February 1, 2013
Kim Wypasek
Westport, CT
Dear Sir or Madam,
During my fourteen years in retail management, I have never had a more talented and creative associate who was genuinely loved by every customer! So much so, that Nelson Martinez was requested time after time by customers whom had been told by a friend or family member of his amazing skills when it came to making beautiful visual presentations for their homes and special occasions. I had the pleasure of employing Nelson Martinez as a visual and sales team member with Pottery Barn in Stamford Connecticut. He not only has an eye for design and color, but he has the people skills that are so hard to find, making him, in my opinion, the complete package.
Nelson’s tremendous abilities and creativity never ceased to amaze me. I was one of his supervisors, and during that time, he did a wide variety of jobs, such as setting up visual displays, doing product demonstrations with customers, general sales, and teaching our design classes to the public. Nelson was our official Holiday Decorating Specialist and took pride in this role. I have never heard so many wows and oh my’s when customers walked into our store as I did when Nelson had “worked his magic” on our huge Christmas trees and holiday visual displays.
Nelson is such an amazing people person that we asked him to be a part of a community philanthropy event called Harvest Table to help Stamford’s New Covenant House soup kitchen raise community awareness, food and money for the local needy. This event consisted of a very large scale visual set up of Pottery Barn product and the demonstration of how to “Set the Table” for three different holidays as very prominent members and business owners of Fairfield County businesses and social organizations gathered to watch. I knew immediately that Nelson was the right person for this demanding task and crowd! He lit up the room of more than two hundred people with his personality and people skills. He made every moment count that day, networking while seated for lunch with the sponsors and people he was meeting, making sure all knew about what we had to offer and how he could personally assist them with their decorating needs.
Sales come naturally to Nelson since he can tune into what each customer really needs and wants for their home. His uncanny ability to know what the customer wants before they even tell him makes customers feel comfortable in his presence and creates that vital customer loyalty. His knowledge and easy-going flexibility also allows him to quickly switch directions if the customer changes their mind about something at the last minute. Nelson could also take a great deal of tasks that were thrown his way from five different managers, and make the best of them. I cannot recall a time when I didn’t see a smile on his face or overhear him lift someone’s spirits with a quick sense of humor. He exudes positivity and really has a way of caring for those around him.
Nelson’s passion for what he does not only shines through to his customers, but it was evident to his fellow team members as well. This was so very helpful from a manager’s perspective because I knew he was always going to encourage and share his knowledge with his coworkers and really help to foster that team spirit that any business needs to succeed.
It’s not every day that you come across an individual that has so much to offer to not only your business but who can also make a positive impact on everyone he meets.
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me at the above email address.
Sincerely,
Kim Wypasek
Pottery Barn Assistant Manager
