Question 1

What is the single biggest suggestion you would give to someone wanting to get into this career?

Tim Mann · Accepted Answer

“Be as persistent as you can. That’s essentially what got me the job. I was the only guy who called back after putting in a resume. I kept calling back to check on the status and that made a strong impression. (That was told to me later on.) I thought that was just what you do but apparently, not everyone does! If I hadn’t persisted I never would’ve been hired.”

Question 2

What’s the #1 mistake people make when trying to get into this career?

Tim Mann · Accepted Answer

“In general I think people underestimate the job. I know a lot of people think it’s like the life of Riley because you have the best guitars around and people think we just sit around playing them till someone comes in and wants to buy one — but there’s a whole
underside to that.
“Another mistake would be undertaking too much too fast or not taking direction. Taking direction is huge. Being motivated and a self-starter is a little different than not following direction so it’s important to know that difference. It’s about making sure everyone is on the same page.”

Question 3

What is the question people should ask about this career but rarely do?

Tim Mann · Accepted Answer

“What’s involved in how this business operates?
I feel like if people knew that, they wouldn’t walk around saying things like ‘man, you must have the best job ever!’ We absolutely do but on their end, they don’t see everything behind it. My coworkers put in an enormous amount of legwork to represent the product and appease the customer and that can go unappreciated. 
“That’s the one element I see that is sort of irksome. These aren’t people I deal with directly — it’s just sort of an observation. It’s hard to put yourself in someone else’s shoes and understand what they go through to be of service to you. It goes with the job. We have a product that demands deep knowledge.”

Question 4

What is one thing I should have asked which I didn’t?

Tim Mann · Accepted Answer

“If there’s one thing I’d want to throw in, it’s that I had been through college when I started but you really learn about the ways of the world when you work at a shop. You see how the tendencies of people work. It’s fascinating to see the trends in behavior but that only comes from being there and seeing it happen again and again. As far as being prepared with what to deal with, think on your feet and know how to read the customer.
“We’re almost a niche shop so it really depends [on the shop]. There are shops that have phone centers that are bigger than us and all they do is sit on the job and answer the phone. But we might have a guy who wants to talk about a $30,000 guitar for four hours on the phone and sometimes your day is gone. 
“Sometimes it gets really intense and you just don’t stop dealing with people for eight hours at a time, then other times you see tumbleweeds in front of you. That’s the nature of the game and they should be aware of that going in. For kids who get bored easily, stay motivated and don’t wait for the next high-end customer to come in and make your day. You have to create your own energy.”

Question 5

If you could describe in one word what makes you successful, what would it be?

Tim Mann · Accepted Answer

“Knowledge. Knowledge of the customer and knowledge of the product. It’s hard to put into one word. Patience, humor, and a certain amount of confidence that goes with sales certainly help. I’d rather have someone with more knowledge and less confidence than someone who’s overconfident and doesn’t know what they’re talking about.”

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