HIRE, TRAIN, McClelland MOTIVATE & MEET

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1 HIRE, TRAIN, By Eileen McClelland MOTIVATE & MEET 76 AUGUST 2011

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3 1ASSESS STAFF NEEDS: hire TEMPS carefully HOUSTON Jewelry owner Rex Solomon almost effortlessly triples his staff for Christmas with fully trained holiday help. His secret? He has a contingent of retired employees on call. We have somebody who is 93 working part-time, Solomon says. He d prefer to work full-time but we don t want to wear him out. Solomon looks at traffic patterns from the previous year, captured by his POS system hour by hour, to deploy and schedule staff for the upcoming year. Not everyone, though, has eager, loyal retirees waiting in the wings. Still hoping to hire? Patrick Sweeney, president of Caliper Inc., which operates a nationwide recruiting, screening and client network, has some advice. Be absolutely clear about the kind of person you re looking for, he says. You don t just want a job description: You want a description of the person you are seeking, he says. First, consider the qualities shared by your top salespeople: No doubt, they are all persuasive, able to read others and can bounce back from rejection. But what else do they have? Is it high energy? Discipline? Is it that they are bright? Assertive? Capable of solving complicated problems? What exactly are the qualities that distinguish your top performers? What do they have that the others lack? Those personality attributes, once pinpointed, become the profile of your top performers. And that profile becomes the model that you should use when hiring new people even temporary staff. The closer your applicants match the profile of your top performers, the more likely they will meet or exceed your performance expectations. For Ellen Hertz, owner of Max s in St. Louis Park, MN, the key ingredient for success in her gallery-style store is passion for jewelry, for design, or for the creative process. So, although her Holiday Incentive Goals O Most items sold O Largest add-on percentage O Largest single sale O Largest turnover percentage O Largest diamond sold O Most 1-carat diamonds sold O Most Rolex watches sold O Largest percentage of profit O Largest average sale O Most credit applications O Most customer compliments SOURCE: Diamond Staffing Solutions staff has diverse backgrounds and varying degrees of experience, they all share that quality. She knows they will be able to convey their excitement for her designer inventory to her customers. Joel Schechter, president and CEO of Honora, has a wish list for the ideal employee. He looks for a person who is detailoriented, willing to do anything (and lets you know that during the interview), loves Mondays and isn t afraid to take risks. New hires work out if they are truthful and loyal, have respect for others, believe in charitable giving, accept responsibility for a blown situation and stand up for what they believe in. One question that John Green, president and CEO of Lux, Bond & Green, likes to ask in an interview is this If I hired you and wanted you to attend a class, what would it be about? He prefers that approach to What are your weaknesses? 78 AUGUST SEPTEMBER

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5 4FOLLOW THROUGH ON GOALS: Meet 3KEEP EVERYONE daily Holiday Incentive Rewards O Personal thank-you notes and cards O Paid time off O Extra vacation time O Flexible work schedules O Free or discounted jewelry O Theater or concert tickets O Restaurant certificates O Gym memberships O Massages O A day at the spa O Weekend getaways O Paid lunches O Shopping gift cards O Gasoline cards O Oil changes/tune-ups O Car washes O Car detailing O House cleaning services O Day care services O Landscaping/lawn services O Flowers O Bottle of fine wine or champagne O Gift baskets O Donation to their favorite charity O Trophies or plaques O GIA training or even certain college courses SOURCE: Diamond Staffing Solutions 2TRAINING: THE WORK BEGINS According to Sweeney, the real work begins when you find the right person. By coaching employees as soon as they start their new jobs and setting up a training program with milestones, they will understand how to avoid potential clashes and adapt their work style to fit your organization s culture. Get seasonal help up to speed right away. There s no point in bringing in extra people if they constantly have to ask you or your regular staff for help. Run quick drills with them on products and protocol, including how to handle all standard functions on your POS. Why is it a smart investment to put this much thought into hiring temporary staff? They might really shine and could become permanent down the line. Temporary employees represent the store just as much as permanent employees do, so hire wisely, set goals and expect excellence. HAPPY: Offer performance-based incentives To help your elves make a little extra holiday cash and at the same time motivate them to maximize their productivity, Suzanne DeVries, president of Diamond Staffing Solutions suggests offering performance-based incentives. Meet with your employees prior to the holidays and determine what kind of incentives they would like you to offer, such as cash, dinners, theater tickets and weekend getaways, Devries suggests. Tailor your program to the incentives they consider the most desirable. Another key is to make your administrative and part-time personnel eligible for the incentive program as well as your sales staff, Devries says. Include incentive-based goals related to their specific job duties. The associates ringing your registers and other administrative and non-sales employees must deal with issues and situations as challenging as those faced by full-time salespeople. In some instances, they may be the last contact your clients have prior to leaving your store. Reward them for exceptional performance and superior customer service. Every day during this crucial season meet with your team to discuss what s working and what s not and more importantly, what you are going to do about it, says David Brown of the Edge Retail Academy. Be sure to share your objectives and ask for your team s help. For example, ask What do we need to do differently to achieve an average sale of $200? if that is your goal, or What do we need to do today in order to sell $100,000 of aged inventory by Dec. 15? It s important that your team buys in to your objectives so this is more about selling than telling. At Tiny Jewel Box in Washington, DC, an informal daily staff meeting lasts 15 minutes but is crucial for keeping everyone informed and keeping communication open, especially since the store and staff occupies six floors and can t easily touch base in the course of a normal day. As soon as the holiday-season dust has settled and your staff is rested and refreshed call a brainstorming session to prepare for the new year. Discuss trends your staff noticed during the holiday period, which products and price points were selling well and any new customer behaviors they observed. Ask your staff for comments on the way you do business and whether they see inefficiencies or waste. 80 SEPTEMBER 2011