Many Big Names Got Their Start Here, and Stayed

Many Big Names Got Their Start Here, and StayedMany Big Names Got Their Start Here, and StayedIf youre looking for a management career in retail, its a good bet youre going to wind up in Colorado. A substantial number of the largest U.S. retail chains have chosen to locate their retail headquarters and the corporate management jobs they entail there. Big Names, Online and Off Crocs, QVC, and Sports Authority have all located their headquarters in Colorado. As the state also is a hub for technology companies, some of the big online retail names have their corporate offices there, too, including QVC, Lillian Vernon, and eBags.com. Regional chains like King Scoopers Supermarkets, Aspen Skiing Company, and Lamars Donuts base their operations in Colorado as well. The types of retail management-level jobs that would typically be based in corporate headquarters offices include C-level senior executives, category managers, marketing managers, competitive intelligence analysts, buyers, an d consumer psychologists. The headquarters-level managers and executives of some of the largest U.S. restaurant chains, including Qdoba and Red Robin, also manage their national and international operations from Colorado. A Start-Up Hub Colorados geographic location makes it an attractive home base for restaurant chains withnational expansionaspirations.Black-Eyed Pea,Boston Market, and The Egg and I are among the national and global restaurant chains that have their roots and their headquarters in Colorado. Since American dining trends are shifting towards healthier eating, it makes sense that new and cutting-edge restaurant chains would find an eager audience of diners in health-conscious Colorado.Chains including Chipotle, Smashburger, and Noodles and Company have loyal Colorado diners to thank for their successful launches. The retail career path still allows employees to climb the corporate ladder from an entry-level retail store job to a retail management position.But thes e days, most headquarters jobs require specific retail education and experience, and most upper-level retail executives today start their careers in headquarters positions, leid as store cashiers. The Full List Following is an alphabetical list of companies headquartered in Colorado, and the cities they are located in. American Furniture Warehouse, EnglewoodAspen Skiing Company, AspenBakers Square, DenverBlack-eyed Pea, DenverBoston Market, GoldenChipotle Mexican Grill, DenverCity Market, Grand JunctionCrocs, Niwotebags.com, Greenwood VillageEinstein Noah Restaurant Group, LakewoodFurniture Row, DenverGood Times Burgers Frozen Custard, GoldenKing Scoopers, DenverLaMars Donuts, Greenwood VillageLiberty Media (QVC), EnglewoodLillian Vernon, Colorado SpringsLoaf n Jug, PuebloMuseum Store Company, DenverNick-N-Willys (Also owned by Figaros), Boulder Noodles Company, BroomfieldPearl Izumi, PearlQdoba Mexican Grill, Wheat RidgeQuiznos, DenverRed Robin, Greenwood VillageRocky Mountai n Chocolate Factory, DurangoSmashburger, DenverSpicy Pickle, CentennialSports Authority, EnglewoodThe Egg and I, Fort CollinsTokyo Joes, CentennialVicorp Restaurants, Inc., DenverWoodys Chicago Style, Lakewood

