Building a retail sales team that performs well, lasts long, and represents your brand with pride isn’t easy.

Owned by brothers Oscar and Sarkis Tatosian, Oscar Isberian Rugs is a third-generation rug retailer in Chicago, serving the city since 1920. The team sells rugs by building trust, relationships, and a lasting legacy.

With staff who’ve stayed for decades and a philosophy rooted in service over policy, their story offers a model for independent retailers focused on building a retail team that leads with true values. 

Learn eight retail sales team tips backed by real, actionable lessons from their century-old business.

1. Hire for the Long Haul

The team at Oscar Isberian Rugs prioritizes hiring people who align with the company’s long-term values and vision. As a result, team members stay for decades. The company is home to employees who’ve been with them for 20 to 40 years, including sales associates, service coordinators, and even warehouse and delivery staff. That level of loyalty is rare in retail. 

Many hires have come through referrals and longstanding community-centered relationships, which reinforces a culture of trust and reliability.

Instead of hiring just to fill immediate needs, build your retail team with people who are ready to grow with your business. Look for individuals who value consistency, care about your mission, and are willing to learn the depth of your product and the meaning behind your brand. Investing in the right people upfront can lead to a stronger, more stable business over time.

2. Build a Culture of Empowerment

At Oscar Isberian Rugs, the staff isn’t burdened by rigid scripts or approval chains. The company culture is built around confidence, autonomy, and problem-solving, allowing every team member to act quickly in the customer’s best interest without checking with a manager.

Oscar explains that the customer service policy is simple: “There is no customer service policy. It’s just whatever they ask for, we do.”

In practice, this looks like:

• A salesperson coordinating rug pickup on Christmas Eve, because it mattered to the customer. 
• Allowing customers to take multiple rugs home to try, then picking up the ones they don’t want to keep. 
• Communicating directly with clients via text or email, without needing approval. 
• Handling complaints or adjustments immediately. No “let me talk to my manager” delays.

When employees are trusted to take initiative, they deliver faster, better service, and feel more connected to their role. It’s important to build confidence through training, then give your team the space to act. Empowered staff creates empowered customer experiences

3. Encourage Your Team to Lead with Ownership 

At Oscar Isberian Rugs, the sales team acts as a personal guide throughout the purchasing process. From first contact through in-home trials, delivery coordination, and final decisions, one person remains the constant point of communication. This approach cuts down confusion and keeps the experience personal, consistent, and efficient.

Encouraging this kind of ownership helps your sales team work more confidently and effectively. Invest time in training your team to manage multiple touchpoints, and trust them to make real-time decisions. When team members own their relationships from start to finish, customers feel taken care of, and your store runs with fewer handoffs, mistakes, or missed opportunities.

4. Instill Pride of Place Through Product Storytelling

At Oscar Isberian Rugs, the showroom is a carefully curated space that reflects the artistry and history of the products on display. The team pays close attention to every detail, from the way rugs are folded and placed to the room’s atmosphere during client visits and events. 

This pride in presentation comes from a deep respect for the product and the stories it carries. It’s a mindset that elevates the retail experience for both the team and the customer.

When in practice, this can look like:

• Preparing the showroom as if welcoming guests into a home. 
• Sharing the origin or technique behind a specific rug with a client. 
• Displaying rugs in a way that tells a visual story. 
• Treating cleaning and restoration with the same care as selling.

When your team understands and values what they’re selling, their passion becomes part of the customer experience. So, train employees on product specs and product stories. As they start to become curators of something meaningful, they’ll naturally deliver a richer, more respectful retail experience.

5. Deliver Service That Extends Beyond the Sale

At Oscar Isberian Rugs, customer relationships last generations. Many clients are second or third-generation buyers who return because they trust the team to take care of their needs. That trust is earned through ongoing service, including rug cleaning, repair, restoration, and even helping clients reposition rugs in their homes until everything feels right.

This continued support isn’t offered as an upsell, but it’s a part of the brand’s long-standing commitment to care. The same staff who help clients select rugs are often the ones who stay in touch years later to assist with maintenance or new design needs. It’s a service model based on respect, consistency, and long-term connection.

Great retail teams know the real work begins after checkout. Encourage your staff to provide service and support after the sale is made. When customers feel genuinely cared for, they become loyal advocates.

6. Create a Positive Work Environment

One reason Oscar Isberian Rugs has sustained leadership across generations is simple: no one was forced into it. When Oscar and Sarkis joined the business during college, they eased in gradually, rotating semesters and learning the operations step by step. Ownership wasn’t assigned; instead, it was earned through experience and personal commitment.

If you want to build a retail sales team that lasts, create an environment where people actively choose to be part of it. Avoid rigid succession plans or pressure-based promotions; instead, offer exposure, mentorship, and time to grow. When team members feel like they’ve chosen their own path, their loyalty runs deeper, and so does their performance.

7. Teach Your Team to Respect the Complexity of Retail

When cleaning manager Alex Dayenian first started at Oscar Isberian Rugs, he thought his role and the company were simple: a customer walks in, buys a rug, and leaves. What he quickly discovered was how much goes on behind the scenes, including sourcing rugs internationally, organizing logistics, and delivering products with precision.

That realization changed how he saw the business.

When building a retail sales team, take time to educate your staff on everything that happens outside of the sales floor. When employees understand the depth of operations behind each transaction, they take their roles more seriously, communicate more thoughtfully, and appreciate the value they help create.

8. Create Stability by Growing With Purpose

Oscar Isberian Rugs has expanded its services over time, from adding wall-to-wall carpeting to strengthening its cleaning and restoration division. Yet even as the business evolved, its identity as a fine hand-knotted rug specialist never wavered. That clarity gives both employees and customers a strong sense of direction.

Retail sales teams last when the business itself feels steady. Growth is important, but it should reinforce your mission. When your team understands what your brand stands for and sees leadership making thoughtful, consistent decisions, it creates confidence that keeps people committed for the long haul.

Conclusion

The team at Oscar Isberian Rugs didn’t build a successful 100+ year retail business on trends or short-term wins. They built it on people who show up every day to serve customers, take pride in their work, and carry on a legacy.

If you want to build a retail sales team that sticks around, treats customers like family, and represents your brand with pride, these eight strategies offer a roadmap forward.

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