Jeweller - April 2020

BUSINESS
Management
The critical factors when managing your
staff during a recession
Tough trading conditions can bring out the worst in a manager – but they are also an
opportunity to show your best leadership qualities, explains BRIAN JEFFREY.
This article isn’t actually about how to
manage a recession – recessions seem
to manage themselves quite well without
our involvement!
I want to look at what changes we
need to make in our approach to sales
management during recessionary or
otherwise difficult economic times.
And we are certainly experiencing that at
the moment!
First an irreconcilable truth: there will
always be recessions. They’ll come and
go, but you can bet even money that you’ll
see and manage your way through several
before you retire.
Depending on your age, you’ve probably
gone through one or two already. Business
slows down, customers get evasive
or elusive, salespeople get whiny, and
management migraines increase.
Many managers deal with the issue
by cutting advertising, slashing sales
meetings, eliminating sales (and other)
training, and adopting a ‘hunker-down’
attitude in the hopes that the bad times
will turn good again without their being too
involved.
Others become galvanised into total
inactivity, evoking what I call a ‘divine
marketing plan’ – praying for sales – and
making themselves unavailable to help
their salespeople through the crisis.
Of course, I know you aren’t one of those
managers. You have the same problem,
but you’re probably actively seeking some
universal truths and techniques that you
can put into place whenever things get
tough or a recession comes along.
So what can you do? Here are some proven
ideas that work:
Sales and staff meetings
Don’t cancel your sales meetings, hold
them more often. Recessions are when
people need to be together for mutual
support, not left to their own devices.
Increase the frequency but lower the cost
of your meetings.
Make yourself available to your employees and show you value them.
Selling can be extremely lonely and your
salespeople may be feeling neglected
by their customers, and possibly by the
business itself. Help keep their spirits up
with short, frequent meetings.
Short, weekly meetings are ideal. Biweekly
meetings also work well. And
if you are not holding at least one mini
meeting a month, you’re neglecting your
people. So don’t be surprised if they start
wandering off to a company that shows
more appreciation.
Mini meetings should be just that:
mini. You’ll be surprised what you can
accomplish in 15–30 minutes.
Don’t let it become an inquisition from
you or a whining session for the staff; use
the meeting to emphasise positives and
reinforce that both the business and the
staff have weathered this type of storm
before and can do so again, particularly if
they continue to work together.
Team meetings
Ensure that your meetings are
participatory. By that I mean attendees
have an opportunity to talk with one
another and not just to the person at the
front of the room.
I’m not suggesting that your team
meetings become social free-for-alls, but
they should be a vehicle for the free flow of
information and ideas in all directions, not
just from the top down.
Some managers
and storeowners
seem to
disappear when
trading becomes
you be like that!
Be there to help,
not chide and
reinforce your
employee’s
value
It’s the manager’s job to be a moderator,
not a dictator.
This conversational free flow will also
uncover complaints and concerns. As long
as the meeting doesn’t degenerate into a
bitching session, let your people vent.
Unvented aggravations, like pent-up
steam, can cause a lot of damage when
they finally explode. The meeting is your
safety valve.
If people do vent, don’t become defensive.
In most cases, you don’t have to respond
to the situation, you just need to listen and
acknowledge it.
One-on-one meetings
Also take the time to meet with each staff
member as an individual. Help them to
stay focused; after all, it’s easy to lose
sight of potential opportunities during a
recession.
Selling is still a game of numbers and you
can help your people make their numbers
by helping them ‘find’ their numbers. That
is, assist them in setting realistic goals and
show them which customers to target.
This is the time for you to put on your
mentoring cap and lead the way.
Some managers and storeowners seem to
disappear when trading becomes difficult.
Don’t you be like that!
Be there to help, not chide and reinforce
your employee’s value to the business.
Be accessible, be supportive and most
importantly, be a leader.
The bottom line is that you may not be able
to control the economic climate but if you
manage your people, you’ll manage through
the tough times.
Brian Jeffrey has more than 40 years’
experience in sales management,
training, and business consulting.
quintarra.com
April 2020 | 45