In episode 2 of The Business of Jewelry Podcast, Jimmy DeGroot and Peter Smith tackle one of the hottest topics of conversation in our business today. In Much Ado About Lab Grown Diamonds the industry veterans discuss the heated debate in the industry about what lab grown means for our business. They discuss the dilemma of what the end consumers are actually doing, while retailers and suppliers debate the moral arguments back and forth.

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.