Wonderful Sales’ Post

After school, I worked in a retail store Started as an assistant store manager (This is the position where you have the responsibilities of a store manager, but are paid like a cashier) I thought this is the start and end of my career Neither did I hold a high degree nor have some good connections My highest goal back then? I was aiming for the position of an area manager. The salary was just too great and just 2 promotions away... Unfortunately, I realized way too late that this is not a place to be. Promotion was just an illusion. Coaching did not exist. Zero feedback. Unless it came to a situation where I was 1000 miles away and missed to approve 2/1000 order requests. Sorry for being on PTO. In the end, they cut the ropes and let me fall into an ever deeper hole... Fortunately just for a couple of weeks From there on I discovered the beauty of sales Everything I was doing wrong before became right Giving and receiving feedback became a daily routine Asking to change limiting processes became an ask by the company And so much more... 3650 days later (that's actually not a lot) I can say: A good quarter beats the yearly income of the area managers... This being said: Never - ever - give up on yourself! If you want to step out - if you want to progress - it needs you and yourself. >>Start building your network >>Start building on your reputation ...and let's meet at the top

Fresh off Labor Day… I’ve been thinking about my career journey which led me to reflect on where it started. Less than 24 hours after graduation… I was in a grocery store with a receiving manager yelling at me to “get those boxes out of here”. I had never used a pallet jack, didn’t know shelf merchandising, and my manager showed up 3 hours late… said he was teaching me a “first day lesson”. I got through it. I went on to stock many shelves, ripped several ties with my box cutter, wore a bear costume on weekends, chased forklift drivers at 5am, and shed a few tears while building holiday displays late into the night… all while telling myself I was too good for this work. Truth is I wouldn’t change a thing. It was a humbling experience always keeping me grounded and reminding me how hard folks in the trenches work to deliver those numbers that magically populate reports. Let’s never forget people and sweat equity are still the main drivers in bringing those to life… not our fancy CRM software and "strategic" AOP decks. For those starting your careers and for the ones with several years navigating through our own… 1. Take time to reflect on your journey from start to now to next… celebrate the experiences, learning, and connections not just the titles. 2. Ask others about their path as you’ll hear some interesting stories that might help with perspective on your own. 3. As a leader… make sure you always invest directly in people as much as you do on the products and processes you expect them to use. “There is power in understanding the journey of others to help create your own” - Kobe Bryant 🤔 “It’s called a starting salary for a reason” - My Dad 😀

Excited to Share My Journey and Expertise! With over two decades of experience in the retail and consumer goods industry, I’ve had the privilege of working with some incredible individuals and companies, including Campbells, Coca Cola Southwest Beverages, Walmart. My roles have spanned from sales and merchandising to customer satisfaction, inventory management, and beyond. Throughout my career, I’ve been driven by a passion for excellence and a relentless focus on building strong customer relationships. Whether it’s developing innovative sales strategies, enhancing merchandising techniques, or fostering community engagement, my goal has always been to drive business growth and deliver exceptional results. Current Role: Outside Sales Representative at Acosta Sales and Marketing (Campbells Team) in Easton, PA and surrounding area. Previous Role: Retail Sales Merchandiser at Crossmark, SAS Retail Services, Coca Cola Southwest Beverages, and more. Along with different roles within the field and the office both as a manager and a leader. Community Engagement: Founder of two networking groups. The first strictly for the community and businesses within to interact with each other and get to know each other. The second focused only on retail professionals throughout the world and having discussions, topics, etc. with them. I'm particularly proud of the initiatives I've led to foster collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the retail industry. My transition from urban life to embracing the countryside has enriched my perspective, allowing me to explore new adventures and engage deeply with my community. I'm always eager to connect with like-minded professionals and explore new opportunities. Whether you're looking for expert advice on retail strategy, need help with merchandising, or simply want to share insights, I'd love to hear from you! Looking forward to connecting! #Retail #Sales #Merchandising #CustomerSatisfaction #RetailConsulting #Networking #BusinessGrowth #CommunityEngagement

I've learned so much in just 3 weeks in a new role! I've learned that I have a love for more than just food retail, and although this role is completely new and can be challenging - I've broken a few things down. 1) Guests are guests regardless if you oversee Food & Bev, GM, Style or the entire sales floor. If you put guests as the guiding light you'll always be right. 2) Put your team members first. In my opinion, as a lead you are there to support your direct reports, and for myself that is team members. If I show up every day to make their respective jobs easier, I've done something right for the day. We think this can be a hard task, and ultimately it is not - a simple hello, how was the weekend, offer to help with freight or workload. The small everyday things will ad up to a big difference. 3) Fill the floor! Tell a story. When aisles and displays are full, guests are excited to shop, and that excitement breeds life into stores and makes the shopping experience enjoyable! Lastly - less share some news on GREEN metrics! We've dropped the INF% for GM 2% or better across the board. A few outliers that we're getting worked out, but soon I'm looking to post sub 1% in all areas. The GM team's hard work has led to drastic improvement in sales, going from a negative comp to a 3% comp over the last three weeks. The store is also on a giant upswing with a 5% store comp over 3 weeks, more to come! #worksomewhereyoulove #target #growtime #growth

