WEBVTT 00:00:07.280 --> 00:00:10.670 Ricardo Belmar: Welcome to our new Retail Razor show, Blade to Greatness, 00:00:11.180 --> 00:00:14.840 our new standalone Retail Razor show, where we hear from a retail industry 00:00:14.840 --> 00:00:19.180 leader who shares their sharp insights and cuts of wisdom on how to excel in 00:00:19.180 --> 00:00:21.040 this dynamic and competitive field. 00:00:21.340 --> 00:00:25.520 In this series, we learn about the essential must have skills and qualities 00:00:25.520 --> 00:00:30.005 that every retail executive needs to lead their teams and their business to success. 00:00:30.318 --> 00:00:33.948 Casey Golden: Whether we're talking about HQ or stores, we'll uncover valuable 00:00:33.948 --> 00:00:39.150 tips and advice that every retail leader can apply to their own retail career 00:00:39.150 --> 00:00:41.600 path, raising your Blade to Greatness. 00:00:42.155 --> 00:00:43.635 Ricardo Belmar: I'm your host, Ricardo Belmar. 00:00:44.085 --> 00:00:45.775 Casey Golden: And I'm your co host Casey Golden. 00:00:46.950 --> 00:00:51.800 This episode we're speaking with Ron Thurston, co-founder of Ossy, bestselling 00:00:51.800 --> 00:00:56.800 author of Retail Pride, podcast host, speaker, advisor, and board member. 00:00:57.765 --> 00:01:02.865 Ron leverages his extensive experience leading retail operations for America's 00:01:02.865 --> 00:01:07.038 most prominent brands to bring attention to the issues facing frontline 00:01:07.038 --> 00:01:09.518 workers and retail leaders today. 00:01:10.008 --> 00:01:14.678 After releasing his first book Retail Pride and launching the Retail in America 00:01:14.868 --> 00:01:21.318 Tour and podcast, Ron has co-founded Ossy to disrupt how the retail industry hires, 00:01:21.588 --> 00:01:26.398 engages, connects retail workers with retail brands and technology providers. 00:01:26.983 --> 00:01:29.683 Ricardo Belmar: And today he's here to talk to us about a truly 00:01:29.683 --> 00:01:32.643 important question that every retail leader needs to answer: 00:01:33.233 --> 00:01:38.163 what can retailers do today to bridge communication from the floor to corporate. 00:01:38.379 --> 00:01:39.269 Casey Golden: Welcome, Ron. 00:01:39.339 --> 00:01:39.829 Ron Thurston: Awesome. 00:01:39.919 --> 00:01:40.349 Thank you. 00:01:40.349 --> 00:01:42.229 Thank you so much Casey and Ricardo. 00:01:42.229 --> 00:01:44.589 It's a pleasure to be back as always. 00:01:44.789 --> 00:01:45.989 I love being on your show. 00:01:46.059 --> 00:01:51.129 And I love this topic, when you sent the description, you know, you're right, 00:01:51.169 --> 00:01:57.109 this is, this is a topic that comes up really often from peers of mine. 00:01:57.119 --> 00:02:00.589 Those that have led stores and now lead brands. 00:02:00.799 --> 00:02:05.002 People who work in the field and sometimes have frustration with 00:02:05.002 --> 00:02:07.402 corporate and corporate that has frustration with the field. 00:02:07.722 --> 00:02:12.172 I, sit in a position today where I actually hear it from both sides, so I 00:02:13.712 --> 00:02:19.142 where I will I do, you know, and so, you know, where I would start with 00:02:19.142 --> 00:02:24.142 this question is the same place I start every conversation, which are, 00:02:24.692 --> 00:02:28.342 I've, and I've spoken about this often on your show, is what I call the 00:02:28.342 --> 00:02:30.822 three pillars of success in retail. 00:02:31.402 --> 00:02:34.862 And, you know, they've become more around pillars of success in life, 00:02:35.042 --> 00:02:37.942 but empathy, curiosity, and focus. 