Retail Industry
The retail business is a fast-paced world that requires a team of people who can stay focused on terrific customer service while ensuring that the backroom operations of the business operate seamlessly. We provide retail businesses with assistance in finding and hiring A-players, reducing hiring mistakes, hiring Store Managers, inculcating an attitude of ownership in store employees, and improving results within retail stores. This includes identifying the unique skills and abilities required in specific Store Manager and Retail Sales roles and using this data to screen both job candidates and current personnel.
What Clients Have To Say
"Eric has been a tremendous resource not only as a general business consultant but also for his specific knowledge and insight into the specialty running category. His initial general assessment of my wife and I was uncannily accurate with respect to our behaviors, motivations and talent skills. The assessment test provided a great platform from which we could tackle specific store issues such has hiring, role definitions, marketing and employee development. After being in business for 10 years, Eric helped us tremendously in finding new and innovative ways of structuring our business for the future. Patti and I look forward to continuing our work with Eric who has become one of the most important members of our team."
Rob Calega
Franchise Owner
Fleet Feet Sports, Marlton NJ
‘‘Eric has the unique ability to diagnose problems quickly and accurately. He truly listens to understand and gets to the core issues. He challenges where appropriate and always adds value. Eric helps me be a better thinker.’’
Todd Chandler
Divisional Vice President, Learning and Performance
Helzberg Diamonds
"Our perspective on our businesses has only improved since beginning to work with Eric Herrenkohl over the last few years. We were mired in the everyday challenges of owning multiple businesses when we discovered Eric’s company, Herrenkohl Consulting. Eric’s keen sense of what’s important focused us on our most important asset: our employees . . . Eric assisted us in implementing some key tools in our hiring process. We now regularly use his assessment questionnaire for all prospective employees . . . When it comes to planning for future growth, Eric has brought a fresh perspective and a big picture approach in helping us to effectively structure our organization . . . A review of how Herrenkohl Consulting has positively impacted our business would not be complete without mentioning Eric’s ability to listen to two owners (who many times have opposing views) and interpret how best to tackle a current challenge or issue. His communication skills and his ability to get to the heart of a matter make his services a “must” for any owner wanting to take their business to the next level.
Tim and Lori Dreiling
Franchise Owners
Fleet Feet Tulsa
“You did an excellent job of ‘learning rue21’ and weaving that knowledge into your presentation at our national meeting. You showed a sincere interest in listening and learning about our company. And your presentation style engaged the audience even at a difficult time segment in the day. After the program, people highlighted three take-aways they found most helpful:
#1 The “What, Why, How Method’ of communication: People liked this simple model of communication because it is easy to remember and applicable to every day challenges.
#2 ‘Slow Down to Speed Up.’ We must slow down and take the time to train our associates and in order to explain the what, why, and how of their jobs.
#3 ‘Buddy vs. Boss.’ Many of our District Managers are promoted from within. Your explanation of the difference between being a buddy and a boss was very useful for them.
Thank you for your contribution to our meeting – I look forward to working with you in the future.”
Lori Gillin
Director – Store Operations
rue21
“Working with Eric Herrenkohl has gotten me committed to recruiting, which really means disciplining yourself to treat recruiting as a daily endeavor. Recruiting, like any business activity takes time . . . Even ‘little things’ such as putting flyers in bags and proactively approaching people who are high potential leads is generating new candidates. It is one thing to say that you are recruiting; it is another thing to do it!”
Joe Glotzbier, Owner
Fleet Feet Sports
Mahwah, NJ
“This process helped us to clarify the roles and leverage the strengths of every person in our business including ourselves. We now have a clear organizational chart and definition of roles and responsibilities that we can communicate to our staff. This process has helped us move toward the personal and financial goals that motivated us to open our own business. Although we are a small business we can benefit from big business thinking and planning, and we have gotten that in our work with you.”
Russ and Andrea Gunnell, Franchise Owners
Fleet Feet Fayetteville, AR
"It is amazing the questions Eric asks to make you think about ways of how to solve the problems/issues you have and how manageable the solutions seem . . . Eric has helped us at each step and has helped us through the details of our growing and still needing to be organized business. We are still meeting with him (over the phone) to discuss many of these same issues as our business continues to grow and change."
Blaine and Robin Lewis
Franchise Owners
Fleet Feet Roanoke
“As our business steadily grew from a true Mom & Pop enterprise to one with dozens of employees, I feared that my lack of formal education in the areas of business and personnel management would ultimately limit our growth potential. Eric Herrenkohl studied our business and helped us address my three biggest concerns. First, we established a business structure that matches our current size and will grow with us. Second, we implemented long-term career development/retention plans for key employees. Third, we initiated a hiring process that makes use of the latest personnel assessment tools. All have proven effective.”
David Spetnagel, Franchise Owner
Fleet Feet Sports, St. Louis MO
"We worked with Eric Herrenkohl of Herrenkohl Consulting to clarify the organizational structure of Fleet Feet Sacramento and to clarify the roles & goals of each full-time associate. The process gave us clear, near-term goals for the owners and the staff. It helped to remove the ambiguity of how to guide each member of our staff through their career with Fleet Feet. And it helped us to define roles within our company. I also appreciate the process because it helps to create more confident employees who know what responsibilities to focus on and why those responsibilities are important. In the end the process helps employees to develop a greater sense of ownership, and lets them know that the owners care about them and their careers."
Pat Sweeney, Franchise Owner
Fleet Feet Sports, Sacramento CA
“Our business is growing very quickly and we felt the need to evaluate every facet of the business. This evaluation included us and our full time employees. Herrenkohl Consulting provided us with an objective look at ourselves and our employees. They helped us reinforce some of our own thoughts and re-evaluate many of our processes. They also helped us find a tactful means to approach key employees on touchy subjects. We believe that when we complete this process Fleet Feet Huntsville, Dink and Suzanne and all the employees will benefit through more business growth and individual developmental growth.”
Suzanne Taylor, Franchise Owner
Fleet Feet Sports, Huntsville AL