Sales Meeting (Feb 2-8): Romancing the Sale — Making Every Purchase Feel Like a Milestone

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 7 (Feb 16-22): Romancing the Sale — Making Every Purchase Feel Like a Milestone

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

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

Romancing the Sale — Why Emotion Beats Information Every Time

Training resources for this lesson — Shane Decker’s columns: January 2007 (“Find the Why”) and February 2014 (“How Not to Sound Like Everybody Else When You Sell Diamonds“).

Shane’s Core Philosophy:

• “Romance should be 80% of every sales presentation. We’re not selling commodities – we sell life, memories, love, forever, commitment, hope.”

The Four Areas to Romance (In Order of Importance):

• 1. Romance the “Why” – The Reason They Came In
  • This is the MOST important and most forgotten part
  • Find their special occasion and make it bigger than they thought
  • Example dialogue: “20 years married? What an incredible milestone! Every woman dreams of receiving diamonds on her 20th anniversary.”
  • The better you romance the why, the less significant price becomes
  • This builds relationships that beat competitors and kill internet sales
• 2. Romance the Beauty of the Product
  • Even a novice can do this – it’s the easiest part
  • Use descriptive, emotional language
  • Let your genuine enthusiasm show
  • Help them visualize wearing or giving it
• 3. Romance Through Value-Added Statements
  • Requires gemological and product knowledge
  • Changes the client’s perception of worth
  • Example: “This diamond traveled through volcanic pipes for millions of years to reach the earth’s surface”
  • The more value you build, the fewer price objections you’ll have
• 4. Romance Features/Advantages/Benefits
  • Feature (fact): “Diamonds are the world’s hardest known substance”
  • Advantage (to client): “Because they’re so hard, they’re scratch-resistant”
  • Benefit (result): “So you can wear it every day of your life and pass it down to the next generation”
  • Always connect features to real-life benefits

The Three-Step Romance Process:

• Ask questions to get the “why”
• Paraphrase to show agreement and understanding
• Give a reassurance close

Critical Romance Rules:

• You MUST be sincere — this cannot be just a technique
• Don’t interrogate. Ask questions throughout naturally
• Show genuine interest in their special event
• Remember: Customers are tired of anonymous shopping
• If they think you care, they open up; if you just want to sell, they shut down

Practice Scenarios:

• Role-play finding the “why” for different occasions
• Practice making occasions feel more important
• Create emotion-based presentations, not fact-based
• Master the transition from technical to romantic

CLOSING SEQUENCE (5-8 minutes)

Action Planning

• 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?”

Team Member Presentation ALTERNATE WEEKS

• 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

FINAL MINUTE

• Restate the main learning point
• Team energy boost (high-five, cheer, or affirmation)
• “Let’s make today count!”
• Open doors ready to excel