The Store Manager holds one of two critical positions in any
retail organization. The other one is the CEO.
Sales Associates are your ambassadors in the business;
meeting the customers face to face every day. And, as you’ve probably come to
realize, all Sales Associates need to be competent and fully trained to sell to
customers and to represent the company in the best possible way.
But, there is one person who must ensure that all of the
training is put to good use on the sales floor. That person is the Store
Manager, without whom there would surely be chaos. It is up to the Store
Manager to set individual targets and to continually reinforce the performance
culture in the store.
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“A pack of sheep led by a lion will defeat a pack of lions
led by a sheep.” Author Unknown
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A true statement? We at least think so.
The Store Manager is, by virtue of his/her position if
nothing else, the leader of the pack. That leader is single handedly
responsible for the performance of the team. No matter how skilled the team
members are – and it is understood that some will be much more skilled than
others - the Store Manager will make the difference in the performance levels
achieved by the whole team. At Master Retailing we have a saying that goes,
there is no such thing as a bad performing store, only a bad performing
manager. Have the right manager and the store will perform to the best of its
potential.
Store Manager’s official job descriptions vary widely. Some
are expected to be administrators; others loss prevention officers, or police.
Some are expected to be the top sales person and are seen as underperforming if
any of their sales associates achieve higher sales value than themselves. Still
others are instructed to do so many tasks that there is little focus on what is
really important.
What are you asking of your Store Managers?
If you expect your retail organization to be successful, you
are asking them, simply, to manage the business. So, what does that mean,
exactly?
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"Hire the best person for the job and then get out of
their way while they do it." Author Unknown
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If you are going to hold your store managers accountable, at
least let them make the decisions for which they are being held accountable.
Sometimes this is easier said than done I know especially if you don’t have an
experienced retailer at the helm. If not and the individual shows potential,
get them correctly trained and skilled, and you will be surprised at the
improved performance.
The Store Manager’s main role is to drive the business; to
strive for top performance from themselves and from every employee and sales
associate every minute of every day. Store Managers operate stores, or business
units, and, when all is said and done, the goal is to provide a “profitable
business” with a good return to their stakeholders.
In support of that goal, they need to do a lot of work; they
need to do all of the right things right.
They recruit and hire good people because they know that the
road to success is much easier when they are surrounded by competent people.
Nobody can soar like an eagle when you are surrounded by a bunch of turkeys, as
a store manager, there success is your success. Store managers ensure each
associate is well trained to carry out their responsibilities. They set daily,
weekly and monthly targets for each associate and continually follow up to make
sure those targets are being met. They coach, and they guide, and they stay on
top of everything having a constant finger on the pulse.
Very importantly, they take appropriate action when targets
are not being met. They figure out what is causing the problems and fix them.
Of course, there are many things the Store Manager is
responsible and accountable for. But all of those things must be in support of
the goal, or the main purpose for the store’s existence.
Great Store Managers are your ticket to extraordinary
success in retail.
All the Success!
Master Retailing
