Step 1: Build a Network

You’re a new manager of a specialty retail store, and one of your top performers quits unexpectedly.  Suddenly you have an opening to fill or you’ll be short-staffed for the upcoming big sales weekend.   Now what? Better find the first warm body who can operate the register and hope for the best.

Many retail managers are faced with this challenge on a regular basis.  Turnover can be high in retail, and you are often at the effect of your employees who suddenly decide they’d rather go work for a different store down the mall or go back to school full time.

When inexperienced managers have to make knee-jerk hiring decisions, chances are they’ll hire the wrong person who can damage your brand in the long run.  Plus, by the time you factor in all of the administrative tasks of hiring and training, you’ve invested a lot of time and money.  If they’ve hired the wrong person, they likely won’t be able to deliver the results you need either.

Depending on how many stores you have, think of the domino effect if each store hires one wrong person during a 6 month period.

The ideal solution is to create a recruiting, interviewing, and hiring program in your company that aligns with your external brand and customer promise. Such a program will help inexperienced managers become hiring experts by giving them tools and guidelines for finding and selecting the ideal people to represent your brand.

If your company doesn’t have such a program, you can help your retail managers be prepared for hiring by building a network of possible candidates before they have an opening. When they’re ready to hire, they will have a ready-made pool of prospects they can tap into.  Here’s a few tips to get them started.

1. Evaluate your existing network. Your managers may believe they have only a small network of contacts, but it’s probably bigger than they think. Their network could include employees of other stores in their mall who they’ve become acquainted with. It could include former coworkers from previous positions. If they’re students, their network could include classmates. A solid network should include not just potential candidates, but other contacts who can make referrals. Assign your managers the task of recording everyone who’s already in their networks. They’ll probably be surprised at how many people they have on their lists.
2. Schedule opportunities for networking. Whether it’s attending a community meeting, social function, or simply finding time to walk through the mall and meet fellow retailers, your managers should have time set aside on a regular basis to actively build their network.
3. Turn on the networking radar. Your managers are also customers. They shop at other retail stores, eat at restaurants and coffee shops. Have them develop their networking radar so they’re always on the lookout for a person who could be a good fit for their store. Arm them with business cards they can pass out and encourage them to capture contact information when the meet a potential prospect.

If your managers have a solid network at their fingertips, they’ll be ahead of the game whenever they have an opening to fill. As they build their networks, they can also begin qualifying their top prospects.  In a future post, we will offer tips for effective qualifying that align with your brand and help identify the right people to deliver your customer promise.

When you’re ready to create a recruiting, interviewing, and hiring program that aligns your internal culture with your external marketing promise, Kennedy Communications can help you.

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