Corey Smith, an Outside Salesman at our Eatonton location, started with us in January of 2014. He had some knowledge of this industry but knew he had plenty to learn. During his first few months of basic training, his recorded sales were less than average, which was frustrating for Corey. He contacted Randy Wells, Harbin Lumber Company’s Sales Manager, with low motivation to continue in sales. Randy saw something in Corey and reminded him of the greatest sales advice you can give a person: “You make that customer feel like they are the most important thing in the world to you. You convince them that your life revolves around helping them”.
Six years into his remarkable career at Harbin Lumber, Corey has had an overall increase in sales like no other, setting company records in 2019 as well as creating a new standard and surpassing single month records in May and June of this year by a landslide. His reaction to these incredible achievements were classic Corey … He wondered how much more he could have gotten, did he leave anything else on the table, was there a stone unturned?
Corey would say that his achievements are not all his own. He has had a lot of help, starting with Ricky Knowles being willing to take him under his wing early on. He had the help of all the employees at the Eatonton store, from the yard and drivers to the inside sales support, especially Doyle Smith. It’s that humble and quiet attitude that makes Corey special; the success has not gotten to his head, rather it fuels him to work harder. Corey’s favorite part of the job is building strong relationships with customers and showing the value he can bring by helping their blueprints become reality.
When he is not selling, Corey can be found in a variety of places outdoors depending on the season. In the fall, you will often find him dressed up like a bush, sitting in or behind a bush, stalking a bird of some species or another. When not doing that, he’s usually out on his boat, fresh or salt water, with a fishing pole close by.
Many people have applauded Corey for his outstanding successes. Randy Wells being one of them stated, “What he has accomplished in 6 years is both remarkable and historical to HLC. He wanted an employer to take a chance, to give him the opportunity to be special, to be great. Without question, HLC giving Corey that chance was one of the best decisions we’ve ever made. Randy continued by saying, “Even more importantly, it’s been amazing to watch him stumble, grow, get knocked down, try it again and try it differently, not settle for a little, not settle for more, but always in search of a new opportunity and never being satisfied with today, but looking to see what more you can do tomorrow.
Corey, you’ve had an incredible journey and we’re proud to have been a part of it!