With aturnover rate of47%, employee retention is a recurring problem in the bakery industry. To address this issue, training is a crucial step in the onboarding process that should not be overlooked. By applying a few best management practices, employees remain loyal and the business benefits. There are several solutions for achieving this:
• Take care with recruitment: this is essential for the future and smooth running of a business.
• Improve communication within the company: "72%of employees who have not received recognition for their work believe that recognition gives meaning to their work."[2]
To get employees more involved, it is important to ask their opinion on recipes, shelf stocking, etc.
• Train employees and apprentices: in order to improve efficiency and productivity, it is important to train teams thoroughly in all aspects of sales. Training an apprentice also saves time and increases efficiency. Career development opportunities are also a good way to retain staff and improve the employer brand image .
[1] INSEE_2020
[2] Globoforce
To help artisan bakers retain their sales staff, we have set up our Sales and Merchandising training program.
Our Sales & Merchandising training course
Our Sales & Merchandising training program was developed in collaboration with our Point of Sale Advisors, who work alongside our customers in the field every day. This training is intended for sales staff who work in direct contact with customers: sales assistants, customer service managers, store managers, etc.
During this training, employees are trained on four topics:
1- Recruiting new consumers
When a consumer walks past a store or enters a shop, the first of their five senses to be stimulated is sight. In this module, the aim is to discover how to attract new visitors and turn them into customers. This visual appeal involves three aspects: the façade, the window display, and promotions.
2 – Consumer loyalty
In this second module, learning focuses on customer loyalty and maintaining long-term relationships. To achieve this, you need to learn how to value customers, manage queues, and maintain good customer-salesperson relationships.
These modules are the essential keys to remember in order to stand out in a highly competitive market.
3 – Merchandising, or customer traffic
Merch andising is essential in a bakery. We only have one chance to make a good first impression, so we have to get it right!
Thanks to this training, sales teams have all the techniques they need to showcase products and ensure that shelves are well presented. The more attractive and well-stocked the shelves are, the more consumers' taste buds will be stimulated, guaranteeing purchases (and the best way to encourage impulse buys). Occasional consumers will then undoubtedly become regular customers.
4 – The sale
This part of the training is both the most technical and the one that will enable artisan bakers to significantly increase their turnover! Teams develop techniquesfor identifying customermotivations and needs and understanding current consumption patterns, which are constantly changing.
These four modules provide comprehensive training, tips for boosting sales pitches, handling objections, and generating additional sales to increase our customers' average basket size.
Sales & Merchandising Training: our offerings
In order to provide a service tailored to the needs of our professionals, we offer three different levels of training:
100% digital training:
The training is followed on a digital platform accessible via smartphone, tablet, or computer for three months. Designed to facilitate learning through games, quizzes, videos, etc.
–> The advantage? This training takes place in the workplace. As soon as the teams involved have a quiet moment, they can access the platform via smartphone, tablet, or computer.
The complete training program:
In this offer, training is provided in person, over one day, by a Grands Moulins de Paris Point of Sale Advisor. Learners meet at a welcoming location where they will meet a Grands Moulins de Paris professional and other bakery salespeople.
–> The advantage? During this training, employees meet other salespeople, giving them the opportunity to exchange ideas, share their experiences, and come back with lots of new ideas in mind!
In addition to the one-day in-person training session, learners also have free access to the e-learning platform for three months.
The boutique training:
The training is provided in person, over the course of a day, by one of our Point of Sale Advisors. One of our sales and merchandising experts visits the artisan baker directly to train only the employees within the shop where they work.
–> The advantage? The training is completely customizable. In a familiar place and with familiar products, learners are trained in real-life conditions, which allows them to better integrate and reproduce the advice given.
In addition to the one-day in-person training session, learners also have free access to the e-learning platform for three months.
Sales & Merchandising Training: Why Use E-learning?
Whether the professional chooses the 100% digital, comprehensive, or boutique package, their employees will always have access to three months of training via an e-learning platform.
We know that it is not always easy for bakery employees to find the time, which is why we offer this innovative format that allows teams to train whenever and wherever they want.
In order to offer the best possible quality of service and to make the training as professional and user-friendly as possible, we have enlisted the help of educational engineers whose job is to structure digital training courses and make them more user-friendly.
To host our training course, we chose the Edmill platform, which offers an educational approach while being easy to use and incorporating elements of gamification.
What is gamification? Gamification is a method that involves applying the codes of games (particularly video games) for professional use, such as training. It allows employeesto learn while having fun. The aim is to make learning attractive and enjoyable so that the various pieces of information shared are better retained.
