Recently I was asked to comment on how to motivate retail employees. I actually own a retail store myself, so I think a lot about this issue. Here are a few quick thoughts:
1. Connect your employees’ work to a bigger picture. Help them see how what they are learning and experiencing will help them with future endeavors. Buy them relevant books that enhance their skills. If employees feel that their job is as much an education as it is a source of money, they’ll take a greater interest in what they do.
2. Teach employees the value of customers. Never bad-mouth a customer, roll your eyes or convey any disrespect about a customer in front of your personnel. Explain that the most angry or unreasonable people will become customers for life when treated well. Every contact with a customer is an opportunity to connect with a human being and make their life a little better. When you make that your focus, your life gets better.
3. Of course, the most important task for a good manager is good hiring. Better to take the time to find the right people then to waste time training the wrong people. Look for applicants who’ve worked for at least a year at a previous job, who seem humble and are more excited about the job than they are about the paycheck.
Related posts:
- How to Turn Angry Customers Into Customers For Life
- Motivating Employees: Finding a Good Fit
- Flipping The Pyramid on Leadership
- Customer Service or Customer Shakedown?
- Motivating Educators in Wyoming
