Welcome to Insights, The Retail Solution Blog.
Insights provides us with a forum to comment on new developments we feel are important in the rapidly changing world of retail business, both within Australia and abroad. We won’t confine ourselves just to clinical issues. Social, political & economic topics are having an increasing influence on the way Australian retail business is evolving and we’ll cover these here too. We hope you find our Insights to be informative and educational.
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How to Upsell Brilliantly
The term “upselling” and its variations (add-on selling, cross-selling, suggestive selling) have been around for years. However, many frontline retail employees view “selling” negatively, feeling it means pushing customers to buy more. This mindset can lead to resistance and eye rolls when these strategies are suggested to...
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Boosting Team Member Engagement For Exceptional Customer Experiences
I’ve often highlighted the poor state of staff engagement in Australia, where reports show around 70% of teams are disengaged. This is detrimental to providing an exceptional customer experience, which I believe only happens when customers interact with engaged and motivated employees. Customers typically give you one...
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The Importance of Coaching for Managers and Their Teams
Coaching is a concept that has been around for years, yet many expect that when someone is promoted into a managerial role, coaching skills will automatically follow. In reality, few managers naturally possess these skills. Despite this, managers are expected to help their teams excel in areas...
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Transforming Your Business Through a People First Focus
Your people are your greatest asset, but they can also be your greatest weakness if they’re in the wrong roles or not well-led. Clear expectations, training, and coaching are crucial. Richard Branson emphasises that his focus isn’t on shareholders or customers, but on his people. Treating the...
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How to Avoid Some Common Leadership Pitfalls and Enhance Team Performance
A recent leadership article highlighted key points I thought were well worth sharing. Many leaders unknowingly fail their teams, creating environments where employees feel miserable, ignored, or under-resourced. This is counterproductive to nurturing a successful team. Common Leadership Pitfalls 1. Inappropriate Direction and Support: Striking the right...
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5 Tips for Store Managers to Improve Service and Sales
Being a store manager is a demanding role that involves juggling numerous responsibilities. Despite the constant pressure, the primary goals remain to ensure consistently high-level service and to maximise sales. Here are five actionable tips to help store managers enhance their service experience: 1. Daily Pre-Opening Catch-Up...
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7 Key Traits of Super Successful Store Managers
Creating outstanding store managers is crucial for the success of any retail business. From my 25+ years of experience running over a thousand coaching courses, I’ve found that the performance of a store hinges on its manager. They are the face of the business and drive team...
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Strategies for Creating a Great Workplace
Culture is often discussed but can mean different things to different people. Regardless, a business with the right culture grows and attracts better people who stay longer. Conversely, poor culture leads to high staff turnover, especially among top performers, causing the business to struggle. A strong company...
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The Blind Spot Opportunities for Managers
Recent research from Gallup revealed a staggering cost associated with poor management and lost productivity due to disengaged or actively disengaged employees, amounting to $8.8 trillion globally, or 9% of the world’s GDP. This colossal figure underscores the urgent need for leaders to address these issues. One...
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Why Investing In Customer Service Excellence Is The Key To Outperforming The Competition
Maintaining a great customer service culture is certainly challenging, as it requires hiring the right people, great induction training and ongoing follow up on a regular basis. These challenges often mean many businesses just settle for mediocrity. A robust service culture also requires a continuous commitment to...
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Here’s how To Elevate Your Store Team’s Performance
Every retailer strives for an exceptional in-store experience that captivates customers, drives sales, and fosters loyalty. While investments in innovative store layouts are prevalent, from my experience the true measure of success lies in the performance of the store team. The store may look great but...
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4 Key Traits For Unlocking Leadership Excellence
In today’s demanding business environment, effective leadership is essential for success, particularly in the challenging retail sector. A recent Harvard Business Review (HBR) article outlined four pivotal behaviours that distinguish successful leaders, offering valuable insights for self-reflection. 1) Decisive leadership stands out not for infallible decision-making, but...
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The Key To Success Is In Being Coachable
To experience significant improvement, we all must embrace being coachable. Michael Jordan, widely regarded as one of basketball’s greatest players, attributed much of his success to being receptive to coaching. He famously remarked, “My best skill was that I was coachable, I was a sponge and aggressive...
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Why Trust is Critical For Business Success
Every business wants their employees to be more productive, more motivated and have their best employees stay in the business longer. Unfortunately, most businesses struggle to achieve this. I have commented a number of times on the low employee engagement scores here in Australia and recent research...
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