Page 95 - enLIGHTenment Magazine - April 2017

on the mark

THree poinTs oF view

There are three ways to look at the information you
have:

1. Re ective — looking at historical data, or simply

what has happened in the past. This format is
familiar to business owners and managers who

are accustomed to reviewing indicators from

last year, last month, or last week over last.
2. Understanding — examining why something is

happening in the business. You are watching for
activities that you would like to replicate, elimi-

nate, or correct.

3. Foresight — spo ing trends before they blos-
som. This can only be done by watching for the

subtle changes that repeatedly occur. Foresight
is observing what is happening now and asking

the question, “What might happen if?” When

that question is answered, it starts the wheels of
strategy development in motion.

inFormaTion makes impacT
See More

If you have not identi ed the indicators that move
People,
your business, this is the time. The data points are
related to their impact on sales, sales management,
Sell More
and products.
inFormaTion is power
There are many aspects of performance that a busi-
People,
When the goal is to improve your team’s performance ness can be measured by and they will vary according

– whether overall or speci c – the information you to the business model. Here are a few performance Sell More
gather can be used to create strategies, make be er indicators that work well in showrooms and, with a
People
business decisions, con rm results of initiatives or few minor tweaks, also with outside sales teams.
projects, and discover unseen opportunities.
In the world of selling to increase your bo om
More
Another bene t of relying on data instead of line, you must measure the sales manager’s trin-

intuition is that what you might have assumed has ity: Average Sale, Closing Percentage, and Tra c.
happened may not be accurate. Using the informa- Improved sales happen by increasing these three

tion that is available to evaluate what works – or fundamental metrics; you can only grow what you
doesn’t work – for a showroom is a valuable man- measure.

agement practice. While it is distinctly di erent
cusTomer TraFFic
from the EQ (human side) part of your business,
they both must work in unison for the best bene t.
One of the bedrock data points that can in uence

When it comes to taking a chance on a new every brick-and-mortar business is customer tra c.
nish or design trend, intuition is a powerful and How many people come into your store? While this

important driving force. However, when you want may seem Old School to some of you, many stores

information on performance – no ma er if it is still don’t count their tra c or understand which de-
about a product, place, or a person – data is king.
tails of a customer visit are important.

Using data-based decision-making provides a There are several ways to measure tra c. The sim-
clear picture based on hard numbers. Ge ing the plest is a door counter: record the number of times

most from this process requires vision, prepara- the door swings open and closed at speci c and

tion, and repetition in order for it to become a consistent parts of the day. Each click provides you
habit. Ultimately, the usage of data/information with a baseline number that is all inclusive and hon-

should lead to overall improvements in your show- est to work with and compare. The ultimate in simple
room’s or sales team’s performance and e cacy.
data gathering puts the responsibility of tracking on

april 2017 | enLIGHTenment Magazine 93