What do you do if your Retail Marketing manager is not meeting their key responsibilities?

First of all, based on its responsibility is to set up a Marketing manager's KPIs. Then we can define if he/she met the KPI or not. Without clear metrics, we cannot say if he/she met our expectations or not.

Dialogue is not two individuals talking, but two people thinking. Creating a safe thinking environment with bucket loads of mutual respect helps me to establish the root cause 9/10 times.

It all starts with a conversation. What are their pain points. Do they know/understand that they are falling short? Do they need more training? More support? What do they need to do their job better? However, as a leader are you being clear on what it is that you need from them? From those answers you can make a plan for more training, more clarification or more direction and perhaps a mentor. See how, in management, can be part of the solution.

Nonsense. It is the marketing Managers job to get the job done. He/she is to blame if their plan isn’t producing the desired result. It is not the job of the staff ( with no expertise) to find solutions. That’s the dumbest thing I ever heard!.

For every position, there is a JD (Job Description) / KPIs and Probation period with goals and targets. * Select the right person for the right position to avoid this kind of situation. * Review the weakness of the Marketing manager and support with marketing tools, Coaching, and Training, and set a timeline for improvement. * Explain the Marketing Manager's company requirement and what is missing from his/ her side. * Where needs focus to improve and let him/ her perform. * Review Performance with all required support. * After giving full support, and required coaching if still no improvement, then tough decision to make as the organization can't bear loss due to the non-performance of the member.

When a marketing manager does not meet his/her KPI then you can coach him/her to find out what are his/her problems. By doing so we will know what makes him not perform as we expected.

Once you've identified the issues, it's crucial to have an open and honest conversation with your manager. This dialogue should be constructive, aiming to understand the reasons behind their performance issues. Perhaps they are overwhelmed, lacking certain skills, or facing unseen obstacles that hinder their success. Regardless, this conversation can provide valuable insights and help establish a mutual understanding of expectations and the support needed to address them.

It should be the result of the coaching process, to set clear goals with SMART criteria. In many cases, unclear goals make a big discrepancy. The SMART stands for: specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound.

Setting clear and SMART goals in collaboration with your retail marketing manager is essential for defining objectives, measuring progress, and fostering development. By establishing goals that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound, you create a roadmap that outlines expectations and provides a framework for assessing performance. SMART goals serve as a clear benchmark for improvement and enable both you and your manager to track progress effectively.

Schedule a meeting. Tell her in advance that it is going to be goals. Be open to her reasons and make her comfortable to speak openly about what is going on. I’ll bet she knows things are going south and has absolutely no idea how to turn it around. It could be a lot of things out of her control. Start a round table discussion of what is really happening. Make sure it is not an attack on her performance or you may not get to the root of the problem. This is a good time to put together an action plan. It should put in place a successful plan that will help sales across the board before the large selling seasons of back to school and Christmas. Schedule another meeting to check progress and make adjustments. This should help all concerned.

After discussing the challenges, work with your retail marketing manager to set clear and achievable goals. These should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART). By setting these objectives, you create a roadmap for your manager's improvement and a way to objectively measure their progress. Don't forget to include milestones that can help maintain motivation and provide opportunities for feedback along the way.

In my experience, the problem of why a marketing manager did not meet his goal is because of a lack of competency. As soon as you confirm this, please do a significant development: mentoring or training to make his knowledge and skills scale up.

Offering support goes beyond just setting goals; you also need to ensure that your manager has the support they need to achieve them. This could involve additional training, mentoring, or redistributing their workload to alleviate stress. By investing in their development, you're not only helping them improve but also demonstrating your commitment to their success. Supportive measures can significantly enhance their ability to meet or even exceed the expectations set for their role.

There’s often elements in the value chain that mean execution is out of the direct control of the RMM. In that case, the manager needs to advocate for the RMM and make connections for the RMM. Ultimately if the business model is broken, you cannot hold the RMM entirely responsible.

Monitoring progress is essential to ensure that the plan you've implemented is working. Schedule regular check-ins to discuss the manager's progress towards the set objectives and address any new challenges that may have arisen. These sessions provide an opportunity to provide feedback, make adjustments to the strategy if necessary, and celebrate successes. Continuous monitoring helps maintain accountability and keep the improvement process on track.

It’s painful. But if all else fails, after all you are running a business. Whatever happens ensure that you follow all due legal process and attempt your make the severance process positive.

If it becomes clear that the retail marketing manager is unable or unwilling to fulfill their key responsibilities despite your best efforts, consider alternative solutions such as reassigning them to a different role within the organization, restructuring their responsibilities, or exploring other options such as termination of employment as a last resort

If, despite all efforts, your retail marketing manager still isn't fulfilling their main responsibilities, it may be time to evaluate other options. This could involve reassigning them to a role better suited to their skills or parting ways if necessary. It's a tough decision, but ultimately, the health of your retail business must come first. Ensure that any transition is handled professionally and with respect to all parties involved.

By working together to establish SMART goals, integrate milestones, and maintain ongoing feedback and communication, you can set the stage for continuous improvement and success in retail marketing operations. This collaborative approach fosters accountability, transparency, and alignment with organizational objectives, ultimately leading to enhanced performance and achievement of shared goals.

JUST Focus on Team Success: Ultimately, prioritize the success of the Retail Marketing team and the achievement of departmental and organizational goals. Take proactive steps to ensure that the team has the support, resources, and leadership necessary to succeed, whether through coaching, training, hiring, or other means.