STORES ALL OVER America are calling me saying they are selling more large and high-ticket items than at any other time in history. In talking to diamond cutters and manufacturers, there is a run on 2-3 carat diamonds of all shapes, as well as large rounds (4 to 9 carats). Some are saying they’re even selling marquise shapes.
The point is, this could and should be the largest diamond selling Christmas your store has ever had. The $10,000-15,000 cruises did not happen this year, so consumers’ vacation money became diamond and jewelry money. Too many of you are going to wait too long to inventory up this year. If you wait until November, you won’t have diamonds. You need to be ready with your team, your inventory and your store.
Jewelry stores are breaking records in sales goals every month. Some are up 20, 30 and 40 percent; some are even up 100 percent over the same month last year. Salespeople cannot be afraid to sell high-ticket this year. It’s easier to close a high-ticket item than a lower one because the client can afford it and won’t blink an eye.
Here are some tips to help you close some large tickets this season.
Include a virtual diamond inventory list on your web page. This. This way, your clients can shop for a diamond from their home.
Teach your team to sell and wow with high-ticket items. Teach them not to sell price. As always, the experience is more important than the item purchased.
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Wow everyone with professionalism, knowledge and making the experience awesome. Wow with awesome teamwork and your ability to keep your client in your store longer. The longer they stay, the more they spend.
Always make it about the client and the item, not the price.
If they’ve never been in before, build the relationship. If they haven’t been in for a while, make the relationship even more important.
Sell the season and memories.
Make sure you add on. The average shopper buys 10-15 gifts. Plus, impulse buys skyrocket at Christmas.
Add studs in all sizes, up to six carats total weight.
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Have your store “Christmas ready.” That means organized, decorated, and inventoried. Spend a lot of time on social media advertising ahead of time. Check in with your top clients and have part-time “service sellers” hired so your professional team can focus on selling.
Have a week-long diamond event during December. Colored diamonds are also selling at a high rate now. Do appointments for all salespeople 30 minutes to an hour apart to control spacing for COVID.
Attitude is everything.
Hold a black-tie diamond event for your top 200 clients on a Friday or Saturday in December. All diamonds over two carats, all lab reported. Remember to social distance.
Stay open late and make shopping convenient. A lot of stores have been on shortened hours and days. Don’t let that be you — be there for your clients.
Owners must be on the sales floor, not in your office. When the owner blesses a team member, the closing ratio goes up 50-65 percent.
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Be thankful you work in an industry that has somewhat become COVID-proof. People still get engaged, fall in love, have anniversaries and buy jewelry and diamonds.
Do not take in repairs or do appraisals during the holidays. Be availabe to all shoppers.
Dress professionally. Make a good impression.
Don’t fall into old, bad selling habits. Have an awesome team-selling squad.
