Pawn Shop Advisor Blog

Absolutely Insane

Yesterday I spent most of the day returning messages left for me over the weekend. In the afternoon I had a conversation with one of my clients and I feel you may benefit by telling you what we discussed. That's because, during this busy season he's been driving his employees nuts. And the thing is, it can all be avoided.

He'd contacted me, letting me know about a variety of systems and processes he was implementing in his pawn shop. I'm familiar with everything he's doing because he learned them in the program I created. But the problem he is experiencing is his employees aren't too crazy about the idea of changing the way they do things. Really? No problem.

I gave him a call. I think he was surprised when I got him on the phone and told him I would talk to him later in the call but I preferred right now to speak with his store manager. He agreed - and he went to help cover the floor while the manager was on the telephone with me. His manager was pretty tickled because the first thing I asked her was "Okay, how nuts is he driving you?"

She giggled and told me "Absolutely Insane." I asked her what was going wrong - so she told me she completely understood the value of the processes her boss was implementing into the business. However, she felt he was being so nitpicky about the actual process that all the employees felt as if they were being stalked. She asked me if there was anything I felt I could do to get the boss off of her back so she could do her job again.

I thanked her for sharing her honest thoughts with me and told her I would give it a stab. When I got my client back on the telephone, he asked me what he could do to get more cooperation out of his employees. I told him he could do that just by shifting his focus a bit. I said he should quit focusing on the actual process - and begin paying closer attention to the results.

And that's what I want you to understand from this message today. Anytime you make an operational change in your pawn shop business you will quickly find out that a vast majority of people do not like change. So when implementing a new or different process for your employees to follow, make sure you explain everything about the process to them.

Explain to them exactly HOW you want the process done - WHEN they should be carrying it out - WHY you are putting the new process in place - and WHAT the results are you expect to achieve by doing so. Okay, I understand. Most of the time they will not carry out the process as good as you could do yourself - or as good as you expect of them.

This doesn't matter. Do not focus on the process - focus on the results. In other words, allow them to do their jobs. You should only re-examine the process if for some reason they are not achieving the results you desire. But if they're getting the job done with the results expected, quit picking them apart about how they are getting the job done.

Let's say you implement a system of mandatory customer turnovers in your pawn shop. You teach the employees the process of how to do so properly, rehearse the process with them, and then get the heck out of the way. Don't focus on if they're turning the customers over properly. Place your focus on if they are closing a greater percentage of deals. They should be.

Another example would be if you had retail sales employees doing mandatory upsells. Train them how to do it properly and stand back. Because if they are doing upsells properly - your business will experience a larger transaction size automatically. But if for some reason this does not happen, that's the time to go back and rehearse with them how they are actually up selling.

This is an example of just a couple of tips out of the hundreds I have collected for you in the Pawn Shop Advisor(tm) http://www.pawnshopadvisor.com/main.cfm coaching program. In the program I have compiled the most successful systems and processes I have used in my pawn shops that I have received from both inside and outside of our industry.

And remember - I fully guarantee that the Pawn Shop Advisor(tm) http://www.pawnshopadvisor.com/main.cfm coaching program will work in your pawn shop. No matter the size of your business, your number of years in the business, or the size of your marketplace and amount of your competition. You will be amazed by the results - that is - if the results are what you're focusing on.

Keep your eye on the target and your mind on the goal,
Stephen Krupnik

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