diagnois of Aaron
..., the sales department must be able to sale an item in order to keep the store customer balance. In addition, the delivery department, which is under the sales department, must be informed so they may include the repossession in their schedule. The General Manager plays an important role in this scenario. He/She must help decide between which customers must be repossessed in order to maximize revenue, and which customers we can work with and still get this months revenue. In some cases, the value of an item or items that a customer has dictates if a situation can be resolved without repossession. For instance, if the customer has paid one fourth of the agreement on a new item, then the value of that item has come down and you can probably work out an extension of payment. If a customer is a first payment default or has not paid at least on fourth of the lease agreement, he or she will be more likely to have the item repossessed because the value of the item has not gone down yet. Another aspect to consider is the relationships between departmental personnel. As an Aaron’s employee, you are required to cross-train in other departments within a store. This allows you to get the basics of other jobs within the store and it also teaches you to respect the jobs of the other employees. It also gets you an inside track of learning the jobs of the departmental managers and the General Manager. Rewards. Aaron’s Sales and Lease provides its employees with a good benefits package at the time of employment. This package includes: 401K plan, direct deposit, vacation, referral bonus, paid holidays, incentive bonuses, sick pay, tuition reimbursement, group medical/dental coverage, life insurance/accidental death and dismemberment, and ongoing classroom and on-the-job training. Along with the formal rewards, there are several informal rewards for working at Aaron’s Sales and Lease. The first would be the pleasure I get when I see a customer pay their last payment on an agreement. The satisfaction of knowing you helped a person purchase an item that they could not otherwise afford and are proud of that item. Next would be just talking to different people on a daily basis. I love to talk with people with different ideas, levels of education, and objectives in life. Talking to people of all walks of life gives me a better understanding of people and life in general. Aaron’s also allows for employee discounts on new merchandise. After sixty days with the company, employees may purchase items from Aaron’s at cost plus shipping if item is not in store where the employee works. The employee may choose to payroll deduct the cost of the item over a six month period per item. The greatest reward for me would be the chance for advancement. Aaron’s promotes from within. Every General Manager in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area has been promoted from a department within the company. The chance of advancement is very high at Aaron’s. With over 900 stores open within the United States, you only have to wait for an opening when you are ready to take on the job of General Manager. Leadership. Aaron’s practices an open system of leadership. Although there is a very systematic way of the day-to-day operations, employees are empowered to make decisions about their work. This is very critical when dealing with customers inside the home. A customer accounts representative must be have the power to grant an extension for payment or call in for a repossession when contact is made with the customer at their residence. Also sales representatives have the power to discount items up to thirty percent before they loose a sale. On deliveries, the delivery person has the last say on whether a customer actually receives the merchandise or not. There can be many reasons way an item should not be delivered and an instant decision must be made without having to call the store for the decision. Aaron’s prides itself on hiring people who love to think on their feet. They want individuals who are not happy unless they are doing ten things at once and will not settle for second best. Aaron’s realizes that in order to keep good employees, the employees must have a good reason to stay. Enabling the employees to take ownership of their job and make critical decisions helps those employees grow in the job and the company. Couple this with the cross training mentioned above, an employee is on a straight path to securing a General Managers position. Helpful Mechanisms. At Aaron’ Sales and Lease, the computer network is a great tool. It enables stores to talk to one another via e-mail, see each other’s inventory, and see each other’s profit margins. Store to store communication is important especially in metropolis areas. In many cases, customers may overlap, getting items from two different stores. Aaron’s computer network alerts employees when a social security numbe...