Here are twelve ways store managers and owners can improve their
store meetings:
1.
Give people
plenty of notice before holding your meeting. Better yet, hold it at the same
time every month (i.e., the first Saturday of the month, etc.). Attendance at
least one meeting a month should be mandatory attendance unless someone is on
vacation.
2.
Ask your staff
if there are any topics, issues, or opportunities they would like to discuss.
Remember, it’s a store meeting, not your meeting.
3.
Have an agenda
and stick to it. I’ve seen way too many store meetings either get off track or
never really get started. Allot a certain amount of time to each item and then
stick to it.
4.
Have your
management team and associates lead parts of the meeting. It is important that
the store see your assistant(s) in a leadership role during store meetings. I
like to also have each store employee contribute at least once a year, if not
more often, to the store meeting.
5.
Start the
meeting off with a positive message. Hopefully it’s the discussion about sales
but it can also be “happy” customer stories, customer experience or mystery shop
results, etc.
6.
Be sure the
meeting is a dialogue and not just a download from you. This also means that you
need to facilitate the meeting to keep it on track as well as ensure everyone is
participating. Ask questions and engage those who aren’t actively involved.
7.
Don’t let it
become a gripe session. It’s amazing how quick a meeting can spiral down into a
session complaining about a multitude of issues. Keep the focus on improving
things rather than complaining.
8.
One of the best
tools to use in a store meeting is a force field diagram. This easy tool is a
great way to resolve problems by weighing the pros and cons of any situation and
come to a conclusion everybody can work with. You can use it on everything from
how the staff takes lunch to deciding if your current marketing plan is working.
Here’s a great description of how to do a force field.
Link
9.
Never miss the
chance to improve staff skills or product knowledge during a store meeting. Too
often I see managers use the meeting to communicate things that just as easily
could have been communicated in a memo. Use this in-person time to do some
role-playing so that the staff can learn from each other. Reward those employees
who participate with candy or gift cards.
10.
End on time and
don’t run the meeting right up to the time to open the store. It upsets the
customers to see the staff sitting around while they wait outside, and it’s also
hectic for the staff who has to open the store.
11.
Always end on
an upbeat note. People should leave the meeting feeling pumped up and ready to
go. Don’t get bogged down by one topic and spend all your available time beating
it into the ground. The staff walks away from meeting like that annoyed or
mentally tired, which is certainly not how you want them to feel as they head
out onto the sales floor.
12.
Follow up on
any issues that were raised at the meeting. Nothing frustrates a staff more than
to be asked their opinions and thoughts and then see nothing happen. If the
staff raises an issue that you determine can’t be changed at least go back and
tell them so. A short memo a few days after the meeting is a great way to recap
the session and bring closure to any outstanding issues
- Doug
About the author:
Doug Fleener is founder of the Dynamic Experiences Group. He is a veteran
retailer with more than 25 years of hands-on retail experience with world-class
retailers including Bose Corporation and The Sharper Image. He has also owned
and operated his own specialty stores. His new book, The Profitable Retailer:
56 surprisingly simple and effective lessons to boost your sales and profits
published by Acanthus Publishing is available at
www.theprofitableretailer.com
or at Amazon.
Doug is now president and
managing partner of Dynamic Experiences Group LLC, a Lexington based retail
consulting firm dedicated to helping retailers create unique customer
experiences that results in higher sales and profits. Learn more at
www.dynamicexperiencesgroup.com or call Doug at 866-535-6331.
Fleener also shares his
knowledge of experience based retailing in a series of custom key notes and
workshops designed for stores, businesses, corporations, non-profits, and trade
associations of all sizes. His casual style and quick wit make him not just a
crowd pleaser but also an incredible motivator, encouraging people to take
action and deliver extraordinary experiences to customers and employees alike.
Learn more at
www.dougfleener.com.
