Different backgrounds provide different stories. When working for a company, employees usually tend to have all kinds of backgrounds coming from all walks of life. Usually that makes for a more well-rounded company as diverse skill sets are used, sharpened, and even created making the inner workings tick, tick, tick like the most efficient of clocks. The coin business may have a distinctive face, but it's numismatic hobbyists and collectors have many contrasting stories allowing for a melting pot of some of the best narratives out there. Holding true to that fashion, we put our Preferred Customer Division team together the same way: different people with different backgrounds looking to make a change not only in their lives personally, but when helping others in the hobby. Eric is one of those individuals and he certainly brings a different background to the table.
With a Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Eric has over 20 years of experience working within the automotive industry in accounting and service warranty. However, a change was needed.
“I wanted to get out and do something different,” he said. “Plus, coins have always been of interest to me. My grandmother would give me coins for Christmas or birthdays when I was younger.”
However, dealing with a completely new business focus was not always easy, especially when you are dealing with something as broad as numismatics.
“It was definitely difficult at first,” Eric admitted. “Yes there are so many different types of coins and currency and everything else that encompasses the business, but it is also so much more than that. Coming here has really opened my eyes and my mind.”
Being a small collector of coins and sports-themed items himself, he says the best thing he has done for himself as a devoted Preferred Customer Division representative is keep an open mind.
“Every customer has a different story to tell,” Eric stated. “They are all so unique and different and have different tastes. It is so fascinating to me on my end just to learn their backgrounds and why they collect what they collect and how particular they are. My approach is to just listen to them and understand their story while keeping my eyes and ears open.”
Another approach to his customers? Not being aggressive.
“I’m not pushy,” Eric said. “I myself do not like when someone or something is being pushed on me. If they have no interest in what I’m offering them, then I move on. Maybe that is a downfall of mine, I’m not sure, but it just is not my style.”
As his approach to customers remains modest, it is a different ball game on the floor of the sales team.
“I’m very competitive,” he claims. “Most of us are in there but it’s all family at the end of the day. We all work so well together as a team.”
With over a year under his belt now with the Preferred Customer Division, Eric still finds himself learning from customers just as much as he is teaching them.
“I learn from customers all the time about the business,” he stated, “and to me, that’s not a bad thing. This business is so big and intertwined with exceptions and rarities and types and more. Someone who has been in the business many years could never learn everything there is to know about coins. That’s what also makes it exciting. My customers and I, we are a team and education is key. Learning from them means a lot and sometimes it’s not always about coins. The older people I talk with always have a story that turns into a lesson. Living life and knowing there is going to be a better outcome, that’s the idea. They teach me those things all the time.”
When Eric is not hard at work during the day, he is coaching 7th and 8th grade girls basketball, a sport his daughter plays.
“I work with her a lot on becoming better at both basketball and volleyball,” Eric said. “When I’m not doing that, I like to attend car shows and fairs as this time of the year is rife with them.”
Looking forward to the future, Eric cannot wait to see all the new opportunities ahead.
“I really look forward to what the United States Mint will release and the other mints,” he said. “I’m also excited to help customers complete their collections for themselves and start new ones for their families.”
As for his own future, Eric has found that making such a big change after 20 years has served him well.
“It’s a great place to work and one of the best jobs I’ve ever had,” he stated. “It’s a great company to work for.”