Sales Strategy
Are You Sure You’re Coachable? | December 23, 2014 (0 comments)
Austin, TX—Even after 30 years in the jewelry industry, I still have a hard time when I come across people that “know it all." Yes, I am going to broach that subject, but before I get into it I want to be very transparent: I don’t know it all.
So now let’s start talking about the sales professionals out there who do think they know it all, and that can’t seem to open their minds to new things. Whether it’s a new brand or a new approach with a customer, the truth is the most successful sales professionals I work with are the ones that want to learn and are willing to put old habits aside to try new approaches. Continual learning is a basic necessity to professional improvement, and in many cases it’s other people that will help get you there. But only if your team, staff, and sales professionals are coachable.
Are they? To be coachable means to be approachable, attentive, receptive, curious, objective, trusting, shapeable, and confident. It means you listen with the intent to learn rather than to show you know--exactly the same kind of listening required in the sales process. Watch your team: are they open to new brands, stories, and approaches? In short, are they approachable?
Many times I walk into jewelry stores, and I sense an unapproachable feeling, which makes me want to run right out. If I’m in the industry and I’m looking to run right out, what do customers feel? I would suggest you have a quick eight-point checklist with your sales team to assess their coachability. Are they:
- Approachable
- Attentive
- Receptive
- Curious
- Objective
- Trusting
- Shapeable
- Confident
Remember it means they listen with the intent to learn, rather than to show what they know. As we said above, exactly the type of listening required in the sales process. Listen, and then talk.
Make It The Best Sales Day Ever!
Pat Henneberry, The Jewelry Coach, actually never envisioned a career in jewelry. But after growing up in the heartlands of Iowa, she moved to Austin, TX, and became an award-winning salesperson with ArtCarved. Now, with more than 30 years’ experience, Henneberry is one of the diamond world’s top trainers, having helped build multiple brands for the jewelry industry. She spent 10 years with DeBeers’ Diamond Promotion Service, where she helped launched new brands, worked on national ad campaigns like "A Diamond is Forever,” and helped retail jewelers build their diamond business. While there, she was the proud recipient of the Diamond Symphony Award by Diamond Promotion Service and DeBeers. Later, she was part of the Hearts On Fire international training team, where she traveled the world teaching retail jewelers how to sell diamonds and grow their business. Henneberry is the founder of The Jewelry Coach. The Jewelry Coach is about building positive principals for self-improvement and personal jewelry sales development, and offers an online 24/7 sales training community. Her clients number such famous names as Forevermark US, Tiffany & Co. sales training, and LVE, a new Schachter & Co. diamond brand, as well as other key brands and retailers in the luxury jewelry sector. She also is frequently sought as a motivational speaker in the industry. She can be reached at (512) 203-3414 or at pat@thejewelrycoach.com