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

4 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.

Why This Jeweler Chose Wilkerson

Mark Lauer is the owner of Mark Michael Diamond Designs, the Minnesota-based jewelry gallery known for exceptional and uniquely designed diamond jewelry. Though he loved creating the beautiful jewelry his business was known for, retirement was an exciting alternative to the 60+ hours a week he’d spent building it up. He called Wilkerson to help with a retirement sale. “I did talk to two other companies, but I just didn’t feel they offered the same services that Wilkerson did,” he says. “I knew Wilkerson had the expertise to follow through and give me the service and results that I wanted. They’re the number one rock stars in this industry.”