Steve Hedlund moderated a panel called Educating the Educators that provided a boat-load of usable information and actionable ideas for anyone thinking about putting together a training program for staff.
Chuck Anderson from Sousa Seafood led off with a reminder that before you even think about a training program you need to build a strong base, which starts with the quality of your fish. “It doesn’t matter how great your sales people are if your fish stinks,” Anderson said.
A successful retailer must also have standard operating procedures in place, including an operating manual that details case set up, break down and sanitation details. This also makes it easier to get the basics to new hires.
Training isn’t just for your staff, Anderson noted, training is needed up and down the chain and even executive teams can benefit from scheduled training sessions. Don’t wait to get trained, educate yourself and get out and get dirty. "You can‘t teach fish if you don’t know fish,” Anderson said. Add to that list store visits - and not just your own - visit your competition not to criticize, but to see what they do well and to learn from them.
Another great point Anderson made is to seek help from your suppliers. Bring them in for training sessions, source educational materials from them and actively involve them in your employee training efforts. A question from the audience did prompt Anderson to note that if you're a supplier producing educational materials to be used in training, try to avoid using it as a sales opportunity. Focus on education and the sales will follow naturally.
Anderson also recommended a weekly notice or newsletter that focuses on a simple idea - something that can be communicated in less than 5 minutes. There’s a million ideas for topics out there, but pick something your employees might share with customers: health information, product knowledge, food safety and sanitation, cooking techniques, etc.
Rich Castle from Giant Eagle theorized that seafood customers have a higher expectation of customer service; they come to the seafood counter with different expectations because seafood is so complicated. Our customers often get confused with all the mixed messaging that bombards us about seafood. What’s better -wild or farmed? Is there really mercury in this fish? Your staff has to be able to answer these questions. “Building trust with the consumer starts with having knowledgeable people behind the counter,” Castle added.
Aiden Coburn of The Fish Market Restaurants led by saying, “We can’t afford ignorance" and then introduced us to the idea of Menu Master vs. Order Taker. What is a menu master? Someone who can guide and teach the customer about whats on the menu, understands seasons, can explain wild vs. farmed seafood and can give real reasons for pricing changes our outages. Menu masters equal success in the form of return visits, positive guest references and increased tips.
Hedlund had a few questions for the panel, including asking why they thought education often gets neglected.
Anderson replied that since it’s not a “hard benefit” and it's difficult to track ROI, it's something that often gets pushed off the table.
Hedlund also questioned the role of technology in the modern training program. Aiden described it as a “double edged sword”, but said we need to understand it. He suggested using your website to educate your staff.
Anderson said he feels that Facebook is a valuable place to answer questions quickly and can get you in front of a lot of people. He talked a bit about the future of technology and mentioned MyGulfWild.com as a great idea that will bring traceability right to the customer.
Castle also noted that technology is playing a very key role within training sessions. He mentioned using a video camera to tape training sessions to then share with other stores and computer-based scales that provide information in addition to weight, such as information about the fish, where and when it was caught and recipes.
All the panelists recommended a variety of available sources for training information including local Sea Grant offices and organizations like the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute.
Seafood doesn’t sell itself. A great training program not only helps energize and inspire your employees, but it forms a framework for your company’s success.
