Five Things I Know For Sure About Sales: Shane Corrigan

Published

8 years ago

April 22, 2016

Shane Corrigan

Wilson Diamonds

Annual personal sales: Over $1 million

Shane Corrigan was hired at Wilson Diamonds in Provo, UT, 13 years ago, armed with enthusiasm, a finance degree and no sales experience. “We try not to hire people who are career salespeople, because we sell a lot differently than other places,” says Corrigan, now sales manager. Now that owner Richard Wilson is planning his retirement, Corrigan is working toward a new role: store owner. — Eileen McClelland

This article originally appeared in the May 2016 edition of INSTORE.

1 Be yourself. “We hire for likability, good personality and the ability to make a good first impression. It’s also important to be able to match the customer’s energy level. If they’re mellow, you don’t want to overpower them by being overly spunky.”

2 Focus on the client. “We preach about not talking about how the store does things. I’ll tell them why it’s better for them. For example, I’ll explain that we don’t set center diamonds in mountings for display, because that way they can decide what stone is best for them.”

3 Just ask. “So many young salespeople back themselves into a corner on a sale and ask me what to do. I’ll ask them, ‘What do we know about the girl? What do we know about the budget? Do they need it right away? Do they need financing?’ and they haven’t gotten any information. If you make it a natural conversation, you can easily ask questions. There are a hundred different variables, and the more of those you can figure out, the better able you are to figure out what their need is.”

4 Create urgency, not pressure. “People come in and are standoffish at first because they’ve shopped somewhere else and the salesperson has put too much pressure on them. Pressure comes from something that’s false and feels fake, like ‘You can only get this price if you buy this today.’ Urgency is real, like ‘I need two weeks to do this ring custom, and you said you need it in 2½ weeks.’ So, no artificial pressure, but try to shorten the curve as far as them looking around a million places. Just make sure it’s truthful.”

5 Be ethical. “Referrals just naturally start to come if you’re trying to do what’s right and you feel good about what you’re doing.”

This Third-Generation Jeweler Was Ready for Retirement. He Called Wilkerson

Retirement is never easy, especially when it means the end to a business that was founded in 1884. But for Laura and Sam Sipe, it was time to put their own needs first. They decided to close J.C. Sipe Jewelers, one of Indianapolis’ most trusted names in fine jewelry, and call Wilkerson. “Laura and I decided the conditions were right,” says Sam. Wilkerson handled every detail in their going-out-of-business sale, from marketing to manning the sales floor. “The main goal was to sell our existing inventory that’s all paid for and turn that into cash for our retirement,” says Sam. “It’s been very, very productive.” Would they recommend Wilkerson to other jewelers who want to enjoy their golden years? Absolutely! “Call Wilkerson,” says Laura. “They can help you achieve your goals so you’ll be able to move into retirement comfortably.”