Sales Tips from the Pros

Some of the best jewelry salespeople in the country congregated in central Florida recently to sell old inventory at the premiere of the Prestige Jewelers Vault Inventory Liquidation show. Held for three days in Orlando, Fla., in mid October 2004, a ballroom was packed with great deals for consumers and jewelers, many of whom "swapped" merchandise. The show also turned up the following terrific sales tips:

• Always under-promise and over-deliver. If you promise a piece for Tuesday, have it ready on Mon.
  Source: Weston Jewelers, Weston, Fla.
• Arrange pieces in sets so consumers can visualize pieces on themselves. This also makes it easier to up-sell items.
  Source: Moyer Fine Jewelers, Carmel, Ind.
• Never judge clients by their looks. Customers' purchases might surprise you.
  Source: Weston Jewelers, Weston, Fla.
• Know your customer. If you sell a bracelet as a Christmas gift to a man whose wife hates bracelets, he'll be back in January to return the piece.
  Source: James Free Jewelers, Dayton, Ohio
• Listen to your customer. If a customer says, "I never wear white gold," don't pull out the platinum. Observe their style, the colors they wear, etc.
  Source: Lauderhills Designer & Custom Jewelry, Atlanta, Ga.; Shreve, Crump, & Low Jewelers, Richmond, Va.
• Know when to stop selling. Customers generally indicate when the next contact should be. You also don't want to confuse your customer by "adding on" too much to the sale.
  Source: Lauderhills Designer & Custom Jewelry, Atlanta, Ga.; Sidney Krandall & Sons, Troy, Mich.
• Present it, present it, present it! Observe what the customer is already wearing and suggest pieces.
  Source: Susan Robinson Jewelry, Tyler, Texas.
• Remember what you've already sold to a customer. That makes it easy to sell pieces that complement the others.
  Source: James Free Jewelers, Dayton, Ohio.
• Get pieces onto customers. Sales are easier once shoppers see themselves in merchandise.
  Source: Gold & Roses, Stockton, Calif.
• Smile! Buying jewelry is a happy occasion.
  Source: Little Switzerland, Boca Raton, Fla.
• Location, location, location. Secure a good location for your store.
  Source: George Walton's Gold & Diamond Co., Anchorage, Alaska.
• Connect first, sell second. Make friends and care about customers; ask questions and be sincerely interested in the responses. Relate to shoppers so they're comfortable and open to what you're selling.
  Source: Stanley Jewelers Gemologist, North Little Rock, Ark.; Fire & Ice, Juneau, Alaska; Borsheim's, Omaha, Neb.
• "Shut up" at the end of the sale. Listen twice as much as you speak.
  Source: R.F. Moeller Jeweler, St. Paul, Minn.
• Always be closing. Perform suggestive trial closes throughout the sales pitch and ask for the sale at the end.
  Source: R.F. Moeller Jeweler, St. Paul, Minn.
• Greet people with a smile—even if you're not happy.
  Source: Barry Peterson Jewelers, Ketchum, Idaho.
• Know your market. Offer the right product for the right individual coming into the store.
  Source: Tivols, Kansas City, Mo.