Every class has a clown

(Joe you crack me up!)

So excited my team started on Sunday, and they've been great! Actually great may be too strong a word- more like "good to great". They have potential. Take "Joe" for instance. (names have been changed for his protection). The last few days the entire staff have been learning the GUEST service selling skills. He hung on every word the managers taught, asked tons of questions, and even had one on one time to clarify. He's so eager to prove himself that today the team were given the task of acting out a skit using all 5 steps of GUEST.

"Joe" was the sales person and his other team mates played customers. (just to note: the other 3 were guys)

 Let me set the scene.... Joe the lonely sales associate, all by himeself on a busy shop floor, Rhine and Rakessh were a "couple" who just gave birth to a baby, and Syed was the next customer/cashier (ie: the supporting roles). So Joe greets our happy couple and proceeds to barrel his way through EVERY page of the training- not stoping to let them answer any of the questions. When the happy couple does get a word in, Joe chastises them for not following the "script" which makes us as the audience laugh. He turns directly to us all and says "WAIT!" then keeps going with the customer steps. Rhine is a sarcastic guy who up until today I thought was kind of shy, but in this element he keeps edging the audience on by answering everything Joe says with some dry/ snippy remark. Of course Joe has no idea why we're all laughing.

What makes me completely lose it, is when Syed gets involved as the "2nd" customer. Syed walks on stage past Joe and the "happy couple". According to PBK service standards a sales associate should make eye contact and smile/ say hello to the new customer while trying to find a break in the current interaction to approach. Rhine and Rakessh know this but "Joe" seems to have forgotten. As nice customers they try to give him an "out"- they ask for a catalogue- Joe says "NO! WAIT!" then turns his back to them and greets customer #2/Syed.

Honest to goodness I almost fell off my chair I was laughing so hard. Everyone in the front row held up their copy of the catalogue for the wayward couple.  Joe, in over his head with 2 customers, leaves Syed mid sentence and goes back to Rakessh/Rhine (priceless line spoken with contempt: "oh, joe, you came back"). The rest of the skit plays out with more text book lines and when it comes time to take the customer to the cash to pay, he cant bring himself to pass them off and let them pay- he just keeps explaining the product. After the ending (Thank and Close) Joe GRABS the customers at the door and saying it was such a pleasure to serve them and he hopes to see them again.

We were LAUGHING at the whole scene and there is poor Joe, on stage confused as to why we were in stitches. He just stood there asking, deadpan, "how did I do?" He looked like this sad puppy because we couldn't stop laughing as we recapped the teams presentation.

You just had to be there......oh Joe.

Good day Sunshine...

(Gosh, I love this Beatles song)

As I started this post I struck up the music and this was the first song on. Amazing how a song can set your mood and change your perspective. I especially love the Beatles songs- I find they resonate with you both lyrically and musically. Doesn't matter where I am, if a Beatle's song is playing I can garruntee everyone is singing along or tapping their feet (even in Kuwait).

 I cant wait for May6 so I can wake up to Paul's version of "Happy Birthday". (sorry Mom, your version is good but his is better) My fav song is "Blackbird".

What's your favorite Beatle's song?

first day for the teams

thanks to everyone who was worried these last few days- I am fine, things are back to normal at work.

Today was the start date of the PB sales team. 38 staff arrived this morning not really knowing what to expect on their first day- boy did we put on a show!

We had music pumping, all the managers up on stage cheering them in, and a taste of the energy and enthusiasm we'll come to expect from them. It was amazing! I was the one at the door inviting them in, saying hello, clapping and cheering. I will admit the sales team was shell shocked, I can honestly say no one had ever been welcomed on their first day of a new job like that.
The day continued with an introduction to Potterybarn and customer service philosophies. The managers that we had brought on board 1 month ago were incharge of delivering the training. They did so great! Josh and I were very proud of them. Each manager/ ast. manager delivered their message in a clear, confident way. The whole day went smoothly- with the exception of 1 or 2 staff who did not seem "brand appropriate". One of the Sales Managers even did icebreakers.

Cant wait for day two!