00:02:38.282 --> 00:02:43.215 And so if I, I saw that question and I'd say, what could we do to bridge the 00:02:43.215 --> 00:02:45.655 gap today between corporate and stores? 00:02:47.285 --> 00:02:48.815 I'll start with on the corporate side. 00:02:49.075 --> 00:02:52.135 The first thing I would do would be think about empathy. 00:02:52.965 --> 00:02:56.735 What, what do I imagine people in stores are feeling today? 00:02:58.365 --> 00:03:00.905 Are they, are they under pressure for sales goals? 00:03:01.045 --> 00:03:02.705 Do they have the right inventory? 00:03:03.325 --> 00:03:09.077 Are they fearful of increase in kind of disruptive shopping activity, 00:03:09.207 --> 00:03:11.277 we'll call it, or being hurt at work. 00:03:11.527 --> 00:03:14.607 There's a lot of really important conversations that 00:03:14.897 --> 00:03:16.527 would lean into empathy. 00:03:16.707 --> 00:03:20.367 So the first thing I do is, well, how do I imagine stores are feeling today? 00:03:21.187 --> 00:03:26.287 And the follow up to that is, well, I'm gonna ask because the best thing you can 00:03:26.307 --> 00:03:29.327 do to bridge the gap is to build trust. 00:03:30.392 --> 00:03:37.182 Trust only is developed by being curious and then by acting on that information. 00:03:37.762 --> 00:03:40.702 So I think, for me, there's a lot of conversation of corporate 00:03:41.222 --> 00:03:42.302 spending more time in stores. 00:03:43.322 --> 00:03:47.682 I don't try to judge that or how much time you should spend because 00:03:47.922 --> 00:03:48.962 everyone has a lot on their plate. 00:03:49.272 --> 00:03:53.842 There's a lot of, there's a lot of things that impact someone's ability to 00:03:53.842 --> 00:03:57.082 travel or to have the budget to do so. 00:03:57.142 --> 00:04:00.922 So what I say is, whether it's a phone call, a zoom call, a store visit, 00:04:01.922 --> 00:04:04.522 whatever your forum for communication is. 00:04:05.142 --> 00:04:09.242 The best thing you can do is ask questions and be curious and say, you know what, 00:04:09.482 --> 00:04:11.642 Ricardo, like, how are you feeling today? 00:04:11.832 --> 00:04:15.922 Like, what, what do you and your team, what are you experiencing? 00:04:15.952 --> 00:04:17.562 What are the conversations you're having? 00:04:18.342 --> 00:04:21.832 When there's no customers in the store, what do you really 00:04:22.102 --> 00:04:23.832 need to drive your business? 00:04:24.342 --> 00:04:29.682 What what tools and resources do you have today, or maybe need more of, so 00:04:29.682 --> 00:04:36.332 this kind of stream of curiosity, I think builds a great rapport and the 00:04:36.332 --> 00:04:41.612 focus, when I think about the third part of this conversation is what do you do 00:04:41.612 --> 00:04:43.532 with that information you just received? 00:04:43.962 --> 00:04:48.652 Because trust then is built to say, you know what, Ricardo, I'm so glad 00:04:48.752 --> 00:04:50.332 you shared all this with me today. 00:04:50.362 --> 00:04:53.292 What I'm gonna do is go back to my team at the office. 00:04:53.972 --> 00:04:57.152 And we're gonna go through all of this data and we're gonna come up 00:04:57.152 --> 00:05:01.712 with some strategies, and we're gonna come back to you in the next two week, 00:05:02.052 --> 00:05:06.672 two weeks and talk to you about what we can accomplish, what maybe this 00:05:06.672 --> 00:05:11.432 year, next year, and maybe the things that we can't, but keep your promise. 