Sales Strategy
Jimmy DeGroot: Your Sales Floor is Like a Jazz Club | October 15, 2025 (0 comments)
Appleton, WI--When Kyle and I talk about sales training, we often compare great selling to playing jazz. At first that might sound like a stretch. Jazz is about music; sales is about people and products. But the truth is both are about rhythm, connection, and creativity within a structure.
In jazz a musician uses a lead sheet—the form of the song. It has the melody, chords and framework that guide the performance. But the magic happens in the solos, where each musician listens, reacts and improvises in the moment. That’s where the heart of the music lives. That’s why many people love jazz. It’s never the same song twice.
Sales is no different. We have our own “form” in key questions, the steps of the sale, and the circle of the sale. These give us direction and consistency. But the best salespeople know that no two customers are alike. Once you know your form, you can play—adapting your approach to the customer in front of you, reading their body language, emotions, responses and needs in real time.
When you do this, selling stops feeling like a rehearsed routine and starts feeling like a duet. And I’d like to think we did away with rehearsed selling long ago. You’re not just talking, you’re creating something unique with your customer. Every conversation becomes its own improv, never to be duplicated.
So, as you step onto the sales floor this week, remember this: know your form, then play jazz baby. Listen, adapt and improvise within your process. That’s where sales stops being mechanical and starts becoming memorable.
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 and his partner Kyle Bullock help jewelry stores grow their profits and their people to fulfill their greater purpose! We do it through one-on-one business coaching, sales training, and leadership development. Contact Jimmy at jimmy@trainretail.com or call 920-492-1191.