Bike shop boss praises staff for big win

Michael Mansell said his staff knew the products they were selling and were passionate about the job. Photo / Stephen Parker

Michael Mansell always knew his staff were good at their jobs but that didn't stop him from being surprised at them taking a top retail prize.

The Rotorua Bike Barn this week won the lifestyle and wellbeing category at the Waikato and Central North Island TopShop Retail Excellence Awards.

The winners were selected through a mystery shopping exercise. Mr Mansell said while he knew they were coming, after the store was named a finalist, he still had no idea who served the mystery shopper and how many times they came.

"I said to everyone to carry on serving the way we always did."

And that was obviously a winning formula.

Mr Mansell believed a key to their success was that all seven staff knew the products they were selling and were passionate about the product.

"It's just the fact they all ride bikes, they're well versed and have learnt a lot about the product. They can give good service, know to ask the questions and listen and find out what the customer is after."

He said he wasn't a believer in pushing hard for a sale, instead taking the approach that a salesperson should give a customer the best advice they can, answer any questions, but then feel comfortable in letting them go away and think about it.

Mr Mansell said he believed the vast product range at the store, as well as the depth of stock, helped to contribute to its success.

"We have such a big range of stock that we don't need to order a different size in."

That, he said, removed some of the threat of online stockists.

Mr Mansell said being a keen mountain biker and with six children who also were, he was certainly familiar with the family side of the market.

The mystery judge described the store as "well presented" with products clearly labelled and priced.

"The staff member greeted me promptly and offered me service in a friendly way. They had very good knowledge of the products and pointed out the features in non-technical terms. The staff member asked me open ended questions, listened to my responses and based their recommendation on what I had said."