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Have You Ever Considered Introducing Your Staff to the Community?
September 20, 2007
I’ve been interviewing individuals for our new store in Charlotte, NC. The store is new, so I need strong associates that can handle their own; therefore I’ve been trying to get a hold of sales associates from other independent jewelry stores who are considering making a switch. Most of these men and women have been in the industry for 7 years plus and are more than just sales associates—they are professionals in their industry.
As with any professional, the more knowledge—the more they want to know about the business before making a switch from a place where they’ve developed a strong clientele basis and are well aware of their surroundings.
I received some great questions, but one in particular, relating to advertising, really had me thinking:
“Will you be introducing us (meaning the staff) to the community?” What do you mean, I said. “The local paper has a section called The Neighborhood and the editor writes articles relating to new businesses with uniqueshopping experiences. In addition, this particular section features many businesses in S. Charlotte.”
At first, I didn’t understand where the conversation was going. At the time, I sat there like I was paying attention but in reality I was thinking my advertising budget for the year has exceeded its limits so when she’s done I’m just going to say no. After that thought, I came back to earth and luckily heard the last bit of what she said. Because many of my sales associates have worked 7 years plus at the same independent jewelry stores they have acquired a great following but signed confidentially agreements stating they will not be allowed to take customer information at the time of termination. It hit me—my new staff members wanted a way to bring in some of their old customers to our store. What a great idea I thought.
Have you ever introduced your staff to the community? I have made a call to the Charlotte Observer and will let you know what turns up.
Posted by Shanu Singh Guliani on September 20, 2007 | Comments (0)
