Retail Management Tips By D.Shistohilis

It's the Customer, Stupid. To paraphrase that popular, and successful, quote from Bill Clinton's 1992 campaign: The single most important aspect of your business is your customers. Make sure your entire team understands that - and acts like they understand

"Doctor" your customers. Everyone wants to think they are special. You can make your customers feel special if you treat them like your family doctor treats you. For the time you are with them, concentrate on them and what they are telling you. Exclude everything else for that period of time.

Delight the Customer. It is heard a lot, but seldom practiced. Some time ago I saw a production supervisor straighten out a mess and, in the process, calm an irate customer. When I heard her tell her team to put two mugs with the company's logo into the package being sent to the customer, I knew she understood what "Delight the Customer" means.

You never have to make up for a good start. If a project or a job gets off to a bad start it can be difficult to catch up. Do your planning up front so you get a good start and you won't regret it.

Train Your Superordinates. The key to your business success is the productivity of your employees. The key to employee productivity is their perception of their immediate supervisor. Invest in training your supervisors and managers. It will pay off.

Under-promise and over-deliver. This goes beyond the old adage 'don't promise what you can't deliver'. Instead, deliver more than what you promised. It's a good way to build customer rapport - both outside and inside the company.

Your first obligation is to the customer. Without customers you don't have a business. Treat them with the same respect you expect when you are a customer. Make sure everyone in your organization understands the importance of customer service.

You have to make a difference. The group you manage has to be more effective, more productive with you there than they would be if you were not. If they are as productive without you, there is no business sense in keeping you on the payroll

Your biggest business challenge is your competition. They have to take away your customers to survive or grow. How are they going to do that? How can you stop them? How can you steal their customers? Don't wait for it to happen. Start preparing NOW.

Follow Through on Sales Promises. Don't let your sales people make promises the company can't meet. If they tell a customer they can have 100 gross of widgets "tomorrow before 10", they better be sure that many are already in the warehouse. Nothing loses customers faster than broken promises.

Doing it right costs less than doing it over. Have you ever been asked "Why is there never enough time to do it right, but always enough time to do it over"? Save the costs, including customer dissatisfaction and lower worker morale, by concentrating on doing the job right the first time.
Don't Be A Demotivator. Your job as a leader is to get and keep your people motivated and working toward the common goal. Demeaning them, to their face or to others, erodes their motivation. So does dismissively telling them that their ideas "are stupid". Watch your own actions to be sure you aren't defeating your own efforts by demotivating your people.

Keep the flame alive. When people join your organization they are all fired up and ready to do great things. Over time we all too often wear down that enthusiasm. Instead, do what you can to fan the flames of their enthusiasm and you will be amazed at their output.

You Can't Listen With Your Mouth Open. Your associates, your employees, your suppliers, your customers all have something of value in what they have to say. Listen to the people around you. You will never learn what it is if you drown them out by talking all the time. Remember, the only thing that can come out of your mouth is something you already know. Shut up and learn.

Anyone can steer the ship in calm waters. What will set you apart in your career is how you perform during the tough times. Don't become complacent and relax just because things are going well. Plan ahead for the downturn.

It is easier to save a Euro than to earn a Euro. Every Euro you don't spend is a Euror you don't have to earn to achieve the same profit level. Invest as needed to grow the business, buy what you need, but don't spend without forethought and a good reason.

Appearance Does Matter. It may be a sad commentary on our superficial society, but appearance does matter. Whether it's the packaging on your product, the first impression you make when calling on a new client, or your company's web site people notice how things look. They care about how things look and make judgements about you and/or your product based on appearance.

Get your people involved. It's a lot easier to get employees to stand behind a company decision if they have the opportunity to participate in the discussion. Management still has to make the decision. but if they have had the opportunity to make their point of view known employees are more apt to stand behind the ultimate decision, even if they don't agree with it.

Fix the problem, not the blame. It is far more productive, and less expensive, to figure out what to do to fix a problem that has come up than it is to waste time trying to decide who's fault it was.

Actively listen. Listen to your customers, your employees, your suppliers, and anyone else who comes in contact with your business. Honestly evaluate what they have to say, without letting your ego get in the way, and you will probably learn something that benefits your business.