ColumnistsApr 05, 2022
The Smart Lab: How To Take Advantage of ‘Google My Business’ ColumnistsApr 13, 2022
Squirrel Spotting: Johnny Cash Was a Salesman
Peter Smith charts the singer’s unlikely path to sales excellence as a reminder of what jewelers need to look for when hiring salespeople.
Peter Smith is an industry consultant, speaker, sales trainer, and author. He can be reached via email at TheRetailSmiths@gmail.com.
In a 1997 interview on NPR’s “Fresh Air,” Johnny Cash talked to host Terry Gross about trying to sell home appliances at a store called Home Equipment Company in Memphis, Tennessee.
“I couldn’t sell anything and didn’t really want to,” he said.
Later in the same interview, Cash recounted how he had virtually stalked Sam Phillips, the owner of Sun Records, to give him a listen.
“I was fully confident,” Cash said, “I was going to see Sam Phillips and record for him.”
Cash called Phillips on the phone again and again but was turned down with each call. However, rather than allowing himself to be dissuaded from his dream, he took things to the next stage.
“One day, I just decided that I’m ready to go. I went down [to Sun Records] with my guitar and sat on the front steps of his recording studio and met him (Phillips) when he came in. I said, ‘I’m Johnny Cash. I’m the one that’s been calling and if you’d listen to me, I believe you’ll be glad you did.’”
Great singers—particularly those who are also songwriters—are storytellers. Their ability to communicate emotion to complete strangers in three or four minutes is central to their believability, their authenticity.
When Johnny Cash cited his inability to sell home appliances as evidence of his lack of sales acumen, he wasn’t totally right.
He might not have been able to sell home appliances, but when it came to selling himself and his music, he was a master.
Cash’s efforts to ensure he got an audition at Sun Records was a master class in sales. A micro one, for sure, but a case study no less.
His ability thereafter to sell his songs, his stories, is one for the history books. He could sell; he just didn’t want to sell home appliances.
I don’t know if Julie Panko can sing a lick, or if she’d ever want to sell appliances, but I do know that she is an accomplished sales professional for Mountz Jewelers in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.
Julie didn’t have a jewelry background when she applied at Mountz. In fact, she didn’t have any kind of sales background at all.
Julie, you see, drove a school bus for 15 years in south central Pennsylvania. She did so because it afforded her the opportunity to take her 2-year-old daughter, Alayna, on the bus with her.
Six years later, she was able to do the same thing for her son, Jake, when he was 2 years old.
At the time Julie heard Mountz was hiring, her wardrobe, consisting almost entirely of sweats, T-shirts, and sneakers, was not her friend. A typical morning saw her quickly put her hair into a bun, sans makeup, and head off to inspect the bus and plot her route for the day.
She said she probably had one business button-down and a skirt in those days. Julie’s life was far removed from the world of luxury, of jewelry, of Rolex, and yet she eventually became a top sales professional for Mountz Jewelers.
“I couldn’t sell anything and didn’t really want to,” he said.
Later in the same interview, Cash recounted how he had virtually stalked Sam Phillips, the owner of Sun Records, to give him a listen.
“I was fully confident,” Cash said, “I was going to see Sam Phillips and record for him.”
Cash called Phillips on the phone again and again but was turned down with each call. However, rather than allowing himself to be dissuaded from his dream, he took things to the next stage.
“One day, I just decided that I’m ready to go. I went down [to Sun Records] with my guitar and sat on the front steps of his recording studio and met him (Phillips) when he came in. I said, ‘I’m Johnny Cash. I’m the one that’s been calling and if you’d listen to me, I believe you’ll be glad you did.’”
Great singers—particularly those who are also songwriters—are storytellers. Their ability to communicate emotion to complete strangers in three or four minutes is central to their believability, their authenticity.
When Johnny Cash cited his inability to sell home appliances as evidence of his lack of sales acumen, he wasn’t totally right.
He might not have been able to sell home appliances, but when it came to selling himself and his music, he was a master.
Cash’s efforts to ensure he got an audition at Sun Records was a master class in sales. A micro one, for sure, but a case study no less.
His ability thereafter to sell his songs, his stories, is one for the history books. He could sell; he just didn’t want to sell home appliances.
I don’t know if Julie Panko can sing a lick, or if she’d ever want to sell appliances, but I do know that she is an accomplished sales professional for Mountz Jewelers in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania.
Julie didn’t have a jewelry background when she applied at Mountz. In fact, she didn’t have any kind of sales background at all.
Julie, you see, drove a school bus for 15 years in south central Pennsylvania. She did so because it afforded her the opportunity to take her 2-year-old daughter, Alayna, on the bus with her.
Six years later, she was able to do the same thing for her son, Jake, when he was 2 years old.
At the time Julie heard Mountz was hiring, her wardrobe, consisting almost entirely of sweats, T-shirts, and sneakers, was not her friend. A typical morning saw her quickly put her hair into a bun, sans makeup, and head off to inspect the bus and plot her route for the day.
