It's time for some hard truths (Part I of 3)
Retail Ideas column
Leslie Carothers -- Furniture Today, January 29, 2007
The topic du jour is your investment in your people-specifically the investment that impacts my business-training. SOLID, CONTINUOUS SALES training-not product training, not operational training.
I am going to let you know what I hear from many retailers that I speak with on a daily basis around our country because I am worried about what this means for the future of the two biggest assets of your business-your people and your customers. I am going to lay out the excuses I hear for not investing in training and ask you to take these statements and apply them to other consumer goods categories-cars, clothing, electronics, etc.
After you read these, ask yourself, "Would any of these other business categories be able to maintain viability as retailers if this was their mindset?"
Here goes:
1. "Business is slow right now." "To tell you the truth, I don't know exactly WHAT to do."
2. "Cash flow is horrible." (If this is you, look to your PEOPLE as the reason why-customers want to do business where they feel appreciated and recognized.)
3. "We don't have a manager in place." (Ongoing recruitment is essential!)
4. "We have a training program-we give our people three weeks of training before they ever get on the floor." (What about after that?)
5." We've used XYZ training program and we're very happy with the results (How long ago and how are you measuring the results?) (What is happening with new hires?)
6. "We have an in-house training program and don't look to outside consultants for help." (No fresh ideas are filtering through?)
7. "Why should we train our people?" "There is just too much turnover." (See Part 2 for the answer as to why this is happening.)
8. "We've tried lots of programs and nothing has worked." (That's where the importance of the word "reinforcement" becomes relevant-who is really doing it?)
9. "I can do it better myself-that's my specialty." (Do any of us ever want to stop learning from others?)
10. I have a manager who is very good so we don't need any outside help." (Managers have three days during the week in which to get almost all their work done-do you really think your people are getting top notch coaching-even if the intention is there?)
12. We have a lot of other priorities right now, so we are going to have to hold." (What is more important than making sure your customers have superior people experiences?)
13. "We give our people on line training-it's cheaper." (This is a great option for product and operational training, but do you really think people learn how to create emotional connection with customers via video?)
Now, go back and answer the question I asked you to think about-"What would happen if other consumer goods categories had this reaction to training?"
Many of you don't know where to turn for training as the business is fragmented. Obviously, I am one option,but there are others and I am going to help you justify this expenditure financially, learn how to decrease turnover and discuss the options for training in Parts 2 and 3.
I care about making sure you, my dear retailer readers, stay healthy and viable-even if I'm not the one providing this service to you. Our industry needs to lay out a clear career and professional development path for consultants and help them- through continuous training- achieve their goals so we can achieve ours-financially profitable and sustainable businesses that attract top talent.
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