02

INTRODUCTION

Customer interaction in retail has never been so important.

It is the human face of the total brand experience.

A good customer experience drives sales.

A great customer experience makes brands stand out from the competition.

An outstanding customer experience makes a business famous – a cultural phenomenon as well as a financial success.

Increasingly, savvy customers are demanding the highest levels of customer service. They don’t want the hard sell; they want honesty, clarity, and value. If they enjoy their in-store experience, they will spend more. And they’ll tell their friends about it.

An engaging product demo.

A personalised recommendation.

A compelling story on product provenance.

That’s what customers want.

Retail Sales Professionals [RSPs] want to provide it. They are far more switched on and engaged in the business than you might have thought. They carry many brands’ success or failure in their hands.

We spoke to 2000 RSPs across different channels to understand their needs and their expectations, and to gain insights in to how we can equip and empower them to achieve ever greater results.

We Know... RSPs.

I actually love my job, the customers I serve and the colleagues I work with; it is where I can be myself - Female, France

04

RSPs enjoy their job. In fact, 74% of RSPs agree that they LOVE their job.

They love the unpredictability that comes with dealing with people.

Good days are the days that are really busy. Time flies, the team is working well together – and, critically, everyone leaves with a feeling of satisfaction.

RSPs have many tasks to fulfil in a day, but job satisfaction all comes down to one thing – a happy customer.

Satisfying a customer is ranked as the number one reason RSPs go the extra mile in their role.

The customer can make or break the RSP’s day; but the love and desire for this interaction is still the reason RSPs go to work.

Getting paid and being financially rewarded plays an obvious role in the RSP’s job satisfaction, but the feeling of belonging to a team or community that helps and advises people means more. It is this satisfaction that ensures a strong presence out on the shop floor.

ARE RSPs HAPPY IN THEIR JOB?

ONE

We all have our own tricks of the trade to help us sell. I do like to learn from others, but what works for me doesn’t always work for my colleagues - Female, UK

06

THE INDIVIDUAL OR TEAMWORK?

TWO

RSPs are proud of the personal and professional qualities they bring to the job, whether it is knowledge of TVs, sincere patience, a passion for food, or being well-respected in the community.

RSPs acknowledge that some colleagues are more suited to ‘aftercare sales’ or have been championed as an ‘ace in a place’ because of their expertise, or they work the early shift because they are a morning person. Different strengths, weaknesses, and preferences come into play; this is the team in action.

It is how all of their skills and personalities complement each other that creates a strong force for the business.

RSPs understand how impactful it is to work as a team.

More gets done. It creates a real sense of colleague camaraderie. It benefits them and their store.

RSPs seek a team environment – one that will energise, galvanise, and allow the focus to remain on defeating the opposition.

RSPs don’t want to be in competition with their colleagues, but they do want to know who brings what qualities to the team and what their own status is within that team. What is their area of responsibility and how does that complement their colleagues’ and benefit the team?

Recognition from colleagues and my manager tells me I’m doing the right thing. But the recognition I get from my customers tells me I’m good at my job - Male, Germany

08

WHAT MOTIVATES RSPs?

THREE

‘Recognition’ is overwhelmingly the key driver for the amount of effort RSPs are willing to put into their roles.

Nearly half of RSPs cite a lack of recognition as the factor which prevents them from going the extra mile. Performance is therefore directly linked to the amount of recognition displayed by managers and employers.

For RSPs, recognition comes in two forms:

1. PERSONAL AND EMOTIONAL REWARD

RSPs are motivated by the human element of the role. They want recognition to reflect this. Small and personal gestures from managers, colleagues and customers are signals of doing a good job and are positive reinforcements for behaviour e.g.

• Managers saying ‘thank you’

• Customers smiling

• Head Office acknowledgement for a job well done

2. FINANCIAL REWARD

Structured, financial rewards are impactful – if used in the right way. The reward must match the effort or task in hand, feel achievable and be fair. But it’s not all about money; other incentives, if linked to the monetary target, can help strike the right balance of emotional and financial reward.

