Peter Smith - Part 2: The Keys to Hiring for Success
Peter Smith has been in the jewelry business for four decades. He is the former president of Hearts on Fire, Memoire, and Vibhor. He is the author of several well-known books on selling and hiring, including “Hiring Squirrels: 12 Essential Questions to Uncover Great Retail Sales Talent”, “Sell Something: Principles and Perspectives for Engaged Retail Salespeople”, and “The Sales Minute: 101 Tips for Retail Salespeople”. Peter is a columnist for National Jeweler and The Jewelry Book, where he writes about retail branding, sales, and hiring. In this episode, Wendi and Peter discuss: The jewelry industry's struggle with retail evolution and product display issuesIdentifying innate traits like drive, optimism, empathy, and resilience in great salespeopleImportance of personal connection and emotional selling over high product knowledgeBehavioral interviewing to assess candidates' character, motivation, and cultural fitNeed for a process-driven approach to align traits, resumes, and company culture for optimal hiring decisions Key Takeaways: Success in sales relies more on inherent traits like drive, optimism, empathy, and resilience, rather than product knowledge alone.Revamping traditional hiring practices through behavioral interviews allows companies to uncover the innate traits necessary for top performance, often overlooked in typical processes.A process-driven hiring approach, involving multiple interviews, ensures candidates are thoroughly assessed for key qualities like resilience, competitiveness, and a strong sales mindset.Cultural alignment is vital; placing the right candidate in a supportive culture fosters success, while a mismatch can lead to underperformance. “If you're struggling to hire, it's not about finding people being difficult—it's about lacking a process. You need a structured approach that seeks out candidates with drive, optimism, empathy, and resilience, even if they don't have the experience. Sometimes, the best fit for your business isn't looking for you—you have to go find them.” - Peter Smith Watch this episode on YouTube: https://youtu.be/bEv5wzBAeYU?si=eL0mfQwMid7jycPV Connect with Peter Smith: Website: https://www.theretailsmiths.com/ LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/peter-smith-20a77a33/ Connect with Wendi Swanson: Website: etymongroup.com LinkedIn: www.linkedin.com/in/wendiswanson Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61557265653368 Email: wswanson@etymongroup.com Recommended Books: Hiring Squirrels, Peter Smith https://www.amazon.com/Hiring-Squirrels-Essential-Interview-Questions/dp/1500269271 Good to Great, Jim Collins https://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Some-Companies-Others/dp/0066620996 First, Break All The Rules, Marcus Buckingham https://www.amazon.com/First-Break-All-Rules-Differently/dp/1595621113 How To Hire A-Players, Eric Herrenkohl https://www.amazon.com/How-Hire-Players-Recruiting-Department/dp/0470562242 Never Hire A Bad Salesperson Again, Christopher Croner and Richard Abrahamhttps://www.amazon.com/Never-Hire-Bad-Salesperson-Again/dp/0578972522 Show notes by Podcastologist: Angelo Paul Tagama Audio production by Turnkey Podcast Productions. You're the expert. Your podcast will prove it.
