For a wholesale business to be successful, good management is necessary. When one starts looking for good managers, they will most likely get a list the length of a football field. When they try to narrow down the list, they find out that almost everybody on that list would make a good manager. But would they make good wholesale managers?
The traits of good managers vary greatly, depending on certain factors, such as the type of business, its targets and goals, the team and staff to be managed, and even the manager’s personal objectives. A good and successful manager of an IT company may not be so successful as a hardware company manager. Not all good and successful managers can successfully manage a wholesale business. So, what are the traits of a good wholesale manager?
Great Communication Skills
A good wholesale manager must be perfect at listening and talking to staff and customers alike. A good wholesale manager establishes a work environment where the employees all feel like they can be (and are) heard. An environment where they can speak up whenever they feel that there is a need to. The manager fosters a great working relationship with his team by frequently and effectively communicating with them. They are always ready to listen and ask questions, leading to the solving of problems rather than their creation. Poor communication skills can slowly lead to the departure of many good staff and in turn, your customers as well.
Transparent and Honest
A good wholesale manager is one who is honest and transparent like an open book. He is always updating his superiors and staff on business issues. Losses, successes, restructuring possibilities and the like. Keeping everyone informed about the happenings in the company and carrying everyone along. He needs to set an ideal example for all the other employees under his command.
Motivational and Tactful
A good wholesale manager should be self-motivated, and should also be able to inspire and motivate the people around him to do their best. He should appreciate them in private and in public to encourage other staff to be at their best, and when coaching an employee, he should do so tactfully and in private. The feedback should be constructive and should make the employee want to put in more effort to produce better results, rather than to aim to belittle.
An Expert
A good wholesale manager should be an expert in the wholesale business, and in the industry, he is working in. He should be able to answer questions pertaining to the business, and should also have a working knowledge of the various roles in that industry, not just his own. He needs to be able to network with peers within the industry, create strong relationships with the clients and keep himself or herself up-to-date on market trends.
Result-Oriented
A good wholesale manager is one that is driven to achieve results, to reach set targets and goals. Being result-oriented makes them ambitious and eager to be productive. Being competitive gives them the drive to do more, and to push their team members to give it their all so as to grow the company as a whole and reach newer heights.
Assertive
A good wholesale manager is one who is not afraid of confrontation, and neither is he afraid to speak his mind. An assertive manager is not a push-over, and does not simply give in and comply with orders, but asks questions and seeks clarification before carrying out any tasks or duties.
Problem Solvers
Good wholesale managers are problem solvers. They seek to find out what exactly the problem is and how best to solve it, rather than dwell on the cause of the problem. Good wholesale managers take responsibility for problems that arise, They then take steps to resolve them, rather than to point fingers and making excuses when something fails.
Organizational Skills
Good wholesaler managers are highly organised and great planners. They know to map out a schedule for any activity, plan inventories, budgets, meetings, and the like. Good managers know to plan towards achieving the business’ targets and goals. They also tell the employees these plans and roles so that they know what steps to take. He will be able to illustrate the bigger picture to the staff so that everyone works toward a common goal.
Great Customer Service Skills
A good wholesale manager must be good with customer service. There are times when an irate customer needs to be dealt with, and the manager will be called upon to solve the issue. A good wholesale manager should be able to deal with the customer in a polite and professional manner that will leave the customer happy and satisfied. Good customer skills are necessary for wholesale managers to possess, and he knows all there is to know about great customer service.
Conflict Resolution Skills
A good wholesale manager must be excellent in mediation and conflict-resolution. Conflict is normal in any place where there is more than one person working. There has to be someone there to resolve it. Whether it’s a problem among the staff, between the staff and the management, or between the company and its customers, a good manager should be able to mediate and resolve the conflict in an efficient and timely manner, leaving both parties satisfied and on each other’s good graces.
Great Leadership
A good manager should be a great leader. He should be able to inspire, to motivate, to direct, and to lead. Great leadership is very important to any wholesale business’ success and performance. It encompasses all the other traits in one. A great leader should be calm yet caring, assertive yet diplomatic, organised yet flexible. He should be punctual and a self-starter. A great leader should also be able to get down and dirty with his staff to get things done. He should care about his job and the welfare of his team as well as the customers.
Good wholesale managers are jewelry of a wholesale business. Great leaders need to be optimistic, calm and dependable, not stern, rigid and authoritarian. He knows to leave the staff and let them do their jobs without hovering like an anxious mother. He should also be one with experience in your industry. When looking for wholesale managers to employ, watch out for these traits. Those people with these traits are the ones that can take your wholesale business to further levels of growth and success.
