Retail Observer

RETAILOBSERVER.COM JUNE 2019 52 Mike Whitaker Furniture Trends H ouston, we have a problem! And it isn't an issue that came up somewhere in outer space. It's a life-or-death crisis that's threatening independent businesses in the durable goods space right here on Earth. It's my privilege to interact with hundreds of retailers every year, and the vast majority of them are telling me about a significant struggle they're facing nowadays: people. Finding the right people has never been more difficult, and retaining them is very far from being a no-brainer. In a recent conversation with a respected furniture retailer with over a dozen locations, he shared a powerful insight on the state of "the people problem," as he called it. He said, "I can find people – that's not the problem. Sure, I might have to pay a bit more, but it's not hard to find people. It's the caliber of the people I worry about." It's not a unique feeling in today's retail market. The first challenge of solving the people problem is to gain an understanding of what the underlying issues really are. My team and I have worked hard on this issue over the last several years, and we've realized that the solution starts with a bit of hard, down-to-earth honesty. My daughter asked me to be a speaker at her third-grade career day. (Yes, we've got our third-graders focusing on their careers.) While preparing my talk, I came across a telling nugget from a survey of the third-graders that the teachers had performed. They asked them the age-old question, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" Most of the results were unsurprising. The most common responses were the ones we would expect: doctor, lawyer, police officer, firefighter, even astronaut. (Frighteningly, Instagram Influencer, and YouTube Star made the list, with multiple mentions.) Completely missing, however, was anything remotely related to durable goods retail, or retail in general. Conspicuously absent were delivery driver, retail sales professional, and even store manager. Let's face it, friends – ours is not an industry that small kids traditionally aspire to give their lives to. Another trade that I was surprised and not a little sad to see missing from the survey results was business owner. I thought, "They're still very young. Maybe they'll see the value of business ownership as they grow older and more mature." The point I took from my third-grade experience is simple. By and large, durable goods dealers are doing a great job of marketing their businesses to the consumer. But in many cases they're doing little or nothing to market their brands to potential team members. I think what's missing is great, inspiring employer brand stories, compelling career pages, and a mechanism to carry a message that your business is a great place to shop, so it must be a great place to work. The path forward for retailers is filled with opportunity, and it begins with having a great story to tell. As a retailer in 2019, a positive culture and a great work environment are basic table stakes. Successful dealers have great stories, yet many fail to tell their "employer story." My best recommendation is that, if you're one of those dealers, there's no time like today to start consulting with your team and deputizing them to help you craft your story. It's simpler than it sounds. There are three clearly defined components that will make your story relatable and easy to embrace: who you are, what you do, and what you believe. Get together with your web partner and start developing a unique career portal for your website. And start leveraging the digital recruiting solutions. Invest the effort and resources to get the attention of talented, driven candidates who might lift your business to new levels. The return on your storytelling investment could be your greatest this year. Be mindful that even if your current marketing efforts are highly effective at driving traffic to your store, and even if your merchandising team and strategy are exceptional, and even if your consumer brand message is making you stand above the crowd, it won't matter unless you've got the right team to deliver topnotch experiences to consumers on the stage that matters most. Happy recruiting, happy leading, and happy selling! ADDRESSING THE PEOPLE PROBLEM Mike Whitaker, Nationwide Primemedia RO

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