00:05:12.362 --> 00:05:16.102 And so what the store team does is then say, wow, I'm so glad Ron came 00:05:16.102 --> 00:05:20.382 today and listened and like heard what we had to say, didn't judge it. 00:05:20.642 --> 00:05:24.142 That's where you use empathy because it's really quick to say, well, 00:05:24.222 --> 00:05:27.902 I don't understand why you don't get that or why you can't do this. 00:05:27.922 --> 00:05:28.822 You just need to do it. 00:05:29.602 --> 00:05:34.172 And so empathy helps you ask more questions and put your. 00:05:35.527 --> 00:05:38.967 Yourself in that place of, well, how is, how are they experiencing 00:05:39.187 --> 00:05:42.687 the world and their business and their customer and their team? 00:05:43.557 --> 00:05:45.327 What do they need to do better? 00:05:45.747 --> 00:05:49.127 How, how curious can I be and what do I do with that information for me? 00:05:49.127 --> 00:05:51.567 That, but that's how you build rapport. 00:05:52.547 --> 00:05:56.247 And, and I would say the same thing about stores. 00:05:56.797 --> 00:06:00.582 There's, I think often what I discovered when I became, a vice 00:06:00.582 --> 00:06:05.482 president of stores is there's also misinformation at the store level 00:06:05.532 --> 00:06:07.082 about what people at corporate do. 00:06:07.942 --> 00:06:11.615 And so there's this idea of, well, whether it's product, 00:06:11.615 --> 00:06:14.895 whether it's resources, whether it's payroll, whether it's operational 00:06:14.895 --> 00:06:17.135 efficiencies, maintenance. 00:06:17.255 --> 00:06:18.255 I mean, the list goes on. 00:06:18.685 --> 00:06:24.015 Sometimes there's this judgment that happens in stores about corporate. 00:06:24.900 --> 00:06:29.480 And so you make assumptions that they can do better or should be doing more, 00:06:29.580 --> 00:06:32.880 or should be spending more money, or should be buying product differently. 00:06:33.620 --> 00:06:37.873 And my, advice or thought processes here, we'll use the same pillars 00:06:38.293 --> 00:06:42.713 and say, well how do people in in corporate, what's their experience today? 00:06:43.373 --> 00:06:46.533 And maybe there's been headcount reduction in the office, maybe there 00:06:46.533 --> 00:06:50.863 have been budget cuts, maybe there have been other things that are restricting 00:06:50.888 --> 00:06:55.048 their ability to give me the things that I may need to drive my business. 00:06:55.148 --> 00:06:55.608 So how? 00:06:55.908 --> 00:06:58.088 How do I imagine the corporate teams are feeling? 00:06:58.708 --> 00:07:00.288 And then say, be curious. 00:07:00.558 --> 00:07:05.088 Like, well, how can I ask great questions to get what I need? 00:07:05.588 --> 00:07:11.208 And the focus is how can I then deliver on the results that I'm expected to deliver 00:07:11.798 --> 00:07:13.808 with full insight into information? 00:07:14.222 --> 00:07:19.170 And where that really showed up for me is, As, as a vice president of stores 00:07:19.630 --> 00:07:24.250 and traveled as much as I possibly could, listened, I really did try 00:07:24.250 --> 00:07:28.570 to act, but sometimes it's actually going back and saying, I hear you, 00:07:28.910 --> 00:07:31.370 but we can't do that and here's why. 00:07:31.950 --> 00:07:39.130 Or and because I ran a multi-brand fashion business, every store has 00:07:39.210 --> 00:07:42.690 a list of things that they, brands that they wanna sell, sizes that 00:07:42.690 --> 00:07:44.130 they need, colors that they want. 00:07:44.895 --> 00:07:47.715 The, the product is the number one conversation always. 00:07:48.295 --> 00:07:53.555 But there, it's so complicated when you say, you start talking about brands 00:07:53.555 --> 00:07:55.355 that you can sell in certain locations. 