Adina is passionate about connecting with the people who make up the special Adina community, from the consumers, salespeople to the suppliers.
In this blog post, we thought we’d pull back the curtain on what happens behind the scenes in bringing an Adina watch to our customers. From coastal downpours in Far North Queensland to dust storms in the heart of country Australia, the journey is rarely dull!
Understanding the Customer
From the beginnings of Adina (which we talked about in this blog post), to the current day, Adina has always been passionate about knowing who our customers are.
We are privileged to have people wear our watches from all walks of life throughout Australia, and now even internationally.
One of the most important ways that we are able to get to know our customers is by connecting with our retailers. The salespeople in the stores that sell our watches are most often the key link between our company and the people who choose to purchase an Adina watch.
From the high end luxury jewellers to the down to earth stores that celebrate the everyday person, Adina has always respected the pivotal role that retailers play in connecting consumers with Adina. As a result, building and developing strong relationships with our retailers is one of the top priorities for an Adina sales representative.
Developing Strong Relationships
General Manager Grant Menzies started working at Adina as a sales rep in the mid-nineties. During his time at Adina he has travelled far and wide throughout Australia (and beyond) in order to connect with a wide variety of retailers.
And he says there’s more to repping than showing up at the front door.
“Repping isn’t just selling or representing the company. We’re passionate about the watches and want the people who are representing us to exude that same passion in order to exude what we do.”
In order for that to happen, relationships are key.
Adina sales reps put a strong focus on developing positive working relationships with each and every Adina stockist.
When Grant first began visiting retailers he received some handy advice from another person in the industry. As a result, he took notes on every staff member that he met and reviewed those notes before revisiting the shop. Grant says this attention to detail was a great help in building rapport with the retail teams he visited. What’s more, it helped to develop trust.
Grant explains that taking time to get to know each of the people in the retail stores meant that they began to see that Adina really had their best interests in mind.
“Selling our watches means that it’s not just putting food on the table for us at Adina, but it’s putting food on the table for our retailers as well as our suppliers.”
In short, it’s a collaborative effort.
And that’s why connecting with, and building trust with retailers is so important for Adina. What’s more, we’ve found that if a retail team is on board with our brand and excited about our products, then they’ll support them above the competition.
Life on the Road for an Adina Sales Rep
Long hours are spent on the road and miles are clocked up for an Adina sales rep.
At times, it can prove tricky to find accommodation on the road that has suitable amenities. In addition, accommodation need to be secure for the stock that a rep transports from place to place.
Even finding a car park when visiting a retail store requires forethought.
As Grant explains, “You don’t want to be walking for miles with a heavy suitcase of stock through tropical rains or severe heat in the west.”
But even with the myriad factors a sales rep needs to navigate while on the road, the rewards are many.
Grants says that seeing this great country, getting to know a huge amount of people, and visiting a wonderful variety of stores make the trickier factors of being on the road well worth it.
“It’s also about being adaptable and maintaining a healthy lifestyle in order to make the most of being on the road.”
Over the years, Grant has been able to find a number of ways to do exactly that. For example, in wanting to maintain his fitness while on the road, Grant had a particular place where he went running when visiting Gunnedah. In Coonabarabran, he swam. Cairns was for diving in the reef. And heading to the stores in Western Australia meant an opportunity to go fishing with a mate in Dunsborough.
“Making the most of where of where you’re staying is also another way to connect with the locals and understand where they’re coming from,” Grant says.
Of course, being away from loved ones on the road is never easy. But thanks to communication mediums such as Facetime and Skype, it’s easier than ever to maintain close family contact.
Getting Alongside and Helping Retailers
Finding practical ways to help retailers in their businesses is one of the ways Adina likes to work with retail teams. Often, being a visitor can be a positive. It can allow an Adina sales rep to share a unique perspective on various aspects relevant to a business.
Often, this is about turning problems into positives.
In one particular town that Grant visited, the locals were sad to see a tree in front of an Adina stockist cut down. While Grant could empathise how it was disappointing to see the tree being removed, he also helped the retail team view it as a positive: more people could now see the shop.
In another town, major roadworks meant the road right in front of shop was being dug up – a headache for any local business.
But, as Grant was able to communicate with the retail team, this could be used as an excellent conversation starter. What’s more, he suggested they remind people that while their cars might be covered in dust, their products were clean!
This is just one way that Adina is able to show that we’ve got the bests interest in mind for both retailers and consumers. By coming to see retailers’ shops, visiting their home turfs and getting to know the teams, Adina is able to get alongside retailers and find ways to help.
Simply looking into a business’s shop front window is another way that Adina reps can find ways to help retailers.
“By looking into a window,” Grant says. “We can see where their strengths and weaknesses are. We’ll then help them solidify those strengths and develop those weaknesses so they can turn into strengths also.”
It’s that positive mindset that the Adina company prides itself on that goes a long way.
Adina’s Commitment
As explained above, building trust with retail teams is paramount. But sometimes, this trust can only be developed in time.
Throughout his career at Adina, Grant has discovered that it’s not always enough to turn up with a great watch that people love.
Often, people also need familiarity.
For example, Grant says that people in Western Australia are very similar to people in his home turf of Queensland.
“People in WA need to know and trust you first before they’ll consider our watches,” Grant says. “Their hospitality is incredible. But they’ll rarely buy on my first visit. They want to make sure that I’m coming back. And then on my return visits, they’ll purchase our watches.”
And that’s why repping for Adina is never just about sales. Building positive working relationships with retail staff is a crucial part in growing the Adina community. And in turn, it benefits the customers.
