It’s hard to believe that we’re at the end of July here at Candles of Eden. We hope you all are enjoying a safe and enjoyable summer so far. With the end of this month comes an end to our series on “Your Personnel”. We thought it best to summarize what we talked about the past month as a final wrap up before we begin a new series in August.

We covered a lot of ground in the July postings – all related to dealing with the most important asset you have as an owner-operator or manager – your personnel. Remember, your personnel are ambassadors for your business. Take the time to develop them as sales associates and people, and watch them develop your business to greater success in the process.

Here are some of the main points to take away from the July series.

  •  Take the time to train an assistant to run your business for you when you cannot and should not be there. You need time for rest and relaxation. Everyone needs to recharge his or her batteries so-to-speak every so often. Make sure you do, and make sure you have a qualified assistant, well trained, to step in when you need to step out.Use incentives to motivate your employees. Reward them with extra commissions, bonus holiday days, company outings, vouchers, even some form of profit sharing for their exemplary performance. When you let your personnel know you value their increasing levels of achievement, they will perform appropriately to meet the levels of achievement you set for them.
  •  Measure your employees’ sales productivity.  Calculate their “average sales per hour”, their “average transaction”, and their “items per transaction”. Track their performance for a month and see who really is bringing in those sales for your business. When it comes to selling SoyLuscious® Soy Candles and everything else, you have to know who your super sellers are, and who needs to do the work to become ones.
  •  When choosing new personnel make the interview process a productive one. Schedule appropriate interview time. Ask productive questions. Ask real-life questions – not hypothetical musings that are too general. Remain neutral to their answers, and listen more than talk.
  •  Let your employees know they are important to you. When they see you view them as important aspects of your business, they will be those excellent representatives for products such as your Candles of Eden line and others. They will go the extra mile for you as you do so for them. Verbalize your appreciation of stellar employees.
  •  Develop a written job description for all positions in your enterprise. A written job description lets everyone know what you expect. A written job description makes you, the preparer of the job description, concentrate on defining the position you are creating within your company. A written job description allows you to advertise for a position with clarity. A written job description can also become a permanent record for placement in a training manual.
  •  Develop great sales associates by selecting people who show some passion for selling, and customer service. Then, give them the time and training they need to grow into their positions. Finally, set sales targets for them so they remain focused on why they are standing in your establishment in the first place. You are in business to sell and you want them actively selling.
  •  Have regular meetings with your staff. Whether you meet with your personnel one-on-one, all together, or utilize both methods, regular meetings with your staff are of prime importance. They need to know that you are interested in keeping them in the loop about different aspects of your business, such as your SoyLuscious® Soy Candles promotions and other initiatives. They also need to know that you are interested in their ideas and concepts on how to develop your business better.
  •  Take heed to the three signs that an employee is not working out. These are the inability to develop necessary skills, poor productivity, and poor attitude towards customers and/or fellow employees.
  •  Take a chance on novice younger employees who can add a new dimension and vibrancy to your retail or spa business. These younger employees are new to the business world in general and your business world in particular. They can be a breath of fresh idealistic air to your enterprise and well worth having on your team.
  •  Remember what your employees really want from you. They want an environment that allows them the opportunity to be creative and productive. They want to work in a place where they can shine, develop, and contribute as part of a team. Give them responsibilities and encourage their achievements. Watch them blossom as you instill confidence and an appreciation for your business in them.

That’s a wrap up of all we talked about in July here at Candles of Eden. I hope that these postings are helping you manage your personnel effectively, to theirs and your benefit. August is almost upon us. We’ll move into other topics next month, concerning preparing for the prime-time candle-selling season. See you on August 2.