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Smooth Seller: Robert Hough

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New Yorker proves you can joke around and still make serious sales

[h3]Robert Hough[/h3]

[h5]D’Errico Jewelers; Scarsdale, NY [/h5]

[componentheading]PROFILE[/componentheading]
Smooth Seller: Robert Hough

ROBERT HOUGH
Age: 42 
Years in jewelry sales: 20 
2005 sales: $1 million

[dropcap cap=R]obert Hough’s selling history has sole —  as in shoes. In a bid to win a sales accessory contest at a Kinney Shoe Store where he worked, Hough sold a woman shopping for dress shoes a purse, an additional pair of casual shoes and a big bundle of wools socks – in the middle of summer! The purchaser of the wool socks happened to be the wife of an executive at a major jewelry store and, by the next day, Hough had been offered his first position in the jewelry business. Twenty years later, he’s still selling up a storm, with $1 million in sales in 2005 and a closing ratio of 80%.

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D’ERRICO JEWELERS
Location: Scarsdale, NY 
Employees: 15 
Annual sales (2005): $2.7 million

Housed in an authentic log cabin nestled in Scarsdale, NY, D’Errico Jewelers specializes in custom design, which accounts for more than 70% of its sales. The 3,000 square foot store is divided in half – with one part for sales, the other part for the bustling shop. The business sells medium- to high-range jewelry and emphasizes impeccable customer service.[/dropcap]

[componentheading]INTERVIEW[/componentheading]

• Getting psyched up for a day of selling just happens naturally. 

•  Everywhere I go, people come up to me and ask questions about the store I’m in – whether it’s the furniture store or the car dealership. I must have the look of a salesman. My thinking is if I can handle objections about products I don’t know about it helps me better handle objections I do know about at my store. Eventually, I will let a person know that I don’t work at the store and will “hand the sale over” to someone who actually works there.

[blockquote class=orange]I can’t believe I used to say “To be quite honest with you”. Makes it sound like everything else you have said was less than honest.[/blockquote]

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• My biggest sale ever was $275,000 – an Audemars Piguet watch. I was working at Gotthelf’s in the Denver store. I had a customer in the office just shooting the breeze, when Kevin from the Vail store called to do the same. When I told him I was talking to a client, Kevin told me about the watch just arriving. So I showed the customer a picture in a watch magazine and with Kevin describing it to me. I then described the watch to the customer for about ten minutes then we agreed on price. He called his bank and wired the money.

• I am not a morning person. Once I walk in the store, I will rummage through the pile on my desk, get it in order, then enjoy my coffee.

• When I first started I never followed up with a client. I worked 80 hours a week and sold like crazy. I was a turn ’em and burn ’em guy. Then in 1988 I met a guy who was hitting million dollar sales goals. That was even bigger money then and he did it working Monday through Friday. I watched him do customer follow-up and eventually wrote my first thank-you note. After that I began working more on developing relationships with clients.

• To learn more about sales I read business journals. These are the publications that profile big sales like a million-dollar real estate sale or a multimillion dollar computer system sale. I look outside the industry to see what it took to sell someone a home worth $1 million or why a company’s top executive would buy an entire new computer system worth millions of dollars. By comparison, my sales are much easier.

• I go to local business council roundtables to help learn more about sales and businesses, but it also got me thinking more about wearing a suit to work. These people work hard for their businesses and they’re dressed to the nines.

[blockquote class=orange]I always get a tingling sensation in my spine when I sense a buying signal. It’s the damndest thing. [/blockquote]

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• I let customers know that I will be calling when they first purchase from me. But it is mostly thank-you calls or reminders of anniversaries or birthdays, I really never approach it as a sales call, it makes it a lot easier.

• I really don’t think when I approach a customer. I just talk to people. My conversations are all over the place, but I find that when they are really relaxed a customer will tell me everything I need to know to meet his or her needs and close the sale.

• The dress code for D’Errico Jewelers is always knotted up, suit and tie.

[blockquote class=orange]I think the professional look is back and people like it. Business casual seemed to get out of hand. [/blockquote]

• I create a need in the client. If a customer isn’t doing cartwheels by the time I’m done selling them, then I haven’t given them the sales experience they deserve.

• I really don’t set goals for myself. I am aware of the goals for the store and do all I can to help achieve those goals. We are all focused on a common goal.

• Yes, I have a daily plan. Do I follow it? No. The day really seems to set its own direction once the door is open.

• It’s easy for salespeople when it comes to me. I am a lay-down. The salespeople in our industry are steadily getting worse. In an attempt to save money, companies have put a lot people that lack enthusiasm and integrity on the floor. It’s a shame.

[blockquote class=orange]The thing that bugs me the most is when customers act like they know everything. I’m the only person that knows everything. [/blockquote]

• The advice I’d give on someone’s first day of selling jewelry is be yourself and, if you don’t have fun or love it, get out of it!

