What I’ve Learned: Allison Leitzel Williams

Published

9 years ago

February 12, 2015

Always listen to your customer.

Allison Leitzel Williams, COO, Leitzel’s Jewelry, Myerstown, PA

Your customer is always telling you valuable information, but it is up to you to hear it. Sometimes, a customer tells us exactly what they are thinking and it makes our lives easy. Other times, we have to interpret what they are saying, such as when we handle their objections. Finally, we have to listen to unspoken words by analyzing customer patterns and sales data to determine what our customers are telling us. When we listen, we can overcome objections during the sales process and increase our closing ratio. We can predict fashion trends and make good buying decisions. We can adapt to customers’ wants, needs and budgets and target our marketing and inventory. Ultimately, we can make the best decisions for the success of our business and the happiness of our customers.

When There’s No Succession Plan, Call Wilkerson

Bob Wesley, owner of Robert C. Wesley Jewelers in Scottsdale, Ariz., was a third-generation jeweler. When it was time to enjoy life on the other side of the counter, he weighed his options. His lease was nearing renewal time and with no succession plan, he decided it was time to call Wilkerson. There was plenty of inventory to sell and at first, says Wesley, he thought he might try to manage a sale himself. But he’s glad he didn’t. “There’s no way I could have done this as well as Wilkerson,” he says. Wilkerson took responsibility for the entire event, with every detail — from advertising to accounting — done, dusted and managed by the Wilkerson team. “It’s the complete package,” he says of the Wilkerson method of helping jewelers to easily go on to the next phase of their lives. “There’s no way any retailer can duplicate what they’ve done.”