She said she probably had one business button-down and a skirt in those days. Julie’s life was far removed from the world of luxury, of jewelry, of Rolex, and yet she eventually became a top sales professional for Mountz Jewelers.
“Saying that you are open to hiring people without sales experience is of little consequence if you don’t structure your recruitment efforts accordingly.”— Peter Smith
Koser Jewelers’ Ryan Torrenti graduated from Lancaster Bible College with a bachelor’s degree in student ministries. Needing to pay his bills, he took the only job he could find at the time—a warehouse worker for Best Buy.
Ryan shared that he needed two references just to get an interview for the warehouse job, almost laughable by today’s standards.
Despite overwhelming evidence showing that top salespeople come from all walks of life, companies continue to advertise for people with experience in sales and then bemoan the poor quality of candidates they do somehow manage to unearth.
With that mindset, you don’t find people like Julie Panko or Ryan Torrenti—stars in their respective stores.
They would never have gotten the chance to become outstanding salespeople because they drove school buses and stocked shelves.
Saying that you are open to hiring people without sales experience is of little consequence if you don’t structure your recruitment efforts accordingly.
If you want to tap into a broader base of potential candidates—and note that conservative estimates indicate 25 percent of all people have sales wiring—then scream it from the rafters in your messaging.
Let people know that your very best people drove school buses, stocked shelves, tended bar, were schoolteachers, etc., and that you are looking for people with the ambition to be great.
People who love people. People who are self-motivated. People who want to listen. People who want to make a career in sales.
In advertising for experienced salespeople or, worse still, experienced jewelry salespeople, we are in effect conceding that we are unwilling to train the very things that can be trained (product, process) while ignoring the things that cannot be trained (motivation, empathy, resilience, work ethic).
When Julie first became a sales professional, she knew nothing whatsoever about selling luxury products; Mountz had to teach her the ropes.
But they didn’t have to worry about her wiring, her personality, her inherent decency, her drive. She brought that with her, along with a sincere passion for people and a desire to help them.
It wasn’t an easy adjustment. In fact, she told me how very challenging it was at first trying to understand and sell expensive jewelry.
“My mom lives a couple of doors down from me and I shared my early frustrations with her, telling her that I was going to give this three weeks only.”
Not surprisingly, Julie’s mom and sister encouraged her to stay the course, reminding her that she was destined for great things.
Koser Jewelers in Mount Joy, Pennsylvania did not have to teach Ryan to care about people or to want to make a difference in their lives.
Like Julie, he too brought a genuine love of people, a desire to help them, and a determination to be a success into his role.
“My father was in sales, and I knew how cutthroat the business could be. I knew how important it was to make the numbers, but I didn’t want to lose my identity in pursuit of sales success,” he said.
“It was my passion for people that made me realize that sales would be a great outlet for me. Working in a big-box store allowed me to be an anthropologist of sorts because I was meeting customers from all
different walks of life.”
In “The Empathy Effect,” Dr. Helen Riess wrote, “In human interactions, empathy is one of the most powerful forces we have for connecting with and helping others. And like any skill, it can be molded, fine-tuned, enhanced, and managed.”
Not surprisingly, neither Ryan nor Julie indicated their persuasive prowess in describing their own success; rather, it was their desire to understand what was most important to their customers.
As Ryan said, “Each person I interact with is of infinite worth and value, regardless of their needs. I am genuinely an advocate for my customers, and everything I do is a result of that core belief.”
Both Julie and Ryan described empathy as their strongest suit, and Julie talked about building trust and listening to every customer, no matter how small their needs might be.
Kevin Mitchell is an associate professor of Genetics and Neuroscience at Trinity College Dublin.
In his groundbreaking book, “Innate: How the Wiring of Our Brains Shape Who We Are,” he wrote: “There is little evidence to support the idea that we can really change our personality traits, that we could, for example, learn to be biologically less neurotic or more conscientious.
“You may be able to learn behavioral strategies that allow you to adapt better to the demands of your life, but these are unlikely to change the predispositions themselves.”
We are surrounded by people with sales wiring, and yet many of them are not working in a sales capacity.
They’re waiting tables, tending bar, teaching, and working in doctor’s offices. Some of them even drive school buses and stock shelves.
As for the guitar players and songwriters, they may have a different path for now.
More on Columnists
The Latest
AuctionsOct 24, 2025
Bonhams Under New Ownership, Top Executives ReplacedLondon-based investment firm Pemberton Asset Management acquired the auction house for an undisclosed amount.
GradingOct 24, 2025
DMIA to Hold Diamond Testing Instrument DemoThe workshop will give attendees the chance to try out and ask questions about three different diamond verification instruments.
CrimeOct 24, 2025
Video Emerges of Louvre Jewelry Robbers Fleeing the Scene The footage shows two of the jewelry heist suspects descending from the second floor of the museum and then escaping via scooter.
