INTRODUCTION: Many sales trainers suggest holding sales meetings on Tuesdays or Fridays, but your store’s reality will obviously determine the best time for your meetings. Your weekly meeting can last 30 minutes, 45 minutes or 60 minutes.
Week 13 (Mar 30-Apr 5): Team Selling & T.O.’s
OPENING SEQUENCE (5-7 minutes)
Minutes 1-2: Recognition & Praise
- Start with specific wins from yesterday/this week
- Point out behaviors you want repeated
- Examples: “Sarah’s perfect use of the T.O. technique” or “Mike’s follow-up that brought a $5,000 sale”
- Make it sincere and specific
Minutes 3-4: Numbers Check & Store Updates
- Yesterday’s sales highlights (what sold, who sold it)
- Today’s appointments and special situations
- Rush repairs ready for pickup
- Items no longer in cases
- Quick progress check on weekly/monthly goals
- This week’s spiff: Gumball Machine.
Minutes 5-7: Team Connection
- Inspirational quote (rotate who selects)
- Check current gold prices (market awareness)
- Any personal celebrations to acknowledge
- Set positive energy for the day
CORE TRAINING SECTION (20-45 minutes)
FEATURED SUBJECT
Team Selling & T.O.’s
Training resources for this lesson — Shane Decker’s columns in February 2005, April 2016, and April 2018.
The Big Idea
Here’s a stat that should change how your team thinks about every single presentation: when you team-sell, the closing ratio goes up over 50 percent. Shane has said this in nearly every column he’s written about teamwork, and the math is simple — no one person is the right salesperson for every customer. He’s been in over 3,000 stores and has never met anyone who could close every client that walked through the door. The question isn’t whether you need team selling. It’s why you’re not doing more of it.
The biggest obstacle is ego. Some salespeople would rather let a client walk empty-handed than share the sale. Shane’s blunt about this: “All of nothing is better than half of something” is the wrong mindset. Half of something is real money. And the client who leaves without buying? They become someone else’s client — over 60 percent buy somewhere else within two hours. When you let ego kill a team sell, the store loses, you lose, and the client loses. Anyone who consistently refuses to team-sell needs to change or go.
The Difference Between a T.O. and an Assist
These are two different tools, and your team needs to understand when to use each one.
An assist is when you call a teammate over for a specific, limited purpose — to grab a tool so you don’t have to leave the client, to share a piece of product knowledge you don’t have, or to clean and polish jewelry while you continue selling. The teammate comes in, does their job, and politely leaves. They don’t camp out. As Shane puts it, you might say: “Linda, could you come over and tell Mrs. Jones about this Paraiba tourmaline we just got in?” Linda shares the information and exits.
A T.O. (turnover) is a full handoff — you’re bringing in another salesperson to take the lead because you’ve recognized that you’re not the right person to close this sale. This is harder to do because it requires you to admit you need help. But it’s the single most powerful closing tool you have. When a T.O. is done properly, the closing ratio jumps as much as 50 percent. When two people work in tandem for a full team sell, it can reach 60 percent.
When to T.O.
The key is to do it the moment you know you’ve lost the client — not 10 minutes later when it’s too late. Shane identifies several clues that tell you it’s time:
The client is looking at another salesperson. The client becomes silent or their eyes glaze over — often a sign you got too technical. The client folds their arms, sighs, or pushes back. They repeat the same question or objection — they want to hear the answer from someone else. They seem impatient or start looking around the store or toward the door. They’re throwing out multiple price objections — they don’t believe you believe in the price, so bring in someone who does.
If you see any of these signs and you stay in the presentation anyway, you’re choosing ego over the sale. By the time the client folds their arms, that sale may already be dead. The best T.O.’s happen early, before the client checks out mentally.
How to T.O. Professionally
A clumsy handoff makes the client feel like they’re being passed around. A professional one makes them feel like the store is investing even more attention in them. Shane lays out clear rules:
When you’re called in, get on the same side of the case as the client — not behind the counter. Stand to the client’s right (right is positive, left is negative). Face the client, not the salesperson who called you in. This communicates that you’re there for them.
The handoff needs to be fast and specific. You bring the incoming salesperson up to speed in about 15 to 20 seconds — not a full recap. Shane’s example: “John, this is Frank. This is his 20th anniversary. His wife’s name is Emily. She’s not here. He said he wanted to buy this two-carat princess shape. We’ve gone through the technical information and I just told him it’s $19,300.” That tells the incoming salesperson exactly what’s needed: help closing.
The incoming salesperson then takes over with confidence: “Frank, your wife is going to love wearing this. You’re going to be a hero. Are there any other questions you have about this diamond?” It’s seamless, professional, and most importantly, it gives the client the reassurance they need to say yes.
Who to T.O. To
Turn over to someone as opposite of you as possible. If personalities don’t match — and that’s often the core reason a sale is stalling — bringing in a similar personality won’t fix it. Discuss T.O. teams based on sales profiles so that when you’re on the floor, you know exactly who your best complement is and they’re available to help. Managers and owners can always walk in on a sale uninvited to assist — that’s part of their role. But other salespeople should only come in when called.
The Stranded Salesperson Problem
None of this works if there’s nobody available to help. We covered this in Week 10 as a sale killer: when you leave the client to grab something, closing odds drop 50 percent. The rule is simple — there must always be one extra person on the floor. That person covers the sweet spot, handles assists, and is ready for T.O.’s. If your store is understaffed to the point where salespeople are regularly stranded, that’s not a training problem — it’s a staffing problem that needs to be solved.
Practice Exercise
Scenario 1: You’ve been with a couple for 30 minutes looking at engagement rings. The man has folded his arms and is giving one-word answers. You call in a teammate for a T.O. Practice the 15-second handoff — what do you say? How does the incoming salesperson position themselves and open?
Scenario 2: You’re mid-presentation and realize you need a GIA report from the back. Instead of leaving, practice calling an assist. What’s the exact language you use to bring someone in without disrupting the client?
CLOSING SEQUENCE (5-8 minutes)
Option A – Team Member Presentation (twice monthly)
- 5-minute presentation by assigned staff
- Topics can include:
- Book Report: 5-10 key takeaways from a business book
- Customer Experience Report: What other retailers do well
- Mystery Shop Report: Insights from visiting competitors
- Learning Summary: Online course or training completed
Option B – Action Planning (alternate weeks)
- Review “wow” opportunities for the day
- Assign follow-up calls
- Preview upcoming store events
- Set individual daily goals
- Quick round: “What’s one thing you’ll implement today?”
FINAL MINUTE
- Restate the main learning point: “Half of something is better than all of nothing. When you see the clues, call in help — early, not late.”
- Team energy boost (high-five, cheer, or affirmation)
- “Let’s make today count!”
- Open doors ready to excel