The Group You Should StartNow

The Group You Should StartNowThe Group You Should Start- NowYouve bought and read Lean In. Youve internalized Sheryl Sandbergs advice on not taking your foot off the career brake until youre sure you want to, on the dos and donts of working with a mentor, and, of course, on taking a seat at the table. Youve renewed your commitment to yourself and your career. But have you seriously given thought to creating a Lean In circle, as she suggests?In 2012- yep, before Sandbergs book came out- a friend and I formed our own career group of 11 women in order to create a drumherum where we could share ideas, support, and resources. Our positions and fields are diverse- a partial list includes an entrepreneur, a nurse, a teacher, a creative director, two project managers, an architect, and a lawyer- and we range in age from 28 to 40. Our monthly meetings have helped us navigate salary negotiations, difficult conversations with co-workers, and growing into seniority, among many other topics. It h as been an immensely satisfying experience that continues to help all of us as we navigate challenges and successes at our jobs- and one that Id recommend to anyone.If youve ever thought about starting a career group, here are the most important things Ive learned in the last 18 months.1. Go Outside Your Friend GroupSince a friend and I started our group, our first impulse was to invite all of our shared friends to join, too. But we quickly realized that we didnt want the group to only be friends who already knew each other well, so we extended invitations to friends of friends, acquaintances, and past colleagues. And were so glad we did As we learned, going outside of our immediate friend group helps keep the focus on specific issues or discussions (rather than personal catch up) and also diversifies the collective experience and perspective of the members.2. Set a Meeting ScheduleDuring the first few months of forming the group, we would schedule each meeting at a time over emaill e. This worked to some degree, but it meant that meetings were irregularly spaced- anywhere from four to eight weeks apart- and between 11 people, there was always a lot of back and forth about scheduling.Eventually, we decided that having a set day and time was best, and we picked the second Wednesday of every month. This way, its a permanent fixture on everyones calendar, making scheduling simpler and ensuring we didnt accidentally go two months without meeting. We keep meetings to two hours and start and end promptly to be respectful of peoples busy schedules.3. Have a PlanIn order to make our time together valuable, every meeting is focused around a specific topic and run by one member. The structure of the meeting, and whether there is any assigned activity, homework, or reading, is up to that person. About a week prior, she will email everyone to remind them of the subject, explain what well be doing or reading, and confirm attendance.A typical meeting might start with a brief round of updates followed by the main discussion. Some discussions are very freewheeling and loose during others well go around in a circle sharing one by one. Just recently weve started to discuss mixing up the format to keep things interesting and cover topics in new ways- for example, breaking up in to small groups to practice presentations or to role play negotiations. At the end of every meeting, we discuss what we want to cover at the next one and agree on who will lead it.4. Spread ResponsibilityWhen we first started our group, one woman always led the meetings. She did a fantastic job, but it meant that everyone else got to be comfortably passive, letting someone else be in control. Now, we all agree on a topic in advance, but switch who leads the meeting every month. This keeps everyone bought in and engaged with the topics and the larger purpose of the group. It also lets each person exercise her creativity (how do we want to structure the meeting? what reading do we want to ask people to do in advance?) and leadership skills.5. Keep Personal Updates ModeratedWhile our group is not composed entirely of close friends, weve all come to really like each other, and its easy to spend an entire hour- or more- chatting about things that have happened since the last time we met. And while we love the personal updates, we dont want them to take up all of our time, so we limit them to around three minutes per person. (We actually have someone watch the clock to keep things more or less on schedule)Another option is to have a limited number of people give updates and to give them a little longer to share, switching up who speaks each meeting. In order to satisfy our interest in plain old socializing, we occasionally meet for happy hours or other events separate from our monthly meetings as well.6. Ask People to CommitNo matter how much we all see the value in our career group, life intervenes- for everybody. Once people stop making most meetings or dont notify the group if they cant attend, we tend to lose momentum and have less satisfying discussions.Initially, we didnt like the idea of taking attendance, but in order for the group to work, we have found that it works best to check in with group members every six months to a year. For people who just dont have time to show up reliably, this provides a comfortable way for them to bow out. For people who do want to continue being a part of the group, we ask for a reaffirmation of their commitment. For us this means Attending most meetings (we meet about 10 times a year) Letting people know if we cant make a meeting When its our turn to lead a meeting, we distribute any related readings or exercises a week in advance of the meeting date to give people time to prepare.Having a career group has been one of the best things I could have done for my confidence, excitement, and overall satisfaction about my career development and choices. If youre interested in forming your own group, hopefully what Ive learned will help you get off on the right foot.Photo of women meeting courtesy of Shutterstock.