Brought to you by
Are Earrings an Overlooked Category? What Retailers Need to Know NowAs the holiday season quickly approaches, consider stocking one category that sometimes gets overlooked: earrings.
CollectionsOct 24, 2025
Piece of the Week: Wyld Box Jewelry’s ‘Ray of Light’ EarringsFounder and designer Rosanna Fiedler looked to a vintage Cartier clutch when designing the sunlight-inspired drop earrings.
Weekly QuizOct 16, 2025
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
FinancialsOct 23, 2025
Jewelry Sales Resilient Despite Struggles at LVMH, KeringThe luxury conglomerates faced a challenging Q3 amid geopolitical and economic tensions.
SourcingOct 23, 2025
Petra Diamonds Turns to Shareholders to Raise Capital The struggling diamond mining company, which owns the historic Cullinan mine, has launched a rights issue to raise about $25 million.
Brought to you by
Protect Your Customers and Your BusinessYou deserve to know what you are selling–to protect your customers as well as your business and your reputation.
WatchesOct 23, 2025
‘Million Dollar Hip Hop Watches’ Recounts Watch HistoryThe book details the journey of watches as symbols of hard-earned success in hip-hop for artists like 2Pac, Jay-Z, and more.
AuctionsOct 23, 2025
Freeman’s | Hindman Names New VP, Senior Specialist for Jewelry & WatchesAlexis Vourvoulis, who most recently worked at Tiffany & Co., brings more than two decades of jewelry experience to her new role.
TrendsOct 22, 2025
The Taylor Swift Effect: Antique Diamonds EditionThe superstar’s August engagement put the stamp of approval on an already hot engagement ring trend.
TrendsOct 22, 2025
Don’t Forget These Diamond Jewelry Trends When Stocking for the HolidaysRetailers should offer classic styles with a twist that are a perfect fit for layered looks, experts say.
AuctionsOct 22, 2025
Pink Diamond, Vanderbilt Jewels to Headline Phillips’ Geneva AuctionThe nearly 7-carat fancy vivid purplish pink diamond could sell for around $9 million.
SourcingOct 22, 2025
In ‘Storied Diamond,’ Jared Jewelers Is Emphasizing the Journey The retailer’s new collection of engagement rings and fashion jewelry is set with natural diamonds that are traceable via blockchain.
CollectionsOct 22, 2025
Tiffany & Co.’s ‘Bird on a Rock’ Finds New PerchChief Artistic Officer Nathalie Verdeille has reimagined the iconic design in both figurative and abstract creations.
Events & AwardsOct 22, 2025
JFC Kicks Off Halloween Costume ChallengeFive dollars buys one vote toward an industry professional you want to see dressed up as a hero, or a villain, this Halloween.
Events & AwardsOct 22, 2025
Hillsborough Antique Show Gets New OwnerRecently acquired by KIL Promotions, the November edition of the public show in San Mateo, California, will be held Nov. 7-9.
GradingOct 21, 2025
GIA Examines Rare Bicolor Pink DiamondThe stone’s two zones, one pink and one colorless, may have formed at two different times, the lab said.
MajorsOct 21, 2025
Pomellato Brings ‘Global Attitude’ to Rodeo Drive FlagshipHollywood glamour meets Milanese sophistication in the design of Pomellato’s new store in Beverly Hills, California.
Lab-GrownOct 21, 2025
Grown Brilliance Opens First FlagshipThe New York City store showcases a chandelier with 1,500 carats of lab-grown diamonds designed by an FIT student.
Events & AwardsOct 21, 2025
‘Douriean Fletcher: Jewelry of the Afrofuture’ Opens at MADThe Museum of Arts and Design's new exhibition features 75 pieces by the designer, best known for her work in the “Black Panther” films.
AuctionsOct 20, 2025
Sotheby's To Auction 10-Carat Vivid Pink DiamondMaking its auction debut, "The Glowing Rose" is expected to fetch $20 million at the November jewelry sale in Geneva.
SourcingOct 20, 2025
2 Mozambique Police Officers Killed at Gemfields’ Ruby MineThey were attacked on Oct. 15, as approximately 40 miners without licenses marched on the mine’s gate.
CrimeOct 20, 2025
See the ‘Priceless’ Jewels Stolen During Daytime Heist at the Louvre It took the masked thieves less than 10 minutes to steal eight irreplaceable jewels from two display cases in the museum’s Apollo Gallery.
SourcingOct 20, 2025
Pristine Gems Names New Director of European SalesGemologist Lauren Gayda has previously worked at The Clear Cut, Taylor & Hart, and Effy Jewelry.
IndependentsOct 17, 2025
From the Jazz Age to the Information Age: London Jewelers Turns 100In 2026, the jewelry retailer will celebrate a milestone only a small percentage of family-owned businesses survive to see.
Events & AwardsOct 17, 2025
An Edit of Italian Jewels Is Coming to NYCThe new showcase dedicated to Italian jewelry design is set for Oct. 29-30.
