3 Questions for . . . Christèle Bosse-Platière, Human resources consultant

Human resources consultant Christèle Bosse-Platière started her own business, RH & Vous, at the beginning of the year. Prior to that she was human resources development director for Camaïeu, and human resources director for Morgan and Fast Retailing. Along with her other projects, she recently began helping Mod’Spé Paris set up a vocational training department with classes for professionals in buying and selling positions.

What are today’s new challenges for training?

The guidelines are defined by the government’s new vocational training laws which will come into effect on 1 January. Before, businesses were required to make contributions for vocational education to OPCAs (authorised joint collection bodies) to finance training programs. Beginning next year, this financial obligation will no longer exist and will be replaced with a results requirement. This represents a fundamental change in philosophy. To acquire financing, businesses must enrol their employees in long-term training programs that confer diplomas, certificates, or special qualifications. If these criteria are not met, businesses must use their own budgets for education. This way, the concept of investing in training is strengthened and associated with a return on investment. Logic then indicates that business requirements will focus on the quality of training and the value added after the training. For training organisations, this reform will lead to courses that meet businesses’ needs and the creation of training programs that correspond to professional qualification standards. Mod’Spé Paris has integrated these qualifications and can meet businesses’ needs by guaranteeing results after training.

Have you observed a change in salespersons’ profiles?

More and more points of sale have tight schedules. So there are generally fewer people on the sales floor. This means businesses are looking for multi-skilled salespeople, and those salespeople are also expected to have a broader general culture. Salespeople represent the image of the brand or store. They have to know about current trends and fabrics and have the right vocabulary to talk about them. Salespeople also have to give clients excellent advice not just about the product but also about services, such as those available cross-channel. To sum it up, this has become a “serious job”. It has become professionalised. This observation is especially true for the mid-sized or smaller stores and brands. For the big chains like H&M or Zara, however, the sales people are more like stock clerks, and give clients very little advice.

When I was a human resources director I paid more attention to a candidate’s personality than to his résumé or educational background. Salespeople must want to and know how to represent the brand or store. And finally, I can’t talk about salespeople without mentioning the importance of the boutique manager. The difference between and an average manager and an excellent one can change revenues by 20 to 30 percent! That means the manager is the true centre of the point of sale. The quality of the recruitment process and the team’s motivation also depend on the manager. The manager makes or participates in the decisions on all topics. He or she must also be multi-skilled, professional, and above all enthusiastic about the profession.

The Mod’Spé Paris school’s goal is to become the reference vocational training centre for the sector,

by providing training within or between companies for salespeople, boutique managers, and regional managers, especially through programs that once completed will award certificates.

How is human resource management essential for businesses?

We regularly see that small and mid-sized businesses have a multitude of issues to manage before turning their attention to human resources. And yet, the personnel in the buying office, marketing department, and point of sale are responsible for a client’s ultimate satisfaction and loyalty. So we encourage businesses to consider human resources as a core performance tool for growth. Human resources include recruiting employees and integrating them into the job, but also training, defining responsibilities, and motivating and managing teams. Paying attention to salaries and how careers evolve also guarantees a stable, motivated team. Some small and mid-sized businesses are aware of this and either have an in-house human resources department or get outside help. Unfortunately, many businesses don’t consider it important enough. And yet, the big businesses have understood ‒ human resources activities are fundamental for sales development and contribute to business growth!