Sales Strategy
‘Silent Storming’ | May 10, 2017 (0 comments)
Miami, FL—It’s almost summertime, so like last year, this will be my last article for The Centurion Newsletter until after Labor Day. I thoroughly enjoy working with Centurion and especially Hedda. Putting these newsletters together is no easy task. Thank you, Hedda, for letting me be part of the Centurion family!
Now, I’m leaving everyone with a great summer exercise for your sales associates. It has not always worked for me personally but it is called:
“Silent Storming.” Or, to put it another way, silent brainstorming sessions.
Tell everyone to leave their smart devices behind and gather your staff in a conference room to sit in a shared silence. There will be a powerful mental energy to be had in that room. Put an idea on the agenda and let everyone have their silent thoughts. Initially try this for just five minutes, then allow people to share their thoughts. Over time, build up this practice to 10 or 15 minutes.
You will be amazed at what your sales associates quietly can think through and share together. When people are finally allowed to talk, positive energy will exert itself and ideas to improve the workplace, for instance, will quickly surface.
With that, have a fantastic summer and as the song goes, I’ll see you in September! --Andie
Editor’s note: We thoroughly enjoy working with you, too, Andie! Your articles are always spot-on and full of in-the-trenches wisdom to help better jewelers be the best they can be. We look forward to your return after a well-deserved summer break. --Hedda
Andie Weinman, president and CEO of Preferred Jewelers International / Continental Buying Group Inc., was born with the “Jewelry Gene” working in the jewelry industry since she was only ten years old. Her first job was as a cashier in the opening of a catalog showroom doing a fantastic job even at that tender age. Andie holds a B.A. in musical theatre and a B.S. in marine biology from The University of Tampa. When she realized that seawater and marine biology were not good on her hair and she wasn’t quite good enough to make it on Broadway, the jewelry business beckoned. Andie has picked diamonds, sorted color stones, shot waxes and performed a multitude of jobs in the manufacturing of jewelry. Her negotiating experience and prowess has given her the reputation as being tough but fair in her dealings with vendors. In 2012 the Indian Diamond and Color Association awarded Andie the Prestigious Doyenne Award of the Year.