Win at Retail: Build a Great Staff

“You have great employees,” is the comment I want to hear most from customers. It goes right to the heart of a strategy that is essential to compete in today’s volatile retail environment.

Customers’ expectations are higher than ever. Whether it’s a big box or small retailer, stores must be neat, uncluttered and well-lit. Customers expect competent, quick checkouts and trouble-free returns. Prices must be sharp, and product selection must be relevant, as well as up-to-date.

The greatest part of the shopping experience in which the local hardware retailer can win is strategic staffing. This is how you can thrive in your market; it’s the difference between succeeding and simply surviving, and it requires focused, intentional effort.

Start with a Plan

Like nearly all things that work well, a great staff is the result of planning. As an owner, you should consider the customers you serve (or would like to serve) and how you want to differentiate your store in your marketplace.

From there, how you recruit and hire talent will be based on the service level and skills required to deliver your ideal shopping and service experience as well as the culture you want to foster. Once you have carefully thought these pieces through, create a plan that encompasses an ideal staff to execute those goals.

If you want to have a competitive advantage in attracting the commercial contractor, for example, your staff will need experts who understand how to serve the contractors’ specific demands.

The d-i-y customer requires expert advice as well and needs an expert who can listen, generate ideas and teach.

Hire Right

When I am looking for a great addition to my team, I think through the requirements of the position and look, first and foremost, for people who can deliver on service with a customer-first attitude.
I post available jobs to electronic job sites, put a hiring sign in the front of the store, and tell everyone I know I am recruiting and to spread the word.

I like to start with 20 to 30 applicants for one position, hopefully giving me a wealth of experience from which to select. Having dozens of applicants lets me match up three or four strong candidates who I can then interview for my ultimate hire.

Finally, I use a standard application form that captures important information on the candidate, including his job history and technical skills, and provides space for him to sell himself. There are many resources available for the interviewing and hiring process. I suggest retailers keep tools consistent so they can gauge comparable results from interviews.

Train Your Team

Don’t miss the opportunity to make training both a developmental and motivational tool to attract new employees, and keep current employees on board. When a new staff member is in training, let the rest of the staff know and encourage trainees to demonstrate things they have learned to reinforce the learning experience.

I discovered that focusing training on both developmental and areas of strength is a good combination. Training people in what they love translates to expert staff members who enjoy their jobs and deliver an exceptional customer experience.

Traps to Avoid

We spend our days providing service, expertise and assistance to our customers. When we have a position open, it often seems natural to help someone in the community by giving him or her a job. With this line of thinking, we start giving jobs to people we think need them the most, rather than people the business needs the most. When hiring, I encourage you to keep the process consistent and focus your hiring on the specific requirements of the job versus a favor or relationship.

Having a great staff is a strategic move for thriving in a competitive retail environment. Defining and planning for a winning culture provides the blueprint for attracting and keeping the people you need. So, consider the customers you want to attract and serve. By keeping your focus on the service level and skill sets needed, you can build a great staff and win at retail.

Five Reasons It Pays to Have a Good Staff

Better Productivity: When a company experiences high turnover, its employees are forced to spend time and resources training new employees instead of working on high-level projects or generating revenue ideas.

Additionally, employees who know how the company operates often can see flaws and suggest improvements on how to make things more organized and efficient.

Efficiency: Employees who remain with a company for long periods of time know their jobs. It’s as simple as that. Long-term employees with developed skill sets easily work autonomously, so processes run smoothly.

Cost-Effective: It can require substantial resources to hire new employees, and if you already have great staff working for you, it is generally less expensive to figure out ways to keep them. Moreover, remember different employees are motivated by different incentives. See Page 41 to learn what other retailers are offering for compensation.

High Morale: Organizational studies have shown that employees who possess high morale are better workers, more productive, loyal and eager to improve and grow their companies because they feel they are a stakeholder in the companies’ successes.

Competitive Advantage: Maintaining a seasoned staff provides your company with a better competitive advantage. When you have a talented staff of veterans, you can spend more time and resources developing innovative projects and revenue-generating leads.