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As a business owner in the signage industry, one of the most important jobs you have to do is people management. The success of your business is truly made in the day-to-day interactions between your staff and customers. According to the White House Office of Consumer Affairs (via HelpScout), “On average, loyal customers are worth up to 10 times as much as their first purchase.” It’s worth your while to make sure you have the right people in place, especially when it comes to your store managers.

Why Managers Matter

One of the greatest benefits of a franchise is the proven business model. When you open a Signarama franchise, for instance, you have access to our tried-and-true systems and processes. So you might be asking yourself, “Why is having the right manager in place so important anyway?”

Although you are the business owner, you won’t necessarily be in the store 24/7. When you’re overseeing from afar, it’s important that you have someone you can trust running daily operations. That person will not only be responsible for opening and closing the store but they will have a hand in everything from quality control to hiring to technical support. At the very least they will need to problem-solve and keep store morale – as well as productivity – high.

What’s Your Hiring Process?

The first step in finding a manager you can trust is developing the right hiring process. You want to start by thinking about and writing down all of the qualities that you are looking for in a responsible manager, the more comprehensive the better. Entrepreneur suggests putting “your management requirements in list form and make several copies. You can use the written list of characteristics for each of the candidates you interview. Next to the list of characteristics, rank how the person appears to you on scale of 1 to 10 and add a few words of explanation to help you compare your candidates later.”

Generally it’s a smart idea to post the job online but personal references are also a great way to find good people. During interviews, don’t be afraid to get specific and ask for examples of accomplishments and challenges in prior positions. You might want to provide several scenarios that the person would encounter on the job and get an idea of how they would react or respond.

Finding and recruiting talent is a necessary skill that every business owner – in the signage industry or any other field – must learn. Per Franchising.com, Adam Robinson, co-founder of recruitment platform Hireology, says “franchisees who view recruiting as a mindset and a ‘permanent, always-on business process’ can successfully build a team for growth” and “recommends managers spend 30% of their time to employment recruitment.”

Prioritizing People

It’s true, you can find some measure of success in the signage industry with cutting-edge technology. But while high quality products or services will take you far, it won’t ever bring in as much money as a business that runs efficiently. You need a rockstar team to take on crucial, day-to-day tasks and make sure every customer interaction is as happy as possible.

There’s a reason Signarama was named the #1 sign franchise by Entrepreneur Magazine. In our franchise locations all over the world, we work hard to maintain the ideals and principles that helped us become a leader in the signage industry. Contact us today to learn more about the advantages of becoming a Signarama business owner.