In Part One we discussed the importance of the numbers. As with any great metric and goal, it is critical to first understand the numbers. Now how to make those numbers move. Here are the top three tactics to improve conversion. Replenishment. Get your goods on the salesfloor. Fill those floors obsessively and urgently. The [Continue]

Conversion, conversion, conversion. It really is where the rubber hits the road. Simply put, conversion is the real company scorecard. The score for what? That is not so simple. Conversion represents many components of the business. When conversion is strong, the credit belongs to all areas of the business. Everyone can celebrate because clearly [Continue]

Can we talk? Does your company operate with a commission based sales team? Not too much of that in the malls so how do you motivate your sales team? How do you reward them? How do you hold them accountable specifically for selling? Let me show you a simple strategy to solve your customer service [Continue]

One of the most important tasks in retail is creating the weekly schedule. Right people, right place, right time creates sales. Wrong people, wrong quantities, wrong jobs creates disaster on so many levels. I can not stress enough how critically important the schedule is. Store management teams should follow the top ten steps to creating [Continue]

Really? Weren’t you off last Saturday? I challenge you to be on your salesfloors 20 of the biggest 25 hours of the week. If you are, you will be successful. Your leadership makes that big of a difference! Take whatever tool you have available (forecasted hourly volume reports, last week’s sales by hour, etc.) or [Continue]

Divisions of Responsibility, DOR’s, are an effective way to operate retail stores and teams. There is very little downside and lots of upside when implemented properly. Responsibility is a form of trustworthiness; the trait of being answerable to someone for something. It has been my experience that good people crave responsibility. A DOR [Continue]

So, you are having visitors? Great! Did I say great? Absolutely. Every visit is an opportunity to 1) SHINE! And get exposure for your career, 2) Improve your business with problem-solving and tactical resources, 3) Grow and gain knowledge, 4) Gain business partners and develop relationships within the business, and 5) Get exposure for your [Continue]

HEADS UP LOOK AROUND! So much of loss prevention is service and awareness on the salesfloors. Retail teams that provide solid customer service and basic H-U-L-A practices will keep their product losses to a manageable level. Loss prevention is an important part of your jobs. Here are the top ten ways to prevent product losses [Continue]

Seriously, who needs goals or targets? You and your team are hyper-motivated and focused on the right stuff all the time. Every member of your team is a rockstar. Taking the time to write out goals is for losers anyway. Well, rock on! My question is how do you know when to applaud? Goal setting [Continue]

WHAT DO THOSE NUMBERS MEAN? CONGRATULATIONS! You took the first step by looking at the numbers and asking the question. SORRY! There is not one simple answer. What the numbers do tell you are the questions to ask to find the answers. With that said, let’s take a look at the same report we utilized [Continue]

DO YOU WANT TO SET YOURSELF UP WITH THE BEST OPPORTUNITY TO WIN TODAY? It’s all in the numbers. Read and see what the numbers are telling you. It beats reading tea leaves. Whether your company has Shoppertrak, Staffworks, Workforce Management or just register tape reports, there is a record of what is happening today, [Continue]

Best practices drive business of that there is no doubt. They create consistencies and processes for companies. Best practices are especially helpful for leaders new to a position or volume level. We should all applaud the continued sharing of these tired – I mean – tried and true methods to complete tasks and operate stores. [Continue]

While customer traffic initiatives continue to become a key strategic project in retail, many corporate and field managers still question its worth to the business. What good is traffic anyway? I have sales, transactions, average dollar sale, units per transaction… why on EARTH do I need to measure ANOTHER metric to evaluate my business [Continue]

Can we talk? Seriously!  Can you sell it from your stockrooms?  Let’s just end the mystery right now.  NO!  You can not.  Get your goods on the floor so a customer might run into something they want and buy it. There are 100 page manuals in companies on how to replenish the selling floor.  All [Continue]

There are ten essential things that all retail management must know each day to Seize the Day!  No excuses.  No “I did not have time.” No “I have not gotten to it yet” at noon.  When the gates go up at opening IT IS SHOWTIME.  Know your business and set yourself up for success with [Continue]

Here’s the dealio!  MBWA is old-school but is still relevant today.  It means “management by wandering around.”  That is the official definition as created by management guru Tom Peters.  It was originally created with large corporation headquarters in mind and states that the big guys in those nice corner offices needed to [Continue]

BREAKFAST OF RETAIL CHAMPIONS:  STARBUCKS AND A PLAN.  My favorite time of day as a Store Manager was walking through those gates alone and absorbing my store before all hell broke loose.  The first hour of your day in the store is really the most important. It should begin before any staff arrive so that [Continue]