Ask Edge flooring dealers to cite the top benefits of attending a Mohawk Edge Summit and they are bound to name the educational seminars near the very top.
That’s because the content of these seminars helps retailers learn, grow and outperform their competition. This year’s education lineup includes at least two prominent standouts—one focusing on leadership; the other on legendary service.
Vicki Halsey, vice president of applied learning at The Blanchard Group, will present two seminars: “Creating an Environment to Attract and Create Talent: Leader as Coach;” and “Legendary Service: The Key is to CARE.”
In the first seminar, Halsey said Edge retailers will discover strategies to foster a supportive workplace and enhance team collaboration while learning how to effectively coach their team to attract and nurture top talent.
In “Legendary Service,” floor covering retailers will learn how to elevate customer experiences through the principles of being Committed, Attentive, Responsive and Empowered (CARE). They will also discover practical techniques to support a service culture that ensures lasting loyalty and satisfaction.
Halsey, known for her lively, interactive style, told FCNews, “I love getting people fired up about this. It is an action-packed hour, an hour focused on what is important. You will get the support tools; you will get an E-book with the 10 tips afterward and learn how to move that into action and leverage the energy.”
Halsey will discuss the keys to bringing out the best in people through leadership and coaching. Speaking to owners/managers, she said, “Who do you retain? How do you keep your people energized? [This seminar] is about helping people step into their power. We will focus on three of the most powerful keys.”
Halsey said she will encourage flooring retailers to focus on one key aspect each week for 10 weeks. “It’s about helping others thrive. We can help people create their future, create an environment where they want to show up and do their best and flip that around and help the customer.”
In the “Legendary Service” seminar, Halsey will also show dealers how to take a top-down, bottom-up approach to customer service that will engage everyone in the organization. No teasers: Retailers will have to attend the seminar to learn the keys.
“How hard is it to serve a customer?” she asked. “Why is it difficult to get those 9s and 10s [in ratings]? How do we empower people to deliver plus 1—meaning 1% better each time we serve a customer.”
Halsey noted that empowerment is the final element in the Legendary Service model—and it is all about teaching people to take the initiative. “You want to help people step into their power. A big part of that is looking at the policies, processes and procedures being used in your organization. Are they helping your people serve your customers or getting in the way?”
Other takeaways:
- It’s not the first impression you make, it’s the last impression. “Those flooring installers of yours are more than installers, they are the directors of last impressions,” Halsey said.
- Catching people doing things right puts an image of what their optimal, best behavior is, so they will repeat it.