The more accomplishments I’ve gained within the industry, the more I realize that success is not an accident. I was fortunate to start my career in timeshare with Mark Guy. A Senior leader who was instrumental in the expansion of Bluegreen; inside Bass pro shops. Mark always found ways to help others develop, no matter the hour. Hollie Gilbert, SVP, taught me to develop myself and lead with passion and determination. With their support, I set records in growth, leadership development, ASP, VPG and EBITA. What a great way to start my career! It did not take long to realize my true passion- building and growing programs! No one knows building a program better than Kevin Butler! Kevin allowed me to build the Brand Ambassador program with HGV. With his support and guidance, we embarked on a program that was more than marketing or sales; it was truly about enhancing the customer experience. The culture, teamwork, professionalism, and brand expectations were set high. We created a program to help align Hilton’s core values and customer experience with HGVC’s. The synergy helped us raise Hiltons SALT scores by 30% enhancing the guests stay while letting them experience HGVC firsthand. That experience will stay with me for the rest of my life. Working with these brands was an unbelievable experience. However, nothing would prepare me for what came next: an opportunity to build a Field Packages Sales Program for Diamond Resorts. All the bells, whistles, and freedom to diversify and maximize each market were fascinating. Working with Eric Assam, Mike Flaskey, & Chris Brock truly a collaboration with an all-star team of talented minds. Mike & Chris are leaders who genuinely care about all and go the extra mile to give back. Both give the feeling of working with, not for, and affirming feelings within. Eric's insight and creative thinking molds success on an organizational level that's second to none. When creating something from scratch there must be the ability to be able to see every angle and obstacle, all causes and effects of actions from the start. There is so much at stake to miss-guide efforts. My time with Eric was more than just educational, it was pivotal to my calling within the industry. Everything I've learned over the past decade has helped create arguably the industry's most efficient field package sales program. Capital Vacations is growing fast! Led by Travis Bary, Jordan Guaspari & Tom Groeninger, it's been the perfect environment to thrive in an ever-changing economy. Looking back, I am grateful for being around such great and instrumental people within the timeshare industry; it's no wonder why I've accomplished so much with my career. To be your best, surround yourself with those who will challenge you to improve, grow, and develop. Surround yourself with greatness, and it's bound to rub off. Mindset is everything, so choose your surroundings carefully, as they can help shape you. I thank you all and will follow in your footsteps!

Things I stopped buying since I left my full-time retail management job $$$ - Coffee at Starbucks ($5/cup * 5 days/week = $1,200/year)  - Spinach feta wrap or sandwich ($4 * 5 days/week = $960/year)  - Lunch at Panda Express or Tokyo Joe’s ($15 * 5 = $3,600/year)  - Cloths from new collections with employee discount ($200/month = $2,400/year) - New makeup at Sephora ($100/month = $1,200/year)  - Gas to get to work ($30/week = $1,440/year)  - Vehicle maintenance ($50/month = $600/year)  - Car insurance ($50/month = $600/year) Total: $12,000/year. Out of site, out of mind. Working from home decreases my desire to shop exponentially. Now, instead of eating out and shopping, I can max out my IRA. It’s also better for the environment. We need to rethink the validity of the WORK — CONSUME — WORK cycle. It doesn’t serve us as people and it doesn’t serve the planet at large. It only serves big corporations. P.S. Photo from Seattle's Pike's Peak. For some reason, I liked the pig so much it's the only photo of me from that trip lol.

Retail teaches leaders such a wealth of knowledge and better yet, how to put this knowledge into workable action. Great article.

🌟 Dive into the brilliance of this article! 👏 A captivating exploration of Retail Leadership that unveils powerful insights. 💡 Couldn't resist sharing this well-crafted piece! ❤️ #LeadershipUnleashed #MustRead

I’ve been on the management frontlines in several retail business models and it has led me to be a management ninja. I have skills and strengths that allow me to triumph over most obstacles.

Always amazes me , that a store manager getting paid say 55k , can be in charge of millions in turnover and capex/ opex investment. They poses such depth of skills. It’s always been my mission to invest in store managers, and support and back them up. Conversely I’ve seen other businesses, let these amazing businesses leaders go , as they got offered 60k elsewhere , only to see the store decline by 60k in sales , in less than a month, after they leave. Look after your retailer leaders , they are titans of commerce, so treat them as such.