Industry's top sales trainer tells why honesty can help you develop  a more loyal clientele.

YOUR SALESPEOPLE HAVE TO have a ton of self-confidence to sell fashion, because your clients will have a lot of questions. Women who buy fashion have money. They know what they want: style, fashion, and sincerity. They read about fashion regularly, and you’ve got to know more about it than they do. 

It’s up to you to be brand-smart and fashion-smart. If you want to really find success, ask the sales rep from each designer line you carry to spend a day or two training your sales associates. Knowledge is power.

Once you have the knowledge, you’ve got to know what to romance during the sale. In any presentation, there are three things you can romance: the item’s value, the item’s beauty, and the reason the customer came in. For an engagement ring sale, romancing the reason will usually do the trick, but that tactic is not as strong when selling fashion. Most designer jewelry is purchased “just because,” so when it comes to selling fashion, salespeople have to get better at romancing the beauty.

Women are style, beauty, and sentiment-driven. To appeal to the self-purchaser, you’ll have to toss your robotic vocabulary in the garbage (e.g., language like “that’s really pretty,” “that sparkles,” or “that’s nice”). Don’t sound like every salesperson down the street. Be creative. Talk about things like:

•  the expertise of the designer
•  the craftsmanship evident in the piece
•  the attention to detail
•  the arrangement of the colored gemstones and how they flow with the diamonds
•  how the piece caresses the customer’s neck or rests on her finger
•  how it looks against the skin

In addition to creativity, honesty is crucial when you’re selling fashion. Women will pay for your opinion. If she says, “Does this look good on me?”, don’t say yes just because you want to sell it. Be honest. Not every piece was designed to go on every finger. If she asks, “Which one do you like the best?”, tell her you like both but why you like one better on her.

Selling fashion is not like selling a diamond in a solitaire — it raises the bar of salesmanship. But with passion and a dedication to continuous learning, you’ll earn a clientele that enjoys your honesty, creativity, and love for designer jewelry.

Shane Decker President of Ex-Sell-Ence, Inc., E-MAIL HIM AT This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

This story is from the July-August 2010 edition of INDESIGN

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