Best Seller: Secrets of Econica Consultants

The EKONIKA network of shoe cassettes needs no introduction. It has existed on the Russian market since 1992 and during this time has already opened its franchise salons not only throughout Russia, but also in the CIS countries. Due to the large number of “actors”, the company's management is happy to educate its employees with professional ethics so that service in all stores of the chain is of the same high level. EKONIK has developed many motivational programs for employees. One of them is rewarding those who have been working for many years. For 5 years of work in the network, employees receive a gold badge, for 10 years - a silver "Nika", and for 15 years - an order. The best sellers of the network told us about themselves and shared some professional secrets.

Text: Evgenia Bubnova

Working here, I feel confident in tomorrow

Rufiya Kuznetsova, manager of the ECONIKA store on Profsoyuznaya:

- In September 2009 it will be a total of 30 years since I have been working in trade. I graduated from a trade college with honors and came to work at Mosobuvtorg.

On the site of today's EKONIKA on Profsoyuznaya Street, there was one of the oldest shops in Mosobuvtorg - Style. When I got there, the store was about forty years old. And at that time "ECONIKA" was for us only one of the suppliers of goods. Then "ECONIKA" opened its own store in our building, and I moved to work in another organization, geographically remaining in the same place. I knew this product group well, had experience working as a senior salesperson and as a section head. I worked as a salesperson for the first year and then became a manager. Thus, it turns out that I have been working at EKONIKA for 12 years already.

In 2000, I won the professional competition "The best manager of the EKONIKA retail chain" and was awarded the winner's cup and a valuable prize.

I like working here, I feel confident in the future. The job pays well, they are interested in you as a specialist. For sellers, our company does a lot: children are provided with summer vacation vouchers, we have the opportunity to visit a beauty salon for free. After all, when you give advice on what is fashionable and what is beautiful, you yourself must keep the bar high and look good ...

In addition, we are constantly training personnel, and I have always been interested in studying.

I believe that a good specialist should not only master the technique of communicating with the buyer, know commodity science, the organization of the trade process, but also catch some psychological moments - when to approach the buyer, from which side. We teach such subtle aspects of working with a client.

The easiest buyer, I think, is a man. Working with men is easy enough. A difficult shopper is a woman who is determined to buy during the sales period. She measures half of the assortment, will constantly come in the hope that what she needs is cheaper. In this case, you just need to be patient and think that this is still your potential buyer. He will come, but a little later.

It has always been and still remains important to find informal contact with the client, to feel the main motive for the purchase. My experience shows that buyers older than 30 years more often listen to the advice of not very young sellers. Especially women. After all, a young girl consultant still can not understand what it is like to choose shoes for problematic legs. Moreover, the seller must be quite intelligent and part with the buyer on a friendly note. Then he will definitely come back and bring many more potential buyers with him.

The main thing is how the company treats people

Angelica Akulicheva, manager of the EKONIKA-Rublevo store:

- I came to trade in 1994. I came just like that, not having the slightest idea what it is. The only thing that at that time attracted me in the profession of a seller was the opportunity to communicate with people. And it so happened that I immediately came to EKONIKA. 15 years ago, the company opened its first salon right here, on Rublevskoe highway. From this store, the further development of the entire chain of EKONIKA casquets began.

Practice has shown that communication with people is never easy. Someone comes to us in a bad mood, and someone, on the contrary, is too good. Such a person often does not know what he needs. And the seller must understand his needs, why he came. Maybe he came to dump the negativity, and not purposefully - for a purchase. Then you need to help him get rid of his bad mood so that he leaves the store happy in any case. In fact, any person who communicates with people should be a bit of a psychologist. You need to be able to feel a person. We are developing this with experience, over the years. The client should leave in a good mood, and he should like not only what he bought here, but also how he communicated with us. You need to bring joy to people. This is what we are taught at trainings, we learn this ourselves. This is one of the main values ​​of our company.

In general, the desire to work is influenced not only by trainings, a convenient work schedule, awards and seniority bonuses. The main thing is how the company treats the people who work here. We are a close-knit team, a team. Despite the fact that the company is developing and opening new salons all over Moscow and more and more new people appear, "ECONIKA" remembers everyone. Elementary: each of us receives birthday greetings. It seems to be a small sign of attention, but very pleasant. And today I want us to overcome the crisis that threatens us. I would like our team to survive, so that we go ahead and emerge victorious.

