Big Survey

Here’s The Best Place to Find A Great Sales Associate

These people know what it takes to be a salesfloor ace.

Published

6 months ago

October 27, 2023

Chris Burslem

Here’s The Best Place to Find A Great Sales Associate

WANT TO BRING in a topnotch sales associate? Your best bet is to ask your staff for recommendations. They know what’s involved in the job, what kind of temperament and personality fit best with the role, and they know who they’d like to work with.

That’s the experience of the hundreds of jewelers who answered the 2023 INSTORE Big Survey, with more than one in five crediting staff with tipping them off to their greatest-ever sales hire.

The other top 5 sources were not surprising – online advertisements (14%), recruited from another jeweler, including from GOBs (14%), hired from among favorite customers (11%) and spotted while working with a non-jewelry retailer (8%).

Possibly the biggest takeaway from this question was that a good sales associate can be found almost anywhere, you just have to be willing to keep an open mind, be the candidate a walk-in, a recent high-school graduate or even the young girl sitting across the breakfast table who’s never shown much interest in working for the family store. Among the eventual gun salespeople that jewelers hired from non-retail backgrounds were teachers, a dog trainer and a barista from Starbucks. “I can teach jewelry work and they teach the customer service,” noted one enthusiastic employer of former coffee store workers. Our favorite story though was the jeweler who gave a one-time construction worker a chance.

“Posted a job and interviewed and hired a former construction worker to work the sales floor. Down to earth and amazing customer-service face for the business,” he related.

The 2023 Big Survey was conducted via an anonymous online form from late August to early October, attracting more than 750 responses from American jewelry-store owners and managers. The full results will be published in the November edition of INSTORE.

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.”