Continued part 1, part 2 of ebook The retail doctor’s guide to growing your business: A stepbystep approach to quickly diagnose, treat, and cure provides readers with contents including: building and coaching your team; what you don’t know about the web could kill you; it’s up to you now; the 13 steps to being a top salesperson;... Đề tài Hoàn thiện công tác quản trị nhân sự tại Công ty TNHH Mộc Khải Tuyên được nghiên cứu nhằm giúp công ty TNHH Mộc Khải Tuyên làm rõ được thực trạng công tác quản trị nhân sự trong công ty như thế nào từ đó đề ra các giải pháp giúp công ty hoàn thiện công tác quản trị nhân sự tốt hơn trong thời gian tới.
Chapter Building and Coaching Your Team If you damage the cells of a vital organ such as your lungs by engaging in harmful behavior, like smoking two packs of cigarettes a day, you can end up with emphysema—or worse The same kind of situation can occur if you allow bad employees to linger; you might end up with a store at which no one wants to shop One bad apple can indeed spoil the barrel This chapter’s goal is to show you how to make all the individuals you’ve hired and trained into a cohesive sales team Building a team that is focused on selling requires your commitment to hiring only the best, having a detailed training program, giving clear expectations with boundaries, and rewarding excellent performance What you want your sales team to do? In short, they move product It doesn’t matter if they’re nice people, really need the job, or happen to be relatives; it doesn’t matter if you would want to have them over for holiday dinner The only thing that matters is: Are they able to help you grow your business and improve the financials we discussed in Chapter 1? They need to be focused on the customer and adding value—not stocking shelves and finding something to keep busy—when they are on your sales floor This chapter helps you set expectations and boundaries for all four employee personalities It demonstrates how you can show them the rewards of working for your business, and, if necessary, the door 143 144 Building and Coaching Your Team Set the Bar and the Guardrails You must set an expectation from the beginning that your new employee has to comprehend immediately: your definition of work The work—or the bar for which employees are to reach—is to make a customer feel at that very moment that they are the most important person in the world Just for those few minutes, their cares are your employees’ cares If your employees don’t understand this, you need to let them know that your store may not be a good fit for them Be a Chameleon When you can manage each of the four personality types to meet their needs, you’ll have lower turnover and a diverse crew that works well together You must change your approach like a chameleon changes its skin color to match each personality’s working style if you want to get the most out of your employees To recap: There are two main types of personalities, those ruled by their head (Thinkers), and those ruled by their heart (Feelers) If you run your business without objective employee reviews, formal training programs, or criteria for performance, you probably are a Feeler— either an Expressive or an Amiable The Expressive personalities want to know who is going to be there and express their opinions freely The Amiables—the largest segment of the population—want to know why and are driven by wanting to be likeable (or amiable) and part of the group If, on the other hand, you have a handbook chock-full of policies, procedures, and punishments, you’re probably a Thinker—either a Driver or an Analytical Drivers want to know what; they are driven by results and status Analyticals want to know how something works and prefer to analyze results and outcomes While Drivers want to just get the job done, Analyticals want to get the job done the right way Expressives want to a job their way, and Amiables want to know who else will the job with them Drivers are happy doing; Analyticals are happy thinking; Expressives are happy playing; and Amiables are happy listening Showing Analyticals a Process 145 Just knowing this information about each personality type can help you figure out how to talk to them But what if you are an Analytical who’s managing an opposite personality like an Expressive? Look to the shortcomings of your personality type for clues as to what can create friction Helping Drivers Get Results Drivers (like me) tend to talk fast, want people to get to the point, and steamroll our thoughts over others If this explanation sounds like you, being aware of your habits should help you slow down in both the speed with which you speak and your expectation for others to ‘‘get it.’’ Drivers tend to cut to the chase, while Feelers need to see the whole journey with lots of details It’s important for Drivers to learn to encourage others’ opinions and thoughts before laying down the law and stating that ‘‘this is what we’re going to do.’’ The things that make you successful are the very things that can trip you up One personality profile equates the Driver to the eagle When you manage Drivers, you need to assure them that they are your equal before they’ll take your advice They’re so confident in what they know and want that it takes some serious effort to convince them otherwise Drivers also fear being last in sales or standings, so reinforce them when they are number one And if they’re number two, show them how easy it would be to get to first place If you don’t get this right, Drivers will be the first to leave you looking for someone who will appreciate them Want to kill a Driver? Ignore him, take credit for his idea, or patronize him Showing Analyticals a Process Analytical personalities tend to come off as detached, cold, and aloof; they’re only interested the bottom line In the classic Aesop’s Fable The Ant and the Grasshopper, the ant is an Analytical because he’s always prepared This can be taken too far, though, in terms of overthinking or overplanning, which can result in making no 146 Building and Coaching Your Team decisions If you’re an Analytical, find a way to become excited about a product, a meeting, a new day I find that many business owners are unaware of how their Analytical personalities come across to their crews until it is too late That’s why some liken this personality type to the owl So force yourself to smile and offer encouragement in words that people—especially Feelers—need to hear; think great, not adequate You must make it clear to any Analyticals that you manage that you see things in their logical way; because unlike Expressives, they see a clear beginning, middle, and end to projects Try to show them that your way is more efficient than some others Because Analyticals are afraid of missing something, take your time Accept the fact that this group may not participate in all your joking and banter—something that can make them seem aloof Want to kill an Analytical? Tell her to lighten up or not be such a perfectionist Helping Expressives Focus Expressives tend to be extroverts who often make their private business public, sharing information without boundaries An opposite of the Analytical, the Expressive is Aesop’s grasshopper, living for today Expressives worry about being like everybody else instead of being recognized for their uniqueness Again, their enthusiasm and energy are the spark plugs for your team Their showiness can be compared to that of a peacock If this is your personality type, try to listen more carefully and set specific, realistic goals, since your enthusiasm can make you feel a bit invincible at times and can overwhelm Analyticals who want ‘‘just the facts.’’ ‘‘Keep your eyes on the prize’’ is a good motto for managing others if you are an Expressive If, however, you are managing Expressives, remember that they have to process externally while Thinkers don’t Answer Expressives’ questions as they happen or request that they write them down to be answered later the same day If you don’t, they will become impatient with you for dismissing their concerns Expressives are the first not to show up because they found something else to do—and might lie about it Making Amiables Your Friend 147 Want to kill an Expressive? Because this personality tends to wear its heart on its sleeve, cynicism cuts like a knife and can even result in tears Tread lightly when it comes to their emotions Making Amiables Your Friend Amiables are very malleable and rarely take a stand Their easygoing style can allow for sloppiness; and their desire to be everyone’s friend can cloud their perception of change and professional standards They are, by nature, the peacemakers, which is why some equate them to the dove If you’re an Amiable, then it’s best to write out your goals and the follow-up steps that are necessary to achieve them Edit yourself to the point of the story, not all the extraneous details that lead up to it Speed up your interactions with customers and employees to fight your natural inclination to relax and get to know people Firing is especially hard for Amiable owners, because they feel they personally failed in getting someone to fully participate on their team If that’s you, order an employee’s final check well in advance of a final meeting to make sure you follow through and remove the nonperformer If you are managing an Amiable, remember that these people love stories, which works well because stories tend to stick in all of our minds as pictures You need to befriend these employees, because they often fear not being liked Windows of Contact is the tool to use with them Amiables are most comfortable avoiding confrontation Well-meaning supervisors try to manage them by being nice and sparing their feelings, but that is the worst way to supervise these employees Amiables believe that the world (you included) is basically going to be understanding, which makes it tough to manage them—especially if you are an Amiable as well They are the ones who will never quit, so, if you don’t give them direction or feedback, they will assume everything is okay Want to kill an Amiable? Be impatient with him for not working fast enough Managing for 2010 and beyond is more about personality type and positive mind-set than a strict set of how-tos Business owners must rethink their belief that they can control others and change their behavior while ignoring their own Speaking all four languages as needed helps you get the most out of your sales team 148 Building and Coaching Your Team Motivating Employees A woman once asked me during a seminar, ‘‘How can we motivate our employees to their jobs?’’ I offhandedly answered, ‘‘The truth is no one can motivate another person You can hold a carrot, but it will only work if the person wants that carrot Motivation to want to a good job must come from within.’’ She sat with arms crossed, obviously upset with my answer; she was looking for a way to make her employees work I continued, ‘‘A good employee has to have the drive to the right thing, even when you’re not there watching everything.’’ A great employee finds tasks to complete, exceeds expectations, and makes the manager look good Too often, we find people who are not self-directed, friendly, or ready to work in retail, but we hire them anyway These people really don’t like retail to begin with, but we scratch our heads trying to come up with bonuses, contests, and rewards to get them to the minimum requirements of the job This is the wrong approach You shouldn’t have to find ways to get your employees to the basics—no matter what personality type they are The rewards come when they exceed expectations; adding on to every sale, driving average check, and increasing average number of items in a sale are the things that should get them a bonus Better job done equals more hours and potential raises I suppose then, in that sense, you can motivate them to exceed minimum job requirements But doing a cleaning checklist? No Following an hourly bake schedule? No way Arriving on time to work? Nope A manager has to make tough calls, the most basic of which is hiring a good crew and, if necessary, saying to one of them: ‘‘You’re not cutting it.’’ People cannot wait for you to motivate them to change; they have to motivate themselves to the job for which they were hired While I’m all about giving people a chance, it’s up to them to provide results for the money you pay them—not act like charity cases who require you to look the other way ‘‘Bless her heart, she’s trying,’’ is fine for a grandma to say but not a boss And while I’m at it: If you use volunteers to run your gift shop, nonprofit, or other business, you have to hold them as accountable as an employee Don’t settle for subpar or you’ll be gone Regular Store Meetings Are Key 149 Can you motivate someone? Yes Just tell your employees, ‘‘This is what the job requires,’’ and if they can’t motivate themselves, ‘‘My way or the highway.’’ You’re the boss Now you have an idea of why it’s necessary to be a chameleon in terms of dealing with your employees’ various personalities in specific ways How, then, you make them into a team? You it through regular reinforcement of high sales expectations Regular Store Meetings Are Key Your crew’s attitude about selling will affect the altitude of your sales You must counter the gloom-and-doom mentality of the morning news, or your employees will bring this outlook into your business and onto your sales floor Who will this for your staff if not you? You can build a positive culture of sales with your crew one morning a week, an hour before your store opens Use the following steps to create your agenda Welcome everyone If someone is new, introduce him and everyone else It’s always fun if you ask the new employee to tell everyone his favorite movie and why; then let others share theirs Review sales for the month How’s everything going on this front? Emphasize progress and find something to be positive about, even if sales are off Is the average number of units per sale going up? Did you see an increase in one category during the past week? The purpose of store meetings is to lift spirits, not dampen them Don’t lie, of course, but don’t paint with a red brush if things aren’t going as well as you’d hoped Deal with policies and procedures Has anything new come up? Did you deal with any problems over the past week like tardiness, employee discounts, or covering shifts that you want to address? This is the time and place to deal with it Boost product knowledge Take one product and teach its features and benefits It could be a new item or one that’s particularly high profit This is a good time to ask if your staff 150 Building and Coaching Your Team has questions about the product or its use Employees would get bonus points if they can try it on, put it together, or use it in some fashion Discuss contests and prizes Provide updates on a current one, announce a new one, or reward a past one Share inspirational sales stories Share complimentary customer service letters as well as stories from sales books like The Retail Doctor’s1 Guide To Growing Your Business, Think and Grow Rich (Napoleon Hill, 2005), or See You at the Top (Zig Ziglar, 2000) Ask employees if they have any encouraging stories to share Try role-playing See who can create the biggest sale, overcome objections to price using features and benefits, and so on Hold a round-robin Go around the room and have each employee participate in some way, through feedback or questions This will help to make sure they were paying attention Following the agenda in this order helps your crew remain aware of your expectations Never try to ad-lib a meeting; if it’s important enough to pay your employees to come in, then it’s absolutely necessary for you to plan out those 30 minutes Make sure that you arrive early so you have plenty of time to arrange, set up props, and put out a box of doughnuts or other treats; then simply follow your agenda I discourage the idea of holding staff meetings after work Employees won’t be able to spend their day putting what you’ve discussed into practice They’re also likely to be tired and/or constantly checking their watches with one foot out the door You want them to be fully engaged for these sessions Beware of the personality of the employee who wants to trap you—a phenomenon that I call, ‘‘kill the leader.’’ Anytime one person is in front of a group, there is a natural tendency to find fault with that individual That’s why so few people want to speak in public; they’re afraid of the audience member who will try to shoot down their ideas This person might start with an innocent, ‘‘Well, what if ?’’ and may continue to try to catch you—especially if you show Regular Store Meetings Are Key 151 that you’re unsure or uncomfortable It could be about a policy or procedure or something that you addressed during a role-play Oftentimes, this is an Expressive personality at work, seeking attention and wanting her needs to be met or a Thinker showing how smart they are by showing the leader up Don’t let them! You never want to let a meeting devolve into a bitching or griping session, so make sure you thoroughly understand what someone could say to derail you, and table any issues that you don’t feel comfortable defending at the moment Toward the last 10 minutes of your meeting, devise a contest that pits two groups of employees against each other I worked with Creative Kidstuff, a toy store in Minneapolis, Minnesota, where we split the group into two teams to see which could build the biggest add-on sale Each team invented a sales scenario and then ran around the store selecting items that its fictional customer would buy At the end of five minutes, both teams had a pile of games, toys, and accessories and an explanation of why they chose what they did Performing this exercise improved their sales skills They had fun doing it, and made great connections like pairing the book Good Night Moon (Margaret Wise Brown and Clement Hurd, Harper Collins, 1991) with the glow-in-thedark stars This ultimately led them to think about add-ons more often and with seemingly unrelated items that worked well together Finish each meeting with a round-robin by going around the room asking each person, ‘‘What’s one thing you learned today?’’ or ‘‘What did we talk about today?’’ You want to be sure everyone was actively listening and contributes something If there’s someone who can’t seem to give any feedback, ask him a question to encourage his success If that doesn’t work, speak privately with the individual afterward to find out what was going on Senior employees who have been with you a year or more—and who have heard most of your stuff already—should share responsibility for running these meetings to grow their own leadership skills Be sure to have them present to you prior to the meeting so you can coach anything that is unclear For a quick meeting to set good expectations for the day— especially during the holidays—my friend and speaker Ian Percy 152 Building and Coaching Your Team shared this suggestion: ‘‘Many salespeople come to work thinking that life sucks and customers are cheap, demanding, and ignorant; and their beliefs are confirmed The universe gives us what we think about; we create the very things we fear, and our wounds are usually self-inflicted So take five minutes every morning before the doors open to have everyone meet and discuss wonderful expectations for the day—how terrific customers eager to buy will soon enter the store and what a privilege it will be to serve them Just five minutes is all it takes to tell the universe what kind of day you’d like to have.’’ Now what was your honest reaction as you read that suggestion? Ninety-eight percent of readers will have had a negative reaction: ‘‘That’s stupid and naive.’’ ‘‘Staff won’t show up five minutes early.’’ ‘‘What a waste of time.’’ Well, guess what? If that’s what you think, then you’ll be right We’ve got to get back to believing that we can change and better You can only grow a sales team if you are willing to raise and monitor your expectations, hold your staff accountable, and perform the uncomfortable job of correcting their behavior Employee Reviews Using regular employee reviews and written warnings enables you to constantly prune your bottom 20 percent—your lowest performing employees—to grow your business Because of that, you should never stop hiring There was a famous experiment at a Western Electric plant in Cicero, Illinois, during the 1920s, when researchers attempted to discover the best illumination for worker productivity They first checked the productivity of the regular factory to establish a baseline Next, they told the crew they were going to increase some of the lights, and worker productivity picked up They added more lights and productivity continued to grow And although the researchers neglected to turn on the extra lights during the final stage, worker productivity still increased These experiments led to what is now called ‘‘The Hawthorne Effect’’—which means that people change their performance in response to any increase in attention paid to them 236 Expressives (Continued ) in sales process, 79–81 situation-handling approach of, 136 store tours for, 90 strengths and weaknesses of, 74 teaching displays for, 38 training for, 135, 139 use of Facebook by, 193 use of greeting by, 111 use of targeted questions by, 100 usual jobs of, 60 and Windows of Contact, 97, 98 Exterior displays, 43–48 F Facebook, 64 checking applicant information on, 75 groups on, 193 marketing via, 192–196 pros and cons of, 195–196 size of, 195 