The numismatic hobby itself is a fast-paced environment that changes all the time. It is full of ebbs and flows and normally has peak times in the year depending on how the market tends to sway, which as we all know, can change in an instant. However, the fast-paced environment fuels those whose one job is to make customers happy when it comes to their coin collections. For Preferred Customer Division representatives like Andie, an accelerated climate is not anything new.
“I worked in management within the medical field for 20 years before working here,” Andie said. “I was ready for the change in pace in a much more toned down situation. Although the numismatic hobby can get hectic, I’m actually finding myself a little hyperactive sitting at a desk all day. But in the same vein, much like I was doing before, the environments may be different but I get to help people at the end of the day.”
Because of the difference in the type of work, Andie found herself a little hesitant at first, deeming herself unsuited for the salesperson title.
“When I interviewed for the job, I told them that I was not a salesperson,” she stated. “They responded with, ‘good, that’s what we need.’ I think they knew that I was good with people and that was more important than any past title I did or did not have. I genuinely get excited about helping customers with finding the missing pieces to their collections. I think I get more excited than them sometimes.”
As someone who was not particularly a collector herself or all that knowledgeable about the business when she entered it, Andie did have a collecting father that would get her and her daughters certain things growing up.
“My dad is a collector so I kind of had that in the back of my mind when thinking about entering into this job,” Andie recalled. “Since coming here though, I’ve taken quite a bit of interest in older coins and the history behind them. I myself have even started collecting Morgan Silver Dollars, Flowing Hair Dollars, and Trade Dollars. I’ve shared them with my daughters in hopes that one day they will also start collecting coins and finding enjoyment in it too.”
While jumping into being a collector herself has helped in her new role with customers, she is fully aware of the magnitude of information out there that is still yet to be known.
“There is still so much to learn and that is in its own way exciting,” Andie stated. “The staff here is very knowledgeable and experienced and very open to answering any questions or concerns that I myself may not be able to answer for the customer yet. Even customers teach me things about this business too. They are extremely knowledgeable. That’s also a big thing that led me to this position was because I knew that this company was very family-oriented and appreciative. I get amazed by the amount of knowledge and information that runs throughout this building.”
While she may not know everything about the business yet, that’s normal. One of the biggest things to learn about numismatics is something she already has down: you will never know everything there is to know and learning something new everyday is a large part of why the hobby still remains a force to be reckoned with after hundreds of years. But as her journey with our Preferred Customer Division is nearing just six months soon, she knows that her ability to be honest with her customers outranks everything she has yet to learn.
“I’m an honest representative,” Andie affirmed. “I am here to help customers find what they need for their collections. If I don’t think they need something, I’m not going to go out of my way to try to sell it to them. Not every item out there is right for every collector and that’s part of this journey and learning that balance. On the other hand, if they need something, I am determined to find it. I want to make them happy and they appreciate that. I’ve had collectors tell me that they were appreciative because they knew I was being honest with them. Just the other day I had a collector that made a big purchase and I went and took pictures and texted them to him because I wanted to make him more comfortable and informed with his decision.”
As we have yet to make our way through even half the representatives for this blog series, it is easy to see that each one is unique in their approach. You truly cannot go wrong with any of them. But what makes that fact even better is that as a team, they are pretty exceptional as well.
“We have such a good mix of personalities in that room,” Andie expressed. “We are cheerleaders for each other even though sometimes it can be competitive. I’m not as competitive as some but my main goal is to just help customers and see the company do well. If we are all doing that, we can continue being here and being successful.”
While the Preferred Customer Division at The Coin Vault has team goals, Andie also remains focused on the goals she has set for herself.
“I continue to set bigger and better goals for myself every month,” she articulated. “That’s also one of the biggest reasons I love it here too is because I can do that for myself and get goals set for me by Leah and Brock and everyone else. But that’s just the thing, they give you goals and then they also help you achieve them, which in my experience, is rare. I think it also gives me the confidence to aim beyond even what I thought I was capable of. They are always pushing us here but they are appreciative.”
As her job in the medical field may have ended when she took this position in October of 2020, her volunteer work outside of The Coin Vault remains important to her.
“I still volunteer as a child advocate and as a voice for children in the courtroom for this county,” Andie said. “I still work in addiction and mental health services and will continue doing that for as long as I can.”
Aside from her valued work in the community, Andie enjoys being with and there for her two daughters.
“I visit my oldest in college as much as I can,” she boasted. “She’s applying to med school soon. My youngest is really interested in sports so I go to as many track and cross country meets as I can for her. My fiance and I also make sure to sprinkle in some self care along with everything else we have going on. Honestly, my favorite place to be is on the beach reading a book.”
Perhaps one of our busiest representatives outside of the Preferred Customer Division as well as in it, Andie details her time here in a surprising way given how on-the-go she is.
“I am stress free here,” she claimed. “It helps to be appreciated and I get to talk to people everyday and help them. It has been a huge change for me. I don’t plan on going anywhere for a long time.”