How to bring in the crowds

My students tell me that when there is downtime in their stores it is difficult to keep themselves motivated. They like the action and want to make more sales, what should they do?
I answer them: Take some of the responsibility yourself for slow sales and start bringing in the crowds. TV, radio and newspaper promotional advertising can only go so far to bring in customers and many don’t go far enough. You should not be completely dependent, or be at the mercy of the advertising done by the brand. Bring in more customers by selling outside the store  In other words, become an entrepreneur, act like you own it.

Jewellers who have their salespeople on individual commission will see their sales increase and keep increasing because they had the good sense to treat their salespeople like entrepreneurs. Jewellers who do not have individual commission, or have one at 1-3% should not expect their salespeople to go out of their way to bring in the crowds. Why should they when there is no incentive for them?

Here are some good selling tips:

Sell to those you buy from – especially those like your cleaner, repairmen and shop assistants at the deli, meat and poultry counters of the supermarket. Specialty stores are also excellent places to hand out your card when buying clothes, furniture, appliances and computers. Any department that is not self service. Some of your best customers should be those you spend the most money with, such as the automobile dealer and the real estate agent who can make as much as £12,000 in commission from selling your home. All that those salespeople needed was a gentle reminder that you are in sales too and can give them referrals. This is the best incentive for them to reciprocate. Everyone is looking for a jeweller they can trust and since you showed trust in them, they feel they can trust you.

Give people your business card – not just one, but three to give to their friends as well because now your card means something. You have established a relationship. It is not just a piece of paper to them. Joe, the butcher and Mary on the deli counter feel they know you and will remember you by name every time you come in. All you have to do is give the opportunity. Just say: “Joe, you always have occasions coming up, come in and see me. I’ll help you select a fine piece of jewellry that your wife will treasure.” Or, “Mary, on your next special occasion come in and see me, I’ll have a special piece of jewellery to show you.”

Publicize your jewellery shop – everyone likes to talk about jewellery and if you brush up on your jewellery lore and romantic history of gems you will be the most interesting person at any social gathering.

You are implying you are knowledgeable and enthusiastic about jewellery. Many of these friends and acquaintances will be motivated to ask for your card because your jewellery conversation reminded them of an upcoming occasion. Everyone likes to buy from an enthusiastic salesperson, especially if they are also in sales. Avoid any lecture especially about the 4Cs. This will bore your friends and they will want to change the conversation.

Join an organisation and get active on a committee – I know your time is limited because of the hours you work, but try and find the time. You will make more friends than you ever thought  possible. When you introduce yourself to other members you are pre-sold because you have been active in their organisation. By working one on one with those on the committee, you give them the opportunity know and trust you. Your name automatically gets publicised to the members as a person who is active and cares about the organisation, someone whom they can trust. I’ll say it again, everyone is looking for a jeweller they can trust and there you are without any competition.

Introduce yourself – Before going into the showcase and you will give your customers a good reason to come back to you. On the other hand if you remain anonymous throughout the sale, why should they? Salespeople think their business card introduces them. Quite the contrary. When you give a customer your business card and they don’t know you, that card is worth about as much as the paper it is printed on. To prove my point, how many business cards have you kept from salespeople who have remained anonymous to you? On the other hand if you personalise the sale by treating your customers like friends instead of an anonymous person they will want to come back and ask for you. You should feel very proud because you have earned your customer’s respect by showing you cared who they are. This will motivate you  because you have made more friends as well as customers.

Salespeople can see right away how they can earn extra money by treating those they buy from like friends.These customers will amount to a large percentage of their sales. Just think the positive effect it has on your salespeople’s pride when a customer comes into your store and asks for one of them by name. You can’t top that for motivation.

Here is the best part. You shut out your competition. They never had a chance at these customers. When they walk by your store, they cannot believe why you are so busy.

When you tell this to your salespeople, they cannot wait to get started. In fact, have your salespeople get started  today and you will have customers coming in to see them within a few weeks. Every time they do, remember to have them thank them and give them a few more cards to hand out. In fact I recommend you jewellers also take part.

Now that’s what I call bringing in the crowds.

By Leonard Zell. This article first appeared in the April 2015 issue of Jewellery Focus