What motivates the retail professional? Is it the desire to serve the customer? Is it the ability to use a variety of sales techniques to showcase the product to its best advantage? Is it the need to be at the top of the competitive heap within an industry? Is it the opportunity to increase personal income through improving standards of excellence? Is it the contribution to the community at large by providing a quality resource?
Professional expertise is a finessed balance of product knowledge, sales techniques, customer relationships, organizational growth, continuing training and education and the employment of the highest ethical ideals sustained over time. It’s comparable to the highest quality gem: if one of the facets is imperfect, the value of the total jewel is diminished!
Investing in your personal proficiency in each of these components enhances your value to your customer, your company, your community and your industry. Naturally, as your value increases, so does the potential for your income and personal satisfaction to increase.
So, where are your strengths and weaknesses on the continuum of Professionalism?
- Do you relate well with every individual who enters your store? Can you cultivate a friend with a variety of personalities? Is it easy for you to empathize with the viewpoint of your customer?
- Do you know all of the aspects of each of your products? All of the features and benefits? All the aspects of the fabrication processes? The companies and their reputations?
- Do you have a large and varied collection of sales skills to tailor your service to the needs of your customer? Can you recognize the signals from each customer that the sales process is progressing through each phase?
- Does your company have requirements to ensure the greatest satisfaction for your customer? Do you follow all of those policies carefully to build the best client relationships possible?
- Are you the team member that every company desires and nurtures to enable the greatest value for the customer, the employees and the health of the company?
- Do you actively contribute your talents to the community?
- What organizations within the industry do you support?
- Are your personal standards and life choices of the highest ethical level? Are you motivated by the desire to serve, the integrity to provide value to your customer, your company, your community and your industry as a whole?
Your ability and desire to honestly assess your own levels of expertise and then investigate the next steps to tend to your personal and professional development create the atmosphere for success. Following up on those next steps bring the intention of accomplishment into focus and completion of the plan equates to excellence achieved by few!
“Change and growth take place when a person has risked himself and dares to become involved with experimenting with his own life.” – Herbert A. Otto, Psychologist and Author.
Author, trainer, consultant, and speaker Brad Huisken is President of IAS Training. Huisken has authored several books and training manuals on sales and produces a Weekly Sales Training Meeting video series along with Aptitude Tests and Proficiency Exams for new hires, current sales staff and sales managers. In addition, he publishes a free weekly newsletter called “Sales Insight” For a free subscription or more information contact IAS Training at 800-248-7703 or info@iastraining.com. Visit his website at www.iastraining.com.
