MajorsJun 27, 2022
George Holmes, Longtime Head Editor of JCK Magazine, Dies at 93 He first took a job at then Philadelphia-based Jewelers’ Circular-Keystone in 1963 and retired in 1996.
ColumnistsSep 08, 2020
Squirrel Spotting: 10 Things Not To Do To Your Salespeople
From not micro-managing to not making them managers, Peter Smith lists 10 things retailers should avoid if they want to hold onto their top salespeople.
Peter Smith is president of Memoire and Hearts On Fire. He is author of two books, “Hiring Squirrels,” and “Sell Something.” Connect with Smith on LinkedIn or at dublinsmith@yahoo.com.
I’ve written plenty about how to hire and manage salespeople.
So I thought it might be interesting to compile a list of what not to do when it comes to them.
Here’s a list of 10. Let me know if you have any suggestions to add; you can email them to me or leave them in the comments below.
1) Don’t Subject Them to an Up System
Your most talented salespeople should spend as much time as possible in front of customers.
Forcing them to take a number while less capable salespeople engage customers is frustrating for them and bad for business.
They give your company the best opportunity to make sales, and they give your customers the best opportunity to have a great experience.
2) Don’t Deny Them a Meritocracy
No matter what plan you use for compensation—base, commission, bonuses, etc.—make sure your best salespeople make the most money.
Compensation plans designed to create a level playing field (i.e., we don’t pay commission but we all share the rewards equally), however well intentioned, miss the point entirely. It’s a great way to lose top salespeople.
3) Don’t Load Them Up With Non-Selling Duties
Great salespeople should be in front of customers at every opportunity. Activities and tasks that remove them from your customers will cost you money.
It’s called lost business. Hire non-salespeople to do non-selling tasks and let salespeople sell, as that’s what drives business forward.
4) Don’t Inflict a Bad Manager on Them
Clichés are clichés for a reason. Good people don’t leave companies, they leave bad managers.
If you inflict a bad manager on a good sales team, you’re telling them you don’t really care about their welfare, their productivity or their job satisfaction.
5) Don’t Try To Change Them
Nobody is perfect and top salespeople are no different. They are, however, perfectly suited to sales and that’s what they should be celebrated for. Don’t waste time trying to fix their non-selling imperfections.
6) Don’t Paint Your Whole Team With the Same Brush
There is nothing more demotivating to top salespeople than a well-intentioned but misguided manager criticizing the entire team for under-performance.
You are, in effect, telling the best performers they are responsible not just for their own results, but for those of less capable coworkers that you hired.
7) Don’t Burn Them Out
Even top performers need to switch off every now
So I thought it might be interesting to compile a list of what not to do when it comes to them.
Here’s a list of 10. Let me know if you have any suggestions to add; you can email them to me or leave them in the comments below.
1) Don’t Subject Them to an Up System
Your most talented salespeople should spend as much time as possible in front of customers.
Forcing them to take a number while less capable salespeople engage customers is frustrating for them and bad for business.
They give your company the best opportunity to make sales, and they give your customers the best opportunity to have a great experience.
2) Don’t Deny Them a Meritocracy
No matter what plan you use for compensation—base, commission, bonuses, etc.—make sure your best salespeople make the most money.
Compensation plans designed to create a level playing field (i.e., we don’t pay commission but we all share the rewards equally), however well intentioned, miss the point entirely. It’s a great way to lose top salespeople.
3) Don’t Load Them Up With Non-Selling Duties
Great salespeople should be in front of customers at every opportunity. Activities and tasks that remove them from your customers will cost you money.
It’s called lost business. Hire non-salespeople to do non-selling tasks and let salespeople sell, as that’s what drives business forward.
4) Don’t Inflict a Bad Manager on Them
Clichés are clichés for a reason. Good people don’t leave companies, they leave bad managers.
If you inflict a bad manager on a good sales team, you’re telling them you don’t really care about their welfare, their productivity or their job satisfaction.
5) Don’t Try To Change Them
Nobody is perfect and top salespeople are no different. They are, however, perfectly suited to sales and that’s what they should be celebrated for. Don’t waste time trying to fix their non-selling imperfections.
6) Don’t Paint Your Whole Team With the Same Brush
There is nothing more demotivating to top salespeople than a well-intentioned but misguided manager criticizing the entire team for under-performance.
You are, in effect, telling the best performers they are responsible not just for their own results, but for those of less capable coworkers that you hired.
7) Don’t Burn Them Out
Even top performers need to switch off every now
and again. They put tremendous pressure on themselves to perform, but they need a break every so often to avoid burnout.
That could be, for example, an occasional late-morning start, or a paid half day when they least expect it.
8) Don’t Micro-Manage Them
Good salespeople wake up motivated. They spend most of their time engaged in behaviors designed to make sales, and they spend most of their waking hours thinking about your customers.
Let them do what they do best and don’t try to micro-manage them.
9) Don’t Make Them a Manager
It is a rare case where salespeople step easily into a manager’s position.
The very ego that is necessary for their sales success often drives them in that direction, but they are fundamentally different roles. When making this change, you’ll more than likely be losing a top salesperson and gaining a poor manager.
10) Don’t Offer False Praise
One of the greatest traits of top salespeople is their empathy—their ability to read people and situations. They see through false praise and inauthenticity as quickly as anyone on your team.
Keep it real.
Great salespeople are precious cargo and they should treated as such.
They make up about 17 percent of all salespeople and the really good ones, what I describe as hybrids, account for about 4 percent of all salespeople.
If you’ve got any, handle them with care.
That could be, for example, an occasional late-morning start, or a paid half day when they least expect it.
8) Don’t Micro-Manage Them
Good salespeople wake up motivated. They spend most of their time engaged in behaviors designed to make sales, and they spend most of their waking hours thinking about your customers.
