Kathleen Cutler

Getting Back to Work: How to Reconnect With Your Clients

Meeting your clients where they’re at while reopening.

Published

3 years ago

May 9, 2020

Kathleen Cutler

STARTING THIS WEEK, many jewelers are gaining the opportunity to open their storefronts again.

For many, this is a very welcome bit of news — but for some who haven’t thought about a reopen plan (or aren’t sure if the one they have will lead to success), it can be intimidating.

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So I’ve put together this handy list of three things you need to consider when reconnecting with your clients and reopening your business…

Consider Your “One-to-Many” Interactions

Your social media, email marketing, and more are perfect for sharing your plans for reopening.

Even with your doors open, things won’t exactly be business as usual and communicating any changes you might have in store hours or policies upfront is critical to your success.

Likewise, showcase your merchandise in advance so that your staff and clients can better practice social distancing and feel at ease with fewer people browsing in-person.

Photographs, videos, and virtual events are all highly effective ways to share what’s in your inventory and should be added to your regularly scheduled repertoire ASAP.

Consider Your “One-to-One” Interactions

After you’ve shared your reopening news with your community en masse, it’s time to focus on your one-on-one relationships.

Ideally, you’ve already reached out to your top 20% of clients during this crisis to check in on a personal level so that you can readily share your reopen news.

Invite them to browse your collection individually or find a specific reason for them to stop by if you can — like for a complimentary ring cleaning they’ll need after all this handwashing.

Upcoming birthdays, anniversaries, graduations, and other special events are all great opportunities to showcase that you’re thinking of them and make suggestions for new pieces they might be interested in.

And if you haven’t checked in with your top clients since this crisis began, now is the time to touch base via phone, text, or email (depending on what your clients and customers prefer).

This interaction should be about human connection, not a sales pitch. News about your reopening can come naturally in the conversation or be shared at a later time.

Consider Maintaining a Digital Presence — and Even Having Dedicated Staff for This

Your storefront may be open, but you’re bound to have clients and customers who may be immuno-compromised or uncomfortable with the idea of going shopping in person.

Continuing to offer virtual appointments, hosting digital events, and enhancing the many ways people can reach you is critical to earning their business.

(Not to mention if a second wave does come, you’ll have the infrastructure you need to continue selling online.)

One of my clients who already had a lot of these elements in place was able to sell over 50 items in the month of April, even after she had shut the doors to her physical location.

With this kind of success, she hasn’t been in a rush to open her physical doors back up and can start by opening by appointment only and work with her best clients to make sure that she has a solid reopening strategy in place.

Time to Do What You've Always Wanted? Time to Call Wilkerson.

It was time. Teri Allen and her brother, Nick Pavlich, Jr., had been at the helm of Dearborn Jewelers of Plymouth in Plymouth, Mich., for decades. Their father, Nick Pavlich, Sr., had founded the store in 1950, but after so many wonderful years helping families around Michigan celebrate their most important moments, it was time to get some “moments” of their own. Teri says Wilkerson was the logical choice to run their retirement sale. “They’re the only company that specializes in closing jewelry stores,” she says. During the sale, Teri says a highlight was seeing so many generations of customers who wanted to buy “that one last piece of jewelry from us.” Would she recommend Wilkerson? Absolutely. “There is no way that I would have been able to do this by myself.”