Get Up and Out on the Sales Floor

Business Owners – Your business will benefit from time spent on the sales floor and in your office

I recently spoke to a group of independent toy store owners at the NETS (Neighbourhood Toys Stores of Canada) annual conference in Toronto. During the Q&A part of the presentation, one of the attendees asked about my guideline for time spent working in the office and on your business, versus the amount of time spent working on the floor and in your business.

The best way to answer that is that there really is no set rule that you should be striving for. You don’t need to strive for a 50:50 ratio of time spent in the office to on the floor. In order to run and grow a business property, you need time in both areas, and it can really fluctuate, depending on the season, time of week, etc.

It should be the goal of any business owner to have staffing, systems and processes in place so that they can be (almost) completely independent from having to work on the floor. I suggest that your goal should be to have it so that you actually never really have to work the floor. You should do it regularly to stay connected to your customers, your community and your front line staff. However, you should always have the freedom to walk away from the floor at any time you feel it’s beneficial for you to step back, and work on your business instead of being forced to be on the floor working in your business.

Stepping back and working on your business is what will deliver you the great breakthroughs and most profitable moments. Don’t become trapped having to work in your business all the time. You need that freedom to step away. It’s necessary for you and beneficial to your company.