00:07:55.925 --> 00:08:00.507 Inventory levels sell through numbers, margin conversations, kind 00:08:00.507 --> 00:08:01.987 of restrictions on merchandising. 00:08:02.407 --> 00:08:08.962 So it's becomes an education process back to the field and say, well, I, I hear you. 00:08:09.062 --> 00:08:13.602 And I'm, I'm really curious about why that needs to happen and let me just 00:08:13.602 --> 00:08:16.922 talk to you a little bit about what buying and planning and merchandising 00:08:17.052 --> 00:08:19.482 means and how that impacts your business. 00:08:19.702 --> 00:08:23.562 So I think it's our responsibility as leaders to bridging the 00:08:23.562 --> 00:08:28.402 gap through through education and through conversation. 00:08:29.102 --> 00:08:31.562 And it's not a one size fits all. 00:08:31.712 --> 00:08:35.957 It's very much a, let's try to solve for the best of our abilities 00:08:36.177 --> 00:08:40.227 by using empathy, curiosity, and focus, on both sides. 00:08:40.640 --> 00:08:40.865 Ricardo Belmar: Yeah. 00:08:40.865 --> 00:08:43.737 Yeah I, I, I love the way you described that , and , one of the 00:08:43.737 --> 00:08:46.977 things I'm immediately comes to my mind is, I'm listening to you, Ron, 00:08:47.257 --> 00:08:49.116 describe the process behind this. 00:08:49.116 --> 00:08:52.356 Is that really what you're doing and if I think of it as what's the outcome 00:08:52.356 --> 00:08:56.361 of this, you're actually . presenting to your, your store teams, for 00:08:56.361 --> 00:09:00.121 example, that corporate doesn't just view you as an endpoint, but that 00:09:00.121 --> 00:09:01.761 you're actually part of the business. 00:09:02.461 --> 00:09:05.881 So it's, it's, there's that combination of what you said at the, the beginning 00:09:05.901 --> 00:09:10.976 to you're asking what their experience is, you're acknowledging what they've 00:09:10.976 --> 00:09:13.896 told you, not dismissing it because you don't think it should be that way. 00:09:14.306 --> 00:09:14.656 Right. 00:09:14.656 --> 00:09:17.536 Which I think is a, a common perception that I think stores have 00:09:17.536 --> 00:09:20.183 about corporate, that they'll just dismiss what we say, because they 00:09:20.183 --> 00:09:21.133 don't think it should be that way. 00:09:21.133 --> 00:09:25.273 You're acknowledging it, but then you're also recognizing that whether you can 00:09:25.273 --> 00:09:28.833 or can't do something about it, you're still closing the loop and making sure 00:09:28.833 --> 00:09:32.153 that if there's a reason why you can't, you're explaining what that reason is. 00:09:32.293 --> 00:09:35.353 You're not just, again, dismissing it out of hand and saying it's not 00:09:35.353 --> 00:09:38.233 important, which just makes this team feel like they're not being heard. 00:09:38.233 --> 00:09:41.233 Even if you did acknowledge you're also recognizing that we're trying 00:09:41.253 --> 00:09:44.433 to see what we can do about it, but maybe we can do something, maybe 00:09:44.453 --> 00:09:46.713 we can't, and if we can, wonderful. 00:09:46.713 --> 00:09:50.595 Here's how we together resolve that challenge or whatever that issue might be. 00:09:51.015 --> 00:09:55.455 And I think that is probably the, the way I look at it as, if you're a member of 00:09:55.455 --> 00:09:59.558 that store team, you come away feeling that I'm not just this, unit of labor 00:09:59.788 --> 00:10:02.238 that the brand is, is benefiting from. 00:10:02.238 --> 00:10:04.438 We're actually part of a whole, we're part of the whole 00:10:04.638 --> 00:10:05.758 business and the brand together. 00:10:06.308 --> 00:10:08.608 Ron Thurston: And that takes great intention on both sides. 