The Papa Don't Preach Yearbook: Page 18

Alifya Jaorawala, Assistant Store Manager

Most Likely To: Be caught dancing in front of the CCTV cameras.?

What attracted you to working in sales in the fashion industry?

“I got a job as a sales associate right after I graduated with a Bachelors in Arts. I didn’t have a background in sales or fashion but as soon as I started working I realized that there was so much more to sales than just selling. I found fulfillment in styling people, introducing them to new trends and ways in which they could use fashion to feel confident or step outside their comfort zone. Little by little I learned the importance of understanding consumer psychology, what their motivations are and what clothes make them feel good. By 10th January 2022 I joined the Papa Don’t Preach team and it has been a dream come true. I say this because through my role in the sales team at brands like SuperDry, I learned how much I love colorful clothes. So even when I look for a sale’s position, I do look for brands that I personally identify with. I can’t do just black, white and gray clothes - that is why Papa Don’t Preach was a perfect fit for me.”???

How is working in ready-to-wear retail different from working at a luxury brand??

“Working in a ready-to-wear apparel brand is very different from working in a luxury atelier where everything's made-to-measure.The main difference is the customisations and personalisations that a luxury brand offers. Everything is custom made to suit the buyer’s needs and that is what really sets a designer brand apart. For a luxury brand like ours, it’s very important to form a personal connection with the buyer as the relationship can last months during the trial and customisation process. We even keep in touch with buyers after delivery of the product to ensure they are happy. This is not a customary process for ready-to-wear brands.”?

What are some of your primary responsibilities as Assistant Store Manager at Papa Don’t Preach?

“My primary responsibility is liasoning with buyers or potential buyers that come to our flagship store. Additionally, I handle inventory and stock of our collections, sending pieces out to different teams like PR or Design, maintaining the numbers, sales and profits earned. With every new collection release, we undergo training to communicate the pieces to the buyer. It’s essential to understand the scope of customisation for each piece and the ways in which we can personalize it to fit the client’s needs. The process of sales starts and ends with the client’s needs. They will come in and tell me what kind of customisations they require, after which I speak to the design teams to understand how we can fulfill those requests. We do custom sketches to show the client their brand new piece and offer customisations in everything from color, pattern, blouse, change in silhouette, swapping a blouse with another, converting a baby doll dress into a lehenga and so on. So it’s really imperative to get the details right because we are recreating a garment from scratch.”?

Based on your experience, what are some of the skills required to be successful at sales??

“First and foremost, there should be basic understanding and experience in communicating with clients. Empathy and the ability to put yourself in the buyer’s shoes will take you a long way. Afterservice, which is ensuring the buyer is satisfied with the product once the purchase is made, also helps in sustaining the relationship. I learned a great deal from my superior, shreya saboo , who taught me the importance of patience and listening. When you’re listening to a client, it’s easy to tune out their needs and immediately try to offer a solution. Once I started the practice of active listening, it was a game changer and even had a client thank me for just listening to her feedback.”

How do you deal with challenging situations that arise with the position?

“There have been challenging moments because we deal with a lot of people and personalities. A lot of challenges have to do with fulfilling the orders but for the most part, we’ve managed to buckle down and focus on completing the purchase. One time we altered an outfit and personally delivered it to a client in under 10 hours. It is not in our policy to go to a buyer’s house but we’ve made exceptions for alterations, fixing broken zippers - all of this to ensure that the buyer’s big day goes as smoothly as possible when it comes to their clothing. At times like this, the team really comes together to help and we get a ton of positive reinforcement from? our management, Gokul Dharan , Shubhika Sharma and Nidhi Shetty .”

Can you share your vision for the future of Papa Don't Preach and how you see your role evolving in the company?

“Within the next few years, I want to be able to strategise more, develop techniques to increase sales. I would like to be a sales strategist some day. Within Papa Don’t Preach, it's crucial to start learning about how other departments function, how embroideries are set, the process of production - this knowledge will further solidify the way I make sales and keep me in tune with the timeline of making a garment, from the time its purchased to the time it’s delivered.”??