Make a Difference - Sweat the Small Stuff First
My background is in retail management - yes, running stores, from tiny ones you couldn't swing the proverbial cat around in, to huge three floor jobs. Yet there are some guiding principles which, like Giuliani did for New York, that make a difference on a smaller scale. Guiding principles which make a huge, possibly unseen difference to your customers and no less so to your employees. I'd like to suggest that, on the basis of 20% of the focus gives you 80% of the return, acting in just two areas of fine detail will make all the difference in a retail business. As they say - 'Retail is Detail'
Presentation
Making a difference in the presentation of your store sets a tone for who you are as a business and for your customers, what they can expect from you. And this needs to come from you, the leader of the business and very clearly. Indicating what is acceptable in terms of how you display the merchandise, how you use display materials, where your focus and priorities are is very important. As you provide the lead, others will follow. If you do it in a positive, constructive, even coaching way, they will learn, deliver consistently and even generate their own ideas. Once established, this becomes a culture of 'the way we do things
around here'.Presentation is perfection within the constraints of what you are able to do. Focusing on what you can't do, for maybe want of financing, is a waste of time and energy. Time and energy that can be focused on fixing that which is within your influence, and those of your people. This can be your own version of the 'Broken Windows' or graffiti analogy that Giuliani uses so well - applied locally by you. So, for me, 'Perfection in Presentation' is:-
- Having the products you sell available at all times for your customers
- Being clean
- Removing debris (like sticky residues from old showcards and stuff like that)
- Making checkouts available for just that - taking cash quickly and not selling stuff
- Reducing 'visual chaos', which is intimidating for those very people you are trying to get into buying mode - your customers
- Experiencing the experience - through visiting your own store as a customer and seeing just what catches your eye
Bottom line is that you need to have a focus of perfection yourself, lead your people through it and, over time, they will deliver for you. And you know what, they will make sure that everyone who starts new with you works that way for you. People
Your people are your most valuable asset. Working in a sharp end customer-facing role is challenging and tough. If you are a true leader in the retail business, you will have worked the tough shifts and the most challenging spots in your store. So you know how tough it can be. Yet there are standards here too - making them clear to everyone is a vital first step.Yet there is a service you can and must provide for your people. Simple things that need fixing before they can be on top for to play their part in representing your business. Finding out about what will make a difference, those multitude of little things that get in the way of perfect performance can be challenging.
It's down to asking questioins, and finding out by being there and engaging in conversations. Simple things like:-
- Fixing the work schedules
- Providing the right workwear
- Ordering a namebadge
- Getting the temperature right
- Fixing the coffee machine
- Having enough pens
- Fixing a checkout door
- Moving a cash point fixing that snags their trousers
- Responding to requests quickly and positively
- Being trustworthy
- Communicating fully
- Getting pay right first time
- Fifty more possibilities, unique to your business (for a few more, checkout Motivation
By attending to what matters most to the people you employ - many of them 'Just Do Its' - fixed today even, you will leverage a return far more than the cost it takes to fix. And leave a legacy of a culture that will be a benefit for years to come. And by fixing things fast, you will develop a credibility in your leadership second to none. This can be used at the beginning of a new position, of in the middle - it doesn't matter. Once you start though, it works best if you have a developed sense of fixing easy things on the fly - fast and effective. Let that be your byword. Martin Haworth is a Business and Management Coach. He works worldwide,
mainly by phone, with small business owners, managers and corporate leaders. He has hundreds of hints, tips and ideas at his website, http://www.coaching-businesses-to-success.com. (Note to editors. This article may be edited for use in your publication or newsletter as long as a live link to the website is included) ...helping you, to help your people, to help your business grow...
Related News
|
 |
|
|
RELATED ARTICLES
10 Critical Questions to Ask Before Hiring a Consultant
Talk to as many consultants as you can before hiring one. Even if you have one person or firm in mind, interview at least a few others as a sort of due diligence. You'll probably find that each interview helps you focus on the issues you're hiring a consult to help resolve.
Communicate To The Four Main Personality Types
You probably know this already, but there are generally held to be four main personality types, which I call: Extrovert, Amiable, Analytical and Pragmatic .
