 Meet Jared Sanderson
Employer: The Work Wear Store Age: 32
How long have you been a part of the YPN? For three years.
Name an experience you enjoyed that the YPN hosted and why: The YPN Afterhours at The Michigan Tap Room (located within Stardust Lanes) because it was a great way to actually get to know fellow YPN members for who they truly were and what they represented. Additionally, with the event being informal, it was a comfortable environment, which allowed for newer members to feel like they had been members for years, which consequently made for a more enjoyable time. I would also be lying if I didn't mention I enjoyed the delicious beers on tap.
How has the YPN been helpful for your career? It's a great business to business referral program. As the old saying goes, "It's not always what you know but who you know." As a direct result of being in YPN, our embroidery/screen print clientele has grown tremendously from either members being directly involved with bringing business to the Work Wear Store, or through their referrals to family, friends or co-workers. Not to mention, the lunch seminars are always a useful tool in making me a better sales person through learning different sales techniques, building of leadership skills etc.
What is the best piece of advice you've ever gotten? I've received many words of advice in life in regards to my line of work ... "Don't trust anyone that wears a belt with suspenders" ... "If it doesn't make sense, it probably doesn't make a dollar." All joking aside, the words of advice that I work by is that "it is okay to say no" and "always maintain communication with your customer."
In regards to the "it is okay to say no" words of advice, some might say that it is simply a different way to say "you can't please everybody so don't try." I like to think of it as more of a rule to make smart business decisions, i.e. don't take on orders you know will be costly and ineffective, don't overbook your printers schedule, aim to please and not to just make a dollar. As a business where nearly all of our advertising is done via word of mouth, you want positive results, not just results.
The communication between a salesman and his/her customer is of vital importance. Whether it's through email correspondence, phone calls or text messages, keep your customer in the loop (and that applies to both good and bad news). Nothing upsets a customer more that not hearing from their sales person or not knowing the status of their order.
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