Getting Your Priorities Right

by Annah Stretton

In my world I have always thought that it was about the customers. Treat them well, create a great environment for them to shop in or the perfect magazine for them to read, and the rest would fall into place… in that you would create a hugely profitable company and set your self up financially for the rest of your life.

WRONG!!!

There are two things that come before this, that set the parameters for successful business –

1) YOU – the good old egotistical me-factor
Let’s think about this… A focused, driven, passionate and healthy me surely has to be the number one ingredient for success. This clearly supports one of my favourite sayings, ‘The fish rots from the head’.

Never a truer word has been spoken in business. Remember the nasty Mr. Fix It programmes on TV One? Here they showcased the ineffectual leader who was destroying the business though their poor management, either a second-generation owner or simply someone who was not competent to do the job, by way of their skill and ability or lack of passion for the product or service.
So what is great leadership about?

God knows that there are a hundred-and-one different styles, so who is right and who is wrong? For me, it’s simply about a great strategy, a structure and a plan of implementation that involves measured outcomes. It also involves a collegial method of getting the very best out of your team, by recognising the idiosyncrasies that each person brings to the work place.

So much of getting this team right will lie with you as part of the selection process and the guidelines that you set when employing people. It is simply about never compromising when ascertaining whether the pending employees are a fit for your business and the existing team. You must also set guidelines of work by way of a clear and detailed job description from day one, continually communicate your expectations, and always measure their outputs.

So as I said at the start, you as a focused, driven leader who is able to put the best people in place, nurturing them so that their outputs are of the very highest level will be the most vital ingredient for any business in regards to its success and survival plan.

Alongside this investment in your team, invest in your own health, exercise and eat well every day, and allow time-out for just being you. I know the business has this strong pull, but don’t let it monopolise you. There’s not much that won’t wait until you get back to it. Remember this and practice balance. A healthy mind and body make for a far better leader and decision-maker.

2) Our second vital ingredient is YOUR TEAM

A happy, focused and competent team is vital for business success. I always employ people who are better than I am. Remember, a salary that is higher than you initially intended on paying can be well thought of as a marketing cost. So why is it that so many retailers skimp on cost when staffing their retail stores?

To be greeted by a bored and disinterested employee must be the death knell of most sales. Why can’t employers see this? For most women, the experience of shopping is all about getting the total ingredients right: they need a great environment, product that they love, and service that makes them feel special. Not too hard really, yet most retailers just don’t get it.

Often when I speak to groups of women around the country, I ask them to put their hands up if they have encountered great service at a retail store over the last month – and 99% of the time no one puts their hand up. How sad is that? What a huge loss of opportunity for the retail sector. No wonder so many of them are closing their doors after 6 months of operation.

A great employee in your retail store is a vital ingredient for success. We can have a store go from $12,000 a week to $1000 a week, simply with a change of management. Same location, same product, the only thing that changes is the manager. And if our selection process is not right, that store will not recover until we move the employee on.

So by ensuring that your recruitment process is strong and your employee selection is a perfect fit for your product, you will then need to invest in them, to ensure that the whole formula works by providing:
- Adequate and ongoing training
- Ongoing marketing and promotions to drive traffic into their store
- A listening ear for their ideas. Remember, they are at the coal face, each and every day
- Good remuneration. Make part of their salary performance-based, giving a great employee the opportunity to always earn more.
Treat part of their salary as a marketing cost, in that it truly is the relationships your team forms with your customers will drive business through your doors. Remember, people buy from people they like and trust. Hence, creating this is vital for your business success.

And finally we are back to the element that I always thought was first – YOUR CUSTOMERS. Remember, and I know you have heard this before, 20% of your customers give you 80% of your business.
React to this every day!
- Find out who these people are. Reward them and communicate with them.
- Listen to their feedback. Find out what makes them tick.
- Create an environment that they love to shop in.
- Employ people to run your store who fit the demographic of your business.
- Always engage the surprise element – little gifts at point of sale, a follow-up thank you card, vouchers and gifts sent at a later date.
- Have special evenings that celebrate who these people are to you, i.e. take them to a movie or out for a meal. Pamper them.
- Set up a data base that lets you talk to them on a regular basis.
- As with your team, invest in them and the rewards will be huge.
Customers, just as you and your team do, like to be loved!