A diamond is an investment into a relationship, a lasting love. Diamonds were never meant to be sold to put into a 401K account. They are NOT that kind of an investment, and never should be sold as that kind of an investment.

The real value is in the gift itself. Diamonds come in a very small box, and when given to someone you love, nothing says or does what a diamond says and does.

Around the world, a diamond is the ultimate “I love you.” It speaks every language and has incredible sentimental value. I have my mother’s engagement ring that she received in 1945. She’s been gone more than 50 years, and it’s one of my family’s most important treasures.

A diamond is a visible and powerful representation of a relationship … and that’s what should matter to us. After all, we’re not actually in the “diamond industry” — we’re in the relationship industry. The relationship your client builds with the loved one they’re giving the diamond to, and the relationship they build with YOU.

And that relationship should never be taken for granted. Of all the places they could buy from, they chose your store and YOU to take care of a special occasion in their life or a just-because moment. What an honor. Make sure these clients coming in FEEL special.

There’s nothing in the “I love you” gifts that ranks higher than diamonds. They’re full of wild and untamed light, and they are forever.

When you give someone a diamond, you just said, “Will you marry me? I will spend the rest of my life with you.” Or it says “I’d marry you all over again” after you’ve been married 30 years. Diamonds celebrate life. Forever. Never forget. Family. Tradition. Beauty. The moment it was given. Achievement. Lifelong memories. Heirloom. History and stories.

A diamond stands for love, and that’s the business we’re in.

So learn to romance the reason your client came in. If you become awesome at this, the price of the diamond becomes insignificant and the closing ratio goes way up.

Over 90% of clients coming in have never held a loose 2-carat diamond, so be sure to show one to every client that walks in your door. Clients love to be wowed. Plus, it’s free advertising, it’s a silent compliment, and it plants seeds for upcoming special events in their lives.

The tradition of the diamond engagement ring actually all started in 1477 when Archduke Maximilian of Austria gave a diamond ring to Mary of Burgundy. Keep the tradition going, and happy selling!

The post Here’s How to Present a Diamond as an Investment into a Relationship (Not Someone’s 401K) appeared first on INSTOREMAG.COM.

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.

The post Close More Holiday Sales and Make Clients Happier by Doing These Three Things appeared first on INSTOREMAG.COM.

If you were to go to an antique store and buy a 200-year-old dresser from Belgium, it might cost you $7,000. By contrast, we’re told that mined diamonds — the newest ones — are about 1 billion years old, while the oldest are 3.4 billion years old. What if we put an antique value on diamonds? I’ve personally collected dinosaur bones and eggs, and they’re 65 million years old — young compared to diamonds.

Now, let’s talk about rarity. Mining experts tell us that it takes 1 million diamonds mined to get one gem-quality 1-carat stone. (Approximately 80% of all diamonds mined are industrial grade.) They also tell us it takes 5 million diamonds mined to obtain a gem-quality 2-carat (I don’t know the odds on a 3-carat).

It costs hundreds of millions of dollars to find mined diamonds. Over the last 30-40 years, diamond production is down 30%, but diamond demand is up 300%. Only around one thousand kimberlite pipes contain diamonds. Of those, only around 60 are rich enough in diamonds to make them economically viable to mine. And of those, only 7 are responsible for most of the world’s diamonds.

Mined diamonds are the smallest form of transferable, negotiable wealth known to man. When you get your first engagement ring, you can wear it 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 40 years and pass it down to the next generation to wear. Nothing else can take that kind of punishment for that long.

Not only does a diamond have sentimental value, but it also goes up in value while you wear it.
And consider the diamond cutter’s skill set. They apprentice 5-10 years under a master cutter before they are allowed to touch a 1-carat.

If you total all this up, what should the real price of a mined 1-carat diamond be? The price we sell them for is a joke, and it’s on us. Some of you even negotiate the price because your salespeople don’t know how to prove its worth it. One day, possibly soon, mined diamonds will be mined out. What will the price be then?

Salespeople need to learn when selling mined diamonds how to sell the beauty and the real value and understand what a special product they have in their hand. There’s nothing like it anywhere else in the world.

When presenting diamonds, always start with mined diamonds first. (Don’t turn away clients who want a lab-grown diamond — they’re very important also — but start with mined first.) Your inventory should be 60-70% mined and 30-40% lab. Have your lab-grown diamonds on the left, mined on the right and bridal in the middle.

When selling mined diamonds, always romance the reason they want it, the beauty of the item and its value. Never make it about price. And diamonds are not a lot of money.

The post At 1 Billion Years Old, You Better Believe Mined Diamonds Are “Worth It” appeared first on INSTOREMAG.COM.

