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Companies operating in the luxury segment often complain that management personnel are not directly involved in sales along with their subordinates, while acting as a mentor for them. Indeed, managers who are used to working in a suite believe that their main task is to distribute responsibilities and monitor how they are performed, and not to be in the hall. Of course, this is one of the most important tasks of a manager, but it is important for line staff to see their manager at work. The team acts much more tightly if it sees excitement in the eyes of the director when selling (this is also a personal example of non-material motivation), employees really appreciate when the director is in the hall and ready to help at any moment, that is, when the director is next to his employees, and not above them, as this often happens.

Candidates for leadership positions with experience in the luxury segment are sometimes not ready to start working in a store that is experiencing problems with commercial indicators: they are afraid of the amount of work. In addition, a fixed salary is important for such applicants.

In such cases, candidates with experience in the mass-market segment look the most attractive to employers. Taking into account the above, it may seem surprising, but it really is: they are not afraid of a large amount of work, wages are less important for them, since they understand that, having established the work of the store, they will be able to claim a much higher remuneration. In addition, many of them are enthusiastic about the opportunity to earn through personal sales, whereas, recall, managers in the luxury segment often avoid direct participation in sales. Candidates from the mass-market segment become even more interesting for the luxury segment employer, given that they are used to working in multitasking mode, are highly motivated to work in a new direction for them (this is an opportunity to expand professional horizons), are ready to implement new ideas to expand the customer base, team cohesion and increase commercial indicators.

Based on the practice of the company "ANCHOR", it can be noted with regret that employers very rarely make a job offer to a candidate not from the "native" segment. However, it is impossible not to say that sometimes there are still daredevils who are ready to invest in the development of candidates from another segment. And it is not uncommon for companies operating in the luxury segment to find real stars among candidates from the middle and mass-market segments. This is due to the fact that there are many European mass-market companies in the modern market, which give their employees a very strong school in all areas of professional development, educating excellent staff.

That is why an employer searching for a new employee should first of all determine what functions this specialist will perform and what key skills he should possess. It makes sense to initially expand the search circle, covering not only the segment in which the company operates, and assess how candidates from other segments meet the requirements. It is quite possible that you will find the perfect employee where you least expected. Therefore, do not be afraid to take risks!

Ending

Ekaterina Petrova,

head of the recruitment consultants group "ANCHOR Business Solutions" (HR holding "ANCHOR") 

Photo: Shutterstock.com