Retail Management Skills Programs:
A recent analysis of leading regional consumer electronics retailers revealed that the vast majority of retail managers are given little opportunity to learn the operational, leadership, sales coaching and customer service skills so crucial to their success. In fact, the majority of retail managers are promoted from successful sales positions with no skills training at all. This skills gap is particularly concerning because the same study shows that senior management viewed the skills of their sales management teams as crucial to success. Nearly all senior managers interviewed saw sales and sales management skills as critical determinants of their profitability.
CEU's program of retail management and leadership training programs have filled this gap for hundreds of retail managers and are proven to drive significant real world change that shows up in improved sales performance, morale, and reduced turnover. Our 2013 Management and Leadership Offerings Include:
CEU's program of retail management and leadership training programs have filled this gap for hundreds of retail managers and are proven to drive significant real world change that shows up in improved sales performance, morale, and reduced turnover. Our 2013 Management and Leadership Offerings Include:
1. Hands On Sales Management – One-on-One Coaching to Drive Sales Performance
Individual performance coaching is the single most powerful tool retail managers have to improve sales, customer service and employee retention. Unfortunately, most retail managers seldom or never coach. Participants in this program learn the importance of balancing their roles of managing things and leading people. They learn principles of monitoring & coaching a sales floor as well as developmental coaching & sales process debriefing.
Not a passive lecture; participants are challenged to role-play and evaluate realistic in store coaching scenarios. Managers leave this program committed to a coaching implementation plan and with practical tools that can be monitored by senior management.
Hands on Sales Management was the core management training for the national Bose/PRO group training initiative. 92% of front line managers attending this course “agreed strongly” that it was relevant and provided tools useful to their jobs. Our follow up surveys with senior management indicate the program made an immediate and sustained difference on their sales floors and their bottom line.
Not a passive lecture; participants are challenged to role-play and evaluate realistic in store coaching scenarios. Managers leave this program committed to a coaching implementation plan and with practical tools that can be monitored by senior management.
Hands on Sales Management was the core management training for the national Bose/PRO group training initiative. 92% of front line managers attending this course “agreed strongly” that it was relevant and provided tools useful to their jobs. Our follow up surveys with senior management indicate the program made an immediate and sustained difference on their sales floors and their bottom line.
2. 21st Century Sales Strategy - Managing the Customer Focused Sale
This workshop reviews the fundamental market changes that make the traditional technology and transaction focused sales process obsolete. They review how Customer Focused Strategy addresses their specific business challenges and the process and critical skills that make the customer focused solution selling work.
Managers evaluate the challenges and opportunities they face in transforming their sales teams from product presenters to problem solvers and relationship managers. They evaluate impediments to change, and opportunities to align their team with the customer focused sales process. Managers are provided with tools for daily monitoring and coaching the sales process, and new systems for collaboration and sharing best practices company wide. This program is recommended as a follow up to CEU's Customer Focused Solution Sales Training.
Managers evaluate the challenges and opportunities they face in transforming their sales teams from product presenters to problem solvers and relationship managers. They evaluate impediments to change, and opportunities to align their team with the customer focused sales process. Managers are provided with tools for daily monitoring and coaching the sales process, and new systems for collaboration and sharing best practices company wide. This program is recommended as a follow up to CEU's Customer Focused Solution Sales Training.
3. Managing the Total Solution Sale
Customer-focused relationship selling changes what we say and do in every presentation. It also profoundly changes the ways we train and motivate our sales teams to present warranties and other added value products and services. This program contrasts traditional key categories training and measurement with a total solutions approach that fully integrates the customer focused sales paradigm with presentation of added value products and services. Managers are provided with practical tools for measuring, coaching and motivating total solution sales.
4. Fierce Collaboration: Team Coaching to create a High Performance Culture
Even managers with solid individual coaching skills learn that powerful group dynamics within their teams are constantly at work supporting or undermining their attempts to drive real change. This workshop provides front line managers with the team coaching tools that can transform work groups into fiercely collaborative teams. Managers learn how group dynamics act as a barrier to performance growth and discover how team coaching principles of recognition, competition, rank and cooperation impact group culture. Participants also learn how their individual coaching can be harnessed to drive team change through peer-to-peer and self coaching. Managers will leave the program having developed real world plans for implementing specific behavior or system changes in their store.
5. Creating and Delivering Effective Team Meetings
Team meetings should be a powerful force for teaching skills, driving performance, and creating a positive team consensus. The fact is, most team meetings are ineffective or even counterproductive; creating dissent, distrust and resistance instead of teamwork. This program teaches front line managers how to create and facilitate meetings that are a powerful tool for change.
Participants learn principles of effective group communication and are given templates for developing, prioritizing and organizing team meetings. This program is available in one or two day formats. The two day format focuses one day on store meeting design, preparation and store execution. The second day focuses on group presentation skills that are valuable to anyone in your organization who must communicate to groups.
6. Train the Trainer: On-boarding New Employees
The first 30 days is a critical determinant of the success of new employees. Failure to engage, motivate, and build new skills at the start results in increased turn-over, reduced morale, and wastes money. CEU’s On-boarding workshops have provided hundreds of front line managers and trainers with the perspective & mentoring tools they need to on-board new sales, customer service, technical, & management employees.
