The Adapter’s Advantage: Erica Feidner on Consultative Selling
Welcome to The Adapter’s Advantage: Breakthrough Moments that Lead to Success. Piano Matchmaker™ Erica Feidner was named one of the “10 Greatest Salespeople of All Time” by Inc. magazine. In episode 26, Erica shares advice on providing world-class consultative sales services, creating compelling client experiences, and developing a personal brand.
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“The idea of sales has pivoted to a very meaningful and important service.”
Erica Feidner’s extraordinary level of success and media attention was born of a unique childhood shaped by music and education. She grew up in a family of seven pianists in a home with 26 pianos. As a pianist and teacher, Erica honed her ability to speak the language of both a master musician and beginner.
Erica began playing piano when she was 3 years old and received a scholarship to the Juilliard School of Music prep school at age 9, which was around the age she began teaching. When Feidner was 11, she debuted as a soloist in the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. She received a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Piano Performance from SUNY Purchase.
After injuring her thumb, Erica changed course and enrolled at Baruch College, eventually earning an MBA in Marketing. In order to get through college, she started selling pianos for a Bosendorfer piano dealership in New York City. It was here that she discovered her gift for matching people and pianos as well as a natural skill for selling.
After graduating with honors, she decided to use her new degree and passion for pianos to join prestigious high-end piano maker, Steinway & Sons. It didn’t take long for her to establish herself as the top sales rep for the company worldwide.
Erica was an executive sales representative at Steinway for 13 years. As a salesperson, she learned the distinct personalities of more than 400 pianos and realized her ability to pair the right piano with each customer. She was the top rep for Steinway worldwide for eight consecutive years, selling over $41 million dollars of instruments.
Feidner’s fascinating journey has been featured in Forbes, Canadian Business, Smart Money, Men’s Health, A&E, The Food Channel, CNN, and The Hallmark Channel.
Listen as Erica shares her insights for compelling customer experiences and selling as a service.
Episode 26: Selling as a Service | Erica Feidner
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From This Episode
Host Mark Magnacca: “What do you think is the most important skill that people need to learn or improve today?”
Erica Feidner: “That’s a terribly important question in today’s world. With the pandemic, which affected everybody worldwide in many, many different ways, we have all needed to adapt and figure out ways to adapt.
“And it’s a very broad term and I know that, but I really think that is the most important thing for people to embrace. Adaptability … the ability to pivot, to roll with the punches as things play out.
“A challenge seems like, ‘Oh no, what am I going to do?’ But always look for the silver lining. Because guess what? It’s always there. You just need to look for it.”
About The Adapter’s Advantage
Our podcast features leaders from sales, training, and industry who share their personal journeys of transformation and how they are adapting to an ever-changing environment. As your host, I’ll introduce you to some of the most interesting and inspiring people I’ve met over the last twenty years.
The conversions dive into the ups and downs of their journey. Our guests focus on inflection points—the aha moments that, in retrospect, had a critical impact on their success. These interviews will leave you with practical, real-world advice that you can apply to your life.
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