business and economics professioanl practice

As the retail sales manager of two London stores, I was engaged in passport operations. I provided customer support by participating in face-to-face transactions and training my sales agents on how to produce the highest sales results by inspiring them. I was in charge of logistics, which included making sure the supplies were properly stored and distributed. I was also in charge of ensuring that deadlines set within a certain time span were met within that time frame.

Being a retail sales manager required me to learn the right qualifications for the role. To be able to effectively engage in face to face sales, I had to acquire product knowledge. This was very helpful in cases where a customer wanted to know more about the product and how it functions. I engaged in research about the products we sold. Learning how to use positive language also facilitated my face to face conversations. For instance, in a case where a customer needed a product that was out of the sale, I had to politely ask them to make an order, and under my supervision, I would ensure that the order was delivered at the required time. I learned how to make use of clear communication skills. I ensured that what I communicated was simple, clear and straight to the point. I ensured that I had good eye contact and body movement to increase customer confidence in me, and the product I was promoting. I was very attentive and always anticipated the needs of my customers. This helped me avoid making mistakes. I learned to be patient while dealing with a customer. This is because there are customers who take time to give information concerning a product of their preference. I learned the concept of great service instead of fast service to a customer.

To achieve the best logistics, I had to be a good planner. I ensured that I planned. This was very helpful in preventing any possible breakdown in a supply chain. It also contributed to eliminating any possible delays in the supply chain. I also ensured that I was not overconfident and through this, I was able to give an allowance that a mistake might come up. I had contingency plans in order. I ensured that I did not panic in situations where things did not go as expected. I learned to learn from any possible mistakes I might have made during operating logistics.

I ensured that the targets I set were specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely. By specific, they had to be clear to anyone who is part of achieving them.To ensure that they were realistic and measurable, I set goals that could be obtained. For them to be realistic, I had to consider available resources that facilitate the process. To ensure that they were timely, I set a reasonable time frame for achieving the goals.

I coached my employees technically and mentally by ensuring that they were always motivated. I always ensured that I taught them how to be a good salesperson and recognized good work achieved by employees. I ensured that the management rewarded productive salespersons.

Part B: Professionalism

Networking

Networking in Business is an important means that business may adopt to increase knowledge, learn from other people's success, acquire new clients as well as inform other people concerning business. It takes time and drives to achieve success in business. It is therefore important for organizations to associate with people who give them the energy to keep on moving. Once a business is surrounded by people who have a common ambition, the possibility of moving forward as a group turns to reality (Atteron, 2007). Business networking is a great means of having new clients and building a business which is sustainable.

Several methods exist for networking. An old means of networking is going to industry events and conferences. An organization should feel the need to send some of their members to the events since they act as a source of a break from normal duties. By meeting people face to face, lasting impressions are created in the minds of the people one meets, since at the end of the day, what counts is the kind of people one can meet(Menzies, 2017). After a networking event, businesses should ensure that they remain connected to the people they come in contact with. It is important to carry along business cards to send emails to the new people. Emails on discussions the business representatives of an organization had with new contacts should be sent as soon as possible while the discussion is still fresh in their minds.

Social networking is a recent method for interacting. It has brought great change to how businesses interact. Social sites such as LinkedIn facilitate making new business contacts. It also helps the business keep in touch with old contacts. Businesses can join groups relevant to their field where they begin discussions and share information through posts. A business should have the know-how of current affairs and be consistent in such platforms since it makes it easy for contacts to remember the business.

Networking increases businesses through referrals. A major reason why owners of a business choose to engage in networking is to look for referrals. Most of the referrals a business acquires from networking are usually of high quality. The business then makes follow-ups on the referrals and eventually turn them into clients.

A business may get good advice from networking. When businesses owners interact with other business owners with similar minds, they share ideas. This might be an opportunity for a business to gain advice on issues related to business. The advice is given from what other businesses have been through helps businesses to shape its structure.

Businesses that participate in networking raise their profiles. People get to know more about them. The reputation of a business is built especially where people consider the business reliable and efficient.

Once a person interacts with someone they do not know they acquire more confidence. This is an important aspect of business growth since a business depends on making connections. With confidence, one can grow and be able to make lasting connections with other people in the business field.

Networking is relevant to my career goals in that it teaches me to develop skills that will enable me on the skills of networking that I already possess.

