A fictional Canadian homicide detective offers advice that bedding retailers can put to good use with their teams. Here are 4 must-know phrases that can enhance their communication and effectiveness.
I recently read “The Grey Wolf,” the latest in Louise Penny’s series centered on Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, head of homicide for the Sûreté du Quebéc. It wasn’t specifically referenced in this book, the 19th in the series, but when mentoring younger police officers, Gamache doesn’t emphasize learning strategies for questioning suspects or techniques for following clues, although skills like that are obviously important to police officers.
More importantly, Gamache wants his investigators to be able to admit these four things: I don’t know. I need help. I’m sorry. I was wrong.
Retail bedding managers who are training and mentoring employees could learn something from Gamache. (Honestly, we all could.)
I don’t know.
Hubris can lead to mistakes as employees bluster along, perhaps pretending to understand store procedures or giving misleading information to shoppers. You can counteract that by creating an environment of curiosity, where employees feel comfortable acknowledging what they don’t know. The key to this is offering regular training and giving employees resources — whether mentors, databases or manuals — where they can turn to find answers.
I need help.
In the United States, we have an ethos of self-reliance, and it can be hard for people to acknowledge they can’t do something themselves. But believing that we must be able to do everything can lead to frustration, resentment and, eventually, burnout. Check in regularly with team members to ensure they have the resources and support they need to do their work and encourage them to ask for assistance. When you add tasks or projects to team members’ to-do lists, suggest another item they can postpone or skip doing entirely.
I’m sorry.
These two little words can go a long way toward soothing the angry feelings of unhappy customers. And it’s important to note that they are a complete sentence. Not, “I’m sorry you’re not happy with your new mattress,” or “I’m sorry the delivery team didn’t arrive in the promised window.” Just say, “I’m sorry,” pause and move on to a solution. “I’m sorry.” (Pause) “Let’s talk about our comfort return policy and how we can make sure you have the mattress of your dreams.” Having your team do role-playing exercises is a great way to get them comfortable responding to customer complaints and genuinely saying, “I’m sorry.”
I was wrong.
We’re all wrong sometimes (and some of us are often wrong), but like saying, “I’m sorry,” it can be hard to utter the words, “I was wrong,” especially if we’re worried about the consequences of admitting our mistakes. But if you don’t create an environment where people can acknowledge errors, they may be inclined to try to cover them up or delay telling you about them, making the situation worse. Start by admitting to your staff when you’ve made an error and show how you’re proactively trying to fix it. When they make an error, turn it into a learning exercise, focusing on how to prevent similar mistakes in the future.
Read more selling tips and strategies from Sleep Savvy magazine.
