Retail Person

The Store Level Operations are one part and without a retail representative that willing enough to enhance the whole ambience, it just a waste of time, money & effort. What I mean is the experience that being deliver by the retail representative.

From what I see, most of the retail representatives like to look at the customers from top to toe, just to check whether the customers are having big fat wallet full of cash or some big shot. They will find a sign or clues the customers are worth enough to be serve and if they found it, the customers will be entertain and serve. If not it is just a simple greetings and leave the customers wondering around clueless of the products.

Don’t forget, we also a customer or consumer when buying & selling take place. Is this what we want when we enter a shop/store? Let say if we don’t have the money or even the platinum plastic card, are we not able to be entertained and serve? Is only when you want to purchase the product then you can feel the shopping experience?

Anyway, it doesn’t mean the customers are dumb or not up to date. As for today, all the information is at the touch of finger tips making the customers and consumers getting more knowledgeable. I do believe up to certain points, even the retail representative are outdated. The speed or information nowadays is surprisingly outstanding and with just one click, the whole world knew what’s happening.

No matter what type of concept the retailers bring in, whatever hype or vibe created, it would not be happening if the retail representative not delivering it to every level of customers. As I long involved in retailing, developing a retail representative is crucial as they are the back bone of a retailer.

What I’m doing currently is a mix of Self Development and Retail Training as I believe it would enhance the person’s skills and talent. Although not professionally trained or given any proper guidance I manage to create my own training module base on the list of needed skills. With own effort and initiative I do my own research, browsing online & offline gathering information, seek for advise and do some argument with certain friends.

The Base Skills.

A skill is the learned ability to carry out pre-determined results often with the minimum outlay of time, energy or both. In other words the abilities that one possesses.

• 1.       Active Listening Skills
• 2.       Effective Communication Skills
• 3.       People Skills

The hardest part is to create awareness how important this skills is and the end results. Anyway, I manage to execute the training although it is not perfect but the end results shown the effectiveness, the personal sales increase & maintain, shop sales target are reached & the staff are well equipped. The results may be varying depending on the person’s acceptance and conditions.

I firmly believe this is what a retail company should do in return of demanding sales target they can also enhance the staff skills and talents for present and future. Both are in a WIN-WIN situation.