From Quiet Days to Profitable Sales: How a Yorkshire Heritage Store Boosted Confidence and Sales
Case Study: Parnaby’s
Industry: Retail – High-end country wear boutique
Location: Malton, North Yorkshire
Project: In-store retail and sales training for team confidence, service excellence and increased sales
The Challenge: Turning Passion into Know How
Parnaby’s is a staple in the rural market town of Malton, having been in the same building for 300 years. (This year is their 300th birthday, so pop in and wish them a happy birthday). Their reputation for quality countrywear and friendly customer service is well known in the area, and to visitors that keep coming back. But like many independent retailers in small towns, they were struggling with inconsistent footfall and challenging sales.
They have a lovely, dedicated team, but they had never received any customer service or retail sales training. They were helpful but hesitant to confidently sell and some struggled to proactively engage with customers in a way that felt natural.
The Approach: Bespoke, In-Store Training That Worked Around Them
Understanding that time, budget, staff constraints and disruptions were concerns, I tailored my approach and training to work around Parnaby’s day-to-day operations. I focussed on understanding the situation and ensuring each team member received the level of training and practical support they needed.
How I helped:
- Listened: My first step was to meet with the owner and manager separately to understand their worries and where they felt the challenges were.
- Listened some more: I then sat down with each of the team members individually and privately to understand their perspectives.
- Observed: Without interfering, I watched how the team worked and interacted with customers.
- Identified: I determined the gaps and key areas that could easily be addressed:
- Good customer service but, at times, inconsistent with the brand status
- Some team members lacked confidence to proactively approach customers
- Intentional sales conversations were not being initiated.
- Developed: I created a practical, convenient and engaging training plan which focussed on:
- Elevating the service to match the premium brand and product
- Growing team member confidence to deliver consistent, personalised and exceptional customer service
- How to have sales conversations without being pushy.
- Trained: I then worked with the owner and manager to deliver training on a schedule that suited them, and that didn’t impact the store’s operations. We did this by:
- Holding training sessions in-store, on the shop floor, during quiet periods when no customers were present
- Delivering real-time coaching so the team could receive direct feedback
- A combination of theory discussions, role playing and Q&As
- Regular, private check ins with individuals throughout the process to track progress and address any questions.
- Documented: I left the team with a physical copy of a Quick Reference Guide, that included all areas covered in the training, developed specifically for Parnaby’s, to refer back to at any time
- Followed Up: Two weeks after our final training session, I followed up with the owner and manager to see how the team was getting on.
The Outcome: Confidence Up, Sales Up
Two months after the training and my final follow up with Parnaby’s management, I got back in contact with Parnaby’s to check on progress.
The owner and manager were happy to report that they had posted a profitable month and that the team got so much out of the training. Team members said that they felt more confident in proactively interacting with customers and were becoming more comfortable adding sales conversations into their customer engagement.
As in any business, the team were integral to increasing sales – providing team members with the skills and confidence to effectively do their job led to a boost in performance – both in staff morale and in sales for the business.
How Can I Help You?
If you’re an independent business with a wonderful team but inconsistent sales and footfall, I can help.
We can work together to:
- Increase conversions without being ‘salesy’
- Boost your team’s confidence and morale
- Improve your customers’ experience and loyalty
- Create more profitable months.
Book a free consultation to talk about a solution that fits your business.