers, or for those who will benefit from a refresher on coaching different types of employees.

This will be the last (or next to last) time I run this program before Christmas. Get your managers ready to create a successful holiday! Details here.

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Doug Fleener, a proven retail and customer experience expert and speaker/consultant, helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their sales results. Visit the Dynamic Experiences Group website, or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create extraordinary results. Learn about Doug's keynotes and workshops at DougFleener.com.

How to develop your leaders while you’re on vacation

Your vacation is a perfect opportunity for your management team to develop their leadership skills. You want your leaders to do more than "hold down the fort." By taking these six steps, your leaders will grow and develop in your absence, and you'll have a great vacation knowing the store is positioned for success.  

1. Define one or two items you want the leaders to focus on when you're gone.

By giving managers a specific personal goal in addition to making the store goal you’ll be able to continue their development while you're away. Be very specific about what you want them to focus on; don't say something like "lead by example."

Instead, specify specific behaviors and actions. Examples include:

* Work on product presentation with Brianna and Jimmy for thirty minutes each day.

* Focus your Take Fives and on-floor coaching on increasing the average sale.

* Roleplay selling WXY widgets at least twice a day with each associate.

2. Create one or two daily action goals. Challenge your team with goals you know lead to creating incremental sales. Maybe you will challenge each employee to get at least two try-ons of a certain category, or have everyone call one customer a day to invite them in to see a new product.

There are three benefits to this. First, it gives leaders something besides sales to rally the team around. Second, it gives the leaders more specific actions to coach on. Finally, the leader and her team will feel like they've accomplished even more if they hit their action goals.

3. Don't run the store remotely. Your managers can't "step up" if you're always stepping in. Let her take charge and figure things out on her own. You focus on important things like building sandcastles or going for a walk in the woods.

Checking in too often demonstrates you don't believe he can be successful in your absence. I'm sure you don't want to give him that message. So don’t call. Don’t email. If something big happens, they’ll call you.

4. Push back if they do call or email. This is especially important if you used to check in often. Don’t automatically give an answer if someone calls with a question or a problem. Use it as a teachable moment. Ask what he thinks he should do. Show him that he does indeed have the power and the knowledge to successfully run the store.

5. Establish financial guidelines. If you haven’t already done so, identify parameters for financial decision the leaders can make without involving you. Make it as high as possible. If you have already have guidelines, be sure and review them before you leave.

6. Meet with your managers within one or two days of your return. Yes, I know you always have a lot to do when you get back from vacation, but this step is very important to your team’s growth and development.

Tell them to be prepared to brag about what they did well, any areas in which they were challenged, and the two or three things they learned most from the experience. Be sure to circle back on the specific areas I’ve written about. Do not skip this step.

By taking some or all of these six actions, you'll be developing your leaders while you enjoy time away from work.

So let me ask, which one(s) of these actions do you need to make sure you apply the next time you're away for more than a day or two?

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Training update:  I'm starting a new session of my From Boss to Next Level Coach group on July 29th. This four-week program is perfect for new managers, or those needing a refresher on coaching different types of employees. Details here.

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Doug Fleener, a proven retail and customer experience expert and speaker/consultant, helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their sales results. Visit the Dynamic Experiences Group website, or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create extraordinary results. Learn about Doug's keynotes and workshops at DougFleener.com.

A Coaching Tip For Managers: Teach, coach, and ride

Think back to when you learned how to ride a bicycle. Chances are a parent or another adult first gave you some instructions on how to ride, and then ran beside you, holding onto the bike as you learned to get your balance.

Then they let go and you rode off… until you fell over. After more practice, and probably more falls, with the help of the adult you eventually learned to ride on two wheels.

Here’s how you might have learned if you had been taught to ride a bike at work. It would start with someone delivering a PowerPoint on how to ride a bicycle, and then you’d be told to start riding.

Or maybe you would have been given feedback on why you’re falling over, but somebody may or may not have been there to help until you learned how to actually stay up on two wheels. Just think how long it would take to learn to ride if this is the way you’re taught!

How do you teach and coach your employees? Do you continue to work with an employee to accelerate his/her learning and development, or do you give her the information or feedback and then leave her to apply it?

