Sales Strategy

Jimmy DeGroot: Build Success with the Team You Already Have April 22, 2025 (0 comments)

From The Slow Growth Business Podcast with Jimmy DeGroot and Kyle Bullock

Appleton, WI--When is it time to hire someone new? A piece of advice from Kyle Bullock is to look at your current people and ask yourself, “Can I work with and elevate the team I already have?”

This is where to start because the cost and risk of adding a new person is great. The cost is in the hiring, training and developing of this person to get them up to a speed where they are now generating a positive ROI. The risk, of course, is not only the expense of this venture, but the ability of this new person to meld with your team and culture. Often a new person can be a disruption in the culture and now your expense is great. In Kyle’s early career as a jeweler, he constantly wanted to replace underperformers, but a trusted mentor challenged him to invest in his current team instead. The result? Long-term growth, less stress, and a stronger culture.

I caution against the common trap of hiring out of desperation — when you're tired, overwhelmed, or chasing sales. We rarely make good decisions when we’re desperate. Bringing on new staff without a clear plan in a relaxed, creative frame of mind can backfire, especially if existing team members haven't been coached to their potential. We find this to be overwhelmingly the case when consulting new jewelers.  Instead of hiring immediately, set goals of 5–10% improvement goals for each current employee and focusing on coaching, delegation, and accountability to metrics and non-negotiables. 

Hiring a superstar salesperson or manager might seem like a silver bullet, but it often disrupts team dynamics. Sustainable growth comes from consistency, communication and steady improvement.

In short, before adding someone new to your payroll, ask yourself: Have I truly developed the people I already have? If not, that’s where your growth journey should begin.

If you’re ready to build smarter, not faster, check out more training tools or one-on-one coaching options at TrainRetail.com.

James (Jimmy) DeGroot is a professional jewelry sales and operations trainer from the jeweler’s side of the counter. Having been in management and the jewelry business for over 20 years, Jimmy offers weekly training to jewelers nationwide via the Train Retail website. Jimmy is an AGS titleholder and specializes in training relevant and timely methods for jewelry teams. He can do a full training on making Bridal Presentations the best they can be, among many other regular training options. Contact Jimmy at jimmy@trainretail.com or call 920-492-1191.