The Business of Jewelry

New “The Business of Jewelry” Podcast Addresses Questions of Hiring

Peter Smith and Jimmy DeGroot discuss hiring questions, how to get the best people to interviews.

Published

9 months ago

August 18, 2023

INSTORE Staff

THIS MONTH, WE ARE excited to introduce a brand new podcast: The Business of Jewelry Podcast, featuring Jimmy DeGroot (Train Retail) and Peter Smith (The Retail Smiths). In this inaugural episode, Jimmy and Peter take on one of the most pressing issues in our industry today: hiring salespeople.

In a no-holds-barred conversation, the two industry vets revisit Smith’s book, Hiring Squirrels, to see what has changed in recent years. They discuss some of the most important questions to ask experienced and inexperienced salespeople, and Jimmy asks, “How do retailers get candidates to show up for interviews?” They also discuss why retailers need to be okay hiring candidates who are less than perfect, and why a structured interview process is critical.

She Wanted to Spend More Time with Her Kids. She Called Wilkerson.

Your children are precious. More precious than gold? Absolutely! Just ask Lesley Ann Davis, owner of Lesley Ann Jewels, an independent jewelry store that — until the end of 2023 — had quite a following in Houston, Texas. To spend more time with her four sons, all in high school, she decided to close her store. Luckily, she was familiar with Wilkerson and called them as soon as she knew she wanted to move on to bigger, better and more family-focused things. Was she happy with her decision? Yes, she was. Says Davis, “Any owner looking to make that life change, looking to retire, looking to close, looking for a pause in their career, I would recommend Wilkerson. Hands down!”