Overview

Introduction

Initially we will explore the framework of the course, including potential constraints and barriers, the importance of standards and how they relate to management style.

• Why standards represent the foundation of a successful retail business, and why they are often one of the biggest constraints.
• The concept of variation and deviation.
• The difference between a constraint and a barrier.
• The focus and format for the course.

The Store Manager

It is essential to clarify the store manager’s many responsibilities and duties—the different hats you typically need to wear and the related behaviours necessary to complete the job successfully.

• Why store managers are vital to formulating and executing retail strategies for meeting performance goals.
• The concept and usefulness of a manager’s Job Responsibility Checklist.
• How a customised Job Responsibility Checklist can help clarify performance expectations and develop core competencies.
• Why a strong belief system is required for lasting improvement in customer service and sales.
• What it means to work for your beliefs and how to manifest them.

Sales Goals

The  importance of establishing sales performance goals, including minimum standards, fair expectations, equal opportunities, key performance indicators and easy-to-read performance dashboards.

• Which metrics are key performance indicators and why they matter most.
• The goal of a sales manager.
• What makes a store goal-oriented.
• How to establish fair sales goals for individual salespeople.
•  How to create and use easy-to-read sales performance dashboards.

Managing Variation

This chapter takes a closer look at individual management style—the core elements that often define a good manager and how they can affect a manager’s ability to move salespeople successfully from variation or deviation back to the rail.

• Why correcting variation and deviation may require different tactics.
• Why variation and deviate on exist in most retail stores.
• How the elements of management style can affect accountability.
• The concept of Have-To (hard rail) and Want-To (soft rail) behaviours.
• How a balance of discipline and motivation can help eliminate Have-To concerns and gain compliance with Want-To behaviours.

Sales Metrics

It is essential to focus on the crucial role of sales metrics in performance management, building a sales career, achieving sales goals, developing new dashboard tools and utilizing those tools to assess individual productivity.

•  How metrics help drive performance management.
• Where metrics fit into building a sales career.
• Why and how metrics can help stores achieve their sales goals.
• The metrics and dashboard tools that help assess individual performance.

Behavioural Standards

We’ll examine the role of behaviours and responsibilities in determining success, including the need for an operational rail, strong discipline, non-negotiable store standards and a culture that stimulates motivation.

• How behaviours drive metrics by affecting sales performance.
•  How the struggle between operations and sales relates to discipline.
• What constitutes an operational rail and how to establish one.
• What non-negotiable store standards are and why they’re essential.

Coaching

This chapter examines the coaching process, both in formal meetings and on the sales floor, including the important role of positive and corrective feedback, consequences and strategies.

• Why ongoing coaching is a necessary part of employee development.
• How coaching in weekly meetings and on the floor can improve poor behaviour and strengthen good behaviour.
• The difference between positive and corrective feedback and coaching.
• How consequences can help drive sustained behavioural change.

Manpower Planning

Your success starts with the entire recruiting and hiring process, including staff assessment, resource expansion, applicant screening, analysis of job applications and resumes, understanding interviewing steps and techniques, and finally, the importance of qualifying based on sales accountability and behavioural standards before making a selection.

• Why an ongoing recruitment effort is essential to your success.
• How to build a solid, reliable hiring system.
• How to analyse job applications to disqualify the worst candidates.
• Why preparing for interviews in advance is critical to success.
• How clarifying performance expectations and behavioural standards can help you make the best possible selection.

Progressive Discipline

In this chapter we’ll look at the specific steps a manager can take to correct undesired behaviour or poor sales performance when coaching proves ineffective, including what’s happening?, counselling sessions, deal-making, written warnings and termination, if necessary.

• Why non-compliance with behavioural standards or performance minimums may occur.
• The goals of progressive discipline.
• What progressive steps to take when coaching efforts don’t work.
• Why the goal should be correction to avoid termination, if possible.
• How management style impacts the effectiveness of progressive discipline.

Training

The focus is on the importance of providing retail salespeople with formal skill-development tools in key areas such as Product Knowledge, Operations, and Sales/Customer Service and presents methods for analysing, assessing and improving employee competence.

• How to create a framework for an effective training system.
• Why creating a training system can help employees establish goals, understand sales philosophy, learn sales techniques and get feedback on their training development.
• How to develop an efficient training schedule.
• How to create metrics to rate the effectiveness of your training program.

Store Meetings

We’ll discuss the role of store meetings in elevating the level of customer service a store provides, including potential agendas items, appropriate subject matter and simple planning tips that can maximize success.

• How choosing the wrong content may demoralize your staff.
• What subject matter categories can increase skills and elevate service.
• How often and how long you should hold store meetings.
• Why planning in advance is the key to your success.

Engaging

The purpose of this chapter is to emphasize the importance of opening the sale by establishing person-to-person relationships with your customers and breaking through any customer resistance. Upon completion of this section, you will be better equipped at using non-business conversation to break through customer resistance, establishing a person-to-person relationship with customers and then transitioning into probing to determine customer needs and wants.

Compensation

The following chapter will explain the pros and cons of various pay structures and suggest a strategy for compensation that ensures retention of top-quality salespeople while minimizing fiscal impact on the store.

• How to enhance the employee’s perception of fair treatment.
• How to prevent or minimize requests for pay raises.
• How to make compensation easy to understand/calculate.
• How to promote retention as a secondary goal.
• How to decrease payroll percentage as sales increase.
• When and how to reward the producers.
• What to expect with short-shift employees.

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