Sales Strategy
What to Look for and Where to Find a Good Sales Manager | February 18, 2021 (0 comments)
Green Bay, WI--It seems that not only are jewelry stores looking for good salespeople, but they're also often in need of a Sales Manager.
This became glaringly apparent as we began our Sales Management Master Class. Not only are stores being run without a management plan, they’re also being run without managers.
Now this is fine, if you’re happy right where you’re at. But a good sales manager and a structured management plan are more often than not the keys to your store going to the next level. However, the challenge is, how do we find a good manager?
Do we turn our best or most senior sales associate into a manager? Well, not if they’re happy selling. Ya see managers and salespeople are often wired differently. Just like a great quarterback and a coach. These are two different things. And a good manager doesn’t have to be a great salesperson, they just need to know how to COACH a good salesperson, to see things from a different perspective and to be paying attention to metrics.
CLICK HERE or on the Video image below to watch the informative video that accompanies this article. But do read on as well to absorb the text below.
This is why you don’t need to worry about finding a manager within the jewelry industry.
If they have a good playbook and are disciplined to pay attention to the right metrics and know how to coach people, they don’t have to know much about jewelry at all. Now of course eventually they’ll have to, but if your goal is sales growth and team development rather than industry knowledge, then here are a few characteristics to look for:
Detail Oriented. Someone who loves spreadsheets, sales metrics like closing ratios, customer counts, margin tracking and averages like sales, profit and sales presentations. Again, this is not typically a salesperson.
Then someone who can work within a set schedule to run meetings, do coaching, meet one-on-one with team members. You know coaching kinda stuff.
And someone who can give YOU the metrics and info YOU need to operate on a higher level.
And then finally, someone who can speak with confidence to anyone without getting emotional. This attribute will allow them to coach your people very effectively without emotion getting in the way.
Now you have a person who not only loves goals, but can surgically create a daily and weekly workflow to bring your team where you wanna go. This is a lovely situation because now you're not just wishing and hoping for growth, you have a plan and the right person to work that plan.
So now that you know the attributes, maybe there just might be a great person already working for you that can be that manager. Start with that person that you just love and would never want to get rid of even though they’re not the top salesperson. We all have ‘em. And you notice that they’re very detail oriented, always asking the next question at store meetings that may drive everyone else crazy.
Maybe it’s that person that pays attention to the details when you’re planning a promotion or even has their GG. I’ve always had success with THIS person, who is a real KNOWN for me. Listen, hiring a person from outside the organization can work out very well. I’m sure there are many placement agencies that could give you very positive stories, but I think we can all agree that there’s a good chance your perfect manager could be right inside your doors already.
If not, at least I hope I’ve given you a good profile of the person you’re looking for. If you’d like to chat more about how we train your managers and your sales team, give me a call or email me. I’d love to chat.
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 website JewelryStoreTraining.com. 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 jim@jewelrystoretraining.com or call 920-492-1191.