• Taking the afternoon off after hitting a daily target

• Money off products

• Employee of the Month

• Dinner with the boss, or team events

Love for the job increases by over 50% if RSPs believe they are recognised by their manager.

Instant and spontaneous feedback on a job well done will result in a highly motivated team of RSPs.

I try to find out as much about my customer as possible so I can find the product that’s right for them. It’s a fun challenge – it puts my knowledge to the test - Female, USA

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HOW CAN RSPs BECOME EMPOWERED?

FOUR

Having autonomy is incredibly motivating for an RSP.

Responsibility, no matter how big or small, is seen as a platform for RSPs to use their initiative.

Being given responsibility is always welcome, regardless of what form that takes:

• Being offered a choice of what they would like to do that day

• Having the responsibility of deciding how the foyer display should be arranged

• Having their own company email account to access latest news

• Self-promoting by making up job titles

RSPs crave this additional responsibility. It allows them to flex their cognitive muscle. It makes them feel like they are doing well, getting on, being recognised and valued within the business.

RSPs want to make decisions based on their own judgement, not just by deploying store policy by rote or asking their manager. Individual judgment is important – this is a people job, with all of the unpredictability that entails. Not every situation encountered matches one described in a manual.

RSPs know that the more involved they are in decision making, the more motivated they will feel.

The greater ownership they have of the role – the more empowered they will feel.

Although the customer may always be right, RSPs want the opportunity to use their initiative, to not be undermined and to use their own style and knowledge – whatever the situation. They want an environment where the RSP is always right!

I want to know everything I can about the phones I sell – knowledge breeds confidence - Female, France

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WHY IS CREDIBILITY SO IMPORTANT TO RSPs?

FIVE

RSPs cite ‘credibility’ as the core factor in doing their job well. Belief is everything – from belief in the products they sell to belief in their own talent for connecting with the customer.

RSPs feel uncomfortable selling or endorsing a product they do not believe in. They do not want to deceive their customers; the very customers they have built trusted relationships with.

RSPs take pride in understanding the needs of their customers. They do this through asking the right questions, building knowledge, and developing a rapport. This enables them to recommend products that they know are relevant. They become demotivated if they are required to recommend products they do not believe are relevant.

External pressure, from a manager or head office, to push certain products, can adversely affect relationships:

1. Between the RSP and the manager who enforced it (resentment can build)

2. Between the business and the customer (trust can be destroyed)

RSPs want to act only in the best interests of the customer.

They want to maintain their pride and credibility.

Employers need to recognise that, and find ways to champion it.

My first manager I had in retail taught me everything, I respect him and he respects me, when he left the store I followed him - Male, UK

14

WHAT MAKES A GREAT MANAGER?

SIX

The RSP is a ‘people person’. It’s all about building and maintaining relationships, especially with people they admire and wish to learn from.

Managers play a significant role in the working lives of RSPs. They can be their inspiration, but they can also be their de-motivator.

We discovered that managers are often unaware that they wield such influence. Would they behave differently if they knew?

Great managers respect their team and ensure everything is done in the RSPs’ best interests.

Great managers work shoulder to shoulder with the RSP and lead by example.

Great managers provide RSPs with a steady stream of knowledge, tips, and encouragement.

Great managers give clear, measurable, and consistent goals to keep RSPs focused and engaged.

Great managers are quick to recognise great performance.

Managers don’t just hold the key to creating happy RSPs and building the right environment in which they can flourish; the future of the business relies on them too, especially culturally – managerial behaviour traits often set the tone and provide a benchmark for how RSPs will behave when they too eventually become managers…

There are a lot of jobs we have to do which are so tedious and just seem to get in the way of spending time with customers - Female, China

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THE DEVIL IN THE DETAIL?