Twitter compared to, 199, 200 The Facebook Era (Clara Shih), 194 Face-out displays, 36, 37 Facts, xiii See also Analyticals Failure of sales process, analyzing, 108–109 Family businesses, 17 Fan page, Facebook, 192–196 Fault-finding, 150–151 Fear(s): adding element of, 107 of firing employees, 173, 174 performing to level of, 111–112 Features and benefits: pointing out, 78, 101–102 training related to, 130 Feedback: in employee reviews, 153 in training, 126, 139 Index Feelers, xii, xiii, xv, 144 See also Amiables; Expressives choice-making by, 42, 100, 106 and confessions of vulnerability, 189 as dissatisfied customers, 214 and Facebook, 178, 201 in Hell Zone, 88 in interaction with employees, xvi as interviewers, 68 job interview information for, 60 and lack of job descriptions, 53 listening to, 221 and online newsletters, 206 overwhelming displays and, 28 paying attention to business by, 17 and point-of-sales reports, sales closes by, 103 in sales process, 79, 80 subconscious failure of, 111–112 and survivor guilt, 167 and Tier One Marketing, 190 and Tier Two Marketing, 190 training, 137 and Twitter use, 201 and unsold merchandise, 49 web sites of, 179 and Windows of Contact, 98 and YouTube video quality, 198 Financials, 1–19 average number of customers, 16 average number of items sold, 14–16 average sale, 13–14 key metrics, 1–2 and leverage, 2–3 merchandise sales, 10–13 open-to-buy approach, 10–11 point-of-sale reports, 6–8 pricing, 8–9 profit and loss statement, 3–6 sales by category, 10 Index Firing employees, 147, 173–175 Five Guys Burgers, 158 Five Parts to a Successful Sale, 77–116 See also individual parts analyzing failure of, 108–109 and clerking vs selling, 81–84 closing the sale in, 102–105 closing with an add-on in, 79, 105–108 features and benefits statements in, 78, 101–102 greeting in, 77–78, 84–92, 109–112 growing your business with, 213–214 and personality type, 79–81 pushback against, 109–112, 216–218 question to help narrow choices in, 78, 99–100 training in, see Training Windows of Contact in, 78, 92–99 and worst questions to ask, 113–114 Flags, 45 Fleming, Linda Abrams, 104–105 Flip camera, 197 Floor banners, 45 Floor design, 26–27 Focus: narrowing, 4–6 for profitability, 18 Followers (Twitter), 199 Forms, 227 Friends of employees, hiring, 65 Fun, xiii See also Expressives G Gage, Randy, xvi The Gap, 26 237 Gardner, Meghan, 112–113 GiftandHomechannel.com, 220 Glen, Peter, 36 Goals: for cashier upselling, 108 employee, 153–154 for greeting customers, 110 rewards for meeting, 221 setting, 153 Shark Charts of, 156–157 Goal sheets, 153–156 Go Daddy, 179 Google: adwords, 181 checking applicant information on, 75 Local Business Center, 186–188 pay-per-click ads on, 203–204 search accuracy of, 180 and title bar keywords, 181 YouTube and key word searches, 197 Grand Openings, 206 Greeting customers, 77–78, 84–92, 109–112 attitude in, 85–87 goals for, 110 and Hell Zone, 88 props for, 89–90 pushback from employees about, 109–112 and store tours, 90 timing of, 84–85 training for, 125 words used in, 84 Grids of store, 23–24 Groups: Facebook, 193 Twitter, 199 Grouping items, for displays, 40 238 Index Growing your business, 209–223 changes needed for, 209–212, 219–220 with Five Parts to a Successful Sale, 213–214 handling employee pushback in, 216–218 and lifetime value of a customer, 219 mindset for, 214–215 moment of truth for, 214 using your personality type in, 221–223 variety of actions for, 212–213 H Handbook, employee, 54, 117 Hard statements, 137 The Hawthorne Effect, 152 Haynes Furniture, 104 Heart, personalities controlled by, xii Height of items, in displays, 40, 41 The Hell Zone, 88 Higher-ticket goods, raising sales of, 14 Hiring, 51–71 applicants to avoid in, 56 balance of information in, 70–72 checking references, 75 closing interviews, 74–75 deal killers, 69–70 defining employee attributes, 54, 56 essential elements in, 51–52 interview guidelines for, 67–68 interview questions for, 57–62 job descriptions in, 52–55 making offers, 75–76 personality factors in, 72–74 recruiting, 62–65 reviewing applications, 65–67 success rate in, 67–68 H&M, 24 Home, mimicking best qualities of, 22–25 Home Depot, 119 Home page: importance of, 183 text for, 185–186 title bar for, 182 Homework test (training), 128 Hospitableness, interview question to assess, 59 Howard & Phil’s Western Wear, 9, 169 ‘‘How are you today?’’, 113–114 HR.com, 65 Hubris, 211 Hunter Douglas Window Fashions Gallery, 36, 90, 102, 121 Hyperlinks: to your web pages, 181, 186 from YouTube, 197 I IBM, 206 Impulse merchandise, 12 See also Add-ons Indexing web sites, 184 Inflatables, 46 Insperience Studio (Whirlpool), 35–36 Inspirational sales stories, 150 Internal criticism, 137 Internal theft, looking for, Internet, 179 growing your business with, 214, 215 job boards on, 64 marketing via, 191–192 See also Marketing Interpersonal skills, interview question to assess, 59 Interruption marketing, 207–208 Index Interviews (hiring), 52 balance of information in, 70–71 closing, 74–75 connecting with applicants in, 59 determining applicant’s personality in, 59–60 guidelines for, 67–68 questions for, 57–62 Inventory See also Merchandise analyzing, in categories that aren’t producing, 10 changing, 210 determining levels of, 11 of display items, 42 open-to-buy, 10–11, 13, 18 Items: grouped displays of, 40 per transaction, 14–15 placement of, 26 It’s A Grind Coffee House, 