training Archives - American Quilt Retailer

Posted on March 23, 2023March 23, 2023 by AQR Piece by Piece

Proactive HR: Part Two

Welcome back to part two of our three part series, Proactive HR, where we walk through six common human resource mistakes and how to avoid them. Read on for more information on employee training and the company handbook.

Employee Training

Fact: 40 percent of new employees leave a job within a year if they’ve received poor training. You may think you don’t have time to train new employees, but to stay ahead of the curve in a competitive marketplace, you’ll need all employees performing at their peak.

The training process should consist of two parts: in-depth onboarding and ongoing development. Onboarding should cover processes and expectations. Consider assigning a “mentor” during this process as well. For ongoing development, keep a consistent training program that ensures your staff are learning new skills on an ongoing basis.

Company Handbook

Not having company policies in writing is asking for trouble. You can face a gamut of problems including legal repercussions if an employee claims they weren’t made aware of company policies, or constant questions from a confused employee. Thankfully, we have an employe handbook template to use as guidance.

In summary, the employee handbook is your business’s guide to policies, procedures, and legal obligations. It should be a general and fluid document revised every two years. Employees should be notified of any updates. It’s also a good idea to have employees sign an acknowledgement they will abide by company policies.

Inspiration for this post comes from “HR Keys to Business Success” by Melisa Morrison published in the December 2022 issue of Creative Retailer. Morrison has over 30 years of experience in Human Resources and is a former quilt shop owner. Stay tuned next week for the final part of the series.

If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to Creative Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you. And don’t forget, you can always purchase single issues if you prefer that instead.

If you still can’t get enough, register for the Creative Retailer LIVE Spring 2023 event May 2-4 in Pawhuska, Oklahoma for opportunities to learn from peers as well as network with industry professionals.

Posted on September 15, 2022September 14, 2022 by AQR Piece by Piece

Onboarding New Hires

Congratulations, you have a new employee! Now it’s time to onboard them so they feel a part of the team. Read on for the four things to keep in mind to ensure you both are on a path to succeed.

Responsibilities

Employees should know the duties that fit their job description. Set clear expectations and help new hires understand what those expectations look like. This can be completing a piece of a project, meeting sales quotas, and more.

Every time you have a discussion about employee expectations, be sure to follow up with an email. It’s okay to check with your employee to gauge their understanding of the expectations you’ve outlined.

Acceptance

There’s nothing worse than being new to a team and having to introduce yourself. To make your new hire feel accepted, introduce them early on their first day during a team round up.

Another great method is to pair the new hire with a mentor. The mentor shouldn’t be someone in a management position, but rather a peer. This will go a long way in saving you time answering questions about the day-to-day.

Training New Hires

Thorough training sets your employees up to succeed. Invest the time required to ensure the new hire is an expert in their position. Slow down or speed up as needed, but be sure to provide feedback as early as possible. Let your new hire know if they’re exceeding expectations and encourage them to provide feedback also.

Career

You have a vision of the company, and your new hire has a vision of their career. Set up your new hire on a path to succeed and not only will they buy into your vision but they’ll fit into the company’s culture in no time.

Inspiration for this post came from “Create a Winning Team” by Melisa Morrison published in the August 2022 issue of American Quilt Retailer. Morrison is the Director for Human Resources at the Latex Construction Company and is a former quilt shop owner.

If you’re looking for more information to guide you in owning a retail business, subscribe to American Quilt Retailer today. Already a subscriber? No worries—join our Facebook group for insights and dialogue from industry specialists like you. And don’t forget, you can always purchase single issues if you prefer that instead.

Posted on November 5, 2020November 6, 2020 by AQR Piece by Piece — 1 Comment

Store Preparation for the New Year

It’s never too early for preparation (especially after the year we’ve had). Consider adding these tasks to your to-do list so you can begin 2021 ahead of schedule.

Event Preparation

If you aren’t already hosting one large event and two smaller events per month, you should. Start 2021 with all three events hosted the first week, then you can alternate weeks the remainder of the year. Some ideas include make-it and take-its, demonstrations, seminars, and vendor days. And remember, an event doesn’t always have to correspond with a sale.

Team Training

Speaking of year long events, if you don’t already have a weekly team training scheduled, put one on the calendar. It may seem difficult to think of topics at first, but eventually your team will have requests of their own.

Some places to start include making a list of “never out” items. These are items that should always be in stock as they can make or break sales. And they should be in extra stock during the busy season.

Another idea includes coming up with bag stuffer ideas. Train your employees to give a 30 second pitch of the bag stuffer as they hand the flyer to the customer. This will prove much more effective than not mentioning the bag stuffer at all.

Finally, review your return policy. Try to be flexible on returns (as other competitors in the market are) but train your staff to ask about an in-store credit or gift card option first.

Gift Cards

If your store uses paper gift certificates instead of plastic gift cards, you’re going to want to switch stat. Retailers that switch from paper to plastic see an increase of sales from 35% to 50%. On top of that, 55% of customers have to go to a store twice to spend the full gift card amount, which is great news for your business.

Inspiration for this post came from 2020 Prep by Georgeanne Bender and Rich Kizer of Kizer and Bender. For more preparation ideas, visit their business expert page.

Posted on March 14, 2018 by AQR Piece by Piece

The importance of training

Good training gives your employees the tools to maximize their talents to better your business. Poor training sets your employees up for failure; nothing is worse than when a customer knows more about a product than the person getting paid to have that same knowledge (and more).

If you don’t already have a new hire orientation, that is the first thing you need to put on the top of your to-do list. The orientation should take place on the sales floor and cover all aspects of the business. The orientation should allow time for the new employee to put into practice what they’re learning. After giving them a task for an hour, go over how they’re doing and provide feedback. A simple complement can go a long way for a new employee’s confidence.

The next part of a training program should include giving your new employee a “buddy.” This buddy is another employee the new employee can go to for questions they may not feel comfortable asking the boss. Plus this buddy can give the new employee some company during their first lunch break and help them feel at home in their new role.

An often overlooked part of a training program is continuous training; never assume your veteran employees know everything or are doing everything correctly. Try to incentivize continuous training by paying for courses or purchasing books and videos for your employees. You can even go as far as giving bonuses or promotions for each level of continuing education your employees receive.

Last but not least, hold “jog” sessions that jog your employees memory about certain products or specials. A jog session can be given any time there is down time in a day and should be conducted at least once a week. These sessions will keep your employees on their A-game and ready for any question they may receive that day.

Not only will you benefit from solid training, but your employees will appreciate it as well. Providing a good foundation in a business begins with the people who make the team.