The faster employees apply what they learn, and receive additional feedback, the faster they learn the skill and benefit from it. After giving an employee feedback the best thing you can do is to ask them to apply it immediately. Immediately (as in with the next customer or two), while you observe. This is the equivalent of running next to the bicycle while you’re teaching someone to ride.

So let me ask, how do you teach and coach? Are you working with and helping your employees to apply what they learn, or are you sending them off to (metaphorically) fall over? Invest that extra time in the moment and you’ll see - and experience - the difference in your employee.

- Doug

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Doug Fleener, a proven retail and customer experience expert and speaker/consultant, helps companies dramatically improve their customer experience and their sales results. Visit the Dynamic Experiences Group website, or call Doug at 866-535-6331 to discuss how he can help you create extraordinary results. Learn about Doug's keynotes and workshops at DougFleener.com.

One of thousands, or thousands of ones

The best customer service/experience happens when I feel respected and/or appreciated, and my expectations are met or exceeded.  My expectations can be anything - good food, good service, a knowledgeable salesperson, a fast check-in, open registers, I’m not kept waiting, a product in stock, etc., etc., etc.

While many elements make up a great customer experience, there is one common theme: Me.  As a customer, I’m the one that determines whether I’ve had a good experience or not.

I’m sure most, if not all, of the companies I do business with have a defined service approach and training for their employees, but there’s a big miss by virtually every one of them.  Me.  Companies talk about customers as if they’re all the same; as if each person who walks in the door is just another version of the person before.

If thousands of people walk in over the course of a week I’m one of thousands but in reality, customers are thousands of ones.

That is why delivering a personalized experience is such a great differentiator and the key to both winning customers and maximizing the sales opportunity.

Every specialty retailer should have a defined sales experience approach. It’s an important roadmap for the staff to add value to the customer’s visit and not simply clerk the sale. It’s also important that the staff be taught, and expected to, deliver the experience uniquely to each customer. 

You’ve probably defined how to do this.  The difference is in the details and the quality of the execution.

Saying “hello” is one of thousands.  Welcoming and acknowledging each individual is thousands of ones.

Talking to a customer is one of thousands.  Having a conversation with someone whose name you know and about whom you know something is thousands of ones.

Showing a product is one of thousands.  Recommending products based on the answers to questions you’ve asked is thousands of ones.

Giving good service is one of thousands.  Making sure your customer has the best possible experience is thousands of ones.

This starts with how the company/store leadership sees and engages their team.  A staff can be one of many or many ones. When we teach and coach each individual person to learn how to deliver a more unique and memorable experience, we are well on our way to succeeding one customer at a time.

So let me ask, is your experience delivered to one of thousands or to thousands of ones?

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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.

Six Ways to Improve an Employees Productivity Today

Here are six simple actions you can take to help someone be more productive today. 
 
1. Challenge her.  From time to time we all need a little bit of extra motivation and focus. Challenge a person who has a $200 average sale to strive for $225 today.  At the very least she will be more aware of where her average sale is that day.
 
2. Observe and give feedback.  Take a few minutes to watch your employee with a customer.  Afterward, share with the employee one or two ideas he can try with the next customer.  Even better, continue to observe the employee so that you can give him feedback on how he applied your suggestion.
 
3. Teach him. We often take for granted that our employees know everything they need to know to be productive, but just because we've taught it doesn't mean they learned it or remember it.  Ask yourself what is the one thing you can teach an employee that will help him/her be more productive.  Then do it.  There's nothing wrong with quick refresher courses or a pop quiz.
 
4. Show him.  Most people they learn better by watching rather of simply being told.  If you want an employee to improve his add-ons (or as we call it, enhancing the sale) you or another employee can demonstrate the expected behaviors.
 
5. Reward them. Contests and spiffs are a great way to increase productivity, but don't expect the motivation to continue after the end of the contest or spiff.
 
6. Tell her. Sometimes you just have to tell someone that her productivity is below your expectations, and you expect her to do better today.  This only works if you know the person has the skills to do what you're asking.
 
Here's what doesn't help someone be more productive today
 
1. Hoping they do better.
 
2. Spending time in the office.
 
3. Thinking about what they need to do.
 
4. Putting it on your to-do list.
 
5. Avoiding the person you need to talk to/work with.
 
6. Doing it yourself.
 
Of course I've totally oversimplified the very big topic of coaching and developing employees.  Which was also my intent.  Most of the ways I listed to increase an employee's productivity only take a few minutes of your time.
 