SEVEN

RSPs want to be out there on the shop floor, serving the customer.

It’s the thing they love doing more than any other – it’s why they do what they do.

But over half of the RSPs we spoke to said they often lacked the time to do just that.

Again and again, we heard how company rules and regulations left employees feeling frustrated.

The completion of ‘unrewarding’ tasks – stock rotation, filling in health and safety records, paperwork etc – encroaches on what they love doing the most.

The policies and regulations relating to these tasks are not always clearly explained to RSPs. This can result in these tasks feeling meaningless and conflicting with RSP’s beliefs about the purpose of their role.

It sounds obvious – but if we find ourselves doing work that we hadn’t expected, and if the purpose of that work strikes us as unclear, we quickly become disappointed and demotivated. It’s the same for RSPs.

It can all be resolved with a little communication and better expectation-management. When the purpose of this type of work is put in the context of the broader business, RSPs quickly become more engaged and more efficient.

Learning is best when you get involved and are hands on, like when you learn to drive - Male, Brazil

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EIGHT

HOW DO RSPs FEEL ABOUT TRAINING?

RSPs want training to be engaging and inspiring.

But the very idea of training often conjures up negative connotations of outdated CD-ROMs and tedious all-day PowerPoint sessions.

RSPs currently see training as functional; it teaches them how to complete operational tasks such as health and safety and how to use machines. Too often, the training methods being used are not in step with how RSPs prefer to consume content and receive knowledge. In fact, company-wide training events are Number 1 in the RSP’s list of how they prefer NOT to learn.

RSPs have a people-focused job, and they are hugely motivated by that. Unsurprisingly, they wish that the training they receive could be equally weighted towards the human element. RSPs rank face-to-face sessions at Number 1

(one-on-one training) and Number 2 (group training) in their preference for how they DO want to learn.

RSPs also value learning on the job. It is seen as the best way for RSPs to ‘get stuck in’. On-the-job learning is also a great opportunity to learn first-hand from others and picking up those all-important ‘tricks of the trade’.

Access to training is a key factor in RSP satisfaction and retention. 16% say they want to leave their current employer. This doubles if they believe their job does not provide training opportunities.

Having something to tell shoppers such as ‘this product goes well with this’, or ‘I have tried this’ – just makes it so much easier - Female, USA

20

WHY ARE PRODUCT EXPERIENCES SO IMPORTANT TO RSPs?

NINE

RSPs love to get their hands on new and exclusive features and products. Whether it’s a sneak preview or a chance to trial the product, 85% of RSPs agree that first-hand experience helps them fall in love with a product.

Professional pride lies in having a true understanding of the products being sold, the ability to match those products to customer needs, and the confidence to do it well.

Getting early experience of products boosts these factors enormously – it literally keeps RSPs ahead of customers on the latest news.

When they can see, touch, hold, try or taste a new product before the customer, RSPs are able to enhance their personal knowledge, relate their own personal stories and experiences of the product, and make smarter recommendations.

It gives them a story to tell.

It could be about provenance, how some products complement other products, how categories are evolving, what’s in and what’s out – either way, it all provides RSPs with a hook to engage better with the products, to have a sense of ownership, and to become brand ambassadors.

I have noticed a change since working here; it is no longer sales, sales, sales. We are measured against so much more now - Female, Germany

22

WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN CHANNELS?

TEN

Different products create different working environments. Those differences also determine how emotionally invested RSPs become, and how engaged they are with the products they sell. This all influences how and why RSPs choose to interact with their customers.

RSPs come in many forms. They might be selling lunchtime sandwiches to students, or high-value consumer electronics to homeowners. Their customer might be the morning commuter who has bought his newspaper in the same place every day for twenty years, or a highly tech-savvy teenager upgrading to the latest smartphone, who the RSP might not see again for two years.

This interaction with customers is what RSPs have in common. It is also what differentiates them.

