Water
Sports Retail Associate
Everyone always
tells you that you should get a job doing something you love. But how many
people actually do this? As a water sports retail associate, I do. Many people
have no idea what this job is, which is why I will outline what a day in the
life of a water sports retail associate is.
A Water Sports
Retail Associate is a person who researches, markets, and sells the most
cutting-edge products in the water sports industry. The only people who
appreciate this role are individuals who enjoy water sports. Do not confuse us
with the typical retail associate at your local Zumiez. In this position, it is
required to have interest and knowledge in the water sports industry in order
to be successful.
There are three
descriptions that can summarize the main duties of a Water Sports Retail
Associate:
*
Expert
*
Promoter
*
Anchor
I will describe
these duties using real examples from my time in this position.
EXPERT
Being an expert includes
the following:
*
Learning
from brand ambassadors about new product lines and features.
*
Understanding
the differences between each brand.
*
Knowing
which products are best suited for each customer need.
For instance, a
family comes into my store looking to purchase a new wakeboard for their
daughter who has never wakeboarded before. In this case, I would bring them to
the board room and outline the different boards available from each brand.
brand offers its’ own unique competitive advantage over the other, so I would
outline each for the family to narrow their scope to one brand. From there, I
would use my knowledge of the products to recommend a board from that brand
that offers the most stability and balance for their beginner daughter.
PROMOTER
In this duty, it
is the responsibility of the associate to generate awareness of new products
available in order to create business. This is accomplished through the
following:
*
Using
the newest equipment when we are on the water.
*
Creating
marketing material for social media platforms.
*
Providing
opportunities for potential customers to test new products.
As a promoter, we
must incentivize people to purchase these new products. At the company I work
for, we are given the newest surfboards every year to use when we went out on
the water. When people see these boards, they often ask about them and want to
try them out. We then film videos of us using these boards that we later post
on social media, advertising their new features and availability at our store.
Additionally, advertise events where any potential client can come try the
boards for themselves.
ANCHOR
The final role of
being a water sports retail associate is being an anchor to our clients. We
must earn credibility and trust by:
*
Creating
a personal relationship with clients to build comfort in their purchase
decision.
*
Establishing
credibility for the recommendations made on certain products.
*
Building
a reputation among clients as being an accredited salesperson.
This is the most
important part of the job. Clients in the water sports industry are very
interconnected. Each client I work with knows at least one other client. This
can be either the most helpful or difficult factor in the job. If a client is
satisfied with the product, they will most likely recommend their friends to
work with me on their purchases. This makes it easier to establish a sense of
familiarity with clients, earning their trust. However, if I client is unsatisfied
with the product, my reputation in the water sports industry will likely
suffer. This can impact the amount of sales I make drastically.
Flesch Reading
Ease 58.5
Flesch Grading
Level 8.7
Hi Davis,
ReplyDeleteI really like how you came up with creative titles such as expert and anchor to represent branding and customer relations.
I enjoyed reading your post and could sense your passion for your position.
-Garrett
Hi Davis,
ReplyDeleteI really liked reading your piece and the "voice" that you used in your writing. You definitely pointed out some things about being a retail associate that I haven't thought about before. I am glad that you were able to do a job that you genuinely enjoy.
I love your intro, not enough people do what they love, leading to many of the issues they have or will experience in their personal life. To be honest, I had never really thought about what it was like to be a Water Sports Retail Associate, but now I understand how important it is to have a passion for the industry. You are not simply recommending products because your store wants to push merchandise, you're selling your experience and advice. Looking back I now realize that most of my purchases in this field weren't because the salesperson was giving me prepared facts, but because they treated it like a conversation in which they're advising based on their experience.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed your post, thanks for the good read.
-Grant Nunley
I think it's super cool that you know so much about water sports and that you've been able to find a career out of it. You point out a very important detail in this line of work. Customer relations is so important. In order to keep a customer happy you must keep them all happy! Word of mouth can either be very helpful or very dangerous. But I've found reading your blog very interesting. I never knew that dealing with water sports had so many layers.
ReplyDeleteHi Davis,
ReplyDeleteThat's extremely cool that you're able to do what you love. There's no doubt you're going to continue thriving in this field if you choose to keep working in it. Your passion will surely drive you to new levels and hopefully one day you can open up your own store. As a customer, I'm sure I'd get great assistance from you due to your passion and love for water sports.
-Ethan