Let them do what they do best and don’t try to micro-manage them.
9) Don’t Make Them a Manager
It is a rare case where salespeople step easily into a manager’s position.
The very ego that is necessary for their sales success often drives them in that direction, but they are fundamentally different roles. When making this change, you’ll more than likely be losing a top salesperson and gaining a poor manager.
10) Don’t Offer False Praise
One of the greatest traits of top salespeople is their empathy—their ability to read people and situations. They see through false praise and inauthenticity as quickly as anyone on your team.
Keep it real.
Great salespeople are precious cargo and they should treated as such.
They make up about 17 percent of all salespeople and the really good ones, what I describe as hybrids, account for about 4 percent of all salespeople.
If you’ve got any, handle them with care.
More on Columnists
The Latest
MajorsJun 27, 2022
Mayors, Analog:Shift Team Up With GoopThe lifestyle platform will stock fine jewelry and watches from the retailers on its website and in store.
CrimeJun 27, 2022
JSA Warns of ‘Pandemic’ of Distraction Thefts Nationwide It cited two recent cases in California, plus incidents in Florida, Kansas, and Illinois.
Brought to you by
Preparing for Proposal Season with High-Quality, A.I.-Graded Natural Diamonds Rare & Forever is helping to create an enjoyable diamond buying experience for the millions of newly-engaged couples.
IndependentsJun 27, 2022
Lewis Jewelers Set to Open New Ann Arbor Store This SummerThe 10,000-square-foot location allows for expanded collections from design partners while continuing custom design and other services.
Weekly QuizJun 23, 2022
This Week’s QuizTest your knowledge of the latest jewelry news with this quick test.
CollectionsJun 27, 2022
This Designer Has Found a New Way to Bring Gemstones to LifeSvetlana Lazar’s “Wishing Well” collection utilizes an innovative component to mimic the movement of water beneath them.
Brought to you by
Discover The Extraordinary Italian Jewelry In Las Vegas!Experience all the Italian Jewelry market has to offer in Las Vegas.
Recorded WebinarsJun 24, 2022
Vegas Jewelry Recap: The Editors Weigh InWatch the webinar in which National Jeweler’s editors talk about jewelry market week trends and their predictions for the rest of 2022.
MajorsJun 24, 2022
Banter by Piercing Pagoda Celebrates Pride with ‘SayGay’ NecklaceAll proceeds up to $25,000 will benefit the It Gets Better Project, a nonprofit that supports LGBTQ+ youth.
CollectionsJun 24, 2022
Piece of the Week: Marie Lichtenberg’s Hidden Message LocketIt’s a reminder that life is best lived with discretion.
TechnologyJun 24, 2022
Cloud-Based POS Software Jewel360 Launches for Jewelry RetailersThe end-to-end software allows for real-time control over all sales, inventory, repairs, customer communications, and marketing.
EditorsJun 23, 2022
Antique Show Observations From a First-Time AttendeeAssociate Editor Lenore Fedow shares her impressions of the Las Vegas Antique Jewelry & Watch Show and a few of her favorite finds.
GradingJun 23, 2022
AIGS Launches Grading Report for ‘Santa Maria’ AquamarineThe Asian Institute of Gemological Sciences aims to set a color standard for the trade name.
SourcingJun 23, 2022
Rough Diamond Sales Rise Again for De Beers Sales were up 36 percent year-over-year in June and are pacing 24 percent ahead of last year at this point.
AuctionsJun 23, 2022
Auction House Freeman’s Appoints First Rep in Florida Kate Della Monica, a senior specialist in the Jewelry and Watches department, will relocate to the Sunshine State.
Lab-GrownJun 22, 2022
LVMH Luxury Ventures Sinks Money Into Lab-Grown Diamond Start-UpLVMH’s investment arm has taken a stake in Lusix, a lab-grown diamond company based in Israel.
AuctionsJun 22, 2022
Here’s How Two 100-Plus-Carat Diamonds Did at AuctionSotheby’s New York put a colorless diamond and a fancy deep orange-brown diamond up for sale last week, with mixed results.
CrimeJun 22, 2022
Leviev Diamonds Launches Bracelet to Help ‘Tinder Swindler’ Victims Profits will help them recoup financial losses.
MajorsJun 22, 2022
Swarovski Names First Non-Family CEORetail veteran Alexis Nasard will step in as CEO on July 4.
SourcingJun 22, 2022
Edward Asscher to Remain WDC President for Another YearThe organization also extended the terms of Vice President Feriel Zerouki and Treasurer Ronnie VanderLinden.
IndependentsJun 21, 2022
Jeweler Tommy Glatz, Known for Being Creative and Kind, Dies at 68Glatz owned and operated Glatz Jewelers in Aliquippa, Pennsylvania for more than 40 years.
Events & AwardsJun 21, 2022
24 Karat Club of Southern California Will Honor These Industry LeadersThe organization will present three awards at its annual dinner, dance, and gala in October.
MajorsJun 21, 2022
David Yurman Hires Chief of People, StrategyFormer McKinsey partner Emily Yueh marks new president Evan Yurman’s first hire.
TrendsJun 17, 2022
Britney Spears Wore Over $500K of Stephanie Gottlieb Diamonds at Her WeddingThe New York jeweler also made the pop star’s wedding bands.
AuctionsJun 17, 2022
5-Carat Paraiba Tourmaline Ring to Hit the Auction BlockIt’s predicted to sell for up to $484,000 during the Bonhams Hong Kong Jewels and Jadeite auction on June 22.
Events & AwardsJun 17, 2022
WJA Foundation to Offer Tech Scholarships for Women of ColorThe recipient will receive up to $17,500 toward a tech-focused certification or program of their choice.
