There are a lot of retail managers out there\nwho don\u2019t have an effective retail management strategy in place. They simply\nassign the necessary tasks, give the bare minimum of training to new retail\nassociates, and do little to motivate or inspire their employees. It is easy to\ndo as little as possible, but this won\u2019t increase sales, enhance productivity,\nor improve overall business success. A retail manager who wants the business\nand their employees to be as successful as possible needs to implement specific\nstrategies and truly work towards bringing the best out of their retail\nassociates. If you want to develop strong retail management tactics, follow\nthese top retail management tips to enhance your leadership role and\neffectively harness the power of your retail employees. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you want all of your employees to be on the\nsame page, you will need to start off on the right foot. A well-developed\nonboarding process is key to making your new employees feel confident and\ncomfortable with the necessary tasks of their new role. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rather than just casually guiding new\nemployees through the different technical and customer-facing tasks and\nprocesses, create a specific step-by-step training program to go through with\neach new employee. This may mean creating a physical or digital manual, or\ndrafting a template for you to follow during onboarding. Regardless of the\nformat you choose, it is important to be thorough. Include everything from how\nto use different technology systems, how to interact with customers, weekly and\nmonthly goals, milestones new hires should meet, and anything else you deem\nimportant. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
This in-depth and consistent onboarding\nprocess ensures every necessary topic is covered, and that every employee is\nreceiving the same information. This is vital for effective retail management,\nas you will want every one of your employees to have the same idea of your\nexpectations, as well as a consistent understanding of the different practices\nand processes within the business. No one will be left in the dark or feel\nunsure of how to go about certain tasks, and everyone will be as prepared as\npossible for their role. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
If you notice an employee making a mistake or\nmissing an opportunity while working on the sales floor, pull them aside at an\nappropriate moment to give them advice. Give them an example of how they can\nimprove, and how they can apply a different tactic with the next customer they\ninteract with. This is an effective retail management technique, as it will\nhelp employees adapt quickly and adjust their on-the-floor strategies as they\ngo. By using a real-life example, they will more clearly see what they can do\nbetter. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Constructive criticism is important, but\nremember that it is equally as valuable to compliment employees on their\nperformance as well. This helps to reinforce tactics that work well, as well as\ngive them a confidence boost. Compliments will help your employees feel more\nempowered to show up and deliver their best work. Find times to give the\nspotlight to individual employees and recognize their good work during team\nmeetings as well. This will help foster a close-knit team, and give other\nemployees a real example of what you are looking for. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Besides the occasional constructive criticism\nor compliment on the floor, you should carve out scheduled times to check in\nwith employees and give feedback. The training doesn\u2019t stop with onboarding, so\nin order to create the most effective retail management strategy possible, you\nwill want to continue to nurture your employees and help them grow and enhance\ntheir skills. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Depending on what makes the most sense for\nyour business, schedule weekly or monthly meetings with your retail sales\nassociates to go over selling strategies, goals to hit, and any other important\nhappenings within the business. You may want to do individual sessions with\nemployees as well so that you can give targeted feedback. This can be especially\nvaluable in businesses with commissioned sales associates, as it gives you a\nchance to discuss their sales goals and create an action plan to achieve them.\nPrivate sessions will also give you a chance to discuss any weak points certain\nemployees may have, answer any questions, and give them more targeted training.\n<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In order to have an effective retail\nmanagement technique in place, it is vital that you set both store and\nindividual employee goals. Goals give retail sales associates something to work\ntowards, and in turn they help increase productivity. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
By giving employees goals, you won\u2019t have to\nworry about anyone simply standing around during their shift and not being as\nproductive as possible. If you want your retail sales associates to use their\ntime in-store wisely, it is essential that they have goals in place to guide\nthem. Regularly share the stores overall goals during staff meetings, and work\nindividually with employees to mutually establish goals that work best for them\nand the needs of the store. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Belittling your employees is a guaranteed way\nto decrease productivity and lose respect. No one wants to work for someone who\ndoesn\u2019t value their efforts and time, so in order to have an effective retail\nmanagement strategy, you need to regularly show respect and gratitude for your\nemployees. As mentioned above, give employees compliments when they\u2019ve done\nsomething well. Also be sure to ask for their opinion and feedback. Work to\ncreate an environment of collaboration and teamwork, rather than one where your\nemployees are simply robots who should do as they are told. Employees will\nappreciate being engaged and treated as part of a team, and will feel more\nempowered and motivated to do more than the bare minimum. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
It isn\u2019t easy to look up to a boss who merely\ntalks the talk, but isn\u2019t able to walk the walk. You need to be able to\ndemonstrate retail sales skills, communicate clearly and concisely, and show\nthat it is possible to reach milestones and achieve goals. If employees are\nable to see that you are able to accomplish the goals you have set, they will\nfeel more motivated and inspired to follow in kind. This will also build up\nyour credibility, and your employees will be much more inclined to take your\ngoals and strategies seriously. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The same goes for knowledge of product. You\nlikely expect your employees to be knowledgeable about the products that are\nsold in the store, and to be quick to learn about any new product that is\nshipped in. If you want your employees to look up to you as a leader, ensure\nyou follow those same expectations, and keep up-to-date with what is being\ncarried in the store. You need to be a role model for your employees, not\nsimply a figurehead superior. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
There are a lot of retail managers out there who don\u2019t have an effective retail management strategy in place. They simply assign the necessary tasks, give the bare minimum of training to new retail associates, and do little to motivate or inspire their employees. It is easy to do as little as possible, but this […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":789,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"yoast_head":"\n