VOL 2 | ISSUE 5
MAY 2022
FOCUS MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
CEO CORNER PAGE- 1 JEWELRY TRAINING PAGE -2
TEAM HIGHLIGHTS Store Rankings - 3 Top 10 by Sales - 4 New Hires - 5 Employee Promotions- 5 Celebrations - Page 6 Scenes from the Teams -7
LOSS PREVENTION PAGE 8
ANNOUNCEMENTS Upcoming Webinars - Page 9 Promote Protection Plan Page 9
MAY 2022
VOLUME 2 ISSUE 55
MESSAGE FROM THE CEO JOHN THEDFORD
Are you Leader? I recently read a LinkedIn article where the author wrote: “The power of a company with leaders who inspire at every level up and down the organization is hard to overstate. These companies consistently pull off innovative or heroic feats in business because so many of the people who work there are motivated and inspired to make things happen.” In my opinion, this is what all companies should strive for when the goal is to have excellence in every role! One of our core values is excellence in every role and I pose the question, what does that mean to you? Is this something you are achieving with your role within our company? Is this something your Region Leader, Store Manager, or Home Office team is achieving? At Simple Management, our goal is to provide Excellent Support at all levels, and we want you to be motivated by the Excellent Support provided by your Leader (s). How will we achieve this? Behind the scenes, your home office leaders are working diligently to provide you with the tools needed to be excellent in every role. Some of the noted projects include establishing new banking partners, construction projects to help make your store Green and Clean, providing functioning computer hardware, jewelry training, PawnMaster training, and more. You have a support team that is here to help you get to that point of excellence. At the store level, a Region Leader’s job is to provide Store Managers with guidance to help them achieve an exceptional level of excellence with store staff. It is the Store Manager’s job to lead their team to success; is this happening where you are? One of the things a leader does is look in the mirror and ask the question, “what can I do different to make things happen?” And instead of always talking, they listen to input from their team. Listening is hard for some, but listening is one of the best-regarded attributes of a leader; it makes others feel important. Are you listening to your team members? Do you think they feel important? Recently our company participated in a Gallup survey, and although some of the results were very satisfactory as expected, we also identified performance dimensions we need to improve on as an organization. Knowing this, I have challenged all of us here at the Orlando Support Center to figure out ways to improve communication(s), get tasks completed quicker, and follow up when listening to what our field team members have to say. My challenge to all of us for this month is work on being a great leader for all our teams throughout the company. Listen, communicate, and inspire! In closing, I congratulate our stores, as last month was one the best months in our history! Keep inspiring!
All the best.
JEWELRY TRAINING
When you focus on features, your customer will focus on price! They will ask for your business card and price shop everywhere until they find the same features for the lowest price. When you focus on benefits, your customer becomes emotionally involved with the item and price becomes secondary. Anytime you mention a feature, you should always follow it up with the benefit that the feature provides. A customer will buy when you have demonstrated that the benefit of owning the item outweighs the amount of money they have to spend and that their purchase will satisfy their needs, wants and desires. By asking the customer questions, you can determine what features will meet their needs. By emphasizing benefits, you motivate them to buy. Statements such as: “Picture the look on her face when you give her this rock!” “What will your friends and family say when you give her this beautiful engagement ring?” “Imagine what the guys will say when you have them over this weekend to watch the game on this big screen tv!”
Using this sales technique will turn non-emotional “lookers” into emotional buyers that are willing to pay a fair price to get what they want! It’s all about selling the benefits, not the features.
Greg Weiss Director of Jewelry Training
MAY 2022
VOL. 2 ISSUE 5
STORE RANKINGS APRIL 2022 TOP 3 STORES IN NET REVENUE vs. BUDGET
39 % Mandeville, Jamaica
$9,905
18%
$7,968
Poinciana, FL
14% Portmore, Jamaica
LAYAWAY BALANCE AND DEPOSIT TOP 10 - APRIL 2022
$4,021
GOOGLE REVIEWS TOP 10
1
George Town, Cayman
$348,275
1
Florida, Kissimmee
719
2
Florida, Kissimmee
$315,288
2
Florida, St. Cloud
648
3
Florida, Poinciana
$174,280
3
Florida, Poinciana
398
4
Florida, St Cloud
$173,569
4
Barbados, Bridgetown
403
5
Bahamas, Freeport
$168,993
5
6
Bahamas, Nassau
7
Barbados, Oistins
8
Antigua, St Johns
Jamaica, Kingston
373
6
Jamaica, Montego Bay
354
$101,294
7
Jamaica, May Pen
255
$91,174
8
Barbados, Oistins
240
Grenada, St George's
231
Bahamas, Freeport
157
$105,598
9
Barbados, Bridgetown
$79,155
9
10
Dominica, Roseau
$78,320
10
BY SALES Ricardo Maldonado Kissimmee, FL $67,562
Deandrea Rahming Nassau, Bahamas $27,876
Austin Reyes
Kevin Ramos Olmeda
St. Cloud, FL $46,392
Kissimmee, FL $26,298
Ruben Parra Kissimmee, FL $44,301
Steven Gainey
Wilmar Mazo
Yanique Spence
St Cloud, FL $34,076
Montego Bay, Jamaica $22,049
Josue Santiago
Martita Rodriquez
Poinciana, FL $33,959
Poinciana, FL $21,766
New Symnra, FL $23,760
MAY 2022
VOL. 2 ISSUE 5
WELCOME ABOARD Say Hello to the Newest Members of the Team!
