CollectionsOct 10, 2025
Count Down to the Holidays With Astrid & Miyu’s Advent CalendarsThe trio of Advent calendars include a version with 18-karat gold and lab-grown diamond jewelry in a red lacquer jewelry box.
IndependentsMar 19, 2019
Squirrel Spotting: The Logical Case for Emotion in Selling
Peter Smith says if you are hiring salespeople based on experience and product knowledge alone, then you are doing it wrong.
Peter Smith is president of Memoire and author of two books, “Hiring Squirrels,” and “Sell Something.” Connect with Smith on LinkedIn or at dublinsmith@yahoo.com.
One of the great complexities in sales is how we handle both hiring salespeople and training them once they have been onboarded.
Most of us would agree that the combination of those the two powerful forces serves as an important foundation to position our respective businesses for sales success, and yet I would suggest that we are all too often getting it wrong.
When interviewing candidates, we tend to default not only to industry experience, but to product knowledge as key drivers of our hiring decisions. The prevailing idea here is that if a candidate has better product knowledge, then they will be more successful in sales.
That presumption, while rationally sensible, is often misguided.
The social sciences have shown time and again that great salespeople move customers to action because they connect with them emotionally, not because they provide them with more product information.
In fact, there is ample evidence to suggest that those who have the most product knowledge tend to be the least effective in sales.
When I talk to both retail and supplier-side colleagues and ask them to describe their best salespeople historically, they very often describe salespeople who were not safe or predictable hires.
They weren’t the most knowledgeable or the most experienced members of the team. They were, however, very successful in sales.
Why is that? What is the key ingredient to becoming a top salesperson?
Christophe Morin and Patrick Renvoisé wrote a fascinating book called “The Persuasion Code: How Neuromarketing Can Help You Persuade Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime” in which they posited: “ … persuasion is not controlled by the rational brain. Rather, it is the primal brain that dominates the process, a brain that is mostly unconscious and preverbal. It appeared long before we started to use words to communicate.”
“Is it possible that too much of your [sales] training is focused on product information and too little on making real human connections?”Morin and Renvoisé are just the latest voices reminding us that we are not persuaded by facts, figures or rationalizations. We are moved by feelings, by emotions, by human connection.
Engaging with a salesperson who demonstrates a willingness to listen, who shows the appropriate, open and authentic body language, and who genuinely believes in what he or she is selling will almost always be more persuasive than a salesperson with a laundry list of product attributes and rationalizations.
If
we accept that emotion sells, shouldn’t that also impact how we hire and train our people?
Shouldn’t it change what we look for when interviewing sales candidates? Shouldn’t we be more open to candidates without previous experience and product knowledge?
And once those folks have been hired, is it possible that too much of your training is focused on product information and too little on making real human connections?
Thomas Gilovich and Lee Ross wrote in “The Wisest One in the Room: How You Can Benefit from Social Psychology’s Most Powerful Insights” that “the intuitive mind is more impulsive than the rational mind, and more likely to act, to render a judgement and lean toward a course of action, without surveying information beyond its immediate attention.”
If I’m buying a car, an appliance or a diamond ring, I am going to have some basic questions that need to be answered.
I expect my salesperson to have that information or be able to find it for me. I don’t want my salesperson to make stuff up, fake it or give me a blank stare. Having the appropriate amount of product information matters. It matters a lot.
Making a human connection, however, is ultimately what will persuade me to make a purchase.
Peter Smith is president of Memoire and author of two books, “Hiring Squirrels: 12 Essential Interview Questions to Uncover Great Retail Sales Talent,” and “Sell Something: Principles and Perspectives for Engaged Retail Salespeople.” Both books are available in print or Kindle at Amazon.com. Connect with Smith on LinkedIn or at dublinsmith@yahoo.com.
Shouldn’t it change what we look for when interviewing sales candidates? Shouldn’t we be more open to candidates without previous experience and product knowledge?
And once those folks have been hired, is it possible that too much of your training is focused on product information and too little on making real human connections?
Thomas Gilovich and Lee Ross wrote in “The Wisest One in the Room: How You Can Benefit from Social Psychology’s Most Powerful Insights” that “the intuitive mind is more impulsive than the rational mind, and more likely to act, to render a judgement and lean toward a course of action, without surveying information beyond its immediate attention.”
If I’m buying a car, an appliance or a diamond ring, I am going to have some basic questions that need to be answered.
I expect my salesperson to have that information or be able to find it for me. I don’t want my salesperson to make stuff up, fake it or give me a blank stare. Having the appropriate amount of product information matters. It matters a lot.
Making a human connection, however, is ultimately what will persuade me to make a purchase.
Peter Smith is president of Memoire and author of two books, “Hiring Squirrels: 12 Essential Interview Questions to Uncover Great Retail Sales Talent,” and “Sell Something: Principles and Perspectives for Engaged Retail Salespeople.” Both books are available in print or Kindle at Amazon.com. Connect with Smith on LinkedIn or at dublinsmith@yahoo.com.
