Week 1Sept. 5-10
MARKETING In the era of local search — and especially when it comes to bridal customers — it’s crucial you settle on one name for your company. For example, is it “Jeff and Jane Jewelers LLC” or is it “J&J Jewelers” or some other variant that has arisen over your store’s life? If it isn’t always the same, search engines get confused and wonder if these are the same or different businesses. End result? Your ranking suffers. Make a choice and stick to it.
ONLINE For similar reasons, set aside an hour to ensure all of your online information is correct at Google, Yelp, Yahoo, etc.
INVENTORY Is your loose diamond box full? Do you have three choices at every price/size level? Do you have enough carat-plus diamonds? Finally, make sure that you are replenishing in concert with your strategic plan. For example, if you want to build your bridal business, be aggressive in replenishing those SKUs.
WEEK 2
Sept. 12-17
COLLATERAL Guys often buy engagement rings with moral support from guy friends. Choose a selection of guy-friendly videos or sports channels to ensure they don’t get bored. A selection of frothy refreshments doesn’t hurt either.
CRM Can’t afford a fancy CRM system? Create customer profile cards. Be sure they are updated after every customer engagement, not just sales. Complimentary engagement-ring cleanings every six months or year are still one of the best ways to get customers back in the store.
DISPLAY Are your windows working effectively to support your bridal sales? Here’s a good rule of thumb: If your store gets foot traffic, use small props; if it gets drive-by traffic, oversized props work best. Most important, change things around often. The less often you present new looks, passers-by will stop looking.
WEEK 3
Sept. 19-24
STAFF Do you know who your best diamond salesperson is? Ensure he or she gets the opportunities to sell diamonds before anybody else. And look into specific diamond training for the rest.
MERCHANDISING Everyone gets the urge to pile on merchandise, but displays, especially expensive goods, always look better when they are given the appropriate space. Walk around your bridal area and ask yourself if each item is relevant to your cause. If not, get rid of it. Your bridal area should be pristine.
SECURITY Smash and grabs are on the rise. Get your cases laminated.
DISPLAY Organize your bridal diamond case into groupings that match how your sales presentations flow, urges display expert Larry Johnson.
WEEK 4
Sept. 26-Oct. 1
MARKETING Place scrapbooks containing thank-you cards and photos from weddings and engagements that you’ve provided jewelry for. Why? Because nothing emphasizes that you’re trustworthy more than a photo album of happy customers on their happiest day.
SALES FLOOR This month, make an extra effort to listen to how your staff interacts with bridal customers. Focus on the words they use to describe merchandise and build perceptions of value. Remember that to be effective, feedback needs to be specific, actionable and timely.
This article originally appeared in the September 2016 edition of INSTORE.