Teamwork

Teamwork refers to a process of working in collaboration with many people, especially a group to achieve a common goal. It is important in the business environment since it gives the people working in business the chance to know more about each other and be able to work together.

Teamwork increases efficiency in the business environment. While working as part of a team, the goal set to be achieved is usually common for every team member. This means more hand for the job hence efficiency. For instance, in a case where a challenge arises, more people are usually available to solve the issue. Several team members also enable a job to be performed quickly, especially in cases where responsibilities are shared (Ghaferi, 2016). When a business encourages teamwork, they can take on extra pieces of work. This generates more revenue for the businesses even when more staff is not hired.

Ideas are generated when people work in a team. Discussions conducted in a team often facilitate generation of ideas. When ideas are run by each other, it is much easier to be creative as compared to when an individual is working alone. An effective team environment makes it possible for members to feel comfortable when giving suggestions (Tseng, 2015). When individuals are working alone, they may tend to present safer ideas as opposed to a team environment. In a team environment, creative ideas are welcomed. Optimal solutions are created in a team when people from different backgrounds and experience come together.

Working in a team gives the members a learning experience. The projects carried out are meant to encourage professional development. It may occur consciously when one is in a meeting, or one may learn without even realizing. It is possible for a team member to learn from the knowledge of another member of a team. As a result, capabilities improve. Team members’ knowledge and confidence increases. This helps in improving attitude and job satisfaction.

Engaging in teamwork enhances communication skills of team members. Teamwork activities such as coming together to discuss a project require that team members engage in verbal and written communication. Also, when each team member participates in a discussion, they end up knowing more about the topic. Everyone is therefore on the same page, and a project is safely completed. This is a good sign for any business.

While working in a team to achieve a common goal, work is shared by the team members. They, therefore, assist and lift each other. There are employees who have more capability than others, but when the workload is shared, it becomes easier to perform work within a specified period. As a result, a business can meet deadlines they have set. Part of my career goal is to offer and receive support from others whenever it's necessary. Teamwork supports the goal.

Teamwork is relevant to my career goals since it teaches me the importance of relying on and working with one another. It emphasizes the importance of creating a good relationship with those I am in the same field with.

Part C: Job Acquisition

The job role I select is that of a sales manager. The job specifications of a sales manager are the following: A sales manager should be able to motivate employees, maintain clear records of sales made and products of a company, he should support his team of sales employees, have a good relationship with clients, facilitate training of employees and practice promotion of brands.

In the table below, the required and desirable characteristics of a sales manager are listed.

Job role

Required and desirable characteristics

Sales manager

motivates employees

maintains clear records

supports the sales team

maintains and improves the relationship with clients

Ensures that sales team is trained

Brand promotion

Of the required and desirable characteristics, I was able to gain some of the skills from my previous work as a retails manager. They are the ability to motivate employees, the ability to maintain and improve the relationship with clients and the ability to support the sales team. The skills I still need to work on to match the role of a sales manager are brand promotion, ensuring that a team is well trained and clear maintenance of records. To be able to work on the skills I will participate in school activities. To be a good brand promoter, I will participate in promotional activities; I will attend training sessions and acquire skills of training from our trainers. I will also volunteer in the school library to acquire skills of record keeping.

Lastly, the recruitment process of a sales manager is explained from the time the job requirement assessment is done to the time the new employee is inducted. I have also explained how I intend to prepare for the recruitment process of a sales manager.

I learned to motivate employees from my previous job as a retails sales manager. This was achieved by establishing clear communication with them. I frequently communicated with them in face to face conversations. I avoided using newsletters, and in cases where I made use of newsletter, I always called for a meeting to clarify what is in the newsletter. As a result, my sales agents felt appreciated.

I was also a good example to my subordinates. I knew that for them to behave appropriately, I had to be the one who did it first. I exhibited a sense of excitement for the goals of the two shops, and as a result, my employees got on board to ensure that the goals were achieved.

I empowered my sales agents by giving them a chance to have a say in how they perform their work responsibilities. I always asked for suggestions on how they may improve their performance. Employee reviews were particularly helpful. I also gave the sales agents the authority to make their personal decisions. For instance, I would let them give service to a client without having to seek my approval.

I also offered incentives as a way of boosting their motivation. They did not have to be expensive. For instance, I offered incentives, tickets to movies and gift cards. This made the employees feel appreciated.

