How to GET CUSTOMERS TO BUY from you

Be more Confident! It will lead to more sales. Women want to be told what looks   good on them. What is stylish. You are the expert! Do not just ask   the lady trying on the necklace if she likes it, TELL HER it is the hottest   necklace this spring. It is your best seller. Tell her that Taylor swift wore   it and that is will complete every outfit. That she will not be able to walk   down the street without getting a compliment. The best sales man I know   does not ask the lady if she likes a piece of jewelry, he teaches her what is   the best and shows her how to wear it. Be confident. You will sell more. People Want to feel they are making the right decision. Your   confidence reinforces that decision. The value of YOUR store is   the FEELING they made the right purchase. That is why they come to   retailers! It is your job to give them that reassurance. This is why   Tiffany’s is doing so well. The reassuring confident ambience let’s them know   they are making the right purchase.

Jewelers! It’s the people Stupid

People LOVE looking at people. Go to a sporting event. People are captivated when they show the crowd. Do you have enough pictures of people up in your store?  One picture can relay to your customers the entire image you are trying to portray. The more pictures of people you have, the easier it is for the customer to relate to people enjoying jewelry. A picture of a beautiful woman in a necklace will make the shopper think “Hey, that could be me!” Now take the amount of pictures of people you have in your store and double it!    Here are some more great ways to add pictures of people to your store.

• Have a photo album on your counter or on a stand, that shows, not pictures of jewelry, but of the HAPPY people who bought that jewelry. It is easier for people to relate and connect to people in jewelry, than to just the jewelry alone. Plus, this gives waiting customer’s something to look through.
• Cover one of your walls with pictures of couples that have bought their rings from you. Take pictures of the bride and groom and their ring. Having these pictures on your wall is almost like having positive testimonials for everyone to see.

             

• Put pictures of happy people wearing jewelry IN your cases! If you have pearls, have a picture of a beautiful woman dressed in pearls next to your pearls. It works for magazines. Women see a beautiful woman in a magazine wearing a dress and it makes them want it. Buying the item will make them feel like the model who is wearing it. Make it easier for the customer to feel like a model, by showing a picture of a beautiful person enjoying the product you are selling. This can only help you sell it!
• Mood boards are women magnets! Mood boards are where magazines put a picture of a dress, next to lipstick, next to high heals. They make a complete outfit. Mood boards help customer’s see how jewelry will enhance their wardrobes.

                  

• On your facebook page don’t just have pictures of rings. The PURPOSE of facebook is to give your store A FACE! Use people in your community as models wearing your jewelry. These people will tell more people and may even link to your facebook or webpage, increasing your exposure. Frame and put the pictures of the members of you community in your jewelry in your store. This will be fun for everyone and it will make you appear to be the number one place for jewelry in your town.
• Have staff picks. Put a picture of the staff member next to their favorite piece of jewelry.
•   Celebrity power. People have always looked to the famous for style. Make it easy for customers to find the style they want by displaying pictures of famous people wearing jewelry in your store. Even if you do not care what famous people are doing, you should care what they are wearing! If people see famous people wearing an item it is as if they gave their blessing on it. It reassures the customer it is OK to like the item. Put pictures of famous people wearing the hottest styles and watch sales of those items increase.

     

         The picture on the right is of my grandparents and my father.

• If you have a family history to your store, put old pictures on the wall of your grandfather, or pictures of how the store looked when it first opened. Newspaper clippings are good too.
• Look at this picture below and tell me this does not make you want jewelry?! O.K. now GO find a picture like this and put it some where in your store today!

           Thanks, Aleah at Olympian Diamonds. Aleah is a 5th generation jeweler turned loose diamond dealer. For more great tips email her at aleah@olympiandiamonds.com

Jewelers! You’ve Got Mail.

Tips on Emailing Your Customers The best part about the social media craze is that most of it is FREE. Email is a free way to “touch” customers and if done right can turn them into loyal customer’s. Here are some tips to get the most from your email blasts.

Step #1. Get more emails. Collect emails everywhere! Collect business cards at church and at social group functions. In your store you can collect emails by having an ipad out to collect emails or by giving your customers a chocolate in exchange for their email address. Every repair you take in should be required to come with a customer’s email. Tell customer’s you will send them an email message when their repair is ready to be picked up.      

Step #2. Watch what other jewelers are doing. There are a few jewelers I know doing terrific email blasts. These jewelers inform and engage their customers and most importantly get results! Sign-up for at least 5 jewelers newsletters. Save emails you get from other industries that you think are effective. Pick and choose what you like about what they are doing.

