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Many factors impact retail success. My work as a retail manager, corporate trainer, and instructional designer allows me to focus on one of the most critical and fascinating: the People factor. It is the trainer's job to find and implement answers to some of retail's most intriguing questions: -- How can we provide new customer service clerks with the skills & confidence they need to make it through that first tough week with a smile; while putting smiles on their customers' faces as well? -- How can we inspire veteran managers to raise the bar with the new concepts and leadership tools that help them drive the performance and cohesion of their teams? -- How can we support product introductions with training that is more than just feature bullets; active training that challenges participants to build customer-focused presentations, and motivates them to put their new strategies to work? -- How do we replace “death by PowerPoint” information dumps with blended active training that is built on the concept of “those who sweat most learn most”. -- How do we create efficient and scalable corporate training systems that allow retailers and vendors to expand and succeed at the next level? Over the years, as my training and development roles have changed, many of the questions and solutions have changed as well; but they all still focus on helping companies maximize the value of the "People factor." What could be more important, challenging, or fun than that? |
George Roch Retail Trainer / Instructional Designer This is the retail training website of George Roch. What is retail training? Retail training is distinguished by its content and its delivery methods. Retail training content targets the combination of sales, service, operations, management and leadership skills necessary to run profitable retail stores. These skills drive the total buying experience from each customer engagement, to the merchandising, delivery, and customer support that impact future buying decisions. Retail training delivery is distinguished by its integration into a store environment and a retailer's culture. Effective retail training minimizes the limitations and takes every advantage of all the opportunities stores present to drive individual and team performance improvement every day. Retail training options include a blend of mentoring, online training and testing, on the job exercises and activities with feedback, performance evaluation and debriefing, and written resources, as well as manager or trainer lead team meetings and workshops. Most of my work life has been spent learning, teaching, and learning to teach retail skills. My background includes more than a decade as a commissioned retail sales person followed by eight years as general manager of specialty stores ranging in size from 9 to well over 100 employees. I then became a regional training manager where I was responsible for facilitating , creating training and leading the team that executed all company training in a four state area. As dean of a corporate university I developed leadership curriculum, facilitated workshops and assessed the progress of over 300 future company leaders. Later, as manager of corporate training development, I lead a team of talented training creators who were responsible for designing, implementing, and evaluating all corporate training programs including live classroom, e-learning, video, and paper based systems. Today I am an independent trainer specializing in the retail and consumer products segments. I am a founding partner of Consumer Electronics University (http://www.celectronicsu.com). I can be contacted here and through CEU to discuss retail training and instructional design opportunities. |
Our Programs Build Skills that Drive Performance
Today’s tough markets challenge consumer electronics retailers, distributors, and manufacturers to do more with less. This means depending on our entire team to do more things and do them better. CEU creates and implements skill development programs to help retail sales and management professionals succeed. Our hands-on accelerated learning methods reach salespeople and front line managers quickly and with minimum impact on busy schedules. Our services include skill development and management systems consultation, creation and execution of training programs for new and existing employees, as well as on-the-job training, coaching, and performance management.
CEU works individually with manufacturing, distribution, and retail clients to identify training priorities and available resources. We then develop customized programs that best fit their needs. Our programs can be implemented by CEU, or by your training and management teams.
Our sales analysis and skill development offerings include:
CEU works individually with manufacturing, distribution, and retail clients to identify training priorities and available resources. We then develop customized programs that best fit their needs. Our programs can be implemented by CEU, or by your training and management teams.
Our sales analysis and skill development offerings include:
Sales and Management Effectiveness Analysis and Consultation:
CEU helps maximize the productivity of your sales and retail management teams to help you build towards the future. Our comprehensive sales & management evaluation and consultation services provide best practices perspective to your sales initiatives and direction to build an organization that will achieve future goals. On-site observation and interviews identify performance challenges and opportunities for building work skills, setting standards, improve monitoring, and daily coaching to increase employee morale and performance. Recommendations for future programs will be prioritized based upon your needs and resources.
Skill Building Sales and Management Programs:
CEU creates and executes performance driven sales and management training. We believe that performance change requires skills that are aligned with company goals, and supported by company leaders, That is why every CEU program is customized to your priority goals. Each program is preceded by pre-work assignments that encourage participants to discover how improved skills can directly impact their job performance. Follow-up activities after each program let participants put new skills to work, and allow supervisors to monitor the results. Training is not executed in passive seminars. It may involve two to six hour highly interactive sessions that emphasize discovery, learning by doing, and hands on practice. Participants leave our programs with a plan, and with practical tools to help them put new knowledge to work. Follow up coaching by supervisors and supported by CEU makes certain that they do
Training Program Development:
CEU works with your sales and marketing teams to develop, modify, and/or implement training programs that differentiate your message and effect real change. We have a proven record of success assisting leading electronics retailers and manufacturers to develop training programs that embrace advanced adult learning principles to effect real change. CEU can then work with you to execute training. We can also provide your sales and training teams with the skills and confidence they need to implement it successfully themselves.
Skill Building Webinars:
Webinars can provide sales and management teams with efficient, highly flexible, and low cost training opportunities. Webinar training is particularly well suited to the retail environment where time is at a premium, schedules require flexible execution, and the target audience may be widely dispersed.
Webinars are a simple and effective way to provide new information to an interested audience. However, webinars targeted at driving real world behavior change, like sales skills; require careful design and attention to maintaining student motivation. Effective sales and leadership skills webinars must introduce new concepts in challenging but non threatening terms; suggest easily understood sales techniques that can be proven on the floor; and offer sales managers tools to assist in practice and perfection of new skills.
Like all CEU training programs, our webinars follow proven accelerated learning principles. They include clear instructional guides to focus webinar facilitators on crucial learning points and execution pitfalls. They also include optional follow up team exercises and/or individual practice and coaching tools to allow retail supervisors to monitor new skills and make learning stick.
Webinars are a simple and effective way to provide new information to an interested audience. However, webinars targeted at driving real world behavior change, like sales skills; require careful design and attention to maintaining student motivation. Effective sales and leadership skills webinars must introduce new concepts in challenging but non threatening terms; suggest easily understood sales techniques that can be proven on the floor; and offer sales managers tools to assist in practice and perfection of new skills.
Like all CEU training programs, our webinars follow proven accelerated learning principles. They include clear instructional guides to focus webinar facilitators on crucial learning points and execution pitfalls. They also include optional follow up team exercises and/or individual practice and coaching tools to allow retail supervisors to monitor new skills and make learning stick.
Training Analysis and Consultation:
CEU will help maximize the effectiveness of your current training and help you plan for the future. Our comprehensive training evaluation and consultation services provide focus to your training initiatives and direction to meet your future training needs.
Our analysis identifies opportunities for improved training effectiveness and reduced costs. Recommendations for future programs will be prioritized based upon your corporate goals and opportunities for solid measurable ROI.
Our analysis identifies opportunities for improved training effectiveness and reduced costs. Recommendations for future programs will be prioritized based upon your corporate goals and opportunities for solid measurable ROI.