“BEHIND THE BRILLIANCE of Diamonds,” the Diamond Producers Association’s new e-learning program, is a hit with retailers and particularly resonates with sales people on the front lines, says Grant Mobley, trade-relations lead for the DPA.
“The more knowledgeable you are about diamonds the more confident you are and the easier it is to sell them,” he says. “It’s igniting more interest and passion for the industry.”
The idea behind the hour-long training program, split into three 20-minute modules, is that diamond information reaching consumers has become too technical. Research conducted by the DPA has revealed that diamond shoppers just aren’t wowed anymore by sales presentations that are fixated on the 4Cs.
Consumers, Mobley says, are not hearing enough about the romance of the origins of diamonds or how much good the diamond industry is doing in diamond-producing nations, such as Botswana.
“Whether you have been working with diamonds for one day or 20 years, the program relates compelling stories about the history of natural diamonds, easy-to-digest and well-researched facts, and memorable details about the important benefits that the natural diamond industry makes to the world,” he says.
The program was designed to supplement sales professionals’ existing knowledge of diamonds with information that the DPA has learned is most relevant to consumers.
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“We do focus groups with thousands of consumers, and part of that research is finding out what the consumer finds interesting about jewelry and diamonds,” he says. “Consumers find the journey of diamonds fascinating when they hear about it, but a lot of them don’t hear about it. That diamonds are a billion years old, how long it takes a diamond to get to the Earth’s surface, the difficulty in obtaining diamonds. We wanted to share that information and encourage sales people to share that information.”
Mobley says the program is suitable for stores that sell both natural and laboratory-grown diamonds because it provides accurate information about the origins of both.
The education is also designed to help sales staff respond to questions from consumers about past problems in the diamond industry.
“A common misconception is that conflict diamonds are somehow rampant in the industry, which is not true,” Mobley says. “When a consumer is asking questions about things like that, your average sales person behind the counter maybe doesn’t know how to respond. A lot of people don’t realize the good that comes out of the diamond industry and how the diamond industry contributes to the countries in which they operate. We haven’t done a great job in letting consumers know how far the industry has come.”
Future modules will include much more specific information on those topics.
Mobley says the DPA plans to build on its e-learning platform as more research results become available.
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“It is a living thing, for sure,” he says. “We want to be able to add to it as we do new projects. Whenever we can condense research into digestible bits of information, we will be creating new modules for the program.”
Another future module will focus on female self-purchasers, which is currently the topic of the DPA’s third wave of the Real is Rare, Real is a Diamond marketing campaign. It’s called “For Me, From Me.”
Women who buy diamonds for themselves today represent one-third of all diamond jewelry sales in the U.S., a $43 billion diamond market that grew 4 percent in 2017, according to De Beers Group data.
The “For Me, From Me,” marketing campaign will run through fall 2019 across TV, digital and print. As research progresses, the DPA will release a module on that topic and communicate its availability with everyone who participated in the first module.
“It is for sure the most well received campaign we’ve done to date, by consumers as well as the trade,” Mobley says. “Women were so surprised, so pleasantly surprised to see marketing about diamonds that was geared toward them. Part of the reason we created this campaign in the first place was that the industry was already telling us that over the past two years, self-purchase had been so much on the rise. Seven out of 10 retailers reported a rise in self-purchase.
“So we’re getting the increase regardless of the marketing, but the marketing will help take down the barriers that still exist for women who think it is not appropriate to buy diamonds for themselves.”
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The DPA has signed up more than 200 stores to use the related creative materials and TV commercials and to participate in training staff how to sell specifically to women. Available in-store materials include tagged video, print and digital creative, visual-merchandising support and POS materials
The DPA has also partnered with Kate Peterson of Performance Concepts to offer in-store training and webinar-based training on how to sell to the self-purchasing woman. That training will be made available to all of the retailers who sign up as ambassador stores.
“Becoming an ambassador store is totally free, but we want to make it official,” Mobley says. “Not only will the retailer get free training and free assets, but they also will be the first to hear about new campaigns and things that we do in the future. It’s a way for us to keep in touch with stores that are gung-ho about our assets.”
Future modules will likely be shorter and include sub-titles, both suggestions made by retailers who have tested the program.
In addition to the training program being free of charge, there are rewards for retail sales people who complete the program. Points are awarded for each module completed and can be redeemed for up to a $25 gift card at one of several retailers.
“We realize that even an hour out of your day is sometimes difficult,” Mobley says. “That’s why we’re offering this incentive program. It’s a way for us to get people more excited about it, and let them know we’re taking their time into consideration.
Retail sales associates who complete the program will also be entered to win a grand prize for an all- expenses paid trip for two to New York City. Valued at $4,000, the trip will offer exclusive behind-the-scenes access to the New York diamond industry, including a personal tour of a diamond cutting facility. The drawing will take place in the fall.
Visit www.diamondproducers.com/tradeportal to access the e-learning platform.
