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The $500,000 Book of Business
May 17th, 2013
by Bill Boyajian

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I was coaching a friend recently. He loves what he does — he sells jewelry — but he didn’t love his situation at work. Though a top performer, he felt neglected, unappreciated, and even that he was being squeezed out of a job. Imagine that. Someone with a book of business well in excess of $500,000 at retail who felt squeezed at work.

What was the problem here? There was an obvious lack of communication between management and employee. It’s quite common. Most miscommunication results from differing assumptions and expectations, and ultimately leads to poor communication or even no communication at all. Taken to the extreme, it is a disaster waiting to happen, which could be remedied through clear, open, honest dialogue.

My counsel was to contact management and to be thoughtful, candid, and professional in addressing feelings and concerns. When this happens, a bridge can be built to establish mutual understanding, specific goals and objectives, and a way forward in the relationship.

Unfortunately, this never happened. The person resigned from his job and felt a sense of relief from the tension of it all. Not every situation or relationship will work, but if egos can be put aside and cooler heads prevail, awkward circumstances can sometimes be resolved for the benefit of everyone.

Great salespeople are stars and are usually worth tolerating for the results they produce. If a situation can’t be resolved, it’s best to move on, $500,000 book of business and all.



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–Charles Denaburg,
Managing Partner,
Levy’s Fine Jewelry
Birmingham, AL

"Our family needed some guidance on business transition and succession planning. We asked Bill Boyajian to help us because we knew we could trust him to tell us what we needed to hear. Bill became a valuable resource for our company and our entire family. He has the ability to meet each of us where we’re at and it has served us very well."

–Ceylon Leitzel
Leitzel Fine Jewelry
Hershey & Myerstown, PA

“We needed a plan to transition our business to a non-family member and we asked Bill Boyajian to help us. His experience in the area has really paid off, but we didn’t expect the added value of putting us together with a financial planner who helped organize our retirement needs. We now have the fundamentals to transition our business successfully, and we have Bill to thank for it.”

–Ernie & Debbie Cummings
Kizer-Cummings Jewelers
Lawrence, KS