Nine Retail Training Topics You Should Be Focused On

Retail Training ExpertsVirtually every day our team of retail training experts delivers on-site training seminars and designs on-line retail courses that are focused on helping companies improve customer service, increase revenue, grow gross profit and reduce expenses.  In our role as retail training consultants, we also help many companies build and develop their own proprietary employee programs.

We love what we do because we know that retailers who invest in training their team members are more likely to succeed.  In fact we have had clients who have been able to track double-digit sales increases and improvements in other KPIs directly to our training activities.  Our clients seek our assistance in many areas, but the key topics activities we are asked to assist with  – and the ones that every top performing retailer invests in – include:

 

  1. Basic and Advanced Selling Skills – Did you know that over 90 percent of customers enter a retail store with the intention of making a purchase but less than half of them actually do?  The fact is that most retailers do a pretty good job of pricing and stocking their products.  So where is the gap?  It is in the behavior and selling activity of their sales reps.  Courses like our Top Check Selling Program can make the difference.
  2. Sales and Performance Management – Since directing the activities of sales representatives is critical to the success of your business, you need to be up-to-date on the latest techniques for managing your team members’ performance.  Our unique sales management training approach not only focuses on coaching and improving results in real-time on the sales floor, but also helps your team to reach new “all-time-highs” month after month by putting sales reps in charge of their quotas.
  3. Leadership Development – Are you building a team of managers or leaders?   Ultimately, it comes down to a simple concept…  Managers monitor and keep track of processes and things while leaders help people and companies grow and succeed.  Often with a focus on training district managers and other multi-unit leaders, our team helps them to realize that only 25 percent of their success is due to technical skills while 75 percent is due to their ability to lead a team.
  4. Customer Service Training – Of course, all of the sales and management skills in the world do not matter if you are not encouraging repeat business.  And whether it is through daily practices related to the values of customer care or how to handle irate customers your team members need to have the skills and knowledge about the value of your customers and how to keep them satisfied and referring their friends to your business.  65 percent of retail customers rate the service they receive from retailers as poor…don’t let that happen to you!
  5. Product Training – Whether you are selling apparel or appliances one of the key factors that will set your team apart from your competition – especially on-line competition – is having fully informed and knowledgeable sales associates.  That is where implementing a robust program of product training comes in.  Often delivered on-line in short and snappy 5-minute segments, you will find that product training can be a true differentiator.
  6. Recruiting, Hiring & Onboarding – Next to your inventory, you largest expense is your payroll.  Therefore you need to maximize that asset.  The most successful retailers in the nation know that identifying and hiring the best makes all the difference.  Our team has helped hundreds of retail owners and managers to reduce turnover and increase productivity.
  7. Time Management – Retailers have a lot to do and only a limited time to do it in and unfortunately, we have a tendency to promote our best sales reps to become managers.  They need to learn the five critical skills of great time management – setting priorities, planning, utilizing resources, efficient practices and eliminating procrastination.  RTS offers onsite retail seminars and on-line courses to help your people get more done in less time
  8. Processes and Procedures – Whether it is managing vendor inventory, dealing with loss prevention issues, implementing in POS systems or any other of the dozens of tasks necessary to maintain a healthy retail business failing to train your team members on these areas can be costly.  But retailers know they can  leverage on-line training systems to ensure that their process training is delivered right and to the right people every time.
  9. Train-the-Trainer – You can hire a retail training company like RTS to deliver all of your training for you or you can learn to create and deliver dynamic training programs based on our content or your original ideas.  Train-the-Trainer gives you the tools you will need to execute a program flawlessly.

 

Do you think that by leveraging any of these areas you can help your business reach new levels of performance?  If so contact us for a free one-hour consultation or sign up for one of our on-line retail courses!