Pre-judging is a huge sales killer, especially in luxury. I found the handbag I wanted, and when one of the young salespeople saw me at the cash register, she hurried over to take my money. I asked if she worked on commission, and she said yes. She certainly didn’t earn it on that sale.

How many times have you been shopping and had “the look” given to you when you walked in, like I did while shopping for that handbag?

Your greeting should be professional, with a smile on your face and ready to take care of your client’s need. Whether it’s a purchase, repair or service, they’re all coming in to give you money.

Always keep the sweet spot covered (it’s 10-15 feet on the client’s right as they walk in). If you’re in the back and come out when you hear the door, that’s too late. You greet someone at the front door of your home; do the same at work.

Never greet from behind a showcase, and don’t greet from behind the point-of-sale station. If you’re huddling together laughing when they come in, they will think you’re laughing at them. On the other hand, a professional greeting makes them feel important, gets their guard down and opens up conversations sooner.

The millennial client is currently responsible for 70% of all bridal purchases. One of the No. 1 reasons they shop the internet is because they feel pre-judged walking into jewelry stores. Be friendly, be in the sweet spot, and they’ll buy from you. They send in more referrals than any other age group.

Always introduce yourself and let them know they’ll have a professional luxury experience. When a client comes in, do not be on your phone! Phones can be a big distraction and a sales killer.

If a client has never been in before and you get their name, repeat it to yourself mentally. It’s important you remember something that’s important to them.

Your greeting changes the presentation from the start. Make sure it’s done professionally.

The post Here’s Why a Professional Greeting Can Change Your Sales Success Rate appeared first on INSTOREMAG.COM.

If the client leaves and they were not closed, you need to know how they want to receive communications. Most salespeople assume that people just want a text. Wrong! Always ask if they prefer a text, email or phone call. Ask if there’s a time you can reach out that’s better than another. Try to set up a follow-up appointment: The closing ratio on follow-up presentations is over 80%. That’s because, at that point, they’re not coming in to look; they’re coming in to give you money.

Another important tool of professional follow-up is the thank-you card. I spoke to a group of millennials at a show a few years ago, and I asked, them, “How many of you have ever received a thank-you card?” Less than 10 hands went up.

All sales should be followed up with a thank you card, but bridal clients are extra special because they are celebrating a special event in their lives with you. It’s an honor to be part of that.

Always ask if you can send a card. I sent one to a dentist once and his wife received it. The problem was that he had given the diamond to one of his employees. He came in angry, but I did sell him another diamond. But I don’t know what he told his wife. Oops!

Most thank-you cards are too generic. You need your thank-you cards to be professionally printed in your store’s colors on nice paper stock. The card should have three short paragraphs. The first one tells them how important they are to you and your company. The second one is a genuine thank-you.

The third one is to let them know that in six months, there will be a follow-up to let them know that their jewelry will need a clean-and-check. This lets the client know that the ring is important, and that you’re there to help them take care of it.

When they come in, give them a soda or wine (you already know what they like). Talk to them about their honeymoon. This gives them a chance to show you the next item on their list, and you’ve planted a seed for Christmas or Valentine’s. We’re in the relationship business, and this allows you to work on the anniversary and all special events for the next 30-40 years.

Your sales team has to do the proper follow-up to keep the client forever. They’ll send their friends to you as a result. The thank-you card should be mailed within two weeks of purchase (unless it’s the holidays). I signed all of my cards, “Professionally, Shane Decker.”

Find a word that fits your profile that’s professional. Happy selling!

The post Want Clients to Come Back? Get Personal with Your Follow-Up Efforts appeared first on INSTOREMAG.COM.

They tell me, “I know the client can’t afford that.” Guess what? If you believe that, you’ve killed the sale before it’s even started. People who make a million dollars a year walk into your store all the time. The only difference between $5,000 and $50,000 is a zero. Are you afraid of that zero?

Let your clients decide how much they want to spend. You do not need to let them know how little they can spend by what you show them. Always start high (but do so with respect). When you start too low, you communicate to the client that you’re pre-judging their spending ability. Starting high, on the other hand, is a silent compliment.

Over 80 percent of the time, when salespeople are selling a diamond, they begin with the wrong one. Ask more questions to help you determine where to start.

If you’re afraid of the price, the client will be able to tell. So never apologize for the price. Instead, when it’s time to talk about the price, say, “Do you realize this is only…?”

Make your presentation about the client, the reason they came in, and the product — never about the money. Never use words like “expensive” or “it’s a lot of money.” Instead, you can indicate that it’s “high quality.”

