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An opportunity...
When Steve Miller decided to take 3 years off from touring
in 2000, I really didn't feel like chasing down and "auditioning"
for another dream touring gig. I also had my family to think
about. My youngest girl, Kendra, was just turning 4 and really
needed Dad around. Touring just didn't fit into the plan.
While in my role as Sales Training Clinician for Rivera
guitar amps, Keith Winston and I helped place the Rivera
amp line in the Guitar Center retail chain here in the U.S.
I met many cool people while traveling the world promoting
Rivera and the folks at Guitar Center always seemed friendly
and professional. My old friend Dave Lewark, with whom I
once did an Eddie Money album, was a manager with GC
then, and he suggested that I talk with another old friend,
Dave Weiderman about joining "the
GC family" as they called it. Keith Winston had even
become a GC store manager after leaving Rivera so it was family.
I did several interviews, and after a week or two, I decided
to come on as a store manager trainee at the Sherman Oaks
location. Little did I know that I would be hitting the sales
floor as a "shiny new guy" as they labeled me,
selling guitars. It was humbling at first, coming off the
road playing for thousands of screaming fans only to be cussed-out
by parents of little criminal children when their guitar
would break or just go out of tune! I hung in there and eventually
became an assistant manager and transferred to the Palmdale
location (near the space shuttle!), to pay my dues as a sales
manager. I almost quit there, but one day I got a lead that
Hollywood was looking for a new guitar hotshot.
I interviewed with the new manager there (he was 24 years
old!), and he said I could come onboard, but I had to hit
the floor again as a guitar-slinger! I thought about it long
and hard and finally decided to go backwards in my career
and prove myself once again as a salesperson. I never regretted
that move. After winning the respect of the grizzled veterans
on the floor of the biggest music store in the world, I
became sales manager and was up to get a store quickly. But
it wasn't what I
wanted.
Artist Relations
The management training, job description and not to mention,
the salary of the store managers role at GC had changed since
I came onboard in 2001. My old friend Dave Weiderman who had
helped me get with GC in the first place, has been with GC
for over 20 years and has become the co-creator and director
of the now famous Hollywood Rockwalk and artist relations.
He invited me to manage the sales and prospecting of Artist
Relations, a dept. that really doesn't exist in the chain
as a title.
Make a friend
Dave has a magic sales chop for increasing sales in retail. He
says "make a friend, make a sale." Really, that
is one of the GC principles that gets somewhat overlooked when
salespeople get caught up in just making the sale and spinning
to another. Really, every customer should be treated with the
best customer service, but dealing with stars can be another
story. You have to gain their trust and talk about family,
vacations, shop talk, road stories, etc. I know just about
everybody in town and I know how this works. Only an aging
primadonna rock star like myself would know this - how I would
want to be treated!
Let's do a deal!
So since August of 2003, I've been selling to the stars, so to speak.
I handle Record labels, Artists, managers, rental companies, Film and television
content, Radio station promos, charities, schools and churches...you
name it. It's a blast!
I can even do this while I tour with Steve Miller. I have access to the largest
music store in the world and I can drop ship from any location, to any location
on the planet! My prices cannot be undersold and I'm really good at what
I do.
So give me a call, and let's do some business. I even sell HD Protools.
Kenny Lee Lewis - Artist Sales manager
Guitar Center Hollywood #110
7425 Sunset Blvd.
Hollywood, CA 90046
323-874-1060
661-904-7284 cell
info@KennyLeeLewis.com
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