Step 3. Just do IT! If you wait, you will miss opportunities. You will learn BEST BY DOING IT. Even if it is not perfect, start emailing your customers TODAY.

Step 4. Make them a VIP! Emails can be used to make your customer feel special. Last year at the Instore show David Lou founder of “the Knot” interviewed couples on why they picked the jeweler they picked to buy their engagement rings. Two couples said it was because they felt very important when they came it. They were told they were exclusive preferred customers. That might sound cheesy you, but everyone likes to feel important. Give your customer’s special coupons and privileges that you can only get in your emails.                 

Step 5. This is good easy tip! Are you familiar with an email “signature”? This is where when you get an email and the sender’s store name and address appears at the bottom. That is your signature. You can program that signature to say anything you want! For example you could add a sign up link to your newsletter, or a message saying “85 years of Excellence”. It is easy and makes your emails more personal and compelling. Add a positive message to your signature today!

    

Step 6. Provide useful information and people will buy from you. Have your emails teach. Send customers useful information, such as the “Do’s and Don’t of Pearls” or “Five mistakes people make when buying a diamond” These topics will engage your customers and set you aside as an authority. 

Step 7. There are some general things you should know about email blasts. One is that most people open and read their emails on Tuesdays and Wednesdays between 10-3pm. Also 60% of people look at the “from” line NOT the subject line. So make sure to make your “from line” very personable. Next, people open something if they expect it. Tell people when and how often they will be receiving your emails. This shows you are reliable and gets a higher open rate.

I hope these tips were helpful.

Thanks- ALEAH

WHY Diamond Certificates are NOT important…

WHY Diamond Certificates are NOT important…

A cert is JUST a Description  I think it is important for customers to remember that the purpose of a diamond certificate is to identify the gem and describe it in detail. That’s all.  Many customers feel as though a certification is some sort of seal of approval, some guarantee of high quality. It’s not.

• If you read the disclosure on all GIA and EGL certificates it states that the    “Certificate is NOT an appraisal, guarantee, or warranty”.
• The color and clarity are the OPINION of the lab at that time. The results may differ based on when or who grades the diamond,. This is why the same diamond can go to the same lab and receive different grades! The EGL certs even state on the bottom that  “Diamond grading is NOT an exact science and this report represents only the best professional OPINION of the lab”

Help your customer to understand that NOT All G SI1’s are the same! Even if you have two certified G SI1 certified diamonds they will be very different. Retail prices on a 1ct round G SI1 can range from approx $3,000 to $10,000. If every G SI1 was the same then people would always buy the cheapest! Obviously there are MANY differences such as brightness, scintillation, position and relief of inclusions that determine beauty that are NOT contained on a certification.

A diamond is more than letters and numbers. It is a work of nature. If I gave you all the dimensions of a woman could you tell me if she is beautiful? NO! You need to see her. Same as with a diamond.  Hopefully this will help your customer realize they need to look for a beauty not papers.

 

“But I can get a Diamond on the Internet for Cheaper!”

Tips to help combat internet shoppers

#1SELL FEELING Remember, you are selling a feeling. Instead of debating price with a customer, connect with them! When are they getting married? How did they meet? Not everyone buys based on price. People buy from you because their mom bought from you or you give to a charity they support. Sell the feeling that the internet can’t!!

#2 TELL A STORY People love a story. Create a story. Your story might be your long history in your community or that you do the best custom work in town. The better you deliver your story, the better your customer feels and the less price matters.

#3 NATUREA diamond is more than letters and numbers. It is a work of nature. If you were given all the dimensions of a woman could tell if she was beautiful? NO! Same with a diamond.

#4 THE VALUE OF PICKING When selling a diamond, remind them of the hundreds of diamonds that were picked over to get the best. Remind them the value of having professionals PICK the BEST of the BEST for them.  Your effort, time, and knowledge all ADD REAL VALUE to your diamonds! If the customer realized how much effort went in to selecting the best diamonds they might be more inclined to buy in a store over an on-line supplier.

#5 EXAMINE BEFORE YOU BUY Jewelry stores let you compare diamonds side by side. The internet will not. Diamond dealers don’t buy diamond without seeing them! Why should you?

#6 WHERE IS THE INCLUSION? How bright is diamond? What is the quality of rough? Is it hazy? All these things translate to value and are not easily discernable to the untrained eye.

