CollectionsFeb 03, 2023
Chipotle Spices Up Valentine’s Day with Jewelry CollectionThe fast-casual chain partnered with Anna Sheffield’s Bing Bang NYC brand on a capsule collection and it’s a little “extra.”
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
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
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
EditorsFeb 03, 2023
Piece of the Week: Gismondi 1754’s ‘Marea’ CuffThe diamond and tanzanite bracelet was inspired by the waves of the Italian gulf near Genoa.
Brought to you by
Bringing Over 130 Years of Diamond Expertise to Modern GradingDe Beers Institute of Diamonds provides the very best in diamond verification, education and diamond services.
CollectionsFeb 02, 2023
Lowe’s Is Now Selling JewelryThe home improvement store’s website features an “Empowerment Tools” demi-fine jewelry collection.
Weekly QuizFeb 02, 2023
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge with this short test.
Events & AwardsFeb 02, 2023
Registration is Now Open for JIS Spring 2023The show will feature a new pavilion of 30 jewelry designers and manufacturers from Surat, India.
Policies & IssuesFeb 02, 2023
Tiny Radioactive Capsule Lost in Australian Outback FoundA government official said search crews “found the needle in the haystack” when they located the capsule belonging to Rio Tinto along an 870-mile stretch of road.
Brought to you by
De Beers Institute of Diamonds Expands to Offer Education De Beers is sharing over 130 years of experience and expertise through the De Beers Institute of Diamonds with a selection of courses.
TrendsFeb 02, 2023
Amanda’s Style File: Purple and Playful Amanda Gizzi welcomes February with a selection of amethyst jewelry, a birthstone that “deserves its own time to shine.”
EditorsFeb 01, 2023
Designers to Watch in 2023: BoochierBehind the playful and nostalgic brand lies deeper meaning.
Events & AwardsFeb 01, 2023
New Miami Jewelry Center Slated to Open in Q1The Time Century Jewelry Center is located in downtown Miami’s jewelry district.
SurveysFeb 01, 2023
Consumer Confidence Falls in JanuaryWariness about the year ahead offset a more positive view of the current economic situation.
MajorsFeb 01, 2023
Six New Retailers Appointed to IJO’s Board of DirectorsThe IJO also welcomed one new vendor member to its 13-member board, Brecken Farnsworth of Parlé Jewelry Designs.
ColumnistsJan 31, 2023
Squirrel Spotting: How About a Word for the New Year?It begins with a “t” and ends with a “c” and is imbued with warmth and positivity, Peter Smith writes.
Policies & IssuesJan 31, 2023
Rio Tinto Issues Apology After Radioactive Capsule Goes Missing The tiny capsule, which is believed to have fallen out of a truck, was lost somewhere along an 870-mile stretch of desert road.
MajorsJan 31, 2023
Indian Jewelry Brand Tanishq Opens First U.S. Store, More on the WayThe jeweler’s expansion plans include 20 to 30 more stores in North America and the Middle East over the next two to three years.
Events & AwardsJan 31, 2023
Gucci Is Getting a Gem AwardThe Italian luxury brand will receive the first Gem Award for High Jewelry Excellence.
MajorsJan 31, 2023
Martin Flyer Names New VP of Business DevelopmentIndustry veteran Kevin Lane has stepped into the role.
MajorsJan 30, 2023
Researchers Uncover Bejeweled ‘Golden Boy’ MummyThe ancient Egyptian teenager was buried 2,300 years ago with 49 amulets to guide him through the afterlife.
SurveysJan 30, 2023
Consumers Embracing Non-Traditional Ways to Mark Valentine’s Day The NRF’s annual survey shows that consumer attitudes about how, or even whether, to celebrate Feb. 14 continue to evolve.
Events & AwardsJan 30, 2023
JA Is Searching for the Next Retail ’20 Under 40’ Nominations are open now through March 24.
MajorsJan 30, 2023
10 Jewelry News Stories You Might Have MissedA column detailing how independent jewelers did last year and the top watch brands of 2022 were among the most-read stories last week.
FinancialsJan 27, 2023
Tiffany & Co. Shines for LVMH in 2022Acquired in 2021, the brand’s high jewelry sales have doubled and its new “Lock” collection was an instant hit.
MajorsJan 27, 2023
Diamond Council of America Appoints Treasurer, Board MemberExecutives from Fred Meyer Jewelers and Riddles Jewelers have filled the roles.
CollectionsJan 27, 2023
Piece of the Week: Heavenly Vices’ Lock NecklaceThe Victorian-inspired design is a functional lock and key.
Supplier BulletinJan 26, 2023
JA New York Spring Brings the Industry TogetherFor over 100 years, JA New York has played an integral role in facilitating the evolution of our industry, while also honoring past traditions.
TrendsJan 26, 2023
At Vicenzaoro, Paola De Luca Gazes Into Jewelry’s FutureThe trend forecaster and her guests explored unconventional jewelry designs, NFTs, AI art, and more during her Trendvision presentation.
