The Case of the
Opposing Opinion

When another client suddenly weighs in on a customer's
purchase decision, the sale is lost.

By Kate Peterson

ilson Matthews & Co. is a well-established and highly regarded full-service jewelry store in a large Northwest city. Two years ago, Paul Matthews completed what he considered his crowning achievement — the major renovation of his store, including the addition of a modern Fine Timepiece Gallery adjacent to the main showroom. Wilson Matthews had been a Rolex dealer for longer than Paul could remember, and the addition of the gallery meant that he would finally earn "official dealer" status with several of the other prestige lines he had been pursuing. Paul had begun his career as a watchmaker in his father's store and had earned certification from Rolex and several other premium brands over the years. He was delighted to get back to his passion and trade as he turned day-to-day management of the company over to his son Jack after the gallery Grand Opening.

One afternoon, Jack was working with Anne Cahill, the new CEO of a growing tech company headquartered nearby. She was referred to Wilson Matthews when she needed a bracelet repaired shortly after moving to town just over a year ago, and had recently purchased several items from the store. During her last visit, Anne mentioned that a new watch would probably be next on her list, so Jack made sure he invited her in for a preview the day the new season's Rolex order arrived.

While Jack and Anne were discussing watches at the Rolex case near the front of the gallery and Anne was trying on different models, a young woman Jack recognized as Amy Hart, the daughter of a longtime client, entered the store and went to the repair counter around the corner from the showcase. She was assisted there by another sales associate who delivered the vintage rose gold wedding band that she had left for sizing the week before.

Anne had selected a particular gold Rolex as a favorite, and the conversation between her and Jack was progressing nicely toward the close when Amy turned from the repair counter and decided to peek into the gallery before leaving the store. She had been standing several feet away looking at a fashion brand collection before Anne noticed her. Jack felt Anne was about to commit to her choice when she impulsively turned to Amy and said, "May I ask ... what do you think of this watch on me? Is it too big?"

Amy replied, "Well, I don't think it's too big — and it is nice-looking, but I could never spend that kind of money on something like a fancy watch, especially with all the suffering going on in the world today and all the people struggling just to make ends meet — right here in our own town. It seems like there's just a lot of more important things to think about and better ways to spend money. In fact, I just picked up my grandmother's wedding band that I'll be using as my own rather than buying a new one."

Anne was a little surprised and just said, "Oh!"

It all happened so quickly that Jack could barely react. He composed himself, left the watch with Anne and told her to give it a little more thought, and stepped around the case to begin talking with Amy about her father and her wedding plans as he gently led her toward the front door.

When Jack returned to Anne a few minutes later, the watch was on the counter pad. Anne said, "You know, maybe she's right. I don't really need this watch. I should probably think about it a bit more." She thanked Jack for his time, said she would be back and left the store.

THE BIG QUESTIONS:

Should Jack follow up with Anne?

If so, what should he say? Could Jack have handled
the situation differently?

Are there policies that could be put in place in a store
to avoid situations like this?