15–16, 59, 69, 112–113 J Job applicants: to avoid, 56 checking information on, 75 connecting with, 59 determining personality of, 59–60 Job applications, reviewing, 65–67 Job descriptions, 52–55, 117 Job offers, making, 75–76 Johnson, Terri, 174 Joking, 146 K Kay, Michael, 23 ‘‘Keystone’’ pricing, Key words, 180–181 in blogs (tags), 188, 189 of competitors, 185 for Facebook ads, 194 239 in home page text, 185–186 repeating, 184 in source codes, 184–185 in title bars, 181–183 Twitter search of, 202 and YouTube videos, 197 ‘‘Kill the leader,’’ 150–151 Kogi, 200 L Landscaping, attracting customers with, 46, 47 Layout: of aisles, 26–27 of store, 25–26 LBC (Local Business Center), 186–188 Leithead, Roger, 210, 211 Leverage, 2–3 Lieberman, Aron, 43–44 Lifetime value of a customer, 219 Lighting, for displays, 40 Light pole signs, 44 Links, see Hyperlinks Local Business Center (LBC), 186–188 Lombardi, Vince, ix Los Angeles Times, 200 Losses, 3, Lugauer, Gordon, 100 Lumber Liquidators, 91 M McCabe, Tim, 15 Macy’s, 11 Mailing lists, 205 Maintenance of store, 21–24 Managers: Amiables as, 144, 147 Analyticals as, 144 Drivers as, 144 Expressives as, xiv, 144, 146 240 Index Managers: ((Continued)) in hiring interviews, 68 job descriptions for, 54, 55 as models, 158 presenting mystery shop results to, 160 Managing employees, 144–147 See also Team building Amiables, 147 Analyticals, 145–146 Drivers, 145 Expressives, 146–147 Manhattan Shirt Company, 210 Margins, 3–6, Markdowns, 11, 26, 48–49 Marketing, 177–208 goal of, 189 old school (Santa Claus marketing), 204–208 print vs online, 178 thinking like customers in, xvi Tier One, 178–191 Tier Two, 191–204 Masing, Tricia, 166 MDI WindMaster signs, 45–47 Mead, Kirsten, 188–189 Meetings, store, 149–152 Merchandise (merch): buying, 10–11 increasing turnover of, 13 major categories of, 12 optimal level of, 13 pointing out features and benefits of, 78, 101–102 sale, 26, 48–49 segmenting, 29 selecting, for displays, 29–31 selling, 10–13 Merchandising, 22–42 aisle layouts, 26–27 around traffic flow, 26 building displays, 39–42 general guidelines for, 27–29 grid of floor plan for, 23–24 preparing for displays, 23–24 selecting merch for displays, 29–31 setting the stage for, 22–25 things to avoid in, 42 traffic flow, 25–26 types of displays, 31–39 Merchant mindset, xv, xvi Merrill, David, xi–xii Meta description tags, 184–185 Metrics, 1–2 See also specific metrics Mimi’s Cafe´, 46, 47 Mindset: for growing your business, 214–215 merchant, xv, xvi of personality types, xv Models, managers as, 158 Moe, Daniel, 12 Moment of truth, 214 Monster.com, 65 Montgomery, Louise, 15, 59 Monument signs, 46 Motivation, 148–149 interview question to assess, 58 recognition for, 162–163 Music in store, 25 MySpace, checking applicant information on, 75 Mystery shoppers, 157–161 N Needs, placement of, 26 New arrivals, in displays, 39–40 Newsletters, online, 206–207 Newspaper ads, 65, 207 Niche markets, key words for, 181 Nightingale, Earl, 189 ‘‘No problem,’’ 114 Nordstrom, 11 North America, traffic flow in, 25 Index Number of transactions, Number of units per transaction, Number of voids, Nunn Bush Shoe shop, 120 O Obama, Barack, 158 Older customers, 104 Old school marketing, 204–208 Olson, Happi, 111 One-of-a-kind items, in displays, 40 1000words.kodak.com, 188 Online forms and updates, 227 Online job boards, 64 Online marketing See also Marketing measuring effectiveness of, 198 print marketing vs., 178 Online newsletters, 206–207 Online newspaper ads, 207 Open-to-buy, 10–11, 13, 18 Orders, combining, Oreo training, 137 Overthinking/overplanning, 145 Overtime, eliminating, Owners, see Business owners P Paid advertising: on Facebook, 194 pay-per-click ads, 183, 194, 203 Painting a picture, 106–107 Participation marketing, 208 See also Tier Two Marketing Passive-aggressive behavior, 169 Paychecks, handing out, Pay-per-click ads, 183, 194, 203 Percy, Ian, 151–152 Performance reviews, 152–154, 171 Personality types, xi–xvi See also individual types Amiables, xiii 241 Analyticals, xiii balancing, 73–74 and change, 221–223 and company profitability, xiv–xvi Drivers, xii Expressives, xiii Feelers, xii, xiii and Five Parts to a Successful Sale, 79–81 in growing your business, 221–223 interactions between, 72–74 of job applicants, 59–60 online quiz for, xiii in team building, 144–147 Thinkers, xii–xiii in training, 134–136 Personal Styles and Effective Performance (David Merrill and Roger Reid), xi–xii Personnel management, see Team building Pet peeves, 119–120 Phone scripts, 120–122, 126 Physical clues from customers, see Windows of Contact ‘‘Pig in the window,’’ 36 Point-of-purchase displays, 107 Point-of-purchase signage, 15 Point-of-sale (POS), 6–8, 13 Policies, 54 recording, 119 for returns, 136 in store meetings, 149 Polly’s Gourmet Coffee, 17–18, 21–22, 53 POS, see Point-of-sale Post test (training), 129 Pottery Barn, 98–99 Preconceived ideas about customers, 86–87, 168 Premium items, placement of, 26 Prices, increasing, 4–6 242 Index Pricing, 8–9 See also Discounting in displays, 42 of older merchandise, 24 Primary business drivers, 12 Print marketing, 65, 178, 207 Prioritization: for growing your business, 221 of sales vs stocking, 14 of training information, 122 Prizes, 150, 162 Probationary period, 133 Procedures, 54 prioritizing, 122 recording, 118 in store meetings, 149 Product(s): as art, 38 outside displays of, 43 placement