To be able to maintain and improve my relationship with clients, I established clear contracts with them. This was important since it established what my roles as a retail manager were.

I took my time to know my clients and their interests. This made it easier to suggest new products in the market. I was always there to help a client whenever they needed assistance.

However, there are skills that I still need to acquire to suit the position of a sales manager.

I intend to acquire the skill o brand promotion. I will engage in promotional activities in school. For instance, I will engage in promoting a certain club’s activities. This will help improve my promotion abilities since I will get to meet people. Good brand recognition requires that people see the person promoting a certain brand (Johnston, 2016). I will engage in the advertisement of a club's activities in major school events such as prize giving day graduation day and sports day.

I also need to learn how to maintain records. To be able to maintain records, I will volunteer to work in the library. In so doing, I will learn to be responsible for knowing how a list of available items are made, how to make a list of books which have been borrowed, keep a list of borrowed books and books which are yet to be returned. I will come up with a file plan where I will ensure that different files are used for different purposes. This is an important aspect of record keeping since it helps avoid confusion and misplacement for documents (De Coninck, 2015). Lastly, I will acquire training skills by attending training sessions related to my career in school. I will gain by being trained in various aspects of sales managing. I will also gain by studying the skills that the trainer has that will help me train my sales team in future.

Process of recruiting a sales manager

Assessing the job requirement

To recruit a manager, the current team should be analyzed to see if they are being utilized to full potential (Breaugh, 2017). It is important to establish that additional people are required for the company. The organization then creates a new position.

Developing a description of the position

A job description is developed. It should contain a description of characteristics that match up with a required candidate. The description is used to facilitate the development of interview questions and good evaluation.

Attracting the appropriate talent for the job

An organization attracts the right talent for the job by posting a job position on various platforms such as the internet. They may also advertise the job in business magazines and business website.

Screening of candidates

The best curriculum vitae are selected from the numerous applications. Candidates who are under qualified are removed at this stage. The first preference is given to referral candidates in most cases. They have to be qualified. The second preference is given to candidates who made application through various portals.

Choosing the right applicants

Selection is made to ensure that the right candidates are chosen for the job. Out of the numerous screened curriculum vitae, those that match the sales profile are selected. These are candidates who understand objectives, strategies and how sales department operates.

Interview

Next comes in an arrangement of interviews depending on the convenience of interviewers and candidates. The date is set for each subsection of interviews. First, the preliminary interview is conducted, selection test, employment interview and then the background check.

Negotiation and selection

Salary is negotiated depending on standards for the business and the prospective employee. It may be hard to prove that a candidate deserves a certain amount of salary since they have not proved their performance to an organization. If the standards of a candidate meet those of an employer, they are given an offer letter.

Induction and onboarding

Once an employee is given the offer letter, they are trained on several aspects of the organization. This helps them be familiar with the environment. They are allowed to interact with the team members.

How I will prepare for the recruitment process

I plan to prepare for the recruitment process by ensuring that I acquire the best skills that suit the job. I will research interview questions to ensure that besides knowing how my job should be performed, I know how to approach the questions. All these aspects will be helpful in the recruitment process.

Reference list

Atterton, J., 2007. The ‘strength of weak ties’: social networking by business owners in the Highlands and Islands of Scotland. Sociologia Ruralis, 47(3), pp.228-245.

Menzies, S., 2017. Networking impact on internationalization of SMEs. In SCIENTIFIC CONFERENCE ON ECONOMICS AND ENTREPRENEURSHIP SCEE’2017 (p. 72).

Ghaferi, A.A., and Dimick, J.B., 2016. Importance of teamwork, communication, and culture on failure‐to‐rescue in the elderly. British Journal of Surgery, 103(2).

Tseng, H., Morris, B. and Tang, Y., 2015, March. The importance of teamwork trust, social presence, and cognitive presence in an online collaborative learning environment. In Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 538-541). Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE).

Breaugh, J.A., 2017. To Recruitment. The Wiley Blackwell Handbook of the Psychology of Recruitment, Selection and Employee Retention, p.12.

Johnston, M.W., and Marshall, G.W., 2016. Salesforce management: Leadership, innovation, technology. Routledge.

DeConinck, J., DeConinck, M.B. and Lockwood, F., 2015. Influence of job fit perceived support, and organizational identification in the sales force: An analysis of antecedents and outcomes. Archives of Business Research, 3(5).