Do You Recognize These Retail District Managers?

 

 

 

Stan the Superman –

Stan started his career as a salesperson and he was awesome!  It was no wonder that he was quickly promoted to become a store manager.  After a short struggle as a manager, Stan quickly found out that the best way to ensure his store got great results was to get on the floor and sell.  His store quickly made it to number one.  His staff did not always sell as much and often sought a transfer or a new position outside the Company, but since Stan was able to keep his store number one for two years in a row he must have figured out how to hit the numbers.  The boss quickly said “That is the guy who should be a DM.  That way he can show other managers how to win.”

Stan is now a DM and the business is struggling.  When he visits a store he gets on the floor and shows everyone how to sell and the business has a great day, but Stan can’t be in every store every day.  The result…he is losing control over the business and everyone is making less money.

Paul the Policeman –

Paul is an experienced DM who was hired away from another retailer.  Since he was a DM for over 10 years he clearly must be good at what he does.  He loves driving up to his stores to conduct surprise visits so that he can catch his people doing things wrong.  He loves using checklists and compliance scorecards, but it seems like he encounters the same little problems over and over again.  This makes him frustrated and as a result it is not unusual for him to lose his temper.

Paul’s managers constantly live in a state of fear.  As a result they are highly focused on making their stores spotless in case he drives to see them today.  Sales are not Paul’s primary focus…after all, they will just happen if we can only keep our stores clean and our operations in-line.

Mark the Manager –             

Mark really understands the business.  As an experienced DM he knows that the key to getting results is making sure that everything – especially inventory – is under control and that there are no surprises.  For Mark, organization is the key.  He spends at least two days a week keeping himself organized while reviewing POS, inventory and payroll reports for exceptions.  Once he has made his list he will call his stores to ensure that they are making the appropriate adjustments to ensure that the P&L is kept in-line with the Company’s expectations.

Mark’s managers like working for him because he makes sure that they always know what to do.  Of course, they also wait for him to tell them what their priorities are.  Mark’s boss likes him as well since there are no surprises or fires to put out….of course there is that nagging problem of Mark always finishing in the middle of the pack…

Carol the Coach –

Carol has taken over three different districts and has turned each one into a top performer.  She does this because she is able to understand the root causes of each stores performance issues and then recruits, hires and trains her store managers to succeed.  Every store in her district is earning more profit and selling more than it did a year ago.

She is willing to roll-up her sleeves and pitch in when her business requires hands-on leadership, but she always makes sure that her team members know that this is a temporary solution and that ultimately they need to learn from her example and follow-through on their own.

Her people love working for her because they know that she is going to help them to make more money while achieving their personal goals.  Her boss loves Carol because he knows that she will always leave the business in better shape than she found it.

Do any of these leaders appear familiar to you?  Do you have a Paul, Mark or Stan working for you?  How much more effective could your Area Managers, District Managers or Regional Managers be if they received some proven and professional training on how to successfully run multiple locations?  If so, contact us to learn about our district manager’s workshops and on-line retail training courses!