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Selling
Repairs mean sales Leonard Zell reminds jewellers of the potential for transforming jewellery repair enquiries into valuable sales
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S i nce you are t a l king about re pairs, don’t miss this o pportunity – remember t o volunteer t o clean any o t h er jewellery t h e customer may have
ow many times have I overheard customers being directed straight to the repair department with their damaged jewellery? Too many times. Do jewellers really know how much in lost sales this costs them? Of course not, otherwise they would stop doing it. Some jewellers pass this off by saying that their colleagues in the repairs department will know when there is potential for a sale, and will find a salesperson to deal with the enquiry. What I want to know is why the judgment is left up to those colleagues, when the salespeople are supposedly trained to know if repairs can be converted into sales? What is even worse is when the salesperson passes off the customer to the repair department, and then doesn’t even bother to go and follow it up. I have written about leaks in jewellers’ stores in previous issues of Jewellery Focus, and brushing customers off to the repair department is one of the biggest leaks. But this leak can be stopped if salespeople are told to take in all repairs when they are not busy selling. However, that solves one problem, but creates another; most salespeople have no idea what to look for to convert repairs into sales. Here are some clues: Worn claws and shanks: Too many salespeople recommend a new shank and claws and think a £300 sale is sufficient. Jewellers have no idea of the diamond sales they are missing. When I point this out to them their excuse is that their customers want their old ring, and so just want it to be fixed. What they neglected to do was to acknowledge the sentiment of the diamond ring, explaining to the customer that there will be very little sentiment remaining because the old shank
and claws must be removed and replaced with new ones. Many customers think all you have to do is add gold, but now their minds are open and once they understand that most of the sentiment is lost they may be willing to look for an alternative option. You can show them how much more brilliant their diamonds will look in a new setting, because more light is allowed to come in through the side of them. Show them one of your diamond rings and how it is set, and have them try it on. Since their financial circumstances may have changed since the old ring was purchased, they may be ready to buy a larger diamond. More repairs: Since you are talking about repairs, don’t miss this opportunity – remember to volunteer to clean any other jewellery the customer may have, and tell him or her that you will check it for any wear, loose diamonds or chipped stones. If this is done consistently there will be a lot of sales generated from that steam machine. Watches: The potential here is enormous, especially for men. When they come in for a new battery, show them watches that are different to theirs, especially those with all the whistles and bells. Think of the millions of smartphones they have bought; the phone companies made it easy for you. Almost all men love toys, and the phone companies have put your customers in the mood to look at your imagination-capturing watches. Are you in the mood to sell them? Keep an eye on the repair department: You must be prepared to go back to the repair department and wait on the customers who went directly there. The potential for creating new sales is enormous, and why miss out on diamond sales?
You will see how to create sales from repairs explained in further detail in Leonard’s 180-page sales manual on proven jewellery selling techniques. And for the perfect complement, order – a full day’s sales training seminar recorded live on three CDs. Order at Leonard Zell has been training fine jewellers around the world for 25 years. He will be conducting sales seminars in the UK this autumn. To find more about his sales training seminars go to his website, , email him at , or call him in the US on 001 503 412 9521 after 4pm UK time.