You don't need fancy forms or hour-long meetings to improve an employee's productivity.  It just takes a commitment to make it happen.
 
So let me ask, which list will you be working from today?

Aligning Expectations with Your Actions

Last Thursday's Daily Retail Quote was one of the most downloaded and printed quotes in quite a while.  The quote was, "A leader leads by example, whether he/she intends to or not."  That clearly resonated with many of our subscribers.
 
As leaders, we know we lead by example, but we often think it is a timely or conscious decision.  This quote reminds us that we're always leading by example. It's not something we turn on or off.  Instead, it is something we're either aware of or not.
 
Any leader who tells his team, "do as I say and not as I do" is only fooling himself. Your team determines what's important by a combination of your actions and expectations.  If the two aren't aligned, it communicates a lack of commitment and, not surprisingly, your employees aren't committed either.
 
Let me give you an example.  When I was at Bose, a requirement of working in the store was to do a scripted product demonstration at the end of the Bose Music Theater show. One day I was watching one of my employees do a show and I noticed he left out part of the script.
 
I pulled him aside and asked why he didn't do the script as written.  Much to my surprise, or maybe I should say horror, he said that I had been shortening up my script so he figured he was allowed to do the same.  Yes, I had deviated from the script when I had other work to do but I never realized that anyone noticed.  I learned my lesson on that one.
 
Aligning a leaders expectations and actions are especially important to the customer experience.  A great customer experience is the result of many small actions, and if employees see a manager or owner not doing what's expected they will internalize, either consciously or unconsciously, that these small actions aren't important. The opposite is true when employees consistently see a leader do what is expected.
 
Do they see the leader warmly welcome customers when they enter the store?  Do they hear the leader ask a customer a series of questions before they show a product?  Do they see the leader always come out from behind the counter to present the customer their purchase?
 
How about you? Are your actions and expectations aligned?  Remember, a leader leads by example, whether he/she intends to or not.

Download this leadership quote as a reminder.

Learning From My New Best Friend Mario

I have a confession to make. Since Christmas morning I've become totally hooked on Mario Kart. For those of you without children or a video game habit, Mario Kart is a fun little go-kart racing game based on the Super Mario series from Nintendo. The only problem with the game is that it's extremely addictive.

I sat down to write this newsletter and there beside me was the Wii Steering Wheel calling my name. It took every ounce of willpower to. . . well, let's just say willpower is overrated.

After twenty minutes of action-packed driving I remembered I still needed to write today's newsletter. But that's okay, because I realized that there are several business lessons in that fun little video game.

Here are two of those lessons I've learned playing Mario Kart:

1. Practice doesn't make me perfect but it sure makes me a lot better.  When I started playing this video game my daughters, who first played last summer, left me in the dust. The conversation between them was whether I would finish in 11th or 12th place.  But the more I practiced the better I got; I'm proud to say that I am now a fairly competitive driver.

The same thing applies in a store.  As a manager I hated having difficult conversations with employees until I learned to practice them beforehand.  That also held true for calling customers to invite them into an event or as a follow-up after a purchase. Practicing a few times with another person makes it a lot easier and as a result that call goes so much better.

This is especially true for the customer experience.  The most productive stores almost always keep practicing and improving their customer experience.  They break down the elements of the experience and pay special attention to those elements that create sales.  If your store slows down after the first of the year, take time to practice for Every Day Success.

2. When I run off the path, the quicker I get back on the better I do.  While this sounds so simple, my early racing proved differently.  Whether it was the long grass of Moo Moo Meadows or the deep waters of Peach Beach, I was taking too long to get out of where I was and get back in the race.

Sound familiar? It happens to all of us. We all run off the path from time to time but what really matters is how quickly we get back into the game. I was in a local store today that usually has very good service but this time the staff was definitely off the path. They were lethargic, ignoring customers and, frankly, having conversations they shouldn't be having on the floor.

I wanted to tell them that the competition is going to pass them if they don't step on the accelerator, get back on the path and go!  I admit that's a sign of a guy who played too much Mario Kart over the holiday break - but on the other hand it's probably the best advice I could give any retailer here at the start of 2009.

So let me ask, are you on the right path with the pedal to the floor?

Or, for you Mario Kart players, are you on the right path with the #2 button pressed down?