EVERY INDEPENDENT JEWELER has a love-hate relationship with franchises … or maybe just hate-hate. On one hand, you pride yourself on being not them. You’re personal. You’re adaptable. You remember customers’ names and don’t have a corporate playbook hanging over your bench.
But on the other hand, their systems work.
Their marketing is cohesive. Their margins are consistent. And their customer service doesn’t fall apart just because the manager is on vacation. That’s not magic — it’s structure. The good news is you can have that structure without selling your soul (or your name) to a franchise agreement.
Here’s how.
Standardize Like a Franchise — Personalize Like a Local
Franchises are easily scalable because every location follows the same playbook. That doesn’t mean you have to lose your personality — just the opposite. The things that make up your personality should be happening consistently.
Take repairs, for example. A customer gets a ring sized at your uptown location for $65. Two months later, they bring another ring into your midtown store and the associate quotes them $95 for the same job. Or worse, they get two different quotes from two different people in the same store. Now you’re getting price-shopped within your own company.
That’s a recipe for mistrust. It may sound like boring detail work, but think about it – independents thrive on being a trusted expert in the community. If something as basic as pricing a repair is improvised every time, it’s hard to look knowledgeable or built trust.
Adopt a consistent pricing system, train your staff on how to quote it with confidence, and use intake forms or other tools to track exactly what was promised. You’ll stop eating costs and start building trust across the board.
Don’t Let Knowledge Live in One Head
Franchises assume turnover — independents often assume loyalty. Don’t get me wrong, we should — I’m beyond lucky to have 30-plus year employees whose dads worked for my dad. But their experience is most valuable when shared, not hoarded.
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As independents, we often let knowledge live in one person’s head. Maybe it’s the one manager who knows how to price out custom work, because it’s tough to teach a salesperson. Maybe it’s the old-timer who has a great relationship with the jeweler and gets things done on time while the rest of the sales team avoids the shop like the plague.
Don’t silo knowledge — cross-train. An educated staff can communicate much better with customers and jewelers alike. If only one person has that magic touch, you’re not running a business — you’re relying on a personality.
Post Timelines and Stick to Them
Franchises train customers on what to expect, because they know uncertainty is where customer service issues are born. When you’re holding on to a customer’s precious valuables, it’s near impossible to overcommunicate.
One example of this is the Delta app. Nobody was expecting their airline to show them a map of their terminal — isn’t that the airport’s job? — or clamoring for notifications tracking their bag’s journey from cart to cargo bay. But Delta added those features, and by eliminating those little anxieties, reinforced their position as the airline of trust and comfort.
We independents often leave them guessing, because we know shop timelines can change on a dime. If the shop is two weeks out, don’t be afraid to post it. Set a regular expectation to check in with the customer before it’s done, whether you’re early, on time, or late.
Bonus: your bench jewelers will thank you when they don’t have to field five “is it ready yet?” interruptions per day.
When your processes match your promises, your team understands your values and can deliver them without you hovering over every transaction. Write it down, train it, and build on it. That’s how you scale your store without losing what makes it yours.
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