Before starting a career as an RSA in the retail floor covering industry, there were some things I wish I knew beforehand—first and foremost the value of organizational clarity. Strategic anchors are the main X factors in determining how we will succeed. We place a high priority on the needs of our team members, coaching them to be their best selves. We create unique, personalized, memorable and repeatable experiences, adding massive value to our guests and thus opening up an opportunity to serve them in the future. We eliminate waste by improving processes, which will allow us to be profitable and invest in the business.
In this respect, understanding the processes and principles surrounding “extreme ownership” can amount to long-term success on the sales floor. The leader bears full responsibility for explaining the strategic mission, developing the tactics and securing the training and resources to enable the team to properly and successfully execute the mission. Leaders must face the facts through a realistic and honest assessment of themselves and their team’s performance. Identifying weaknesses, good leaders seek to strengthen them and come up with a plan to overcome challenges. It all starts with the individual and spreads to each team member until this becomes the standard.
In order to convince and inspire others to follow and accomplish a mission, an RSA must be a true believer in the mission. If a retail sales associate does not believe in what they’re selling, he or she will not be able to convince others to do so—or consumers to buy, for that matter. When RSAs receive an order that they question and do not understand, they must ask why?
In order to excel in sales—or in business and life—it’s also important for RSAs to check their ego. Ego clouds and disrupts everything—the planning process, the ability to take good advice as well as accept constructive criticism. Many times the most difficult ego to deal with is one’s own. When personal agendas become more important than the team and the overarching mission, performance suffers and failure usually ensues.
Oftentimes, when smaller teams within the team get so focused on the immediate task and personal sales goals, they forget about what others are doing or how they can support other teams. They may start to compete with one another and when there are obstacles animosity rears its head. It falls on the leaders to keep perspective on the overall team’s strategic mission and remind their team that they are a part of a greater team and that the strategic mission is paramount.
The best piece of advice for managers in charge of training or mentoring RSAs is to keep things simple. When objectives or processes are too complicated, people may not understand them. When things go wrong complexity compounds issues that can spiral out of control. Even the best RSAs can be overwhelmed if they try to tackle multiple problems without the proper support or perspective. To ensure success, RSAs must determine the highest priority task and execute accordingly.
Bear in mind there is no 100% “right” solution. An RSA needs to assess each scenario and make decisions accordingly. Intelligence gathering and research must be employed with realistic expectations and must not impede one’s ability to make swift but educated decisions.
Jordan Garcia is a former retail sales associate for a major national flooring chain. During his career in retail, he developed essential customer service skills by leveraging consumer psychology.