00:10:08.728 --> 00:10:09.148 Ricardo Belmar: Mm-hmm. 00:10:09.228 --> 00:10:13.848 Ron Thurston: It takes intention from and eliminating some of the assumptions 00:10:14.178 --> 00:10:16.448 about what people do and why they do it. 00:10:16.628 --> 00:10:16.848 And. 00:10:17.973 --> 00:10:22.513 And not judge that someone else's job is harder or easier than yours because 00:10:22.953 --> 00:10:28.443 everyone's role is important, whether it's in part-time, new hire in the store, or 00:10:28.443 --> 00:10:30.763 someone that pulls an executive position. 00:10:31.483 --> 00:10:32.363 Everyone's role is important. 00:10:32.553 --> 00:10:37.979 They just have a different, different needs at different times for the business. 00:10:37.979 --> 00:10:41.859 And so I will look at that and say, actually a new hire whose 00:10:41.909 --> 00:10:45.299 first day is on the floor today is interacting with the customer. 00:10:45.649 --> 00:10:50.900 That the customer, that the company just spent thousands of dollars marketing 00:10:50.920 --> 00:10:52.740 to, to get them to walk into the store. 00:10:53.630 --> 00:10:59.455 And that customer's experience now is determined by this person whose first day 00:10:59.455 --> 00:11:05.670 on the job is today and so whether you are the CMO of the company who just signed off 00:11:05.670 --> 00:11:10.170 on a multimillion dollar budget to drive traffic, or I'm the part-time person on my 00:11:10.170 --> 00:11:15.690 first day, the ultimate goal is that that customer has an incredible experience. 00:11:16.270 --> 00:11:19.970 It just so happens that that customer that you just spent money on to get into 00:11:19.970 --> 00:11:21.970 the store is engaged with a new hire. 00:11:22.470 --> 00:11:26.890 And so we, we can't say one is more important because the customer could 00:11:26.890 --> 00:11:30.010 have this incredible experience and like, oh my God, I met Casey. 00:11:30.630 --> 00:11:32.930 She showed me all these things that she loves, and she told 00:11:32.930 --> 00:11:33.930 me it was her first day. 00:11:34.700 --> 00:11:37.280 And she asked for my patience while we went through the 00:11:37.280 --> 00:11:38.960 journey, but she was incredible. 00:11:39.420 --> 00:11:42.800 And I love this brand, and I can't wait to come back and see Casey again. 00:11:42.960 --> 00:11:44.520 I mean, that's a really good outcome. 00:11:45.260 --> 00:11:47.160 or, the opposite could happen. 00:11:47.280 --> 00:11:48.240 I don't need to describe that. 00:11:48.240 --> 00:11:53.920 But I think that there's, there's this sense of if you treat everyone with 00:11:54.270 --> 00:11:58.760 empathy and kindness, you recognize that everyone's role is important. 00:11:58.870 --> 00:12:00.280 They just have different purposes. 00:12:00.934 --> 00:12:05.393 Casey Golden: Yeah, I think acknowledging that every single person who works 00:12:05.493 --> 00:12:11.806 for you at a brand is your consumer an advocate in the community. 00:12:12.323 --> 00:12:17.723 Nobody, no matter what company people apply to work at, people 00:12:17.753 --> 00:12:22.703 typically apply to companies that they like, love, or are inspired by. 00:12:23.111 --> 00:12:28.206 And that bad experience of working there, the bad experience of communication, the 00:12:28.226 --> 00:12:33.936 bad experience of not feeling supportive, that loses you a customer, their family, 00:12:34.186 --> 00:12:41.456 their friends, It permeates that this bad experience happened with this brand, and 00:12:41.696 --> 00:12:43.616 I know because I literally work for them. 00:12:44.126 --> 00:12:44.896 They're terrible. 