Our annual JCK Retailer Survey gives the lowdown in five crucial categories of operations—store, stock, sales, staff, and salary.
Check out what jewelers had to say about staff issues in 2012.
How long has your sales staff been with you, on average?
The business has experienced its highest highs and lowest lows in the past five years—which makes the loyalty of your employees in that time all the more remarkable.
How do you compensate your sales staff?
As in years past, most of you avoid the commission-only approach. But every other method of compensation is fair game.
How many employees do you have, on average, per store?
Looks like less is more: A whopping 85 percent of you boast 10 or fewer employees.
How often do you run sales incentives or rewards?
Although incentives don’t rank high on your to-do lists, you’re offering them more frequently than you did last year.
What percentage of store sales is done by the following?
Store owners and full-time sales staff are responsible for the bulk of transactions.
How do you measure your sales staff results?
Sales to goal and average sale are the most popular methods of measuring results, but don’t discount the value of closing ratio.
How do you train your sales staff?
Given the independent streak that characterized most respondents, it’s no surprise that when it comes to training, most of you go it alone.
What is your primary source for new hires?
Compared with last year, walk-ins and online job boards are up, while help-wanted print ads and poaching are down.
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