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Steve Payne, Marketing Manager – Norman Australia explains the company’s ethos around training by quoting a renowned manufacturer.
“The only thing worse than training your employees and having them leave, is not training them and having them stay.” — Henry Ford
Payne confirmed Norman has embraced this philosophy by creating unique, interactive training for Retail Partners sessions in its “ultra-modern showrooms” in Sydney, Brisbane and Melbourne.
“Whilst not employees, Retail Partners sometimes have their own sales teams and owners and staff alike have been the beneficiaries of Norman’s training, which ultimately leads to a better customer experience in home.”
“The benefits of training are indisputable and that has certainly been reinforced with the positive feedback from Retail Partners,” said Payne. “We’ve been pleased by the overwhelmingly positive responses from our Retail Partners. In post event surveys, over 94% of attendees said the training had exceeded their expectations. This is what we had envisioned and it’s nice to see all the hard work we have put into our training sessions coming to fruition.”
Retail Partners’ feedback on the training has been upbeat:
“I really appreciate all the effort you guys are putting into having the training and support for this industry,” commented one. “It has definitely lacked from other companies, and it is so nice to see this from your company.”
Others commented:
“The training really got us excited again and opened our eyes to many features and benefits uniquely available from Norman.”
“All the trainers were amazing; great delivery, interesting and informative”
“The structure was great. Group installs were great”.
“We have a commitment to supporting its Retail Partners, not only with incredible value products, but also by investing in them with training,” said Payne. “This is particularly relevant as the Norman range continues to expand. We need to ensure our Retail Partners have a high level of proficiency and confidence in selling the benefits Norman products have to offer.”
Examples of this product expansion include the release of Perfect Sheer in early 2021, Norman’s second soft shade after Portrait Honeycombs, which Payne says continues the brand’s journey into softer window treatments. More new products are planned for release this year.
“The promotion of Australian made product is important and a lot of the training attendees have been surprised to learn that Woodlore is made from predominantly sustainable Australian wood, which supports local industry and jobs. Not only is the wood used in Woodlore shutters sold in Australia, the wood is used worldwide as well. No other manufacturer sells more of one particular shutter product than Norman does in Woodlore.”
Payne confirms hundreds of Retail Partners have been through the training sessions to date.
“As the Norman brand continues to grow, more retailers are seeing the benefit of leveraging the Norman brand, particularly with all the marketing support provided. Businesses who have invested their time learn more about Norman’s commitment to quality, sustainability and corporate social responsibility,” he said.
“Training has also provided valuable insights into the market and provides retailers the opportunity to interact with their peers and increase their own personal networks.”