00:12:46.016 --> 00:12:47.636 You can't really recover from that. 00:12:47.696 --> 00:12:52.196 And I almost feel like part of like the hiring process and, and managing those 00:12:52.196 --> 00:12:58.114 teams, it is pr in a, in a lot of ways, like this is your, you have to take it 00:12:58.204 --> 00:13:02.634 super serious because, it's worse than, you know, you have all this social media 00:13:02.634 --> 00:13:06.445 and things like that, and it's just like this is a customer at the end of the day. 00:13:06.845 --> 00:13:07.215 Ron Thurston: It's true. 00:13:07.655 --> 00:13:09.335 I would even take that further back, Casey. 00:13:09.475 --> 00:13:12.295 It actually starts when someone's interested in working there. 00:13:12.955 --> 00:13:13.245 Casey Golden: Yeah. 00:13:13.255 --> 00:13:15.095 Ron Thurston: know, which is part of, you know what, we're not, we're not 00:13:15.095 --> 00:13:20.095 here to speak about Ossy, but the idea here is, you know, that their likelihood 00:13:20.115 --> 00:13:23.295 of staying with a brand actually starts before they're even hired. 00:13:23.925 --> 00:13:27.935 When the, when, during the, journey of interviews or lack of interviews, 00:13:28.005 --> 00:13:33.265 lack of follow up or incredible follow up, all of that creates impressions 00:13:33.525 --> 00:13:37.825 that, okay, great, I get the job, but you just tortured me for a month to 00:13:37.825 --> 00:13:43.010 get here or, oh my gosh, like I, I had this, I met these great people. 00:13:43.210 --> 00:13:46.730 I can't wait for day one, and I'll go back to my example. 00:13:47.240 --> 00:13:47.530 Okay. 00:13:47.590 --> 00:13:53.570 So you, you created an experience of an interview and an onboarding that was 00:13:53.570 --> 00:13:58.130 so good that that customer that I just described, that walked in, that the 00:13:58.130 --> 00:14:02.990 company spent money on, engages with me and I have an incredible experience. 00:14:03.510 --> 00:14:05.541 And the opposite can can be very true. 00:14:05.761 --> 00:14:07.713 So I think that I agree with you, Casey. 00:14:07.943 --> 00:14:14.793 It's, it's every touchpoint for every brand is about an experience and 00:14:15.113 --> 00:14:18.113 whatever that means for the future of a brand, that really important 00:14:18.113 --> 00:14:22.993 moments that we can't put into silos. 00:14:23.303 --> 00:14:27.193 They're all connected, they're all important, and every person 00:14:27.853 --> 00:14:33.383 in this kind of ecosystem of, of retail play really important roles. 00:14:34.348 --> 00:14:34.638 Ricardo Belmar: Yeah. 00:14:35.038 --> 00:14:38.168 I, I think that's a great point about how, that that experience 00:14:38.168 --> 00:14:42.008 starts from the moment they're being recruited, In that hiring process. 00:14:42.248 --> 00:14:45.048 I, I hadn't thought of it until you just hearing you say it, that 00:14:45.048 --> 00:14:46.648 if the extent hiring experience. 00:14:47.598 --> 00:14:51.538 It is already tortuous , then you've just set the 00:14:51.688 --> 00:14:53.728 Ron Thurston: I know it's strong word, but I but I, actually, 00:14:54.198 --> 00:14:54.658 Ricardo Belmar: But, but 00:14:54.688 --> 00:14:57.528 Ron Thurston: I hear enough candidates to know that a valid word. 00:14:57.568 --> 00:14:57.858 Ricardo Belmar: Yeah. 00:14:57.938 --> 00:14:59.218 I I think, I think so. 00:14:59.238 --> 00:15:03.124 I'm, I'm just thinking back to even, I, I remember in some retail jobs, I had 00:15:03.124 --> 00:15:07.124 the same thing that, you know, it was not a pleasant experience to to do that. 00:15:07.124 --> 00:15:11.229 But you're right, it, it actually sets the stage for what your day one will 00:15:11.229 --> 00:15:13.029 be like before you even get to day one. 00:15:13.569 --> 00:15:17.269 And I, I think in that sense, right, it's, it's wise for brands to think 00:15:17.289 --> 00:15:21.799 of from the marketing point of view, brands like to look at influencers, 00:15:21.799 --> 00:15:22.919 right, to promote products. 