FRONT LINES

{AUGUST 2015}
The Hot List

Info Bites to Fuel Your Business

1
A LATE BACK-TO-SCHOOL

A new poll by the National Retail Federation (NRF) shows parents are waiting longer this year to start their shopping for the 2015-16 school year.

The survey of parents with school-age kids (6-17 years old) revealed:

20%
shop 2 months in advance (down from 23% last year)

43%
shop 3 weeks-1 month in advance

30%
shop 1-2 weeks before (up from 25% last year)

2
BACK TO WORK???

Not that it needed validation (we’ve all felt it), but it’s been studied and proven that the vacation “glow” vanishes rapidly upon returning to work. According to an article on NYmag.com on vacation research:

Our vacation enjoyment peaks 40%-70% of the way in (after that, we start worrying about it ending and work beginning)



Within ONE WEEK of returning to work, the salubrious effects have faded entirely



Some ways to fight the post-vacation blues: Make a scrapbook of pictures, reminisce a lot, and start planning your NEXT one! (Really: studies show that we start relaxing as soon as we start planning our vacation!)

3
RETAIL STRENGTHS

When hiring employees, look for these necessary personality traits.

CONFIDENCE: It takes confidence to talk to strangers



INNATE FRIENDLINESS: Customers know when it’s forced



FLEXIBILITY: When dealing with the public, things can go wrong



ABILITY TO MULTI-TASK: We all know how busy an optical can get



PATIENCE: The patience to deal with all types of customers is vital



ARTICULATE: A great mix of conversational and informative



RESPECTFULNESS: The customer might not always be right, but she is always the customer



PROACTIVITY: Being one step ahead to gauge when someone needs help is the best way to minimize a brewing situation



POSITIVITY: The ability to smile in the face of a long day means everything (to colleagues as well as customers)



EMPATHY: Being able to look at a situation through the eyes of a customer is an extremely valuable skill

Source: RetailCustomerExperience.com

4
TRAITS OF GREATNESS

According to a Dale Carnegie Training study, ¾ of employees reported they don’t feel engaged at work. Here are 5 things great managers do every day to foster employee engagement, courtesy of author and management expert Bernard Marr.

1. LEAD BY EXAMPLE
(don’t expect anything you can’t deliver yourself)

2. ASK QUESTIONS
(and listen to the answers)

3. GIVE CONSTRUCTIVE FEEDBACK
(and sandwich it with praise)

4. BUILD A TEAM
(train members to grow skill sets beyond that for which they were hired)

5. TAKE CARE OF YOURSELF
(research shows appropriate breaks make everyone more focused and productive)