• I am a professional. I won’t allow a slump to take place. True salespeople create sales when walk-in sales aren’t around.

• The best sales advice I’ve ever received was always be enthusiastic, honest, and passionate and never lose your integrity.

• If I blow a sale, it’s usually because I let my ego get in the way.

• I absolutely love the holidays — the parties, happy people. Besides it’s like shooting fish in a barrel.

• When I’m not in the store, I don’t worry about what’s going on. But on my days off, I only worry about the rain as it ruins my golf game.

• When tired or sick and trying to get through the day, I torment people.

• I know it’s time to take a few days off when I snap at people.

• My favorite type of customer is one that has fun and is not too serious!

• Customers will remember me because I always crack jokes, which brings a smile to their face.

• I’m different from other salespeople because I truly enjoy working with customer. Plus, if I promise, I deliver.

• I am very quick with a sale as I hate dragging things out. If a customer wants to hang out, it’s over a glass of wine and talking about what is going on in their lives.

[blockquote class=orange]My biggest short-term goal is to hit the lottery and my biggest long-term goal is to keep my hair. [/blockquote]

• It’s a fine line between “customer” and “friend”. I have hunted and played golf with a couple of customers, but that’s it. I like to keep things separate.

• I think “turnover” whenever people are uptight or really serious.

• If I wasn’t selling jewelry, I’d be selling exotic cars. Since I was young, I loved identifying cars as they came down the road. When I was working in a jewelry store in Denver, a customer pulled up in an Aston-Martin. He actually let me drive. I was hooked!

• If my friends could see me now, they’d laugh, because I didn’t end up in jail or dead.

[span class=note]This story is from the November 2006 edition of INSTORE[/span]

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SPONSORED VIDEO

Ready to Move? Let Wilkerson Lead the Way

When Brockhaus Jewelry planned their move to a new location in Norman, Oklahoma, owners John Brockhaus and Brad Shipman knew exactly who to call for their moving sale: Wilkerson. "Having worked with Wilkerson before, choosing them again made perfect sense," says Shipman. "And our second partnership was even better than the first." The sale exceeded expectations, thanks to Wilkerson's strategic approach - starting with Brockhaus's existing inventory before carefully supplementing with additional pieces. "They made everything simple," Shipman adds. "From the outstanding consultant to the detailed planning, the entire process was seamless." It's why both partners enthusiastically recommend Wilkerson to fellow jewelers planning a move, remodel, or retirement sale.

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Smooth Sellers

Smooth Seller: Robert Hough

Published

on

New Yorker proves you can joke around and still make serious sales

[h3]Robert Hough[/h3]

[h5]D’Errico Jewelers; Scarsdale, NY [/h5]

[componentheading]PROFILE[/componentheading]
Smooth Seller: Robert Hough

ROBERT HOUGH
Age: 42 
Years in jewelry sales: 20 
2005 sales: $1 million

Advertisement

[dropcap cap=R]obert Hough’s selling history has sole —  as in shoes. In a bid to win a sales accessory contest at a Kinney Shoe Store where he worked, Hough sold a woman shopping for dress shoes a purse, an additional pair of casual shoes and a big bundle of wools socks – in the middle of summer! The purchaser of the wool socks happened to be the wife of an executive at a major jewelry store and, by the next day, Hough had been offered his first position in the jewelry business. Twenty years later, he’s still selling up a storm, with $1 million in sales in 2005 and a closing ratio of 80%.

D’ERRICO JEWELERS
Location: Scarsdale, NY 
Employees: 15 
Annual sales (2005): $2.7 million

Housed in an authentic log cabin nestled in Scarsdale, NY, D’Errico Jewelers specializes in custom design, which accounts for more than 70% of its sales. The 3,000 square foot store is divided in half – with one part for sales, the other part for the bustling shop. The business sells medium- to high-range jewelry and emphasizes impeccable customer service.[/dropcap]

[componentheading]INTERVIEW[/componentheading]

• Getting psyched up for a day of selling just happens naturally. 

•  Everywhere I go, people come up to me and ask questions about the store I’m in – whether it’s the furniture store or the car dealership. I must have the look of a salesman. My thinking is if I can handle objections about products I don’t know about it helps me better handle objections I do know about at my store. Eventually, I will let a person know that I don’t work at the store and will “hand the sale over” to someone who actually works there.

Advertisement

[blockquote class=orange]I can’t believe I used to say “To be quite honest with you”. Makes it sound like everything else you have said was less than honest.[/blockquote]

• My biggest sale ever was $275,000 – an Audemars Piguet watch. I was working at Gotthelf’s in the Denver store. I had a customer in the office just shooting the breeze, when Kevin from the Vail store called to do the same. When I told him I was talking to a client, Kevin told me about the watch just arriving. So I showed the customer a picture in a watch magazine and with Kevin describing it to me. I then described the watch to the customer for about ten minutes then we agreed on price. He called his bank and wired the money.

