In the press

Becoming The Coach

Becoming the coach

For a business to truly maxmise its goals, and extract the fullest possible results from sales staff, training is essential. A smart retailer knows that, after seeking outside influences, there’s a definite need to continue what’s been learned in-house and at all times. This is where you become the coach. A lot of companies come to trainers expecting to solve their problems in one hit. It’s not going to happen. The good retailers implement and integrate and then implement a value system that emphasisies the business philosophies, what is important to you? The first step should always be to set out values that you want staff, and yourself, to personify. Integrity, education and personal growth should rank high on general list of priorities.

Building a team
When it comes time to start hiring new employees, be fussy! Too many stores have low criteria. Unfortunately, this creates more problems than it solves. If you find that you’re rationlising your choices halfway through an interview, then you’re going to make a decision you’ll regret. The right person stands out. There’s no searching required. If you have to convince yourself of the applicant’s value, then it’s not the right choice. Keep the game plan in mind. You’ve set it, so follow it. Do thorough reference checks. Don’t leave anything to chance.

Remembering offence AND defence
The jewellery industry is rampant with passive personalities. What’s the point of having all these quiet and lovely people if there’s no one to close to sale? Oh, you don’t want any of those sales type people? Like the ones who sell cars? I’ll let you in on a secret. You are sales people. Your staff aren’t there for customer service. They’re there to close sales. Sure, jewellery is a gentler process but its still ‘dollars in the till’.
Employees often hire themselves or people they can control but every team needs an offence and a defence. Hire different people because your customers are different people. Teach your team how to respond to different personality types. You can’t win a championship without at least understanding the mentality of the other teams.

Training times
When you’ve made your selections, why not present the members of your team with a small starter pack? Include the business standards of behaviour, the operating procedure and any taxation and administration forms. Most importantly, tell them why they have been selected. What a great way to start a relationship! Be professional. Be clear about what’s expected. Give them a guideline of any upcoming training or education session. Let them get comfortable. Once these basic policies and procedures are in place, the person doesn’t have to worry about screwing up because they can consult a manual. They can learn through being informed rather than screwing up.
Let your employees learn the cultural of your business. Too many times, employers say, “this person was so bubbly in the interview. What happened?” New staff are nervous. Everything in those first 4-8 weeks should be informative and educational. Never deliver a reprimand.

Keeping the team together
It’s like rape and pillage in the retail market. Someone offers an extra 20c an hour and you lose all your workers. People stay to build experience. Have a powerful training presentation once a year and a brief information session every couple of months. Moe importantly, coach on the floor everyday! Employers who reward through remuneration should be rewarding through positive reinforcement. When staff leave, people say great things about them. Perhaps if you’d said these things during their tenure, they’d never had left. Praising is so easy thing to do. Reprimanding is much harder.

Remember at all times that you’re the coach. If you write a solid game plan……if you choose the best team….if you make the strong decisions….the results will show on the scoreboard!

Australian Jeweller: Official Magazine for the Jewellers Association of Australia. February, 2005

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