I didn't want to be THAT kind of sales person...
My first business was a franchise of Smallprint fingerprint jewellery. It was a ‘business in a box’ where I was trained to make the jewellery from silver clay, and also sell it.
๐ ๐ก๐๐ ๐ง๐จ ๐๐ฑ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ข๐๐ง๐๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ข๐ง๐ (๐’๐ ๐๐จ๐ฆ๐ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฆ ๐ ๐๐๐ซ๐๐๐ซ ๐ข๐ง ๐๐) ๐๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐ก๐๐ซ๐๐๐ฌ๐ญ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐จ๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐๐ฌ๐ฌ.
I thought I had to be really salesy. But I had really negative perceptions of what that meant, and felt like I needed to be bolshy and pushy like a car salesman or something.
๐๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ๐จ๐ค ๐ฆ๐ ๐ ๐ฅ๐จ๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ข๐ฆ๐ (๐ฒ๐๐ฌ, ๐ฒ๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ) ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฎ๐ง๐๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐ญ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ง’๐ญ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ.
I could lean into my strengths - I’m confident, outgoing, warm and friendly, and I love chatting to people. I also learned I was not necessarily selling a piece of jewellery… I was helping them to capture a moment in time… a memory.
๐๐ก๐๐ง ๐ ๐๐ก๐๐ง๐ ๐๐ ๐ญ๐๐๐ญ๐ข๐, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ฌ๐๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ซ๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐ฆ๐๐ฆ๐จ๐ซ๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐๐ฌ ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ง๐ ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ก๐๐ฅ๐ฉ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ฆ ๐ญ๐จ ๐๐จ, ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐๐จ๐ง๐๐ข๐๐๐ง๐๐ ๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ฌ๐ฌ๐จ๐ฆ๐๐. ๐ธ
I built up a successful business with a fantastic returning customer database - because I’d built a relationship with them. Even now, 9 or so years later every now and then I meet someone who refers to the jewellery I made for them and how they still cherish it.
๐ฅ ๐๐ก๐ ๐ฉ๐จ๐ข๐ง๐ญ ๐ข๐ฌ ๐ญ๐ก๐ข๐ฌ - ๐ ๐๐ข๐๐ง’๐ญ ๐ง๐๐๐ ๐ญ๐จ ๐ฌ๐๐ฅ๐ฅ ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ ๐ญ๐ก๐๐ญ ๐๐ข๐๐ง’๐ญ ๐๐๐๐ฅ ๐ฅ๐ข๐ค๐ ‘๐ฆ๐’. ๐ ๐๐จ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ฌ๐จ๐ง๐๐ฅ๐ข๐ณ๐ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐๐ฉ๐ฉ๐ซ๐จ๐๐๐ก, ๐ฅ๐๐๐ง ๐ข๐ง๐ญ๐จ ๐ฆ๐ฒ ๐ฌ๐ญ๐ซ๐๐ง๐ ๐ญ๐ก๐ฌ, ๐๐ง๐ ๐ฐ๐จ๐ซ๐ค ๐ข๐ง ๐ ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ ๐ ๐๐ง๐ฃ๐จ๐ฒ๐๐๐ฅ
It’s the same with many things in business, including visibility.
You don’t have to blindly follow what worked for someone else.
You’re much more likely to have success if you put your own stamp on it.
Have you found the same?
Erin x
Founder
