Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/657286
www.PowersportsBusiness.com SOLUTIONS Powersports Business • April 4, 2016 • 31 My wife and I were sitting in our favorite Chinese food restau- rant the other night, and we were talking about life in general with our waitress. Since we are regulars at this restaurant, we sometimes spend time talking with her if business is slow. She was telling us how she enjoys her job much more since she started making a conscious effort to have a positive attitude when she came to work. She found that she was dreading going to work on some days, and it was because she was down in the dumps about some personal issue. On those days, her customers seemed to be grouchier and complained more than normal — and her tips went down. She said it became apparent to her that her poor attitude con- tributed to this situation, and it was costing her money. As a result, she resolved to push her- self to be more upbeat and positive when she came to work, and she said it made all the difference in the world. I told her that was one of the major characteristics of an excellent employee, as opposed to those who "just show up" for the job. Making the effort to have a positive attitude at work will help this person all through her life, regard- less of the job she has. My parents instilled a similar philoso- phy in me at an early age. If I accepted a job, I was required to leave my personal life behind me when I walked through the door of that business. That person "owned" my time — they were paying me for it. In exchange, I owed it to them to perform at the highest level I could. This relates to owners and managers as well. The attitude you bring to work will have a significant impact on your staff's ability to perform at a high level. They will look at you as you come through the door in the morning to determine what kind of a day they will have. I can't tell you how many times I have listened in on a sales meeting only to hear the sales manager ripping his staff for what they were doing wrong. Do you think those salespeople walked out the meeting fired up and ready to close deals? This is nega- tive reinforcement. All store meetings need to be positive, upbeat and should include motivation for the staff. The old saying "Praise in public; criticize in private" is something that we should never, ever for- get. Meetings are not the place for criticism — those topics should be handled in pri- vate, one-on-one sessions. This even carries over to the sales reps in the field. As a district sales manager, I found that if I didn't maintain a positive upbeat attitude with my dealers, many of them would become negative, and their sales would begin to suffer. Since I was being paid on retail sales, I was shooting myself in the foot. In our management classes we teach managers to focus on hiring people based on the kind of attitude we want them to have — a positive, customer-service ori- ented attitude. However, we haven't been as strong on our discussions of manager atti- tudes. That's going to change for the next classes we conduct. Owners and managers can't afford to have a "bad" day. Regardless of what may have occurred in your life, you do not have any option other than being on top of your game when you show up for work. Your staff and even your business depend on you having a positive, supportive approach to your day — every day. You have no idea how important your attitude is when it comes to achieving positive results from your staff. If you don't maintain a positive attitude, neither will they. This will result in reduced customer satisfac- tion and fewer sales. So when you show up for work tomor- row, check your personal life at the door, put a smile on your face and make a con- scious decision that this will be one of the best days of your life. PSB Steve Jones is senior projects manager at Gart Sutton & Associates. He has worked in the powersports industry for more than 30 years, for dealerships and manufacturers, and as a consultant and trainer. Contact him at steve@gartsutton.com. STEVE JONES RETAIL REMEDIES CROSBIE CONTINUED FROM PAGE 30 Use a team with different personalities and dynamics to interview. Be clear on expectations and be clear that there will be consequences when expec- tations are not met. Consequences are not always negative. Once a person is hired, have an employee handbook with expectations and job descrip- tions outlined for them. Make sure they sign it. Have, at the very least, monthly one- on-one meetings with them, so they know how they are doing. Reinforce customer service. Have a customer service ratings competi- tion, maybe each quarter. Make sure you have leadership in place that leads by example. I notice when I go to a store and receive good customer service, they ask me to fill out a sur- vey. However, when I receive bad service, the survey is not mentioned. Why is that? As you all know, the industry we are in is very competitive. Competition is fierce, and good customer service can make or break a dealership. When someone has a nega- tive comment about something, it tends to go a lot faster and further than a positive one. Your employees are the keeper of the machine; keep that machine maintained and well oiled. PSB Paula Crosbie is the training development manager with CDK Global Recreation. She has been training and consulting with powersports dealers for 13 years. She can be reached at paula.crosbie@cdk.com or 801/519-7570. Excuse me, but your attitude is showing