Who wouldn’t, so it’s fairly redundant question. However in the world of retail where I have been working for 25+ years, I don’t come across amazing retail staff all that often. And this mediocre performance is killing traditional retail.
Working in retail is tough, long hours on your feet, lots of stock and other tasks – oh then there are customers to serve. Then they have to achieve their KPI’s. So how do you keep your team motivated and performing at their best? Show a little appreciation.
Here’s some recent data on appreciation (or lack of it)
• 81% of unappreciated employees felt trapped in their job (compared to 20% of appreciated workers). • 58% of unappreciated employees said the thought of going to work makes them feel physically ill (compared to 18% of appreciated workers).
You can’t have your team perform if they feel unappreciated. Here’s some very simple tips:
1) Provide more positive feedback – catch them doing something right. I have mentioned many times about our propensity to focus on what our team are doing wrong – so flip this and look for what they are doing right. This style of feedback is really powerful and takes less than 10 seconds to provide, yet it’s so powerful.
2) Ask how they are doing – and mean it. How often do you set aside some time to catch up one on one with your team members? I know it’s challenging, with crossovers being tight, but this means a lot. Taking some time to ask this question is a powerful way to show you care.
3) Ask if they need some help to get their job done. This could be as simple as pitching in to help out when you see them under the pump, relieving them of a task they are struggling to get done or providing some additional training. Being proactive in this is a great way to avoid your team feeling overwhelmed.
These three simple steps will go a long way to having your team feeling appreciated.
Roger Simpson – CEO, The Retail Solution and Author of “The Ultimate Retail Sales Experience” With over 35 years’ industry experience, Roger Simpson is recognized as Australia’s #1 Authority on customer ROI in the retail industry and as a global expert on staff coaching, customer service, and selling skills.