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We have a warm home environment

Natalya Vladimirova, seller of the EKONIKA-Rublevo store:

- At this place there was once a shoe store from Mosobuvtorg. I always liked him - cozy, calm. There was a shopping atmosphere here. After school I decided to work for a while, and Mosobuvtorg was just recruiting salespeople. So I got into the trade. In 1992, “ECONIKA” was opened on the site of this store. At first it was one section, which later grew into a whole store. Naturally, new equipment and a new assortment immediately appeared. The interest of buyers immediately increased. The leadership has changed, but the team has remained the same.

Now in the profession of a seller, what I like most of all is the constant communication with new people. It is interesting to find contact, establish trusting relationships. This is a specific job, because not all people are sociable. It is difficult with customers who are silent all the time, from whom it is difficult to draw even a word - what he wants and what he came to the store for. But nevertheless, we try to interest them and make them talk.

We improve our professionalism every day - with the help of customers. Twice a year, before the appearance of a new collection, staff training and assessment is carried out. Therefore, we often meet with employees of other salons. We also communicate outside the training center. If something is missing in our store, then we call the neighboring one and find for the buyer what he needs.

We have a lot of regular customers who know our names and come to visit friends. On the one hand, this may be worse: we have less traffic, respectively, small revenues. But on the other hand, we have a very warm home environment. Therefore, sometimes buyers do not come to the central stores for shopping, but to us.

We are one team, and we work as a team

Lyudmila Drykova, manager of the EKONIKA-Bibirevo store:

- I came to trade a long time ago - in 1998. It happened almost by accident, I never imagined myself as a trade worker. The only logical connection with my life was that trade was associated with shoes - at that time I was studying at the institute to be a shoe designer. My girlfriend worked at EKONIKA, even then it was prestigious. I came to work for the company - with it. She started in the first salon "ECONIKA" - Rublevo. Then I went to the salon on Krasnaya Presnya - next to my house. And then she got into the salon on Baumanskaya. A year ago, I myself opened the cassette in Bibirevo.

But before that, I had another attempt to work in my specialty, and I quit "ECONIKA". True, she was not absent for long. In order to create something interesting from a design point of view, I need a lot of free time, but when there is a small child, time is hard to find. Therefore, I realize my creative potential here, for example, in laying out new collections or decorating a sales area.

At EKONIKA I constantly feel support behind my back - this is important for me. We are one team, and we work as a team. When I returned from maternity leave, I came to my home. Usually such a return is difficult, because the society around you is radically changing. Today you walk with your child in the playground, and tomorrow you immerse yourself in a work environment. When you are received just like at home, it is very pleasant.

I also really like that EKONIKA helps its employees develop - we have a lot of trainings for both salespeople and managers. This inspires respect for both the employer and the job.

Our company does not save money at the expense of people.

Dmitry Skladnev, manager of the ECONIKA store on Nikolskaya:

- I came to trade a long time ago, back in the early 80s. I graduated from the Moscow Commercial University. When I entered there, it was called the Moscow Institute of Trade. At first I worked in the company "Mosodezhda", and in the late 90s I got into "ECONIKA". Before that I worked here in another position, and in 1998 I came to the salon in Maryino. The salon on Nikolskaya opened in 2000, and I have been working here as a manager from the very beginning.

In my youth, I attributed my work in trade to circumstances. And today it has already become my destiny. I like communication, the opportunity for self-realization. I just like it when something depends on you. And there are no difficult clients for me. Every person who comes to our salon is good and necessary. Even if he doesn't buy anything, he needs to be served so that he leaves happy and wants to come here again. This is what I try to teach my employees. My well-being and the well-being of ECONIKA as a whole depends on how well I serve a client. If a person comes in with a bad mood, you need to improve it. And you cannot enter into conflict situations. The client is always right - this is our job. If an employee thinks otherwise, he doesn't belong here. It is more difficult for young people than for girls to stay in a sales team - they want everything at once. I also wanted everything right away when I came into trade. But I came in the eighties, and then there was a different situation both in trade and in the country.

Many people like to change jobs, but as long as here I have not worked anywhere. Initially, the network created a family environment - so that people came to work with the same pleasure with which they return home. I am trying to implement this idea in the salon on Nikolskaya. I want to believe that working here is not a burden for my employees, and they come to work with joy.

I know that because of the crisis, salaries are being cut today, staff reduction has begun in many companies. And I am very glad that these processes did not affect us and that our company does not save money at the expense of people.