Executives and Emotional Self Awareness
A major problem impairing an executive's performance is his Emotional Blind Spots. Emotions, whether we like them or not, have a significant impact on one's decisions. An example is the Enron case where executives ran into severe ethical and legal consequences after falling prey to the destructive negative emotions of greed and self-interest. It is perplexing how many success driven executives, choose to fear addressing the impact of negative emotions on personal and organizational performance.
Internal Communication: 12 Essential Elements
There are 12 essential elements of a successful internal communications strategy:
Executive Performance -- Whos to Blame for Incompetent Managers?
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal raised the question: Who's to blame for inept managers?
Quick Tip - Effective Meetings Begin With Goals
Goals are critically important for the success of a meeting. You must know what you
want so you can ask for it. And the participants need to know what you want so they
can help you get it. Without goals, a meeting becomes a journey without a
destination.
The Ivory Tower Syndrome
"His cardinal mistake is that he isolates himself, and allows nobody to see him; and by which he does not know what is going on in the very matter he is dealing with. - Abraham Lincoln on his reason for relieving Gen. John C Fremont of his Missouri command. (September 1861)
Diversity in the Workplace
As you look around your office, is everyone just like you? Probably not. The demographics of the American workforce have changed dramatically over the last 50 years. In the 1950s, more than 60% of the American workforce consisted of white males. They were typically the sole breadwinners in the household, expected to retire by age 65 and spend their retirement years in leisure activities. Today, the American workforce is a better reflection of the population with a significant mix of genders, race, religion, age and other background factors.
Give Yourself a Boss Day Gift, Part 2: Are You the Position or the Person?
Are you the position or the person?
Employee Motivation: It?s More Than A Paycheck
Managers often ask, usually with exasperation, "How can I keep my employees motivated? I pay them decently. What else is there?"
Overcoming Perfectionism
Perfectionism can get in the way of building or marketing a successful business. It can prevent us from moving ahead quickly or from taking advantage of business opportunities. We set ourselves up with unrealistic expectations or goals, which can be damaging to us personally or professionally. Striving for perfection can damage our self-esteem because we never feel like we are good enough. Instead, consider adopting an attitude of striving for excellence. Look at failure as just another teacher. Let's explore how being less than perfect can move you ahead in your business!
Why All Managers Are Alike
Because, like you I suspect, they have key target audiences whose behaviors help or hinder them in achieving their organizational objectives.
Spotlight on Productivity: How to Overcome E-Mail Overload
Do you ever feel overwhelmed by e-mail? Have you ever spent more of your day wading through your e-mail than managing your work? Are you looking for ways to spend less time creating, managing and answering messages? Discover how to overcome e-mail overload and be more productive by writing more effective e-mail messages and reducing the volume of e-mail.
Problem Solving - Think Cleopatras Ass
Picture the scene. Anthony pops down to the guardhouse, partly because he wants a break with the lads, but also because he has a problem. Cleopatra says she wants to bathe in ass's milk. So Anthony tells the guys in the guardhouse, that he needs
some help. "The wife wants to bathe in ass's milk now." He says.
Looking through the Glass Ceiling - Women in Management
Women have made tremendous contributions to society at every level; consider Joan of Arc, Golda Meier, Indira Gandi, Condalezza Rice.
Hidden Consultants Within Your Organization
You've all heard the old joke about a consultant being someone who uses your watch to tell you the time, and then steals your watch. There's some truth to the story: consultant recommendations are often the same things that your employees or customers have been telling you all along. But while you will listen to a consultant, you don't listen to your employees and customers. Why is that? Why do companies pay more attention to consultants then they do to employees or customers? And what should you do about it? But let's start with an even more important question: why should you listen to employees and customers?
Innovation Management: The Hype Cycle
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.
Why You Need a Business Plan
This article was originally called "Do You Need a Business Plan?"
Innovation Management: What Problem Is Being Solved?
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation.
Creativity and Innovation Management: Generating Better Ideas
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation whilst innovation can be defined as idea selection, development and commercialisation. There are other useful definitions for both, for example, creativity can be measured according to the number of ideas produced, the diversity of those ideas and the novelty of those ideas.
|
