Here’s Where Jewelers Found Their Best Salesperson

Published

8 years ago

August 29, 2017

INSTORE Staff

Rainmakers come from all over.

If you want to sell lots of jewelry, it helps to hire great salespeople.

But where to find them?

As we collect responses for this year’s Big Survey, we’re bringing you a few highlights from years past. We call them Big Survey Flashbacks.

Today we bring you an item from our 2012 survey: “If you have sales staff, where did you find your best-ever salesperson?”

Here’s how the answers broke down:

Hired from among regular customers — 13 percent.
Recruited from another retail business — 12 percent.
Recruited from a non-retail business (e.g. doctor’s office) — 2 percent.
Recruited from another jewelry store — 11 percent.
Staff recommendation — 10 percent.
Friend or relative’s recommendation — 10 percent.
Via an industry contact (GIA, vendor, buying group) — 9 percent.
From within the extended family (including spouse, in-law) — 6 percent.
Online ad — 6 percent.

Other responses included walk-in (5 percent), employment service (4 percent), sign in the front window (1 percent), Facebook, hired a friend, church, radio ad, college job board, trained-up gift wrapper (all less than 1 percent).

Want to have your say on the industry and what it means to own or manage an American jewelry store in 2017? Click HERE to take the latest INSTORE Big Survey. (The survey will probably take about 20 minutes to complete and is designed to be taken solely by store owners and managers.)

Ready to Relocate? Wilkerson Makes Your Move Seamless

When Brockhaus Jewelry decided to leave their longtime West Main Street storefront for a standalone building elsewhere in Norman, Oklahoma, owners John Brockhaus and Brad Shipman faced a familiar challenge: how to efficiently reduce inventory before the big move. Their solution? Partnering with liquidation specialists Wilkerson for a second time. "We'd already experienced Wilkerson's professionalism during a previous sale," Shipman recalls. "But their approach to our relocation event truly impressed us. They strategically prioritized our existing pieces while tactfully introducing complementary merchandise as inventory levels decreased." The carefully orchestrated sale didn't just meet targets—it shattered them. Asked if they'd endorse Wilkerson to industry colleagues planning similar transitions—whether relocating, retiring, or refreshing their space—both partners were emphatic in their approval. "The entire process was remarkably straightforward," Shipman notes. "Wilkerson delivered a well-structured program, paired us with a knowledgeable advisor, and managed every detail flawlessly from concept to completion."