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One of the most frightening challenges for retailers is the entrance of a bigger, better-financed competitor into their market. In addition to the new local presence, these competitors often have a national (even international) presence as well -- along with the buying power is endemic to that kind of size. How can smaller retailers survive, much less thrive, in the face of such competition? Many industry experts have addressed this issue, and I do not pretend to have "the" answer. But I do believe that effective training is one of the best answers out there.
You might well ask, "But don't those big guys do training? In fact, they can afford elaborate orientation programs where new staff has two weeks or more of classroom training before they even hit the sales floor. I can't possibly afford to pay someone for two weeks before they even start stocking my shelves!" And it is true that many big retailers have orientation programs that are above and beyond what most of we smaller retailers can afford. But -- and this is a big but -- are those training programs effective?
I have absolutely no data to assess whether the majority of retailer training programs are effective or not, but I do have anecdotal evidence that convinces me that just spending lots of time and money on a new hire orientation program does not guarantee the money is well spent. What got me thinking about this is a story I heard from Belinda, a former Zingerman's employee who left Ann Arbor for the big city and recently landed a job on the sales floor in a store that is part of a very successful national chain that is considered a leader in its field.
Belinda and I got together recently, and I was eager to hear about the training she'd received in the month since she'd started her new job. She explained how the first two weeks were filled with classes, including a "welcome" video from the company's founder, videos that highlighted the company's product lines, and training on how to use the POS computer system. Also included in the first two weeks were visits to the local stores, the warehouse, and the corporate offices. I asked Belinda how well trained she felt after those two weeks. Her answer was, "I felt that I was working for a pretty interesting and exciting company, but I didn't really know any more about what I'd be doing day to day in my job."
Belinda's third week of training involved "shadowing" experienced sales staff in the store. "That could have been really good," she said, "if the people I shadowed had been given a chance to prepare. But they only found out they would be working with me when the manager introduced me and said, 'So, Belinda is new and she'll be shadowing you today. I hope that's okay.'"
Not surprisingly, the quality of Belinda's on-shift training really depended on whom she was shadowing. Here's what she had to say about learning the computer system. "With each person I shadowed, I gained a little more exposure to the computers. Two people let me watch, another let me enter the easier orders (this was very helpful), and the other two would ask me to do other things while they were entering the order into the system. So, while I was learning other valuable things, I wasn't learning about the computer."
Here's the bottom line: "Even with three weeks of training, I couldn't believe how much I didn't know when it was time for my first solo day. Everything we covered was important information, but the most frustrating gap I experienced in my training was the really basic, day-to-day nuts and bolts of the job. For example: What does a typical day look like? What should I be doing in the hour before the store opens? What is the general path an order takes once it's entered into the computer? For that matter, how do I enter an order into the computer? How do I get help when I need it? How do I use the phones? I'm figuring these things out now that I'm on my own, but they would have been less stressful to learn while in training or shadowing mode . . . before I really NEEDED to know them -- such as when a customer was staring at me, wanting something I didn't know how to provide and I had no idea how to call for help."
Belinda's story impressed two thoughts upon me: First, customer service never came up during the training -- certainly a huge opportunity that smaller retailers can capitalize on, and second, no matter how great your training program looks on paper, the implementation is what really counts. So a simple, well-designed and well-implemented training program will beat out an elaborate, and well-designed but poorly implemented program every time.

Following are seven key elements of a new hire orientation that will enable you to get the most bang for your buck:
1. An orientation class/session that shares the organization's history and where you're headed in the future. Ideally, the owner or general manager teaches this class. If you have a Mission, Vision, and Guiding Principles, this is the place to share them. What are your signature products? What is your approach to customer service? What makes you different from the competition? In a nutshell, what are the most important procedures should new hires know in order to be part of the action? Include some role-plays of common customer interactions that highlight how your customer service differentiates you from the competition.
2. An HR orientation class/session that takes care of all paperwork and clarifies how to clock in/out, where to pick up checks, what benefits are available, and where to go with payroll-/HR-related questions.
3. A tour of the store and/or facilities, making sure to include the time clock, employee bathrooms, any storage areas, etc. If possible, supplement this with a map that shows where key items can be found and any nicknames that you use for certain areas (next door, the annex, the greenhouse, the dungeon, Antarctica, etc.).
4. Clearly documented expectations as to what the trainee is expected to know and/or be able to do at the end of the training period. At Zingerman's, we've prioritized these into 7-day, 30-day, and 60-day expectations, but they could just as easily be Week 1, Week 2, etc. These expectations should be focused on those nitty-gritty things that every staff person needs to be able to do to make it successfully through the day: How to set up before opening, how to run the register, where items are located, who to go to for help, how to use equipment safely, how to interact with customers, how to answer the phone.
5. A few tools to measure whether the trainee can meet the expectations. For example, written tests on key products and Frequently Asked Questions. Performance tests on entering an order, ringing up a customer and counting back change, or answering the phone.
6. Clear expectations and training tools for your on-shift trainers. Just because someone is a great display builder doesn't mean he/she knows how to teach someone else to build displays. Give your trainers advance notice that they will be training on shift so that they have a chance to prepare. Most importantly, make sure the trainer understands what the trainee needs to know or be able to do at the end of each training shift.
7. Last but not least, identify whom the trainee should go to with questions or to ask for help -- and encourage the trainee to do so. This go-to person must be accessible and welcome the questions -- no matter how "obvious" or "stupid" they seem.
As my partner, Paul Saginaw, likes to say, "People are never more motivated than when they first accept a job with us. We need to make sure we demotivate them as little as possible." New hires want to learn, and employees who know what is expected of them are more satisfied and inclined to stay with their jobs. If we can provide trainees with clear expectations and some structure on how to meet those expectations, most will thrive -- without spending two weeks in classes before they hit the floor.
With the seven key elements above, I have provided the basis for a simple, well-designed orientation program for new hires that will work in any retail environment. The implementation is, of course, up to you. However, quick implementation is an area in which smaller retailers have an advantage. I encourage you
to use it.

Maggie Bayless is the managing partner of ZingTrain, which is the consulting arm of Zingerman's, the specialty food retailer in Ann Arbor, Mich. If you have specific topics you would like to see addressed, please send your suggestions to Maggie at mbayless@zingermans.com.