Are you a business owner or manager searching for a Melbourne business coach for your retail business? You’re in luck because this post goes over what makes a good leader, how to coach your retail team and some tips to manage employees. We’ll also go over some common problems retailers have and why they need coaching for their stores.
Before we go into it, let’s define what a retail coach does.
What does a retail business coach do?
A retail coach provides consultation with the owner, retailer or manager for advice on better managing key areas of their business. This includes:
- Team (or staff);
- Managers;
- Marketing;
- Inventory management;
- Sales;
- Communication;
- Training;
- Product launches;
- Expanding market share.
The coach oversees all business practices. Then, the coach diagnoses, troubleshoots and provides logical input to improve the key performance areas of the business.
Now that you have a general overview of what a retail consultant does, it’s important to know the common challenges retail stores have.
The top problems retail owners face.
Below are the 13 core problem areas my small business coaching clients have.
- Finding, hiring and keeping reliable staff who are customer and brand focused;
- Business owners working too much ‘in’ the business and not enough ‘on’ the business;
- Work-life balance;
- Unable to take holidays;
- Customer service;
- High rental complaints;
- Location issues;
- Locked-into short-term leases and unable to diversify the business;
- Lacking the knowledge to incorporate online sales;
- Profit margins;
- Lack of long-term vision;
- Stressed, fatigued and working long hours;
- Lack of marketing knowledge;
- Management of finances.
Small businesses can have 5 or more problems at any one time. In most cases, it’s staff and management related.
What to look for in a coach?
A good retail coach needs the ability to listen without judging, carry long-term commitment and always have the retailers best interests in mind. This includes having an optimistic personality, being direct and quick to change plans if something goes wrong.
A good coach motivates team members and isn’t afraid of taking people out of their comfort zone.
Knowing how to interview a business coach will make choosing one easier. And to make things better, you must be a great coaching client.
Now that you know what to look for in a coach, here are some tips for becoming a better leader.
What makes a good leader in retail?
A good retail leader looks closely at each team member and acts accordingly. They become a mentor and improve team collaboration. Also, the leader provides weekly or biweekly consultations. These sessions are meant to identify and resolve weak areas, reward positive behaviour and boost morale.
The leader oversees and acts as a ‘general’, making sure all processors are managed correctly and efficiently.
In some cases, hiring an executive coach is even more powerful, as they make sure the team, staff and managers perform at their full potential.
Also, you can do some of this yourself. Here are 5 ways you can better manage employees.
5 tips to manage employees.
- Adapt to different personality styles because everyone is motivated differently. What works for one person may not work for the other. Expand your motivation style and take note how people react. Try to understand each person. Take a different approach until you get the response you want.
- Reward recognition. The easiest way to boost employee morale is rewarding positive behaviour. For example, if you overheard an employee handle a customer complaint well, immediately praise them. Then in your meetings, bring it up. Set the standard for other team members.
- Give employees responsibility. When retail employees are given responsibility, they perform better. Giving your workers autonomy allows them to express themselves and associate happiness to their work. As a result, they perform better with less management.
- Create a positive atmosphere. A motivated workplace is a happy one. Nobody likes a negative pessimist. By creating a positive environment, people work happier, make fewer mistakes and take fewer ‘sick’ days.
- Encourage development. Upskilling makes workers feel worthwhile. As people improve, they create positive visions, communicate better and have an optimistic life. Also, their mind is geared towards problem-solving, not complaining; a skill managers and business owners wish their workers had more of.
There you have it. You now have a better understanding when searching for a retail business coach. All retailers experience problems. But once you identify the areas of improvement, then you experience ROI and workplace efficiency.