#7 THE RANGE WITHIN GRADES If every G SI1 was the same everyone would always buy the cheapest! DeBeers sorts rough diamonds into over a thousand different categories. There are many degrees and differences within the color and clarity grades. Even with GIA, a good SI1 might even be better than a bad VS2! Brightness, scintillation, quality of the rough, position and relief of inclusions. These all determine beauty and are not listed on a GIA or any other cert.

#8 MAKE IT FOREVER This is maybe the most precious item you will ever own. It means something. Make it special. Internet sites come and go, but a diamond is forever.

#9 SERVICE Who are you going to go to if there is a chip, or a problem? The internet site will not provide maintenance, experience, or service.

#10 HONESTY. I have seen fake certs and diamonds sold with certs that did not match. Ask the customer to bring in the internet diamond. Many diamonds that are listed don’t really exist.

 

Your price does not matter as much as the feeling that the customer is getting value.

I hope these tips help you create the feeling of value and sell to internet shoppers.

Please email me for more great tips! Aleah@Olympiandiamonds.com

Jewelers! ***Tips to help Combat Blue Nile shoppers !!!!‏

” But  I  can  get  A  DIAMOND  on  the  Internet  for  Cheaper ”  ***Tips to Help RETAIL JEWELERS Combat Internet Diamond shoppers

Dear Jeweler,       I am a 5th generation jeweler, 3rd generation GIA gemologist turned LOOSE DIAMOND WHOLESALER. This is my Blog / Newsletter that hundreds of jewelers have said is very helpful and they even pass it on to their employees. I hope you find it helpful too!

****Tips to Help Combat Internet Shoppers

#1 Remember, you are selling a feeling. Instead of debating symmetry or other technicalities with a customer, get them back to the basics! When are they getting married? How did they meet? Connect with the customer. Sell the feeling that the internet can’t!!  
#2 A diamond is more than letters and numbers. It is a work of nature. If I gave you all the dimensions of a woman could you tell me if she is beautiful? NO!!! You need to see her. Same as with a diamond.

#3 A store lets you examine the diamond BEFORE you buy it, and you can compare to other diamonds. A store provides a selection to choose from. No diamond dealer in the world buys a stone without seeing it! Why should you?
 

#4 Ask the internet site WHERE the inclusion is. How bright the stone is? What is the quality of rough? Is it hazy? All these things translate to value and are not easily discernable to the untrained eye. If you do not know them when you buy a diamond on-line then you do not know if you are getting value
 

#5 Retail prices on a 1ct round F SI1 can range from a few thousand to almost $10,000. If every F SI1 was the same then people would always buy the cheapest! Obviously there are MANY differences such as brightness, scintillation, position and relief of inclusions that determine beauty. 
 

#6 If it seems too good to be true, it usually is. No one is giving anything away. There is usually a reason something is below market value. Tell the customer to try to get the stone on the internet and bring it in. Many stones are just listed and do not even really exist.
 

#7 When you buy for price that is all you get. This is a life long position. This is maybe the most precious item you will ever own. It means something. Make it special. Internet sites come and go but a diamond is forever.
 

#8 A diamond is forever. Who are you going to go to if there is a chip, or a problem. The internet site will not provide maintenance, experience, or service. When you buy from a jeweler you are purchasing their time and expertise. They give you an appraisal and guarantee. They give you a mounting and keep your jewelry clean and in good condition for as long as you own the piece.
 
#9 DeBeers sorts their rough diamonds into over a thousand different categories. If all that differentiated diamonds was D-Z color and FL to I3 clarity there would only a few categories. There is a LARGE range of colors and clarities WITHIN each category that the internet site will not disclose to you.
 

#10 Unfortunately, sellers of diamonds are not always looked upon as beacons of honesty. There have been stories of fake certificates and real certificates sold with diamonds that did not match them. Find a jeweler you trust and you will avoid the entire headache. 
 
I would love to hear your thoughts and comments and additions.


ALEAH at Olympian Diamonds 1800 882 8900
*3rd Generation G.I.A. Graduate Gemologist
*5th Generation Jeweler

MY GOAL: To get you the most BEAUTIFUL diamond at the BEST price!!!

Aleah Siegel
Olympian Diamonds
8 South Michigan
Chicago IL 60603
Phone : 1 800 882 8900
Fax: 312 541 8557

Aleah@OLYMPIANDIAMONDS.com
 
 

We are all in this business together. Lets help each other!