Profession bookshop manager

Bookshop managers assume responsibility for activities and staff in this specialised store.

Personality Type

• Enterprising / Conventional

Knowledge

• Sales activities

  The supply of goods, sale of goods and the related financial aspects. The supply of goods entails the selection of goods, import and transfer. The financial aspect includes the processing of purchasing and sales invoices, payments etc. The sale of goods implies the proper presentation and positioning of the goods in the shop in terms of acessibility, promotion, light exposure.

• Types of literature genres

  The different literary genres in the history of literature, their technique, tone, content and length.

• Employment law

  The law which mediates the relationship between employees and employers. It concerns employees' rights at work which are binding by the work contract.

• Publishing industry

  Key stakeholders in the publishing industry. Acquisition, marketing and distribution of newspapers, books, magazines and other informative works, including electronic media.

Skills

• Order supplies

  Command products from relevant suppliers to get convenient and profitable products to purchase.

• Oversee promotional sales prices

  Ensure that sale prices and promotions are passed through the register as they should.

• Set up pricing strategies

  Apply methods used for setting product value taking into consideration market conditions, competitor actions, input costs, and others.

• Liaise with colleagues

  Liaise with fellow colleagues to ensure common understanding on work related affairs and agree on the necessary compromises the parties might need to face. Negotiate compromises between parties as to ensure that work in general run efficiently towards the achievement of the objectives.

• Ensure customer focus

  Attitude that puts customers at the centre of the business in all cases.

• Measure customer feedback

  Evaluate customer's comments in order to find out whether customers feel satisfied or dissatisfied with the product or service.

• Obtain relevant licenses

  Comply with specific legal regulations, e.g. install the necessary systems and provide the necessary documentation, in order to obtain the relevant license.

• Negotiate sales contracts

  Come to an agreement between commercial partners with a focus on terms and conditions, specifications, delivery time, price etc.

• Apply health and safety standards

  Adhere to standards of hygiene and safety established by respective authorities.

• Monitor customer service

  Ensure all employees are providing excellent customer service in accordance to company policy.

• Set sales goals

  Set sales goals and objectives to be reached by a sales team within a period of time such as the target amount of sales made and new customers found.

• Maintain relationship with suppliers

  Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with suppliers and service providers in order to establish a positive, profitable and enduring collaboration, co-operation and contract negotiation.

• Ensure correct goods labelling

  Ensure that goods are labeled with all necessary labeling information (e.g. legal, technological, hazardous and others) regarding the product. Ensure that labels respects the legal requirements and adhere to regulations.

• Recruit employees

  Hire new employees by scoping the job role, advertising, performing interviews and selecting staff in line with company policy and legislation.

• Stay up-to-date with latest book releases

  Stay informed about recently published book titles and releases by contemporary authors.

• Ensure compliance with purchasing and contracting regulations

  Implement and monitor company activities in compliance with legal contracting and purchasing legislations.

• Liaise with educational institutions

  Communication and cooperation for the supply of study materials (e.g. books) to educational institutions.

• Apply procurement

  Undertake ordering of services, equipment, goods or ingredients, compare costs and check the quality to ensure optimal payoff for the organisation.

• Adhere to organisational guidelines

  Adhere to organisational or department specific standards and guidelines. Understand the motives of the organisation and the common agreements and act accordingly.

• Liaise with book publishers

  Establish working relationships with publishing companies and their sales representatives.

• Use different communication channels

  Make use of various types of communication channels such as verbal, handwritten, digital and telephonic communication with the purpose of constructing and sharing ideas or information.

• Maintain relationship with customers

  Build a lasting and meaningful relationship with customers in order to ensure satisfaction and fidelity by providing accurate and friendly advice and support, by delivering quality products and services and by supplying after-sales information and service.

• Study sales levels of products

  Collect and analyse sales levels of products and services in order to use this information for determining the quantities to be produced in the following batches, customer feedback, price trends, and the efficiency of sales methods.

• Manage theft prevention

  Apply theft and robbery prevention; monitor security surveillance equipment; enforce security procedures if needed.

• Maximise sales revenues

  Increase possible sales volumes and avoid losses through cross-selling, upselling or promotion of additional services.

• Negotiate buying conditions

  Negotiate terms such as price, quantity, quality, and delivery terms with vendors and suppliers in order to ensure the most beneficial buying conditions.

• Manage staff

  Manage employees and subordinates, working in a team or individually, to maximise their performance and contribution. Schedule their work and activities, give instructions, motivate and direct the workers to meet the company objectives. Monitor and measure how an employee undertakes their responsibilities and how well these activities are executed. Identify areas for improvement and make suggestions to achieve this. Lead a group of people to help them achieve goals and maintain an effective working relationship among staff.

• Advertise new book releases

  Design flyers, posters and brochures to announce new book releases; display promotional material in store.

• Manage budgets

  Plan, monitor and report on the budget.

• Supervise merchandise displays

  Work closely together with visual display staff to decide how items should be displayed, in order to maximise customer interest and product sales.

Optional knowledge and skills

Source: Sisyphus ODB