CHRISTMAS IS ALMOST here, and nobody is “just looking.” Everybody is just buying – a lot! Closing ratio goes up a crazy amount, maybe 100%. But that’s why it’s easy to develop bad selling habits at this time of year.
Professional selling habits should be used and practiced all day every day, no matter how tired you get or how many clients you wait on. Here are the three biggest needle movers.
Team selling. Teamwork is how much work you do together in a day to get common goals done. A T.O. is a “team opportunity.” That’s when your personality isn’t working for a particular client, and you bring in another sales associate who has a better opportunity to match the client’s personality and their needs. A team-sell is when you bring someone in who has more gemological or product knowledge or they’re better at value-based selling or closing all the way through. In this case, both of you stay in the sale. A team runner or “servant seller” is a salesperson within earshot ready to go grab a catalog or get a diamond out of the vault or run the client’s jewelry back to be polished and checked. This makes the salesperson with the client look very professional. It also prevents them from walking away from the client, which drastically hurts your closing ratio.
Add-on sales. Around 95% of all sales today in jewelry retail are a single item on the ticket. The average Christmas buyer buys 15-20 gifts, and we only sell them one. After the first sale, don’t spin and walk to point of sale. Instead, once you’re sure the first sale is closed, use a lead-in line to lead the client into the next presentation. You can say, “How many others are on your list?” or “How many stockings are hanging from your mantle?” or “Who else do you need to take care of while you’re here?” As an example, little girls should always get their first pair of diamond studs from their dad, and that’s the least-returned item in our industry.
Wow everyone. Impulse sales skyrocket at Christmastime. So right before they leave, show something 3-5 times higher than your average ticket. A 2-3 carat round or oval diamond is a good place to start. Wow presentations take 3-15 minutes. The more money it is, the easier it is to close it and the less time it takes to sell it. Showing this type of product is a silent compliment because you’re telling the client you believe they can buy it. If not, you’re planting a seed that may pay off for Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day or Christmas next year. Not only that, but people tell their friends and family about being wowed. They remember it; it changes their experience. And you gave them a luxury presentation at Christmas that none of your competitors did.