of, 26 Productivity, illumination for, 152 Product knowledge: prioritizing, 122 recording, 119 in store meetings, 149–150 testing, 129–130 training in, 127, 130 Product margin, Profit: and discounting, increasing, see Growing your business from satisfied customer interactions, 158–159 Profitability: of American family businesses, 17 and discounts/coupons, 205 focus for, 18 and personality type, xiv–xvi tools for increasing, see Financials Profit and loss statement, 3–6 increasing profit margins based on, 4–6 as overall health indicator, 9–10 Profit generators, 12 Profit margins, increasing, 4–6 and pricing, Promotions: and American family businesses, 17 breaking even on, 212 number of items per transaction in, 14–15 in online newsletters, 206–207 profit with, thinking like customers in, xvi and Twitter use, 202 Promotions, of employees, 165 Props, for greeting customers, 89–90 Pufferbellies, 201–202 Pushback, from employees, 109– 112, 216–218 Q Questions: ‘‘anything else?’’, 103–105 to define specific product benefits, 101 to help narrow customer’s choices, 78, 99–100, 127 interview, 57–62 for mystery shoppers, 159–160 not to ask customers, 113–114 posed by Analyticals, 135 posed by Expressives, 135 R Raises, 165 Ralph’s grocery store, 28, 34 Ranking, web site: and blog entries, 188 and home page text, 185–186 and hosting of blog, 189 and key words, 180–186 Index and source codes, 184–185 and title bar, 181–184 Rapport, building, see Windows of Contact Recessions, x, 10 Recognizing employees, 161–163 Recruiting, 52, 62–65 References, checking, 75 Register: role-play for using, 133 training for, 132 Reid, Roger, xi–xii Reports, see Financials Restoration Hardware, 22 Retail, perception of, 216 Retail: The Art and Science (Daniel Moe), 12 Retaining employees, 145, 165 Reviews, employee, 152–154, 171 Rewards, 162 for contests, 161 for exceeding expectations, 148 Robots (Internet), 184 Rockland Window Coverings, 44 Rogers Center, 23 Role plays: in store meetings, 150 in training, 132–133 Round-robins, 150, 151 S Saks, Sales: building, see Add-ons by category, 10, 11 closing, 79, 102–108 prioritizing procedures for, 122 as priority, 14 recording procedures for, 119 and segmenting of merchandise, 29 243 steps to being top salesperson, 225–226 Sale merchandise: getting rid of, 48–49 outdoor, 48 placement of, 26 Sales autopsy, 108–109 Sales culture, 79, 149, 213 See also Five Parts to a Successful Sale Sales equation, 163–164 Salespeople: personality types of, 79–81 top, 225–226 Sales process, see Five Parts to a Successful Sale Santa Claus marketing, 204–208 Scents in stores, 24 Scheduling: interview questions about, 59 and personality type, xvi for profitability, Scripts, 120–122, 126 Search terms (for web sites), see Key words Segal, Gordon, 81 Segmenting merchandise, 29 Self-esteem, of employees, 168 Self-image, 167, 168, 216 Self-selling, 58, 216 Selling, 10–13 clerking vs., 81–84 interview questions about, 57–58 retail as, 216 upselling, 14, 79, 108 See also Add-ons as win-win situation, 167–168 of yourself, 58, 216 Senior employees: pushback from, 216–218 in store meetings, 151 Setting expectations, 144 Setting the stage, 22–25 244 Index Sew Special Studio, 174 Sharing: with customers, 93–95 See also Windows of Contact with employees, 98 Shark Charts, 156–157 Shaw, George Bernard, 134 Sheldrake, Mike, 2, 17–18, 53, 213–214 Shih, Clara, 194 Shoppers, see Customers Side aisles, 26 Side-out displays, 36, 37 Signs: for displays, 28, 40, 42 exterior, 44–47 MDI WindMaster, 45–47 point-of-purchase, 15 for recruiting, 62–64 unwelcoming, 43 Silver bullet, ix, x, 214 Skills, 168 interview question to assess, 58, 59 social, 85 Smell of store, 24 Social media, 191–204 See also specific media Facebook, 192–196 for growing your business, 214 recruiting via, 64 Twitter, 199–204 YouTube, 196–199 Social skills, 85 Soft statements, 137 Source codes (web site), 184–185 Spiders, 184 Staff, see Employees Staff meetings, 149–152 Standout displays, 43–44 Staples, 38, 39 Starbucks, 12, 21, 212 Stock, increasing turnover of, 13 Stocking, prioritizing sales vs., 14 Stockroom, cleaning, Stop displays, 36 Store meetings, 149–152 Store tours, 90, 124 Stories, 147, 150 The Strangest Secret (Earl Nightingale), 189 Successful stores, 21–50 aisle layouts for, 26–27 building displays for, 39–42 exterior of, 43–48 general merchandising guidelines for, 27–29 getting rid of old stuff for, 48–49 and grid of floor plan, 23–24 merchandising don’ts for, 42 selecting merch for displays in, 29–31 setting the stage for, 22–25 signs in, 43 steps toward creating, 225–226 traffic flow in, 25–26 types of displays in, 31–39 yourself as key to, x, xi Sullivan, Tom, 91 Sun West True Value, 102 Sur La Table, 30, 31 ‘‘Survivor guilt,’’ 166–168 SW, SW, SW, N formula, 164 T Tags, 188, 189 See also Key words Target, 27 Teaching displays, 38–39 Team building, 143–176 culture issues, 169–172 dealing with ‘‘survivor guilt,’’ 166– 168 by Drivers, 221 employee reviews, 152–154 firing employees, 173–175 Index getting rid of dead weight, 169 goal sheets, 153–156 motivating employees, 148–149 mystery shoppers, 157–161 and personality styles, 144–147 raises and promotions, 165 recognizing employees, 161–163 and sales equation, 163–164 setting expectations, 144 Shark Charts, 156–157 store meetings, 149–152 written warnings, 172–173 Text, home page, 185–186 Thanking customers, training for, 129 