00:15:22.919 --> 00:15:25.839 But at the end of the day, they should really be thinking that, well, you, you 00:15:25.839 --> 00:15:29.999 have an entire team of influencers at your store that work day in, day out. 00:15:30.029 --> 00:15:34.187 Because like you said earlier, the however expensive a campaign you may 00:15:34.187 --> 00:15:38.977 have run . To drive customers to go into the store, to walk through the door. 00:15:39.447 --> 00:15:42.737 Well, the very next point of influence they're gonna have is likely to be that 00:15:43.027 --> 00:15:44.697 store team member who they talk to first. 00:15:46.637 --> 00:15:50.797 Casey Golden: Yeah, it's word of mouth is very powerful tool for marketing. 00:15:51.417 --> 00:15:57.077 And I feel that like the most, the best way to get that word of mouth marketing 00:15:57.137 --> 00:15:59.637 is literally through your employees. 00:16:00.056 --> 00:16:03.336 that is, you know, 90% of like friends and family. 00:16:04.281 --> 00:16:10.151 That they know you're happy at X brand X company, and that influences 00:16:10.151 --> 00:16:12.511 them more than a review online 00:16:12.971 --> 00:16:17.331 Ron Thurston: Right, no, it's And, and social media just 00:16:17.691 --> 00:16:18.871 escalates that very quickly. 00:16:19.171 --> 00:16:23.541 And, you know, there are, there's a lot of TikTok and that don't 00:16:23.541 --> 00:16:25.021 paint retail in a positive light. 00:16:25.561 --> 00:16:29.741 And some of that is, is, is deserved. 00:16:30.281 --> 00:16:32.821 And so I, I think we do have to do better. 00:16:33.626 --> 00:16:36.036 It's valuable information and it's valuable to think 00:16:36.036 --> 00:16:38.116 about, again, with empathy. 00:16:38.376 --> 00:16:43.116 How is a candidate experiencing how, what is someone's first day on the job? 00:16:43.416 --> 00:16:47.596 And, And, when I worked at Apple, and I've mentioned this before, you know, 00:16:47.596 --> 00:16:50.196 they, they still today use a very, I. 00:16:50.631 --> 00:16:55.891 Phrase that I think leans into empathy that is, I don't know, let's find out. 00:16:56.751 --> 00:17:00.371 And it's common language for them, and it's okay to say, you know what? 00:17:00.451 --> 00:17:04.051 I have no idea what you're talking about, but I'm gonna find the best 00:17:04.051 --> 00:17:07.811 person to solve this problem for you, or to answer your question. 00:17:08.471 --> 00:17:12.091 And then instead of putting the pressure on you to be an expert 00:17:12.111 --> 00:17:16.531 at everything, which we do, it's okay to say, I don't know. 00:17:17.236 --> 00:17:19.976 But I'm gonna find someone that does, and we're gonna make sure 00:17:19.976 --> 00:17:23.956 that you leave this building with the best possible experience. 00:17:24.086 --> 00:17:25.326 And that may not be from me. 00:17:26.076 --> 00:17:30.721 And that is, that takes pressure off of store teams 00:17:30.721 --> 00:17:30.941 Ricardo Belmar: mm-hmm. 00:17:31.081 --> 00:17:31.981 Ron Thurston: And so the same. 00:17:32.121 --> 00:17:35.741 But going back to your original question, how do we bridge the gap? 00:17:35.801 --> 00:17:39.861 You bridge the gap by not expecting everyone to be an expert at everything. 