“The secret of success is constancy to purpose.”
- Benjamin Disraeli
I initially watched Sweetwater’s phenomenal growth from my perspective as a Regional and National Sales Manager for a well known (and popular) equipment manufacturer for over six years before coming on board just over two years ago. And in the relatively short time I've known about Sweetwater, it has grown from Chuck, Brenda and a handful of employees running the business out of their home, to a staff of over 130 employees (growing almost daily it seems) working together in a totally state of the art retail facility.
As “the factory guy,” I've had the opportunity to see Sweetwater’s fundamental principles of long term customer service distinguish them from the competition. And from the very first time I met him, Chuck has always made it clear that he is interested in long term, mutually beneficial relationships with both his manufacturers and his customers rather than just making a sale.
Further, I've never met anybody as careful about his credibility and this care is reflected by the quality of the employees Chuck has brought on board since starting the company. It is my humble opinion (and although biased, I'll stand by it) that we are blessed with the most knowledgeable and best trained sales staff in the industry.
Frankly, due to the shortage of quality salespeople in our own industry, we have targeted companies outside music retailing - companies like Xerox and IBM - with which to benchmark our sales staff and training goals. The high bar we’ve set requires careful hiring and considerable ongoing training.
Starting in the next issue of Sweet Notes, I'll begin to discuss a “week in the life” of a member of the Sweetwater sales team. I think you’ll find it interesting. See you then!
Jeff Radke is Vice President of Sales