Show and Tell Isn’t Just for Grade Schoolers, It Works For Retail, Too | Carol Schroeder

My favorite subject back in first grade was show and tell. It encouraged even the shyest children to get up and talk about something they’d brought from home. Perhaps it was the future retailer in me that made me curious about what the other kids found enticing about the item they stood clutching in the front of the room. I was learning that every object has a story, and that everyone has a different opinion about what they like or don’t like.

We sometimes use the concept of show and tell as a fun way to get our staff involved at our fall breakfast meeting. While the eggs and scones are being prepared, I ask everyone to draw a piece of paper out of a hat. These slips ask the sales associates to go select something in one of four categories: a new item, a best-seller, a personal favorite or a product that customers often have questions about. They have to keep their selection a secret until their turn.

Our participative democracy approach to management means that almost everyone at the meeting is in charge of a department in the store — so their selections were to come from their area. But there is no reason why you couldn’t let the employees choose from the entire store. A sales agency could also use this approach at a meeting of sales reps to give everyone practice in explaining the key points about the merchandise. There is a definite connection between show and tell — and show and sell.

I thought that I was pretty knowledgeable about the many lines that we carry at Orange Tree Imports, but even I learn some new features of our products at these meetings. For example, the item that one of our employees demonstrated when I first wrote about this topic was a glass that came with a way to make an ice ball to roll around in your whiskey. It had a center “rock” to make the swirling motion go smoothly, and to prevent the whiskey from splashing. Who knew? After she told the story, we all did!

See more from Carol Schroeder, author of Specialty Shop Retailing and co-owner of Orange Tree Imports, in the Savvy Store Solutions tab.