From Starbucks' playbook: Training can boost sales
David Perry, Executive Editor -- Furniture Today, March 16, 2008
Attention all complainers. We've got a special message for you this week: Give your business a shot of energy with a strategy recently unveiled by Starbucks.
Yes, I know, business is challenging this year. Yes, you retailers are allowed to complain (a bit) about a lackluster sales climate. And, yes, you can do something to give your business a boost.
That something comes to us courtesy of my favorite coffee merchant: Starbucks. The chain recently took the unusual step of closing (temporarily) all of its 7,100 U.S. stores for three hours of employee training. The goal: Foster enthusiasm among the company's 135,000 U.S. employees and improve the quality of Starbucks' drinks.
From my own sampling of Starbucks around the country, I usually find Team Starbucks to be friendly, enthusiastic and on its game. And yet, the powers that be at Starbucks took the bold step of giving up three hours of business to focus on training.
There are several useful lessons here, I think:
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The power of training. For all the talk in the industry about product, it is the sales staff that makes it all happen on retail floors. A better-trained staff will produce better results. And even skilled salespeople can benefit from additional training. I've heard veteran salesmen say they learn something new every day. That's the mark of a real professional.
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The power of teamwork. Part of the genius of the mass closing at Starbucks was that it gave all of the employees a shared mission. The closing was an event, one that signaled the company's commitment to improving its service.
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The power of passion. I would think Starbucks employees are more passionate about their work than the average retail employee out there, but Starbucks sought to give that passion an extra shot, as it were.
How do furniture retailers put the Starbucks playbook to work for them? The current slow sales climate is the perfect time to focus on training. Go for the whole latte and shut down all of your stores for a few hours. Invite your vendors to hold sales training sessions for everyone. Salute your heroes on the sales floor. This is the perfect time to inspire your retail sales associates.
Perhaps you don't think a few hours of focused training can make a difference. You are dead wrong, my friends. I visited my usual Starbucks a day or two after the big training session. I found flowers on the tables and an extra-friendly greeting. My Grande Chai Latte tasted a little more soothing than normal. I was impressed.
What are you doing to impress your customers these days?
Contact David Perry at dperry@reedbusiness.com
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