Top Techniques and Tips for Training Salespeople

Top Techniques and Tips for Training SalespeopleTop Techniques and Tips for Training SalespeopleTwo types of training fall under the umbrella of sale training. The first is teaching the basic mechanics of schlussverkauf- how to sell in the general sense, with an emphasis on the best ausverkauf techniques for your industry or customer base. The second type is company-specific training- addressing details about your products and services, the sales process that your team uses, and the tools and resources used by your company. Every salespart, no matter how experienced, can benefit from both types of sales trainingbecause learning how to sell is an ongoing process. Salespeople always have new strategies and new technologies to learn in order to sell effectively. When you bring a new salesperson on board, the priority will be to completecompany-specific training. Unless your new employee is a rank beginner, that person will have at least a basic grasp of the mechanics of selling. However , its likely the new salesperson wont know much about your companys products or how the companys sales process works. Getting Started The easiest way to get started is to sit the new salesperson down with your customer service team. The customer service people are intimately familiar with your products and know what existing customers like the most- or the least. Let the new salesperson listen in on a few customer service calls, and give the new hire access to as much documentation about the products as possible. Documentation ranges from user guides to brochures to your websites. Once familiar with your product line, partner the new person up with an experienced member of the sales team. Listening to phone calls and riding along on appointments gives a new employee an idea of how the process works. Just experiencing one sale- from beginningto end- can have a lasting impact. Training Internally or Externally If your new salesperson demonstrates weaknesses in a particular are a (for example, she is great at getting appointments but chokes at the close) then its time for some basic training. You can either train internally (that is, do it yourself or assign a senior salesperson) or externally (for example, signing your new employee up for formal training such as a sales training class). Internal training is cheaper and you can customize it to your employees needs, but its time-consuming. It can end up costing you more in the long run if your best salespersonspends valuable time doing the training instead of making sales. An alternative is to combine both approaches sign the new employee up for an external class, then arrange for that person to practice internally by arranging role-playing sessions or sending him out on appointments. Regarding seasoned salespeople, any time you add a new product or service, all of your salespeople need to know about it, not just the novices. 4 Universal Training Tips Use Empathy. Any good salesperson is a good dicke br etter bohren mssen-solver. If a salesperson puts themselves in their prospects shoes, theres a good chance theyll understand the prospects problem- and hopefully, a problem the prospects not aware of. A good salesperson has the ability to look ahead. They can say to a prospect, Down the road (in two or three months from now) youre going to encounter a problem with XYZ.Once you identify a problem the customer wasnt aware of (and you offer a solution), you become valuable. Craft a Script. Make sure your sales force has a solid foundation to stand on.Meaning, without sounding like a robot, make sure your team knows the basics of what theyre selling. You want their script, so to speak, to become second nature when talking to a customer. This way, theyre not bogged down with having to remember the background information and can focus on the specific needs of the particular client.Identify the Bad Customer. Spotting the tell-tale signs of a customer whos window shopping or the chronic com plainer wholl just end up returning the product is important. Two red flags that you can pass on to your salespeople include prospects who are rude during the sales process (and arent worth the aggravation) and needy prospects thatll email you five times a day (and arent worth the time). Help your salespeople spot the badeanstalt customers so they can focus on selling to the good customers because theyre the ones that will keep your sales numbers up. Overcoming Fear. Especially when it comes to less experienced salespeople, you need to help them overcome fear. For starters, most people have a fear of rejection- and rejection comes with every sales job. Let your salespeople know that they will get rejected- a lot. And remember, even the most social people have a fear of public speaking. To help prepare them, have each member of your team practice making presentations to other sales members so they (slowly) overcome their fear of performance. Top Sales Training Techniques Heres a round-up of the most common formats for delivering sales training Courses.The typical course format, either in person or online, is a great way to transfer your sales knowledge to teammates. Also, the course format allows your salespeople to do their training on a schedule that works for them while allowing you to keep track of their progress. In-person workshops.Short in-person workshops break up the work day and are a good way to build excitement surrounding your ongoing sales training. Hiring outside consultants.If you have too many people to train, or you cant deliver effective in-house training, its time to look at hiring an outside consultant to come in and do the training. An experienced consultant can add a lot of value based on a wealth of experience, valuable market information, and the ability to customize your sales tools. It can also help you get buy-in by bringing in an expert. Conferences.Conferences allow employees to learn from proven leaders and get a pulse on what s trending in your market. Conferences also present the opportunity to engage your entire team so that everyone gets the benefit of attending industry training. Internal team testing.Sometimes the best way to learn is by being thrown into the deep end. Conducting an audit of past sales cycles, both successful and unsuccessful, is a great way to train a salesperson by using real-world applications. Field training feedback is key.Most talent development happens in the field. However, the analysis and feedback a salesperson receives after a call are what resonates. If you emphasize listening to clients and understanding client needs in a real sales situation and then provide specific feedback (good and bad), youll impact a persons ability to sell. Training Tips Use e-learning to educate.If your sales team doesnt know your product front to back, even the best listeners will fall short in closing a sale. Salespeople, especially new recruits, need to understand product details to boos t their confidence when selling. With sufficient product training, they can identify specific client issues and understand products details well enough to position the product as the perfect solution. E-learning allows sales teams to brush up on their product knowledge wherever they are. Through online videos and modules, you can also track progress to ensure that everyone has viewed the necessary materials. Try micro-learning.Salespeople are just like everyone else in general, they cant retain a huge amount of information at one time. Most multi-day sales training events are essentially a waste of money because participants suffer from something called the MEGO effect (my eyes glaze over). Keep all training sessions short and pace them out so that employees have time to absorb and test them. Reward specific achievements.Salespeople are driven by goals (probably more so than other employees), which makes an achievement-based training program another excellent option. However, dont g eneralize your teams success. A much more effective sales training technique is totell people they are doing a good jobbecause they exceeded their quarterly goal by a certain percentage or to recognize their performance in closing a particularly difficult sale. Share success stories.According to the National Business Research Institute, employee attitude affects40 to 80 percentof customer satisfaction. High employee engagement and morale has a direct impact on the bottom line. Sharing mutual successes also instills a sense of unity in your salespeople and encourages them to work harder and smarter.