The Business of People

By Evan Wise

Howard Behar, executive of Starbucks, says, “We are not in the coffee business serving people, but rather in the people business serving coffee!” This is a lesson for every small business owner, especially retailers. You too are in the people business.

Behar doesn’t say they are in the customer business but rather the people business. That is because success revolves around many more people than just customers. In order to deliver dresses, shoes or suits, many people are involved. Those people must be dedicated, trained, motivated and empowered to do their job effectively so the customer can be not only satisfied, but delighted! That includes sales, marketing, buyers and others within the organization.

Take at look at where most of your business efforts and focus fall. Is it on buying inventory or effective merchandising? Do you spend a lot of time on marketing? How much time is spent on finances and looking at cash flow? Are you selling on the floor, opening and closing the store and working on receiving goods? Compare the time spent on all those activities to the time you spend on training, communicating and growing your employees. Employees are your most important asset. Employees make your store unique compared to the competition. Too often I hear retailers lament that the internet is cutting into their sales. That means the staff is not specialized enough to compete effectively. If you, as the owner or key manager in the business, are not spending at least half your time and a good part of your budget on improving and nurturing employees rather than nursing them, competitors and the internet can pose a threat.

Winning@Business™ is about growing people in order to grow your business. Dedicated employees create loyal customers. When your staff is trained to think like an owner; when they own their job instead of renting it from nine to five; they will be more productive and effective at creating buzz (word of mouth) and keeping customers coming back for more.

A management process that is coordinated and implemented properly can change a culture and a business. There are reasons that some businesses do well while others fizzle. Often it can be traced back to people and how well they work together to accomplish goals that are meaningful to the success and longevity of the business.

Source : http://www.specialty-retail-blog.com/blog/