GROCERY: CONVENIENCE STORE

RSPs in this category tend to be community-, cause-, and

customer-driven. They are intrinsically motivated to make their customers happy and they value the role they play in their customers’ lives.

GROCERY: SUPERMARKET

RSPs in this category spend less quality time with customers (compared to their Convenience Store counterparts) and would like more of an opportunity to do this. They seek a deeper understanding of the products they sell, as they know this will allow them to engage more with customers. Having relatively little opportunity to build relationships with customers, they seek more recognition from managers than their equivalents in Convenience.

CONSUMER ELECTRONICS

RSPs in this category have a real love for the large range of products they sell. They know that these products will play a significant role in their customers’ lives, and this motivates them to keep adding

to their own store of knowledge and fuels their desire to share this knowledge at every opportunity.

MOBILE PHONES

RSPs in this category are highly competitive as individuals but are increasingly recognising the added value and reward inherent in achieving as a team. A happy customer validates them as a good salesperson – they thrive on solving problems for their customers and staying one step ahead of trends in the market.

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CONNECT WITH RSPs…

ONE

RSPs love their job. Give them greater opportunities to connect with customers, encourage the growth of dynamic teams, diversify their workload, and offer incentives – they will thrive, and so will your business.

TWO

RSPs form themselves in to teams when they understand the benefits of doing so. If you can create or curate groups of different people with different skill sets, different personalities, and different levels of experience, you will reap the rewards of a highly-functional and efficient team.

THREE

RSPs thrive when they know that their work makes a difference and that their contribution is valued. Reward them. Develop different ways of recognising them, from occasional big hit incentives to smaller more frequent acknowledgements.

FOUR

RSPs play a critical role in the success of the business. Make them feel that they are genuinely invested in that success. The greater autonomy or responsibility they are given, the more they will reward you with high performance, more effective teams, and happier customers. All of this converts to the bottom line, which in turn makes it easier to offer rewards. It’s a virtuous cycle.

FIVE

RSPs find it so important to believe in the products they are selling that they often go out of their way to trial or sample those products themselves. Encourage this. Only when they truly understand the value and benefits of a product will they recommend those products enthusiastically. It is up to you to foster that enthusiasm.

SIX

Managers wield great power over RSPs. It is they who will determine how motivated RSPs are, how effectively the team will operate, and how the culture of the business will evolve over time. Managers need to understand this and act accordingly, but they may need your support – RSPs told us again and again that they did not believe managers fully realise the impact their behaviour makes on their team.

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SEVEN

The part of the job that RSPs love the most (engaging with customers) is not the whole of the job, and some of those other elements can cause discontent. A fresh perspective can be brought simply by demonstrating that it is in the combination of big and small tasks that the business becomes successful. Knowledge of this will soon result in RSPs completing these tasks with the same passion they do when serving customers.

EIGHT

Improve your training. RSPs want it, and they’ll quickly seek employment elsewhere if there’s no prospect of getting it, but it’s usually stale and boring and non-engaging. Provide it to smaller groups (or even individuals). Make it interactive. Ensure it is as human and discursive as the role of the RSP when engaging with

customers. If in doubt, ask the RSPs how they wish to be trained – they may know more about it than you do!

NINE

RSPs are at the front line of the total brand experience – both of the retailer who employs them and the products being sold. It only makes sense to offer them, as frequently as possible, experiences that bring them closer to the product range. Positive experiences engender great passion and enthusiasm, leading to the kinds of recommendations that we normally reserve for friends and family. Such recommendations are the life blood of every business.

TEN

Not all RSPs are alike. They are as different as they categories they work in. In this study we have attempted to unearth the things they have in common – their core needs, motivations, hopes and disappointments. But there are no one-size-fits-all solutions. Talk to us about how your RSPs can become better engaged and helping you make your business even more profitable – we know RSPs…

CONNECT WITH RSPs…

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