Editor's Note

When You Make Those Unforgettable Holiday Sales, You Make a Memory Forever

And as your biggest fans, the team at INSTORE is cheering you on from the sidelines.

Published

2 years ago

November 30, 2021

Trace Shelton Instore December 2021 Issue

JEWELRY RETAILERS HELP their customers make special memories daily. But what can get lost in the shuffle is that sometimes, those moments are special memories for the store owners, managers and salespeople as well.

Especially during the holiday season, when jewelry retailers will do up to 40 percent of their annual sales in just a few short weeks. It’s a grind, and it’s exhausting, but it can also be extraordinarily rewarding. And that’s what so many of you love about your jobs (see our “Buzz Session with the Brain Squad” on page 56).

For this month’s lead story, “Holiday Whoppers,” we asked you to tell us about your most memorable holiday sales, and boy, did you deliver! Some were stories of monumental and unexpected purchases. Others were amusing tales of last-minute desperation. And some were heartwarming moments where the jeweler went above and beyond for a thankful client.

We hope you’ll enjoy reading these stories as much as we did, and that they’ll inspire you to keep that smile blazing and maintain your “A game,” because you never know which customer interaction will provide that next unforgettable moment.

As always, we’ve packed some last-minute holiday advice into this issue, like Megan Crabtree’s column on how to turn post-holiday returns into exchanges and Sherry Smith’s column on sales KPIs. And don’t miss David Geller’s column at instoremag.com outlining 11 fun sales games.

May your holiday be merry and bright, and may you experience many more “holiday whoppers” this season!

When You Make Those Unforgettable Holiday Sales, You Make a Memory Forever

Trace Shelton

Editor-in-Chief, INSTORE
trace@smartworkmedia.com

Five Smart Tips You’ll Find in This Issue

Start a list of “bad weather projects” to do when traffic is slow. (Manager’s To-Do, p. 26)
Call (don’t text) when you need to communicate emotions. (Tip Sheet, p. 42)
Send every client a handwritten thank-you card, no matter how big the purchase. (Shane Decker, p. 52)
Designate time for “creative thinking” in your weekly schedule. (Ask INSTORE, p. 48)
Track discounting by salesperson and monitor variance so you can train when needed. (Sherry Smith, p. 54)

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.”