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Profit improvement opportunities for retailers
By Francis C. "Frank" Grau
Using Part-Time/Contingent Employees Effectively
(1) Is part-time work scheduled according to:
(a) Forecasted peak and slack customer traffic patterns? n
(b) Maximum floor coverage? n
(c) Minimum floor coverage? !
The fourth in a
EETAIL SELLING activities are all brought Etogether when the sales person asks the customer, "May I help you?" To ensure that sales personnel are effective , you must plan the training, scheduling, supervision and positioning of the selling staff. Numerous opportunities exist for reducing costs and improving productivity in this area.
The following questionnaire examines selling activities in relation to sales personnel and customer service. Options such as selling by zones and interselling are reviewed.
Questionnaire and Work Guide
Scheduling of the Sales Forces
(1) Have daily traffic patterns been analyzed by transaction counts showing peak hours for:
(a) Day of the week?
(b) Individual departments?
(c) Selling zones?
(2) Is the daily/weekly sales force scheduled for each department or selling zone according to:
(a) Identified traffic patterns and total selling hours required?
(b) Promotional and seasonal requirements?
(3) Has a determination been made of the minimum number of sales personnel required per department or selling zone?
(4) Do designated selling supervisors have the authority to shift sales personnel to other areas as required?
(5) Is effective use made of "flying squads" of sales personnel?
(6) Are support personnel (i.e., nonsales personnel) used during peak selling periods?
(d) Promotional and seasonal staffing needs?
(2) Is adequate supervisory coverage scheduled for part-time employees?
(3) Do part-time personnel receive adequate training in merchandise information, store systems and procedures?
(4) Do the part-time schedules attract the kind of part-time employees the store requires?
Story at a Glance
Sales personnel training . . scheduling, supervision, positioning for maximum effectiveness.. . reduced costs. .. i m proved prod uctivity.
(5) Are recruitment techniques (e.g., display/classified ads, in-store signs) periodically evaluated in terms of:
(a) Cost?
(b) Results?
Training Sales Personnel
(1) Are sales personnel trained to be:
(a) Alert to customer needs?
(b) Enthusiastic about merchandise?
(c) Knowledgeable about what they have in stock?
(d) Familiar with selling points of individual items?
Sales personnel have the most direct contact with customers, They represent the retailer to the buying public, and the success of a retail organizotion can depend on the competence and attitude of the sales force.
(2) Are supervisors directly responsible for on-the-job training of sales personnel?
(l'leuse turn to pase 30)