The workshop is customized to drive your most critical skills using the resources available to your business. Over the last 6 years our train the trainer on-boarding programs have been successfully implemented by specialty retailers, manufacturers, and distributors. Managers and trainers learn the unique benefits of on-the-job mentored training & the key skills that make mentoring a success. Managers evaluate the challenges they face on boarding employees in their workplace, & develop strategies for maximizing success utilizing available resources. Participants learn effective on the job mentoring skills like “Watch, Practice, Perform and Debrief” & how to apply it to on-boarding new team members. This train-the-trainer program is often implemented in support of CEU New Employee Training Program Development.
7. Sales Performance Measurement: Goal Setting & Objective Enforceable Standards
This workshop focuses on the fundamental management principle that “What is not measured will not improve.” It teaches participants why performance measurement, goal setting, and setting standards is an essential part of improving real world performance. Manager’s learn how to best utilize self-monitored and computer based tracking and goal setting systems to drive individual and team performance. Alternative monitoring systems are evaluated in their effect on sales team motivation. The program concludes with a plan for implementing and monitoring improved performance tracking systems to drive performance. Prior to this program, CEU will consult with you to establish or enhance goal setting and performance tracking systems that are aligned with your corporate culture and drive your priority business goals.
8. Individual Performance Evaluation, Goal Setting, and Developmental Skill Coaching
Measuring results and setting standards provide the framework for improved sales performance. This program teaches managers how to use this framework in one-on-one goal setting and coaching sessions to drive individual performance. Participants learn to differentiate the functions of evaluation and performance coaching and learn what makes effective evaluation interviews work. Managers are taught how to prepare for goal setting interviews by evaluating performance data and how to document the results to drive continued performance growth. Managers are provided with performance evaluation templates and then develop, role-play, and debrief real world goal setting scenarios. They leave the program with the skills, tools, and a plan to maintain scheduled systematic positive goal setting meetings with their team.
4. Fierce Collaboration: Team Coaching to create a High Performance Culture
Even managers with solid individual coaching skills learn that powerful group dynamics within their teams are constantly at work supporting or undermining their attempts to drive real change. This workshop provides front line managers with the team coaching tools that can transform work groups into fiercely collaborative teams. Managers learn how group dynamics act as a barrier to performance growth and discover how team coaching principles of recognition, competition, rank and cooperation impact group culture. Participants also learn how their individual coaching can be harnessed to drive team change through peer-to-peer and self coaching. Managers will leave the program having developed real world plans for implementing specific behavior or system changes in their store.
5. Creating and Delivering Effective Team Meetings
Team meetings should be a powerful force for teaching skills, driving performance, and creating a positive team consensus. The fact is, most team meetings are ineffective or even counterproductive; creating dissent, distrust and resistance instead of teamwork. This program teaches front line managers how to create and facilitate meetings that are a powerful tool for change.
Participants learn principles of effective group communication and are given templates for developing, prioritizing and organizing team meetings. This program is available in one or two day formats. The two day format focuses one day on store meeting design, preparation and store execution. The second day focuses on group presentation skills that are valuable to anyone in your organization who must communicate to groups.
6. Train the Trainer: On-boarding New Employees
The first 30 days is a critical determinant of the success of new employees. Failure to engage, motivate, and build new skills at the start results in increased turn-over, reduced morale, and wastes money. CEU’s On-boarding workshops have provided hundreds of front line managers and trainers with the perspective & mentoring tools they need to on-board new sales, customer service, technical, & management employees.
The workshop is customized to drive your most critical skills using the resources available to your business. Over the last 6 years our train the trainer on-boarding programs have been successfully implemented by specialty retailers, manufacturers, and distributors. Managers and trainers learn the unique benefits of on-the-job mentored training & the key skills that make mentoring a success. Managers evaluate the challenges they face on boarding employees in their workplace, & develop strategies for maximizing success utilizing available resources. Participants learn effective on the job mentoring skills like “Watch, Practice, Perform and Debrief” & how to apply it to on-boarding new team members. This train-the-trainer program is often implemented in support of CEU New Employee Training Program Development.
7. Sales Performance Measurement: Goal Setting & Objective Enforceable Standards
This workshop focuses on the fundamental management principle that “What is not measured will not improve.” It teaches participants why performance measurement, goal setting, and setting standards is an essential part of improving real world performance. Manager’s learn how to best utilize self-monitored and computer based tracking and goal setting systems to drive individual and team performance. Alternative monitoring systems are evaluated in their effect on sales team motivation. The program concludes with a plan for implementing and monitoring improved performance tracking systems to drive performance. Prior to this program, CEU will consult with you to establish or enhance goal setting and performance tracking systems that are aligned with your corporate culture and drive your priority business goals.
8. Individual Performance Evaluation, Goal Setting, and Developmental Skill Coaching
Measuring results and setting standards provide the framework for improved sales performance. This program teaches managers how to use this framework in one-on-one goal setting and coaching sessions to drive individual performance. Participants learn to differentiate the functions of evaluation and performance coaching and learn what makes effective evaluation interviews work. Managers are taught how to prepare for goal setting interviews by evaluating performance data and how to document the results to drive continued performance growth. Managers are provided with performance evaluation templates and then develop, role-play, and debrief real world goal setting scenarios. They leave the program with the skills, tools, and a plan to maintain scheduled systematic positive goal setting meetings with their team.