When the SVP, Stores got up to address this group of multiunit managers, he talked about people.  He made the connection that when times are tough in retail, the leadership message is often more focused on operations and back to basics.  But he wanted this group to know that the focus now more than ever needed to be on leading and inspriring their people.  He talked about how coaching associates to meet and exceed customer needs was more powerful than driving them to achieve metrics at all costs.  He gave an example of a customer who came in to buy an electronic component and after learning what the problem was the associate told him he didn’t need the part and he could do it another way.  The customer was so taken by the associates level of knowledge and helpfulness that he asked about other products they carry and ended up buying several items worth many times the original request.

Trust built with the customer is key.  The SVP acknowledged however that when DMs come for a store visit their conversations are to drive achievement of the goal more than help store teams improve their ability to build trust and sell in a customer-centric way.  Leadership needs to help remove obstacles to exceeding customer expectations. And, he reminded them, in many instances, it doesn’t cost anything more to teach and support those teams through leadership.

What do you think your message is when business is tough?  Do your leadership have the skill and courage to elevate team morale and make new business possible?  Post a comment here or tweet us @mohrretail.  In Retail, every day is a chance to learn. MOHR.

Posted in Editorial
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About MOHR Retail

For more than 30 years, MOHR Retail has developed the critical people-to-people skills needed to create results in the retail industry—and we’re just getting started. Through innovative classroom and online learning methods, as well as our ongoing national retail research projects, we continue to stay on top of the trends so we can fuel the success of specialty stores, chain stores, outlets, catalogue retailers, department stores, and more. Nowhere does learning meet experience as it does in a MOHR Retail training program.