Introducing the #RetailChampion 10-steps to retail success…

Posted on September 30, 2011 by Clare Bailey

When I work with clients I have a structure that we work through, I’ve called it “The Retail Champion: 10-steps to retail success” methodology (see www.retailchampion.co.uk/retail-success). The purpose of this is to enable retail business owners, whether starting up or already trading, online only or multi-channel, to develop robust and repeatable processes and systems to create scalable, saleable enterprises.

I’ve just launched “Be a Retail Champion” – 52 FREE weekly retail tips. If you would like to subscribe to receive these, based on the 10-steps to retail success methodology, then visit www.retailchampion.co.uk/retail-tips to sign-up!

What are The Retail Champion: 10-steps to retail success?

Essentially these are 10 groupings of topic areas that are particularly relevant to a retail business. Some of the topics are equally relevant to any business, others are very much specific to retail.

Over the years when I’ve been mentoring, coaching and providing consultant to clients I’ve developed and refined this approach. In a nut-shell the 10 steps include:

Where the step is a link you will be able to click through to see a blog all about that specific step. Within these 10 steps I work with my clients develop and structure a prioritised action plan that will enable them to achieve that aim – to become a scalable, saleable business.

What do “robust, repeatable processes and systems; scalable, saleable business” actually mean?

These are really powerful words, and I thought long and hard before choosing them. I would define them as follows:

Robust: Simple, clear, easy-to-follow (one could say “fool proof”) processes that are unambiguous. Any member of staff, regardless of experience, can work “by the book”. You’ve given them the operating manual.

Repeatable: Obvious really – meaning your robust processes can be done to a consistent standard, time and again, replicating what your customers have come to expect from you.

Processes and Systems: The day to day actions, interactions, transactions and analysis your business needs to be doing to operate and deliver on your customer promise. These are done by either your people or are automated, done by computer processors. This includes anything from setting up a new product on the till to handling a customer complaint.

Scalable: This is very important; it’s about utilising the robust and repeatable processes that you’ve created so that you can grow your business without YOU becoming a bottleneck! When you’re a scalable business you’re able to walk away having delegated to others, and you will have the confidence that the business will operate, effectively, and to your standards, without you.

Saleable: The ultimate endorsement of your success – your business has a value in the eyes of an outsider. In order to realise the very best value for your business, should you choose to move on, it needs to have the previous 3 ingredients. A potential buyer will recognise the value of your business only when you can prove that the business is scalable, and that it can grow without you. To sell your business you need a new owner to be confident that with new management everything you’ve built up will continue to thrive.

What do you need to do to become a really successful retailer?

If you want to be the CEO of a multi-million pound retail chain that YOU created you need to start thinking BIG. There are plenty of significant retail brands in the market today who started out as just an ecommerce site or a single store. If you have the ambition, drive, commitment and motivation to succeed then with the 10 steps to retail success you’ll be well on your way.

Through the 52 FREE weekly retail tips I’ll share ideas with you as to how to develop these 10-steps to retail success into a clear action plan that help you take your retail business forward with real focus. To sign-up to receive the weekly retail tips visit www.retailchampion.co.uk/retail-tips.

About Clare Bailey

Clare Bailey, The Retail Champion (formerly Clare Rayner), is one of the most well-known and respected retail experts in the UK. With unrivalled knowledge in retail, high streets and consumer matters, she offers unbiased, independent content – whether engaged as a professional speaker, for broadcast media, or for a written feature. Clare is a business woman, entrepreneur and founder of several small businesses. Having been born into a family of successful business owners, it was inevitable that she’d eventually jump off the corporate treadmill and step out on her own! Today her brand portfolio includes The Retail Champion, The Retail Conference, the Future High Street Summit and the Support for Independent Retail campaign. In addition, she is co-founder of Mobaro Retail UK and a non-exec director of Beed Virtual Assistant Services. Having started her career as a fast-track store management trainee for McDonalds, she went on to work with leading retailers such as M&S, Dixons and Argos. She moved swiftly into management roles before being headhunted into senior consulting roles with global software giant SAP, and international management consulting brand, Accenture. Her corporate background in senior retail, consulting and technology roles, coupled with her experience of creating and running her own business, has enabled her to be equally capable whether consulting to global brands or micro businesses. This unique blend has not only positioned her as a leading expert in all things retail, but has enabled her to add meaningful commentary and insight to the debate around the future of the high street, and, how technology is driving fundamental change in the way consumers, and businesses, interact. Clare has become an influential voice in her field, which has resulted in her becoming a regular media contributor and sought-after conference speaker. Often seen on Good Morning Britain, BBC Breakfast, Sky News, and Chanel 5 (to name a few), Clare speaks on a myriad of retail, high street and consumer issues – but is particular adept when it comes to explaining the context behind retail trading results, newly released data, and government stats, in a palatable and informative manner. In addition to broadcast and conference speaking, Clare is the proud author of two best-selling business books published by Kogan Page - The Retail Champion: 10 Steps to Retail Success, published July 2012 and How to Sell to Retail: The Secrets of Getting Your Product to Market, published February 2013. She has provided contributions to various academic texts, including Retail Marketing Management (published by Pearson). With an engaging, conversational yet informative style, Clare writes for press and content agencies, providing features, articles, blogs and opinion pieces as well as contributions to white papers and reports. However, when the situation demands a more serious style, Clare can deliver - In 2016 she wrote an extensive report for a major insurance and risk law firm, as a retail expert witness, to support a public liability suit. She found that project particularly enjoyable as it played well to her strengths – assimilating large amounts of data and information, identifying the key points and articulating that in an understandable manner. When not on TV or speaking at conferences, Clare’s “day job” sees her supporting consumer-facing businesses through her consultancy services. When asked to describe what she most loves about retail consulting it is typically the opportunity to “dig deep”, getting “under the bonnet”, in order to leverage the business data to uncover the insights that lead to “lightbulb moments”. She also loves working on business change programmes that centre on improving the processes and systems to increase profitability by supporting more rapid, better informed decision making, improving the customer experience, or simply by become more efficient and streamlined. In this respect she considers herself a “business engineer” with a brain that works like a relational database! Due to her years of experience, her logical, objective approach, her quick, rational thinking, she is known for being able to cut through complexity, seeing right through to the crux of issues, finding creative solutions that others may have overlooked. As if all that wasn’t enough, Clare is a working mum, juggling a home life in rural Lincolnshire with her partner, their 5 kids, 4 cats, and geriatric Labrador! For all enquiries, contact Clare directly on 01727 238890 or email champion@retailchampion.co.uk.

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