Learning to Lead
Leadership, like salesmanship, is something that can be learned. School yourself to demonstrate leadership in dealing with your sales people, in such ways as these:
- Share your enthusiasm for the merchandise, for the upcoming promotion, for the fine results of the previous week, for the ads and windows given to your department.
- Set an example. Dress, speak, and in all ways conduct yourself as you would like them to do.
- Praise good performance. Even in such routine tasks as straightening stock, making counts, and keeping a department neat. People appreciate being noticed when they have done a good job.
- Criticize and correct in private. It's often necessary to correct errors, to check failures to obey rules, to point out flaws in people's work. Do this in private, to save face and avoid hurt feelings. This is an old rule, but often forgotten in the exasperation of the moment. A sharp word to an employee in public is humiliating, and a cause of disaffection.
- Pitch in. Don't pass a messy display, a littered floor, or a helter-skelter section of stock without stopping to tidy it up. Your participation in such work underscores its importance. But do the job in a good-humored way, so that you seem to be helping, rather than deliberately pointing out neglect.
- Let people know what is expected of them. What do you consider good selling? Big book? Multiple sales? Helping the customer to accessorize her outfit? Building personal followings? Reporting wants, outs, slow starters? Spell it out for your people.
- Let people know how they're doing. Without waiting for formal reviews, tell people what they do well and where they can improve.
- Assign responsibility - and let it stay assigned. If a salesperson is to check a certain portion of the stock regularly, for example, make sure she actually does check it. Refer all questions about that stock to her, if possible. Let her see that you depend upon her for this aspect of the department's work.
- Recognize ability. This means trying to groom and recommend for promotion those who seem capable of it. It also means com mending and, if possible, rewarding those whose only goal is selling, and who appreciate being recognized as good sales women.
- Remember that you represent management. Management's policies pass through you to your people. Your people's suggestions and complaints pass through you to management. Avoid appearing to criticize store policies or regulations. Avoid criticizing or belittling your people to management.
- Invite cooperation. Let salespeople know that you want and appreciate the help they give in reporting stock conditions, and customer attitudes, and that you are always open to their suggestions.
Your primary responsibility in the training of salespeople is to give them the facts about the merchandise and what benefits it will bring to the customer. Your store's training department indoctrinates your new people in store system, and undoubtedly there are sponsors in the department to help them through the first few days.
The fashion story — whether or not your store's fashion coordinator makes forecasts and presentations to the salespeople, you are responsible for seeing that the selling staff knows the fashion picture from week to week, and how your merchandise fits in with over-all trends and looks.
This includes coordination - pointing out to the salespeople what merchandise from what other departments is needed to complete the look of which your own goods are a part. Good displays require this accessorizing. But you can't show every possibility, so suggestions like these can be made by the salespeople; "This neckline needs an ascot in a brilliant color. There are some beauties on the main floor. Almost any color goes with these neutrals. With blacks, the more brilliant the scarves the better this year." Or: "These dresses make a wonderful background for jewelry.
One of those big pins in the side window would look just right here, or here."
First, you must know. Then the salespeople must know, from you,
- The product story. Quality points; features that make the goods unique; easy-care features; workmanship; special cautions as to use; terminology and trademarks. How to fold the merchandise. How to wear convertible collars, push-up sleeves; buttons that should or shouldn't be used. Matters of fit and size. Even proper pronunciation of French - without self-consciousness -and other fashion terms used in describing the goods.
- Above all, the romance of the merchandise. The designer's name and status; the probable source of inspiration for the styles; descriptions of unusual methods used in producing the goods; bits of history and custom that are reflected in details of the style; any other facts that make the merchandise interesting and make the salesperson feel like an authority.
- Especially and always - the reasons why you bought the merchandise and why you think customers will buy it - what it will do for them. If the merchandise made your "spine tingle" (Walter Hoving's memorable phrase) in the producer's showroom, see if you can't evoke some spine tingles in your salespeople, too. Fashion salesmanship is nine-tenths enthusiasm and information. But sometimes, even though you transmit a great deal of both to your salespeople, you observe faults in the way they handle customers. In individual cases, you and your assistant can coach and correct those who need such help.
Reaping the Rewards
One of the best investments you can make in your own future is to learn how to reach and teach your salespeople. There is no better way to sell fashion than through well motivated, well informed sales people. Through them, you project your fashion message to your customers. Through them, you get your selling message to your customers. From them, you get fresh, day-to-day observations of customer reactions and of the condition of your stock.