During
really busy times it is more difficult to get an accurate read on your
associates’ performance. When customers are in a buying frenzy, and even
desperate (think Christmas), it doesn’t always take a lot of skill and knowledge
for an associate to make the sale.
When
customers are not so plentiful and those who come into the store don’t
necessarily have to buy anything, the skill of the sales associate becomes much
more important to your business.
Here are a
few pointers to help you manage sales performance in your store.
For evaluation purposes it
will be necessary to prepare work schedules that give every associate an
opportunity to work during premium shifts and during quiet shifts. This will
ensure accurate comparisons of Sales per Hour between one associate and another.
Obviously, you still need to ensure your top performers are scheduled when you
need them, but for those you are unsure of, or for those who are average
performers, you need to level the playing field by scheduling this way.
Carefully review each
associate’s KPI’s (key performance indicators) for the past couple of months
(the busier times). Look at past schedules to get an idea of which associates
were performing well and which ones were not and see if there is any correlation
to the scheduling.
Use the KPI’s of your top
performing associate as a benchmark. Ranking all others compared to this
individual will give you a place to start.
Be relentless in your follow
up after every shift and/or day. Check all KPI’s for each associate. Make notes
on your sales reports so you are able to recall your thoughts and conclusions
when it comes time to speak with the associate.
Discuss performance at the
beginning and end of every shift and/or day. Feedback and coaching is much more
helpful when it is current.
When coaching for
performance, be sure to mention the behaviors that you have observed and how
those behaviors relate to the results – good or bad. Offer tips for changing
unproductive behaviors and watch to see if the associate actually does change
them.
Make sure product knowledge
is available for associates to review. Have them read and then initial that they
have read the material. Don’t accept any excuses for not staying current with
product knowledge.
Ensure your management team
members understand what is expected of them when they are in charge. Associates
need to see consistency in the way they are managed. If what you are coaching
them on is important, then the rest of the management team would find it
important too, right? Associates must see this united front, or consistency.
A management team member
must always be available to answer questions and generally assist associates in
their efforts to ‘make their sales’.
If you have provided
feedback, suggestions, coaching and a reasonable amount of time for improvement
of sales performance and the associate is still not performing according to your
requirements, you need to start an official performance management process.
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