More on Independents
The Latest
CollectionsOct 10, 2025
Piece of the Week: Marla Aaron’s ‘Nymphenburg Lock’Created in collaboration with Nymphenburg Porcelain, the lock is part of a four-piece collection that took two years to bring to fruition.
MajorsOct 10, 2025
Frederick Goldman Names New VP of SalesJewelry industry veteran Alisa Bunger has taken on the role.
Brought to you by
JA New York Fall Is Right Around the CornerThe upcoming show provides savvy retailers with the opportunity to stock their cases with best sellers in advance of the holiday season.
SourcingOct 09, 2025
Feriel Zerouki Is Leaving De Beers The company and industry leader’s two-decade tenure with De Beers will come to a close at the end of the month.
Weekly QuizOct 09, 2025
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
AuctionsOct 09, 2025
This Fabergé Egg Could Crack $27M At Auction“The Winter Egg” set the world auction record for a Fabergé piece twice at previous Christie’s sales.
MajorsOct 09, 2025
Sy Kessler Buying Watch Batteries as Silver Hits Record High The company will pay 1.5x silver’s current spot price for each pound of silver oxide batteries submitted.
CollectionsOct 09, 2025
Katkim Launches First Men’s CollectionThe line includes a “Shadow” series crafted exclusively for the new men’s offering and reimagined styles from the brand’s core collections.
SourcingOct 09, 2025
Gemfields’ Mini Mixed-Quality Ruby Auction Garners $11MThe rough on offer was recovered from a newer area at the Montepuez mine.
SourcingOct 08, 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 08, 2025
Emily P. Wheeler Shifts Into Neutral for Latest ‘Ombré’ CollectionThe champagne colorway in her newest “Ombré” collection combines white and trendy brown diamonds, a departure from her usual vibrant hues.
CollectionsOct 08, 2025
Tsuba Designs Inspire Monica Rich Kosann’s New CharmsKosann partnered with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, to create a set of necklaces inspired by the artwork on samurai sword handguards.
CrimeOct 07, 2025
Men Who Posed as Utility Workers Found Guilty in Jeweler’s MurderCarlos Jose Hernandez and Joshua Zuazo face life in prison for the October 2024 murder of 72-year-old Detroit-area jeweler Hussein Murray.
CollectionsOct 07, 2025
Jessica McCormack Looks to Sea Spirits for ‘Tempest’ CollectionThe brand’s first high jewelry collection, “Tempest” plays with movement while calling to mind the folklore of the sea.
SourcingOct 07, 2025
Columbia Gem House Announces ‘Opals for Outback Heroes’ FundraiserProceeds from its jewelry raffle will go to a volunteer-run fire and rescue group in the Lightning Ridge area of New South Wales, Australia.
MajorsOct 07, 2025
Stuller Names Its S.E.R.V.E Stars for 2025Stuller said the recipients embody the company’s core values, which include community participation and personal and professional growth.
WatchesOct 06, 2025
This Fall, Citizen’s Forecast Calls for RainCitizen’s new “Rainell” women’s watch has a raindrop-shaped case and is available with a silver-, gold-, purple-, or green-colored dial.
AuctionsOct 06, 2025
The ‘Rolex That Made Rolex’ Heads to Auction at Sotheby’s The “Mercedes Gleitze Rolex Oyster,” named for the British endurance swimmer who made it famous, will go up for sale next month.
GradingOct 06, 2025
GIA India Names Former De Beers Exec as New Managing DirectorAmit Pratihari was previously the managing director of De Beers India and Forevermark India.
SourcingOct 06, 2025
SoCal 24 Karat Club Integrates Into Diamond Club West CoastMembers of the Jewelers 24 Karat Club of Southern California will gain access to expanded services, resources, and connections, DCWC said.
TrendsOct 03, 2025
Selena Gomez, Benny Blanco Tie the Knot Wearing Diamonds, White MetalsGomez’s jewelry included Tiffany & Co. drop-style earrings while Blanco stacked diamonds from Jacob & Co. on his wrist.
GradingOct 03, 2025
Grading Lab HRD Antwerp Names New CEODiamond industry banking veteran Paul De Wachter will take on the role in January 2026.
TrendsOct 03, 2025
Piece of the Week: Kallati’s Pink Sapphire RingTaylor Swift flaunts an Elizabeth Taylor-esque gemstone in promo for her new album, “The Life of a Showgirl.”
CollectionsOct 02, 2025
Boucheron Debuts Cuffs Crafted With 3D-Printed SandIts “Quantre Sand” capsule was made using a 3D sand printing technique borrowed from the automotive and aeronautics industries.
CrimeOct 02, 2025
$1M in Jewelry Stolen in Northern California Smash and Grab Four individuals have been charged in the “takeover-style” robbery of Heller Jewelers last month, and additional charges are expected.
MajorsOct 02, 2025
Neil Lane Jewelry Exhibition Coming to Toledo Museum of Art“Radiance and Reverie” will showcase more than 150 jewels from Lane’s personal collection by Tiffany & Co., Cartier, and more.