Theft, 5, 18 Thinkers, xii–xiii, 144 See also Analyticals; Drivers choice questions for, 100 as Facebook holdouts, 194 as fault-finders, 151 in interaction with employees, xvi and job descriptions, 53 job interview information for, 61 sales closes by, 103 in sales process, 80, 81 stop displays for, 36 and survivor guilt, 166 and Tier One Marketing, 190 and Tier Two Marketing, 190 and Twitter use, 200, 201 and Windows of Contact, 97, 98 Tier One Marketing: blogs, 188–189 comments on other blogs, 189– 191 Google Local Business Center, 186–188 purpose of, 190 web site, 178–187 Tier Two Marketing, 191–204 on Facebook, 192–196 purpose of, 190 245 on Twitter, 199–204 on YouTube, 196–199 Timing of greeting, 84–85 Tinyurl.com, 186, 188 Titles, for YouTube videos, 197 Title bar (web site), 181–184 Toronto Blue Jays, 23 Traffic builders, 12 Traffic flow/patterns, 25–26 Trainees: job descriptions for, 54 personality types of, 134–136 Trainers: criticism from, 137 guidelines for, 138–140 training of, 137–142 Training, 117–142 to avoid pet peeves, 119–120 desired outcomes of, 118–119 for existing employees, 109–110 to find Windows of Contact, 95–96 goal of, 133–134 overview of, 141–142 personality styles in, 134–136 prioritizing information for, 122 for prioritizing sales vs stocking, 14 scripts in, 120–122 six stages of, 123–133 of trainers, 137–142 astrialrunforemployment,133–134 Training badges, 122–123, 125, 131, 132 Transactions, number of items in, 14–15 Trial run, training as, 133–134 Trust, building, 83, 91, 163 Tweets, 199 Twitter: compared to Facebook, 199, 200 marketing via, 199–204 pros and cons of, 203 purpose of, 192 246 Index Twitter: (Continued ) and pushing vs pulling information, 193 reasons for using, 201 using, 200–201 TypePad.com, 188 U Uniform Resource Locator (URL), 179 Upselling, 79 See also Add-ons by cashiers, 108 hiring employees for, 14 URL, 179 V Vendors, reducing number of, Vicker, David, 194 Video marketing, see YouTube Visual clues from customers, see Windows of Contact Visual merchandising, see Displays W Walk-ins, 39 Wall Street Journal, 182–184 Wal-Mart, 27, 212 Want items: display placement of, 42 store placement of, 26 Warnings, written, 172–173 Waste, reducing, Web address, 179 Web site, 178–186 cost of, 179–180 creating, 179 home page text for, 185–186 hosting blog on, 189 hyperlinks on, 186 key words on, 180–181 ranking of, 180–186 source codes for, 184–185 title bar of, 181–184 URL for, 179 Weekly sales: by category, by salesperson, ‘‘Welfare pricing,’’ Western Electric plant experiment, 152 Wetzel, Dave, 67 What-ifs, 111 Whirlpool, 35–36 Why information, getting, 99–100 Wicket signs, 45, 46 Williams-Sonoma, 22 Will issues, 168 Window displays, 36, 39 Windows of Contact, 78, 92–99 with Amiable employees, 147 with Amiables in training, 135–136 role-playing for, 132–133 training in, 128 Word-of-mouth advertising, 158, 211 Wordpress.com, 188 Work, your definition of, 144 Written job descriptions, 53 Written warnings, 172–173 Y Yahoo!, 65 Year-over-year, 16 by date, by week, Yellow Pages ads, 207 Your question, 78, 99–100, 127 YouTube, 64 checking applicant information on, 75 checking video statistics on, 198 creating videos for, 197–198 Local Business Center links to, 186, 187 marketing via, 196–199 pros and cons of, 199 and pushing vs pulling information, 193 ICS/ ECONOM BUSINESS & NESS SI BU L AL SM USA CAN 95 95 $19 95 95 $23 Help Your Business Thrive with the Retail 51142e4 7e7 f89a7 cfd2396 2cf670a 028b4b07 0f4 8b0e 586b840 b16 f308 f26e 1d e27334 d680 7e1b6d06 3ba21 940e3 7dea c5bb471 3c3 28867 f8 bbed 74e2 c780 6d1 95fe17 7b08 58d8 5313 9d45 20f8b9a3 690a4 754e7 b437 2298 7ae3bea 9374 f30 b3 49a74ff65 d2f937e7 d8e bc5 d43b334 b4414 418a0 deab4 1a1aa0ab21b9 c77 30ab c2c5 6b9 bf4 8e75 f2b175 f1f1455ff9 7a0e0e 8e09 f963 70b8 91396 2514 b9e d3f d36247a 1b1 c74 02f9ed93 221a4 49e34a 7aa2c71e9ae bcb71 c4c0eeb2 484b96aa 83087 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8d7 00313 f5 dc2a d936 3a3ef7f7 2d89 306e6 31 c5d9 60b3 6f9 be71 39ed 724a60 c06 662a7a 184bce6 c86 b21d3877 b18 c8be 6db82 e3083a1 fe11 b4350 0a251 996a f4025 1e525 90e0e 9e235 6dd348 f7e13 982 b5913 62b8ff4 cfb7b2 b498 1e6 c5e54 de90e 94c0130 0f8e 5158 f5 b0044 471 f83d013 f7 ab27a6e2 e738a2 f0 c256 bd5 9b74 d78e 78c6c1 597b758e5 5e7 f9d6 025 c9f2685a Doctor! ARE YOU among the thousands of small businesses frustrated by market challenges, willing to change, but unsure of the right path for your business? Are you looking for the advice of an expert consultant, but unable to spend the money? Then The Retail Doctor’s Guide to Growing Your Business is for you Whether you’re a mom-and-pop, chain, franchise, or service business, this no-nonsense, accessible guide delivers spot-on advice so you can: Make over your small business to become profitable Effectively market your business online Understand how personality types affect your business Recognize how mark-ups, price points, and discounts affect your bottom line • Avoid the common mistakes merchants make in a downturn • Increase your profitability on every transaction • And much more! BOB PHIBBS, known nationwide as the Retail Doctor, is a popular motivational speaker and small business consultant who has transformed thousands of businesses throughout the world with his straightforward, proven advice Visit www.retaildoc.com COVER DES IGN BY C WALLACE P HOTO: D OV F R IED MANN • • • •