From a great quick post talking about hiring Hiring for Attitude, Not Just for Skill.
Ben was walking down the street and saw this sign in the a window. It is a help wanted sign from a Tea company store in Chicago which asks “Are you passionate about tea?”
The sign effectively communicates that if you don’t have a passion for what we are selling, then you probably won’t be a good fit for the job. And I bet those trying to fake passion during the interview are quickly exposed. Passion can’t be faked.
What sort of message do you send to your potential applicants? Are you just looking for someone to take over an empty position or are you trying to find a Brand Champion to help drive your business to the next level?
In my years of hiring employees, I always hired passion first and knowledge second. Even now I tend to hire people who have tons of enthusiasm, a general excitement about working with the public and that are passionate about the products I am representing. I can train anyone to be successful in sales, but I can’t teach passion, enthusiasm or a love for your fellow man.
Walk into any retail outlet (even Starbucks on occasion) and you will find people who are just “doing time” until they find a better job. The managers who hired them were hiring to fill a spot. Unfortunately for the manager, they will eventually have to hire for that spot again, or ultimately not have to worry about hiring for that spot due to their business closing.
I challenge you to rethink the way you are interviewing and hiring for your retail staff. The people you hire are directly responsible for how the public views your business. Passionate people are contagious and will rub off on your customer, creating passionate customers. Passionate people are fun to listen to and are amazing to watch in action. Retail is all about the experience these days and your people are a big part of the experience.
Or you could just keep hiring the people you are hiring now and retire early as your competition grows bigger and the door bell on your shop door stops ringing.
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