Retail Business is Show Business!	By Anne M. Obarski

Part 1: The Actors

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	Part 1: The Actors Part 2: The Stage & The Script
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I never realized how much “theater” is really in retailing! I was in a management meeting the other day and one of the store managers said when he is working with a customer he makes sure that his back is never facing the front of the store where he might miss a customer coming through the door. He went further on to say that is a way to keep watch over the whole store when scheduling is tight but also helps to be more observant of possible shoplifters!

He was so right! This is a basic “staging” technique that whenever you are on stage your body should be facing the audience as much as possible at all times. The audience needs to hear you as well as have you make eye contact with them. This is where true communication begins.

Retail sales people are turning into “task” employees. With payroll being trimmed right and left, employees are expected to do more than wait on customers. They are expected to “run the show.” So if this is the future of retailing then here are some more tips to help you “break a leg!”

The Actors

I think the casting job must be the hardest for any director. They have to deal with egos, and personalities and demands. So does any good store manager or Human Resource manager! With the pool of potential employees dwindling it is very important to do the best when you hire but also to train, train, train.

I am finding that more and more companies are abandoning their training departments. They are putting that responsibility on either a store manager or a regional manager. Many times that job just doesn’t get done and it turns into OTJT or on the job training. But who trains the manager? You can’t be in a play unless you know the script. The same should be in any business. All employees should know the following:

• The company mission and vision statement. What do you stand for?
• All company procedures and policies.
• The company “non-negotiables.” These are the things that every employee should be able to do. Specific ways to greet the customer, answer the phone, transfer calls or handle complaints. They should know when to call for a manager and when they can make their own decisions or do “improv!”
• Whatever they are trained to-do, they should be able to be tested on it and be held accountable for it.

I don’t know a person who goes to the theater and doesn’t come out saying to someone else, “Did you like it?” Most of the time that question really refers to what the audience thought about the performance of the actors.

Were they able to draw you in, develop a relationship with you and make you feel like you truly knew them by the end of the play? Sometimes that means watching them change roles! That is what a good retail employee can do.

They greet the customer, maybe while doing other tasks. They follow-up while they are walking past the customer on their way to do another duty. They polish mirrors, fold clothes, check fitting rooms, put out inventory, train new associates and yes, ring up sales. What is their performance like? Can you evaluate it?

All in all, did they make their audience feel special? The challenge of multi-tasking is not letting the customer feel like an interruption to their day. The days of having a large staff in any business are gone. So it is so important to never turn your back on a customer, no matter how busy you are. Your audience is watching!

Next page: The Stage and The Script » Page 1, 2

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