TASHAGAYE HINES SALES ASSOCIATE MONTEGO BAY, JAMAICA
CASSINQUE OLIVER SALES ASSOCIATE FREEPORT, BAHAMAS
PELECANOS MCINTOSH ASSISTANT MANAGER IN TRAINING FREEPORT, BAHAMAS
We are pleased to announce the promotion of two team members who currently live and work in the Islands. Effective immediately, please note the following: Samantha Miller is our new Human Resources Generalist for all stores within the Caribbean and supports the US Stores Regional where necessary. Chyna Broderick is our new Senior Recruiting Coordinator for all stores outside the US. These two Team Members bring excellent background and experience to their new positions. Sam and Chyna will handle all things HR/Recruiting for stores outside the US going forward with my support, so please keep them in the loop regarding all such matters. Additionally, Sam will assist the US stores going forward. Our collective goal is for HR to be a complete support department while making work easier for everyone in our stores. to all recently promoted Team Add a subheadingBest wishes Add a subheading Members.
Kind Regards,
David Johns
LIANNA BELL VARGAS DANIELLE GRANT ASSISTANT MANAGER ADMINISTRATIVE Add a subheading Add a subheading COORDINATOR
MAY 2022
VOL. 2 ISSUE 5
CELEBRATIONS SERVICE ANNIVERSARIES Heidi Newman Mandeville, Jamaica May 17 - 1 Year
Valecia Campbell Mandeville, Jamaica May 17 - 1 Year
Shavet Stone May Pen, Jamaica May 20 - 3 Years
Kerwin Boxill Cayman Islands May 21 - 4 Years
Tannasha McNab Portmore, Jamaica May 22 - 5 Years
Sherra Newton Roseau, Dominica May 26 - 7 Years
Athaton Daniel Roseau, Dominica May 26 - 7 Years
BIRTHDAYS Austin Reyes- May 1 Margaret Oyola- May 2
Shameka Allen - May 9 Nyoka Blake - May 11 Elrico Frederick - May 11 Jackie Garcia - May 17 Cargill Brown - May 23 Debbie Smith - May 27
MAY 2022
VOL. 2 ISSUE 5
SCENES FROM OUR TEAMS
Greg making his rounds! Team Nassau is always excited to be part of his training sessions. Can you guess where he'll be next?
Team TCI is all set for their Mother's Day promotion!
Birthdays are a big deal! Stephanie of New Smyrna Beach, celebrated her birthday this month.
Our CEO and HR Generalist during catching up at April Region Leader's meeting held in Orlando.
The leadership team of Jamaica posed for a photo op at their annual managers' retreat,
MAY 2022
VOL. 2 ISSUE 5
LOSS PREVENTION TIPS The Official Newsletter of Whimson International, Inc.
by Jennifer Kanistras There is something about Spring that makes people happy, but it also brings out criminals. Every year in May and June, there is always an increase of smash and grabs and robberies in our stores, so how can we be proactive to help prevent these things from happening, be aware! Increased awareness in jewelry handling, opening, and closing the store, how you handle cash, and showing customers merchandise; it all starts with you. The following are some tips to help keep you and your team safe while working in our stores: 1. Always greet customers when they enter the store, come out from behind the loan counter and interact with them; not only is it good customer service, but it also lets them know you are watching them. 2. When showing jewelry items, get the customer's photo ID and verify it is the customer, and then place the ID in a place they can not grab it. The policy is to only show one piece of jewelry at a time unless it is an item and a complimentary piece such as a chain and charm. 3. For US employees, when showing firearms, only show one firearm at a time and never leave one on the counter. 4. Always enter and exit the store with a team member. No employee should ever be in the store alone. 5. When taking cash out of the drawer, always close the drawer after the cash is removed. 6. Partner with local law enforcement to drive by or visit your store periodically. 7. Clean all video camera lenses and ensure your DVRs are working properly. 8. Ensure all alarms are functioning properly. These are just a few simple things you can do to keep your team safe and protect our assets. It is always important to be aware.
ANNOUNCEMENTS MAY'S WEBINARS MAY 2ND- WHERE EVERYTHING BEGINS MAY 9TH – TIPS ON TESTING MERCHANDISE MAY 16TH-- HOW TO BOOST YOUR BBO’S MAY 23RD – LOAN STANDARD #5 MAY 30TH- CIRCLE OF THE SALE
Don't Forget to Offer Our Simple Protection Plan General Merchandise Six (6) months of worry-free protection In-store replacement or store credit 100% trade in value for an upgraded item Many exchange options if the item stops working
Jewelry Protection Free cleaning and polishing 100% trade in value First sizing free (one size up or down) 50% off standard jewelry repair rates
MAY 2022
OUR VISION To be the largest and most profitable chain of pawn stores in the world. PURPOSE
Best at whatever we do; because our family, customers, community, & company deserve it. CORE VALUES
Great Teams Excellence in Every Role Green and Clean Open Culture of Trust and Accountability Celebrate Our Accomplishments
VOL. 2 ISSUE 5
Your Corporate Support Team John Thedford - CEO Gethin Huckle - CFO Alison Verni - Controller Joe Genovese- VP of Operations David Johns - VP of HR Jennifer Kanistras- Auditor Jackie Garcia - Training Coordinator Nanci Wynn - Accountant Leslie Matthews - Payroll Accountant Debbie Smith - Bookkeeper Samantha Miller -Human Resources Generalist
Corporate Office 625 Main Street Windermere Florida, 34786 +1 321. 424. 5919