Selling a bridal couple who are looking for a wedding ring is one of the best ways to get another jeweller’s customers, but overlooked by most jewellers. In the May issue I told you how not to let this happen to you.
The main reason the bridal couple came into your store was that they were never shown wedding rings. He bought the engagement ring because she liked the style over others she had seen. The salesperson was so glad that he closed the sale thinking they would come back for the wedding ring (in his dreams). What he didn’t know was that as soon as she put on the engagement ring she had a vison of herself walking down the aisle with that sparkling diamond on her hand and having him place a wedding ring on her finger.
That salesperson gave you a gift. He not only increased her desire to look for a wedding ring elsewhere, he gave you a repeat customer. What sale could be easier? However, let’s first explore the other reasons that bridal couple came to your store:
- He sold them anonymously when this was one the most emotional occasions of their lives. He did not introduce himself and address them both by their names until at the end when he gave them his business card which meant nothing to her
- He asked question after question trying to narrow down the selection and the interrogation turned her off
- Since he wasn’t getting anywhere he did what most salespeople do, showed ring after ring hoping she would finally select one
- He was taking all the romance out of her selecting an engagement ring by acting like a clerk in a grocery store showing a selection of grapefruit
- He was talking almost all the time to the bride and ignored the groom. He had no idea how to bring him into the conversation
In spite of all this he got lucky because at last she spotted a ring she liked and he closed the sale. When the owner asked why he didn’t show any wedding rings his answer was: “I suggested he spend his money on a larger diamond and he could get the wedding ring later.” His famous last words.
Now that they are your customers what should you do? Do everything that salesman didn’t do and much more, or in other words, sell to them the same way you would like to be sold to:
- When a bridal couple enter your store make sure you greet them as soon as you see them, with a smile and enthusiasm as if they were good friends
- Avoid asking yes and no questions. You know very well this turns you off when you shop
- Instead, smile and use assumed sentences like: “It looks like there is an occasion coming up,” but make sure you do not make it sound like a question
- Introduce yourself. You have set yourself apart from that other salesman already by your positive greeting and they will be more then glad to tell you their name. Use their names in your next sentence to help you remember them and then use them only selectively. Be careful. If you forget their names they will know it right away. This is why I recommend you practice this technique repeatedly
- It is easy to bring the groom into the conversation now that you have introduced yourself. You can say when you put the ring on her finger: “Mary, now you can show it to Jim”
- If she did not give you an idea of what she was looking for use another assumed sentence: “You must be looking for something special”
- Make each diamond engagement ring you bring out look special by the way you handle it and place it on her finger. Use a counter-mirror so she can get a more objective look. Romance the diamond by avoiding all product knowledge and your opinions. Instead, talk about the beauty of the diamond, its brilliance and sparkle
Keep in mind, introducing yourself and addressing your customers by their name, but selectively, is the most important of all these techniques. This is the best way to start a relationship with a bridal couple and have them be your friends and your customers forever.
