What it Takes to Be an Effective Retail Sales Manager

Having worked in the retail industry for many years with over 10 years experience as a retail sales manager, I have written this article to share my experience with those of you who may be interested in learning how to become an effective retail sales manager.

First and foremost to be an effective retail sales manager you should have outstanding etiquette. You have accepted a position as a representative for your employer's business. It is very important that you conduct yourself in a professional manner at all times. Responsibility is mandatory. Most often you will be the one responsible for all aspects of operations. This can include staffing, inventory, sales, and reports; these may be just a few of your responsibilities.

The type of industry you have chosen to work in is the customer service industry; therefore, excellent public relation skills are essential to becoming an effective retail sales manager. As a retail sales manager much of your time is devoted to customer service. It is necessary to familiarize and educate yourself in regards to the products you sell. Have you ever asked about a product and the sales person stumbled over their words trying to explain something they obviously knew very little about or, worse yet, referred you to another sales person? Well as the retail sales manager this would not be acceptable. You should be able to offer knowledgeable answers to their questions or have a quick means of retrieving the information.

Retail sales is a very competitive business and customer satisfaction is vital in this industry. Put quite simply, if the customer is not satisfied they will take their business elsewhere. You may think, well it's only one customer. Not so, when a customer is disgruntled they may share their dissatisfaction with friends, family, co-workers and even go so far as to report it to the Better Business Bureau. This could result in the loss of sales, which lowers revenue and could potentially cause the loss of jobs, yours being one of them. How effective is this? I follow the motto: Treat others as you expect to be treated. Although you are a retail sales manager, remember you too are also a consumer.

Although being a retail sales manager can be trying at times, and some customers can be extremely difficult if not irate, it is still your job to do the best you can to turn the situation around from a negative to a positive one. It helps to remember that most likely this has nothing to do with you. The customer may have had a bad experience elsewhere or are just having a bad day in general. These are some suggestions for diffusing a bad situation that have helped me through the years: As a retail sales manager do your best to be a good listener, let them know that what they have to say is very important to you. Give them your full attention and do not interrupt them while they are talking. Let them explain and when they are finished offer your help. Smile when appropriate and show concern if necessary. If you know their first name, use it when speaking to the; this makes the situation less formal and is a proven tactic commonly taught in the sales industry. It really works. For some reason hearing our name can be comforting and puts us at ease. It is important to realize there are many more nice customers than there are difficult ones. Every retail sales manager in the industry at one time or another will have crossed paths with that one individual that could not be satisfied no matter how hard they may have tried. Unfortunately it happens and the only satisfaction at this point is knowing you did everything you could to try and remedy the situation.

When it comes to employees, as the retail sales manager - lead by example. Your actions do speak louder than words. Be an authority figure, not a boss. Remember to treat your employees with respect, after all isn't this what you expect from your employer as well? Think about how you word things. For example: "Go stalk those shelves" versus "Can I get you to stalk the shelves?" Which would you rather hear? Suggestions will get things done much quicker than throwing around orders. Also, don't forget your manners; "please" and "thank you" go a long way. Don't be afraid to delegate; this was very hard for me when I first became a retail sales manager. I was afraid certain tasks wouldn't get done right, so I tried to do it all myself. This is a bad idea. Not only does it wear you down, it adds unnecessary stress. As their retail sales manager, show your employees you have faith in them and they will not only help lighten the load but have a chance to learn a new skill or skills that can also benefit them in the future. Never forget you are all a team striving for the same thing and, it's true, happy employees are productive employees. We all need a pat on the back sometimes, so keep the morale up and watch as the sales climb.

If you incorporate these ideas and suggestions you will build a solid foundation and repeat business from your customers. You will have strong, respectful and productive employees, a very pleased employer and, best of all, you will have become an effective retail sales manager.