The news reports have shocked us all. A gunman walks into a store and opens fire on customers and associates. “Flash-mob robbers” target stores and ransack malls. Organized Retail Crime (ORC) rings post videos brazenly documenting their criminal activity as they steal thousands of dollars of merchandise, damage property, and shatter a sense of safety…

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This time of year, especially for gift retailers, hiring is top of mind. They’re focused on staffing up and onboarding new associates for the busy holiday season ahead. We’ve written previously about the importance of optimizing your recruiting, interviewing, and selection strategies to better serve your business year round. But when it comes to seasonal…

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Changing your personality is difficult. Changing your choices in how you communicate is not. It simply requires attention and intention when interacting with people, and not being so quick to make assumptions based on how you perceive a situation. Because sometimes your lens—your perception—is distorted, and that means it doesn’t always reflect reality. Your communication…

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It’s hard to believe that October is here already. For retailers, back-to-school has quickly transitioned into the fall and winter holiday seasons. During this all-important time of the year, you want to maximize each and every customer interaction. Even before the pandemic pushed practices like BOPIS (buy online/pick up in store) into the spotlight, retailers were…

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DiSC® profiles provide powerful insights for retail managers and leaders. It’s why the Everything DiSC® survey has been a mainstay of our retail training programs. It serves as a foundational learning and self-awareness tool as leaders develop their interpersonal skills and strategies to improve retail business outcomes. Now, with the addition of two new DiSC…

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retail skills training

From the retail store floor to the corporate office, leaders, managers, team leads, and supervisors are adapting their strategies and focusing on enhancing their retail leadership skills as the pandemic wears on. We recently reconvened our virtual Retail & Service Leadership Exchange Forum (RSLEF) to check in with some of the top retailers in North…

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Retailers are used to upheaval and constant change. Over the past decade alone, the “retail apocalypse” has dominated the news as traditional brick-and-mortar retailers have scrambled to adapt to the competitive threat of digital disruptors and changing consumer preferences. By the end of 2019, savvy retail businesses were gaining traction in their strategies with a…

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retail store management

The COVID-19 pandemic has devastated retail businesses and, as a result, their training budgets. But as stores reopen, the leadership and other interpersonal skills that once were essential are now critical. Resetting expectations, overseeing compliance on health and safety, and coaching in real-time to adjust service levels are just a few of the situations that…

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Stress, change, and uncertainty hit retailers hard when the coronavirus pandemic upended all semblance of normal or “business as usual.” While the pandemic was an extreme example, change is an everyday reality in retail. And one of the things we know from our work using the DiSC® Profile is that, at an individual level, it…

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retail trends

Another year is drawing to a close, and as is usual in retail, whew, what a year! Change is always part of the retail story, but with change can come some exciting new opportunities—if you’re prepared to seize them. The evolution of brick and mortar continues, as both traditional retailers and formerly online-only retailers experiment…

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