00:17:40.441 --> 00:17:43.901 You bridge the gap by saying, we have incredible salespeople, but 00:17:43.901 --> 00:17:46.981 incredible salespeople are not always good at doing markdowns. 00:17:47.071 --> 00:17:50.781 Incredible salespeople, casey knows this from her other work. 00:17:51.145 --> 00:17:53.775 Great salespeople are really good with people, but they 00:17:53.775 --> 00:17:55.295 may not be the best at tasks. 00:17:55.875 --> 00:17:59.175 And you have great people who are really good at tasks, who are 00:17:59.175 --> 00:18:00.535 terrified to speak to a customer. 00:18:00.995 --> 00:18:05.429 You can have both, and that's perfectly, it's welcome, and that's 00:18:05.429 --> 00:18:07.709 how you have great hiring and 00:18:08.344 --> 00:18:08.764 Ricardo Belmar: Mm-hmm. 00:18:08.779 --> 00:18:11.709 Ron Thurston: that kind of idea of everyone in retail should 00:18:11.709 --> 00:18:16.319 be good at everything is, is a false narrative, I believe. 00:18:16.949 --> 00:18:17.269 Casey Golden: yes. 00:18:17.269 --> 00:18:20.729 There are certain people who I'd never invite back to doing inventory 00:18:24.064 --> 00:18:26.724 Ron Thurston: It would probably be me, which is, you why I 00:18:26.724 --> 00:18:28.744 was like, oh, where's food? 00:18:29.024 --> 00:18:30.844 Like who's doing the catering tonight? 00:18:31.374 --> 00:18:32.324 Everything could 00:18:36.719 --> 00:18:37.259 Casey Golden: And it's. 00:18:40.054 --> 00:18:40.274 Ron Thurston: see. 00:18:45.494 --> 00:18:48.304 It's the same, you know, that's why you surround yourself with great people. 00:18:48.544 --> 00:18:51.544 I had great ops people and I, they're like, Ron, you don't have to come tonight. 00:18:51.544 --> 00:18:51.984 It's fine. 00:18:52.729 --> 00:18:53.019 Casey Golden: Yeah, 00:18:53.024 --> 00:18:53.424 Ron Thurston: like, cool. 00:18:55.091 --> 00:18:57.701 Ricardo Belmar: Well, I think on that super interesting note, we've 00:18:57.701 --> 00:18:59.861 come to the end of this segment. 00:19:00.321 --> 00:19:03.861 Ron, thanks so much for joining us and sharing your insights on how to 00:19:03.861 --> 00:19:05.421 improve those lines of communication. 00:19:06.176 --> 00:19:06.646 Ron Thurston: Thank you. 00:19:06.646 --> 00:19:07.486 Thanks Ricardo. 00:19:07.486 --> 00:19:08.046 Thank you Casey. 00:19:08.931 --> 00:19:09.991 Casey Golden: always such a pleasure. 00:19:10.126 --> 00:19:10.546 Ron Thurston: Always 00:19:11.559 --> 00:19:13.979 Casey Golden: if you've enjoyed our show, please consider giving 00:19:13.979 --> 00:19:17.929 us a five star rating and review on Apple podcasts and Goodpods. 00:19:18.439 --> 00:19:22.799 Remember to smash that subscribe button in your favorite podcast player and tune 00:19:22.799 --> 00:19:24.929 in on YouTube, so you don't miss a minute. 00:19:25.549 --> 00:19:27.319 I'm your cohost, Casey Golden. 00:19:27.919 --> 00:19:30.349 Ricardo Belmar: Please share your feedback with us on Twitter at Casey 00:19:30.349 --> 00:19:34.439 C Golden, Ricardo underscore Belmar, and at RetailRazor, or find us on 00:19:34.449 --> 00:19:35.899 LinkedIn, Threads, and Instagram. 00:19:36.334 --> 00:19:40.294 For the best highlights from each episode, shipped straight to your inbox, subscribe 00:19:40.294 --> 00:19:43.714 to our Substack newsletter for full episode transcripts and bonus content. 00:19:44.034 --> 00:19:45.354 I'm your host, Ricardo Belmar. 00:19:46.059 --> 00:19:46.969 Casey Golden: Thanks for joining us. 00:19:47.634 --> 00:19:49.404 Ricardo Belmar: Until next time, keep cutting through 00:19:49.404 --> 00:19:50.664 the clutter and stay sharp. 00:19:50.754 --> 00:19:53.094 This is the Retail Razor Blade to Greatness.