Spring 2019 Hardlines Strategies

TRAINING RESOURCES

The Knowledge They Need Training That Brings Out the Best in Your Employees

It’s critical to offer employees the training they need to grow their product knowledge and, in turn, help grow your business. Well-trained employees are better able to serve customers and feel like an important part of the team. If you’re looking for some training resources, the North American Retail Hardware Association (NRHA) can help. NHRA helps independent hardware stores, home centers and lumberyards become better, more profitable retailers. The organization offers a number of training resources that cover a variety of topics and range from quick tips to in-depth classes. To learn more about these training programs, contact nrha@nrha.org, or log on to blishmize.com. Free Resources One popular training course provided at no cost is Trainer’s Toolbox, which offers quick-hit lessons that can be covered in regular employee meetings. Each comes with a short presentation for employees and a notes page for the instructor. There are currently more than 50 Trainer’s Toolbox lessons available online that cover product knowledge, operations, selling skills and merchandising. Visit nrha.org/trainers-toolbox to find the difference between making a big sale and losing a customer. Y our employees are a large part of your company’s success. Those who are friendly, knowledgeable and courteous can make

Retail Management Certification Program

these lessons. More will be added throughout the year. If you’re looking to create or improve your company’s training plan, try NRHA’s Train the Trainer, a comprehensive guide that will teach your training manager everything they need to know about putting together an effective employee training program. To download the PDF, visit nrha.org/train-the-trainer. Training Memberships A training membership with NRHA offers access to nine online training courses, which cover a variety of topics, such as selling skills, merchandising and accounting. You can create user names and passwords for each employee and monitor their progress as they complete each course. To sign up for a training membership with NRHA, visit nrha.org/membership. Taking Key Employees to the Next Level If you have key employees you want to climb the ladder at your store and perhaps even take over the business one day, consider one of NRHA’s more in-depth training courses.

This is a six-month, college-level course that assists in developing leadership and management capabilities of these high-potential employees. It includes three visits to NRHA’s headquarters in Indianapolis, where students can network with each other. They complete other assignments online. For more information about the program, visit nrharmcp.com. Blish-Mize offers a scholarship to help cover the cost for any Blish-Mize retailer or their employees who participate. Learn more by contacting Clay Uhrmacher, vice president of sales and marketing, at clay.uhrmacher@blishmize.com. Foundations of Leadership This program is a 16-week online course that assists home improvement retail managers in becoming stronger leaders. It’s especially helpful for new managers. The course covers six learning modules and includes a capstone assignment. To learn more, visit nrha.org/fol.

NRHA offers a variety of training resources that cover popular industry topics. Learn more at nrha.org.

8 Spring 2019 • Hardlines Strategies