MEDIA |
JULY 2022
The power of process, practice, & persistence
Vince Rath
RJ found the jewelry business like many of us, accidentally. It was the job he took to pay the bills once his Marine Corps service was complete. He figured he would do this until a ‘real job” came along, something better suited to his temperament. You see, RJ was shy and quiet and didn’t consider himself a “natural” salesperson. And to be truthful, he wasn’t. As an introvert, he didn’t talk much. So, when he began to work with customers, he found his interactions were often clumsy because he didn’t know what to say or how to say it. Small talk seemed, well, small. Unnatural. Plus, there was so much information to learn. If he was going to be credible, he had to know something about diamonds and gemstones, metal types, product styles, vendor stories, manufacturing processes as well as repair take-in, special order processing and his company’s warranties but what should he share? It was a lot and at times, RJ wondered if he’d made the right choice. Fortunately, he joined forces with a company that took coaching and development seriously.
The company RJ works for committed to a training program based on three important elements: a clearly defined sales process, ongoing practice and frequent behavior-based feedback. They held weekly training meetings that demonstrated the specifics of their sales process. They reviewed exactly how to greet a customer and establish common ground, build value in an item or handle objections. Each meeting included lots of practice and the training continued throughout the week via sales debriefs. It was real-time feedback on actual scenarios compared against the standards in their sales process. Then, at the end of the month, the manager met with each salesperson to evaluate their overall performance and set developmental goals, not just sales goals. The company identified metrics to indicate which sales behaviors needed attention and, together, the manager and associate built 30-day action plans to improve them. RJ flourished in this environment and hammered away at his craft. He accepted the feedback, did the work and acted like the professional he aspired to become and in doing so, achieved more than imagined. In his second year, RJ’s results were competitive with the veterans and as his third year began, he set an audacious goal, to become the company’s first million-dollar producer.
I’d like to report that RJ met his goal, but he didn’t. He fell frustratingly short but maintains a good perspective. He realizes that, while he missed the big target, his accomplishment was remarkable. His personal sales grew by more than 50%, he set the company’s single-year sales record, created a standard for others to chase and provided abundantly for his family. What could he be disappointed about? As you would guess, he has a plan for the coming year. RJ is returning to the “gym” to ensure his fundamentals are sound and consistent. He remains honest about his shortcomings and is partnering with his manager to mitigate them in pursuit of his next milestone, maybe even another record.
