Hiring retail sales talent

- A lot of successful businesses thrive because they spend a lot of time and energy making sure they have the right people in the right places for the right jobs. In retail, it's no different. You want to stack the odds in your favor. To do this, you need to hire people that are going to fit in with the type of business you are. That are going to present themselves well and treat your customers with respect. Here are a few tip from making sure you hire right early, avoiding costly mistakes and errors that need to be fixed. First, when conducting an interview, try and show them live interactions between employees and customers, let them view your business in real time and get an idea for its pace. They might be nervous but see how they intact with your fellow employees or the products on the shelves or the customers in the store. Do they smile and make eye contact? Or do they seem a bit awkward? Second, forget all of those basic interview questions and have a conversation with the potential employee. Talk to them about specific situations that arise in the store, or customer issues that they're likely to deal with. Ask them to consider how they will respond or what they would do in a certain situation. Third, role-play specific situations during the interview process. Tell them that you'll play the customer and they'll play the store employee. Use behavioral-based situations and describe a scenario and ask them to handle the situation. Now, this might be their first job in retail, or they might not be sure how to handle the situation, but it's important to look for the traits and qualities that you want. For example, do they listen when you're describing a certain problem? Are they able to respond in calm and collected manner? Do they make eye contact? Look for people that you think will make a great fit for your business. Employee turnover is one of the most expensive things in all business, but it can be especially high in retail. Not everyone is cut out for the stressful demands of a retail job. Employees are dealing with customers every single day, some good, some bad and some just downright awful. It takes the right type of person to be able to handle these situations, or to always have a smile on their face and to always ensure that they're putting their best foot forward when representing your company. Take your time when hiring. Don't rush the process and make sure you get the right people from the start. This will set the stage for great success and avoid costly and time-consuming problems later.