• I am not a morning person. Once I walk in the store, I will rummage through the pile on my desk, get it in order, then enjoy my coffee.

• When I first started I never followed up with a client. I worked 80 hours a week and sold like crazy. I was a turn ’em and burn ’em guy. Then in 1988 I met a guy who was hitting million dollar sales goals. That was even bigger money then and he did it working Monday through Friday. I watched him do customer follow-up and eventually wrote my first thank-you note. After that I began working more on developing relationships with clients.

• To learn more about sales I read business journals. These are the publications that profile big sales like a million-dollar real estate sale or a multimillion dollar computer system sale. I look outside the industry to see what it took to sell someone a home worth $1 million or why a company’s top executive would buy an entire new computer system worth millions of dollars. By comparison, my sales are much easier.

• I go to local business council roundtables to help learn more about sales and businesses, but it also got me thinking more about wearing a suit to work. These people work hard for their businesses and they’re dressed to the nines.

Advertisement

[blockquote class=orange]I always get a tingling sensation in my spine when I sense a buying signal. It’s the damndest thing. [/blockquote]

• I let customers know that I will be calling when they first purchase from me. But it is mostly thank-you calls or reminders of anniversaries or birthdays, I really never approach it as a sales call, it makes it a lot easier.

• I really don’t think when I approach a customer. I just talk to people. My conversations are all over the place, but I find that when they are really relaxed a customer will tell me everything I need to know to meet his or her needs and close the sale.

• The dress code for D’Errico Jewelers is always knotted up, suit and tie.

[blockquote class=orange]I think the professional look is back and people like it. Business casual seemed to get out of hand. [/blockquote]

• I create a need in the client. If a customer isn’t doing cartwheels by the time I’m done selling them, then I haven’t given them the sales experience they deserve.

• I really don’t set goals for myself. I am aware of the goals for the store and do all I can to help achieve those goals. We are all focused on a common goal.

• Yes, I have a daily plan. Do I follow it? No. The day really seems to set its own direction once the door is open.

• It’s easy for salespeople when it comes to me. I am a lay-down. The salespeople in our industry are steadily getting worse. In an attempt to save money, companies have put a lot people that lack enthusiasm and integrity on the floor. It’s a shame.

[blockquote class=orange]The thing that bugs me the most is when customers act like they know everything. I’m the only person that knows everything. [/blockquote]

• The advice I’d give on someone’s first day of selling jewelry is be yourself and, if you don’t have fun or love it, get out of it!

• I am a professional. I won’t allow a slump to take place. True salespeople create sales when walk-in sales aren’t around.

• The best sales advice I’ve ever received was always be enthusiastic, honest, and passionate and never lose your integrity.

• If I blow a sale, it’s usually because I let my ego get in the way.

• I absolutely love the holidays — the parties, happy people. Besides it’s like shooting fish in a barrel.

• When I’m not in the store, I don’t worry about what’s going on. But on my days off, I only worry about the rain as it ruins my golf game.

• When tired or sick and trying to get through the day, I torment people.

• I know it’s time to take a few days off when I snap at people.

• My favorite type of customer is one that has fun and is not too serious!

• Customers will remember me because I always crack jokes, which brings a smile to their face.

• I’m different from other salespeople because I truly enjoy working with customer. Plus, if I promise, I deliver.

• I am very quick with a sale as I hate dragging things out. If a customer wants to hang out, it’s over a glass of wine and talking about what is going on in their lives.

[blockquote class=orange]My biggest short-term goal is to hit the lottery and my biggest long-term goal is to keep my hair. [/blockquote]

• It’s a fine line between “customer” and “friend”. I have hunted and played golf with a couple of customers, but that’s it. I like to keep things separate.

• I think “turnover” whenever people are uptight or really serious.

• If I wasn’t selling jewelry, I’d be selling exotic cars. Since I was young, I loved identifying cars as they came down the road. When I was working in a jewelry store in Denver, a customer pulled up in an Aston-Martin. He actually let me drive. I was hooked!

• If my friends could see me now, they’d laugh, because I didn’t end up in jail or dead.

[span class=note]This story is from the November 2006 edition of INSTORE[/span]

Advertisement

SPONSORED VIDEO

Ready to Move? Let Wilkerson Lead the Way

When Brockhaus Jewelry planned their move to a new location in Norman, Oklahoma, owners John Brockhaus and Brad Shipman knew exactly who to call for their moving sale: Wilkerson. "Having worked with Wilkerson before, choosing them again made perfect sense," says Shipman. "And our second partnership was even better than the first." The sale exceeded expectations, thanks to Wilkerson's strategic approach - starting with Brockhaus's existing inventory before carefully supplementing with additional pieces. "They made everything simple," Shipman adds. "From the outstanding consultant to the detailed planning, the entire process was seamless." It's why both partners enthusiastically recommend Wilkerson to fellow jewelers planning a move, remodel, or retirement sale.

Promoted Headlines

Most Popular