For many of us today the word “supervisor” is familiar, but not everyone understands what it means and what it has to do with business and sales. It came to us together with progressive Western technologies, got accustomed, and today supervisors are called “supervisors” - lower-level managers who ensure the coordinated and effective activity of their subordinates, thereby simplifying the work of top-level managers.
Places of work and some specific responsibilities
The work of the supervisor is to lead merchandisers, sales representatives, promoters, sales managers. A supervisor is a position that is unique to a business related to trade, in other areas approximately the same functions are performed by a regular HR manager.
If we look a little more in detail, the work of the supervisor of promoters is to organize advertising campaigns in a high-class manner, choose the ideal place for them, find suitable, responsible and active performers, and control the distribution of promotional materials. They also issue payment for the labor to their subordinates and distribute bonuses depending on the efforts of each individual person.
The work of the supervisor of the merchandisers is aimed at regulating the routes of their subordinates, monitoring the availability of all necessary goods. In addition, they gain control over sales plans and their implementation, as well as training new staff in the rules and nuances of work.
To better imagine the perfect supervisor, let's delve a bit into history
The word "supervisor" of English origin and the exact translation will sound like "one that controls." That is, it is not the responsibility of the supervisor to make serious decisions, which is why they are considered, although the manager, but still the lowest level.
This word was born in the early seventies of the last century, which is justified by an increase in demand for managers. It was at that time that entrepreneurs realized that one of the ways to reduce their costs is to better control the activities of ordinary workers.
Today, even small trading and advertising campaigns have acquired their own supervisors, which has significantly improved the leadership scheme of their organizations.
Specific requirements for representatives of this profession
As already mentioned, the essence of the work of a supervisor is to control, but, as practice shows, in order to become a good leader in such a position, you still need to meet a number of requirements, among which are the following:
- the ability to independently select staff and train new employees on the specifics of their future work;
- knowledge of the responsibilities of each of his subordinates and the rational distribution of tasks between them;
- control of the implementation process;
- if necessary, professional and quick negotiations with counterparties, providing answers to their questions;
- the ability to correctly generate reports on the work of their subordinates and briefly retell their essence to the higher authorities.
The requirements, it would seem, are not overstated, but today not everyone can cope with them, since many lack patience, experience and the desire to work for the result. That is why in the labor market the vacancy of a supervisor is paid quite high.
Minimum company requirements for potential supervisors
In order to get such a job, a person must have a higher education, an understanding of what the economy, the market and sales are, and also perfectly operate with such knowledge. Possession of a PC at the level of an experienced user is a mandatory criterion of our time. Indeed, in the modern world, most reports have switched to electronic format. Employers will prefer a person who already has behind him experience working as a supervisor or at least a sales representative, merchandiser. The work of the supervisor is connected with the control over the activities of subordinates, so having your own car is one of the most important requirements of many potential employers.
What should the supervisor be ready in the process of performing its functions?
As practice shows, the work of a supervisor is not only control, but also a host of additional responsibilities that are entrusted to him. With good organizational skills, the supervisor often becomes the motivator of his team, that is, maximizes the effectiveness of its activities. A competent supervisor is also able to objectively assess the quality of work of each individual employee and select new ones whose results will be higher. If the supervisor’s work plan put before him by his superiors will be completed not only in full and on time, but with significant progress, such a person can expect an early promotion to higher level managers.
How to become a good leader?
Now that we have figured out what the work of the supervisor is, it’s worth a little to consider the algorithm of actions that a person who wants to work in such a position should adhere to. Since it’s quite difficult to become a supervisor without work experience, you can start from the bottom, that is, as a merchandiser, for example. The main thing is to get a good company in which you would like to work for the future. After a year of hard work and improvement of their knowledge, one can count on an increase.
Work as a supervisor, reviews of real people are confirmation of this, although not easy, but very interesting, in addition, it develops a personality. Such an experience will become a reference knowledge if you decide to open your own business in the future. If dreams come down to a steady increase, then the main thing is to listen carefully to tasks from superiors and perform them better than expected from you.
