Recently my doctor shared a list of do’s and don’ts which he recommends for "patients your age." But while I appreciated the medical advice, I did not appreciate the profiling!
With instructions to reduce my sodium intake and an appointment for THE shingles vaccine, I left planning to enjoy what's left of my middle-years.
Which it turns out, is not much!
Turning Over a New Leaf
Dealers I speak with continue to share their struggles with staffing issues; with hiring and retention the persistent problems for most dealers I hear from.
With turnover rates for hourly employees exceeding 75% nationally, independent paint and hardware retailers continue to struggle to fill their schedules with staff enough to deliver on their service promises, but one dealer I spoke with says she has THE answer!
On my podcast this week, I’ll be discussing hiring and retention strategies with 13-store Ace retailer from Washington, DC, Gina Schaefer.
With a staff of more than 300, Gina understands the costs of a high turnover; her inner-city stores have experienced employee turnover in excess of 100% in some stores. Research suggests that THE churn costs Gina and other independents between $3500 and $10,000 in lost productivity, recruiting costs and training per employee!
In this single-topic episode Gina shares her strategy for hiring and retaining a professional retail staff including higher starting wages, generous healthcare benefits and–pay increases tied to the rate of inflation.
They Buried THE Lede
Last week JD Power released the results of their Paint Satisfaction Survey for 2023, THE results bringing a smile to the face of Benjamin Moore chief executive Dan Calkins.
#DansProducts performed well in the nationwide survey, with consumers ranking Benjamin Moore paints number one in the exterior stain category.
In exterior paints, THE company ranked second behind only Home Depot’s Behr paint. That ranking made more impressive considering Moore's fifth-place finish in the category in last year's survey.
In the crucial interior paints category Benjamin Moore placed third behind Sherwin-Williams and Behr. Disappointing, considering the brands premium status. But impressive considering their competitors respective $314 million and $100 million marketing budgets!
Yet despite that size disadvantage, Benjamin Moore has doubled in revenue over the last number of years.
The survey’s final category reminding #Dan of the secret to his success.
