myRetailer.ca

The recipe for customer satisfaction lies in the customer service training of your employees.

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I read a quote the other day that really stuck with me. In the book Nuts! Southwest Airlines’ Crazy Recipe for Business and Personal Success, authors Kevin and Jackie Freiberg make a statement about Southwest employees “serving the person behind the need”.

I love this quote and am going to start using it in our customer service training. Serving the person behind the need implies that whenever a staff member is faced with a customer issue or concern, before dealing with the issue at hand, they should first think about the person behind the need.

What are they feeling? How do they see the issue at hand? (more…)

Small business owners look ready to move into growth mode

After 18 months of layoffs and budget cuts, Canadian companies led by small businesses appear set to return to hiring plans for the remainder of the year.

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Stay close to numbers and customers

How aged are your receivables? In bad times, it’s best to over-communicate with employees and customers to keep the cash flowing, Bruce Chin of Deloitte says

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How Startups are Using Social Media for Real Results

For startups, the amount of money you have to burn before you either need to break even or raise more capital is your runway. Extending the length of that runway is an art form that requires startup founders to learn how to squeeze maximum value out of every dollar they spend. Social media is one important way that startups are saving money while still delivering value.

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On July 1^st, Ontario and British Columbia will be adopting the new Harmonized Sales Tax system currently being used in other parts of the country.

The National Post ran an interesting article last week debating the pros and cons of the new tax system. Well, let me give you my first hand experience with HST.

I can recall when HST was introduced in Atlantic Canada in 1997. Businesses were worried about increased costs to consumers. We were concerned about the integration of the new tax in our cash systems. Looking back, it simply boiled down to one thing; we were just afraid of change. We were afraid of the unknown.

I’m here to tell you that HST has been very good for business.

The way I see it, HST has three major advantages for business. (more…)

One of the most effective training tools is make it easy for people to learn by example through mentoring.

For our business, it is hiring season. This is the time of year when we go from a staff of 12 in one store to 45. To do this, we are very fortunate to have the majority of our team return year after year. However,  we inevitably find ourselves hiring  8-12 new recruits every season.

One trick that we adopted a few years ago is mentoring. Every new recruit, when they join our team,  spend their first two shifts paired with a mentor, a veteran with our company. By mirroring and working closely with a senior person, several things happen. They can learn the technical tasks associated with the position. They actually do gain a mentor, someone they can go to in order to ask questions, like; “Where do I hang my jacket?” But most importantly, they can see a veteran customer service associate in action. (more…)

Studying what successful businesses do will teach you lessons on how to improve your own company.

Late last year, after observing my wife sift through a stack of flyers, I asked her if most people she knows do the same thing. Her answer was; “Yes. Everyone I know at least skims through the flyers they’re interested in.”

That got me thinking. If so many of the big guys are putting out flyers so often, they must work. They have to be effective in order for them to spend the money they do through that marketing medium.

Now I know what you’re thinking. Flyers? Really? That so old school, not to mention too expensive for my little retail store. I thought you were all about newer forms of advertising. Are you really talking about flyers? Well, in this case, yes. (more…)