TOP SELLER OF THE BRAND MARCO BICEGO

MARC  FINK FINK’S JEWELERS, NORTH CAROLINA AND VIRGINIA

MARC FINK’S GRANDFATHER left an unsuccessful career as a pharmacist to work for “a dapper man who had a Tiffany-type jewelry store” in Virginia in the 1920s. “The man lost everything in the Great Depression, and my grandfather started pushing a jewelry cart in small towns, selling pieces on credit,” says Fink. “That’s how Fink’s Jewelers was founded.” Fink’s father wanted to trade up and turned the business into a higher-end guild store. As for Fink’s own role since he joined the thriving company— now with 14 locations and counting — in 1983: “I’ve come along during the evolution of branding. When you’re a principal in this business, you’re selling all the time.” That makes him a perfect fit for Marco Bicego’s singularly gorgeous Italian gold designs. — STORY BY JOSH WIMMER

Why I love the line: “We signed on with Marco Bicego almost as soon as they began repping them in the United States; it’s probably been about a decade now. I loved it when I saw it; the merchandise has beautiful textures and finishes. It’s got the DNA of exquisite Italian design, and women really seem to feel like the pieces are very unique. From Renaissance paintings to Ferraris, Italians have always been innovative when it comes to design, and the jewelry manufacturing heritage of Italy is second to none. Plus, when you think of lovers and romance, you think of Italy.”

Who buys it: “The typical Marco Bicego customer is someone who appreciates design, has a discerning eye and is comfortable with herself. She prefers 18K gold jewelry to, say, sterling silver jewelry. But she can be from her early 20s to 70 years old. Men come in and buy it because their wives or girlfriends tell them to — a lot of Bicego customers are brand-loyal. They buy it and want to collect more. It’s also very popular with self-purchasing women. It’s important to show them that they deserve what they’re getting.”

What customers need to know: “It’s nice for customers to know the name of the collection you’re buying, because they often want to collect more. Beyond that, you just take a piece out of the case and let the customer touch it, feel it. They tend to smile when they put it on.”

How to sell it: “You say, ‘Would you like to see some beautiful merchandise from one of the top Italian jewelry designers?’ You don’t need tricks! People can make this business too complicated. You’re there to fulfill the customer’s needs and desires, so you listen to what they’re looking for or what they could be looking for, and you take initiative and take control of the situation, and show them beautiful jewelry. If you’re a happy person, selling merchandise like Marco Bicego is easy.”

How the company supports us: “First, they’ve got great branding. They’ve got unbeatable marketing materials. They understand the importance of the Web as an extension of their brand; consumers today research jewelry online before they make a large purchase. They have great customer service and a good spirit. They like to laugh. I like to do business with people like that. We’re in the jewelry business, and if one of our missions is to make women happy, then we need to smile. I think the brand kind of smiles. When you’re selling something that makes you happy, it’s a labor of love.”

How the line attracts a following: “We have a lady in our hometown — every time we’re doing something special with Marco Bicego, she’s the first one to come to the store. She’s always there before the event starts. She absolutely loves it. God knows how many pieces she has, and she’s a beautiful woman, inside and out. Someone like that, when they become really loyal to a brand, it becomes infectious, it becomes viral, in the best possible way.”

On selling: “Every situation is different. Every person is different. And every sales associate is different. When it comes to selling jewelry, you can’t take a cookie-cutter approach; everything is one on one. We try to hire people who love jewelry, and then we aim to have a quiet confidence about us. We are the professionals. We’re there to make a customer’s jewelry-related dreams come true.”

Comments (0)

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (Registered users only)

Add Comment