I am a sales
associate for a larger department store in
Boise,
ID. I have the experience and skills for a
management position, however I have to wait for one to open and
interview for it. I really want to stand out to my employers. In
the three months that I have been there I am the top selling person
in my department, I am also one of the top ten for opening credit
applications. What else can I do? There are several other
associates that really seem to kiss-up to the managers. I am not
like that and am concerned that their flattery will have my skills
and ability over looked.
Also, I
considered the fact that customer testimonies land themselves
directly onto the store manager's desk. I considered that receiving
these testimonies would be a real bonus. I have been told that it
is frowned upon to suggest them to a customer. Is there any way to
ask without asking?
Thanks for your
time,
Nina
Hello Nina,
Congratulations on being the top
sales associate. It sounds like you are driven to succeed. You must
be doing a lot of things right to become so successful in such a
short period of time. If my guess is correct you are very good at
building relationships with your customers.
Most customers who feel that they
have been treated very well (above and beyond) will make some
comment regarding the service you have provided. When they do, it
would not be inappropriate to say something like "It's so nice of
you to say so. If you'd like to pass on your comments to our Store
Manager we have a Customer Comment Card for that purpose. The Store
Manager is very interested in hearing what our customers have to
say." In a case like this all you have done is offered another
service to your customer. When handled in this manner, I cannot see
any reason why this would be frowned upon.
Of course you should never set out
on a campaign to gather positive comment cards just to impress
management. Usually comment cards are tracked and it becomes
obvious, very quickly, which associates are engaged in this type of
activity. This is tacky behavior which puts your customers in an
awkward position and would, naturally, be frowned upon by both
customers and management.
If you keep up the hard work and
continue to delight your customers, you will probably see a career
path develop. If you don't perhaps you should think about moving to
another retailer.
Good Luck,
Bobbie