Never ask a client how much they want to spend. First, it’s rude, and second, it puts you in a box. The average client can usually spend double what they tell you they want to spend. But you can politely find out how much they want to spend by asking what size diamond they want, what shape, platinum or yellow gold, etc. By asking selling-specific questions, you get the information you need to understand their budget. It’s a lot easier to go down in price than go up.

Maybe you say, “Shane, I don’t have this problem.” Well, there’s an easy way to find out: Look at your average ticket. That will tell you the price range that you’re comfortable selling.

The more money it is, the easier it is to close. The more money it is, the less time it takes to sell.

In fact, they will often close the sale themselves and not even ask how much it is (so don’t tell them!). The average million-dollar sale takes less than one hour. By contrast, the $500-$1,500 sale can take two to three hours and they wonder how they’re going to pay for it.

That’s why we’re going to talk about doubling your average ticket at The INSTORE Show next month!

The post Here’s Why a Zero Could Be Hurting Your Sales Totals appeared first on INSTOREMAG.COM.

This month, I want to talk about how to deliver a luxury presentation. The word “luxury” infers high quality. I don’t eat at fast food joints, but if I did, I wouldn’t have any expectations. But if you said, “Shane, take your wife to this high-end restaurant and order the main course, sides, dessert and wine for $500,” my expectations will go through the roof.

It’s amazing how price can raise the bar.

When you get 5-star reviews, they always talk about the experience they received first. Yes, they may mention what they bought, but the experience is always the main thing.

So to deliver a luxury presentation, the following actions need to happen every time. They take constant training and consistency.

• Smile.
• Have a positive attitude
• Use your presentation skills
• Be professional
• Give product and gemological knowledge when needed
• Give inventory and brand knowledge when needed
• Sell your store’s culture
• Ask relationship questions
• Ask selling-specific questions
• Make it all about the client
• Dress well
• Respect their time
• Understand the power, wealth and status of your client
• Be confident
• Know the nine “absolutes”
• Demonstrate knowledge of trends, fashion and diamond prices
• Understand high quality and high ticket items in all areas of the store
• Build integrity in your product
• Know everything about your “wow” pieces
• Know your client
• Follow up in a timely manner
• Use teamwork and T.O.s; team sell and be a servant seller
• Utilize professional closes
• Use proper vocabulary
• Respect all people coming in
• Listen closely
• Keep the sale private
• Sell with honor
• Be genuinely interested in all the client’s needs
• Becoming a personal business friend
• Do not pre-judge
• Be glad they came in
• Wow them in a big way before they go

Today, the experience is more important than the item purchased. How many of these bullet points are missing in your salespeople’s presentations? When the experience is awesome, people don’t shop anywhere else and they send in their friends. Clients retain 100% of how they’re treated. We remember where we’ll never go back and we remember where we’ll always go. Change your standards and become awesome all the time!

The post Follow These Steps to Deliver a Luxury Sales Presentation appeared first on INSTOREMAG.COM.

I want to thank INSTORE for the opportunity to allow me to write for them all these years. It’s been an honor. I also want to thank all my readers for your questions, texts and loyalty, and for honoring me by using my advice in your stores for sales training.

For my last regular column, I want to share with you some of the “Dad-isms” that my father said to me throughout his life. I’m working on a book about these “Dad-isms,” where each chapter will revolve around one of his many sayings and what it meant. He started saying these things to me when I was a kid, and they meant even more to me as I grew into adulthood. I hope you will consider each “Dad-ism” and what it might mean for you, because as Dad said, “Don’t prove yourself; improve yourself.” He also said:

• If you think you can, or you think you can’t, you’re right.
• On time is late; early is on time.
• If you didn’t have time to do it right the first time, how are you going to find time to do it right the second time?
• Does your mom work here?
• Your word is your bond.
• Your actions speak louder than your words.
• The more you think about it, the more you’ll probably do it, right or wrong.
• You never get a second chance to make a first impression.
• Learn to really listen … really.
• Respect is never given; it’s earned.
• Never pre-judge anyone.
• If you hang out with the turds, you’ll get s@#! on you.
• Never judge anyone until you’ve walked a mile in their moccasins.
• Live, love, work and laugh. And take care of your family and friends.
• Always be a leader and a motivator.
• Kindness goes a long way in the workplace and at home.
• Help others succeed.
• Be a team player and a servant when you need to be.
• Never quit learning. Self-educate.
• If you love what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life.
• Be the first to apologize.
• If you lie, it will take a long time for me to believe you again.
• Celebrate life’s important moments.
• Winners never quit; quitters never win.
• You’ll get out of it what you put into it.
• Procrastination is a time killer, attitude smasher and communication spoiler.
• Never say “It’s not my job.”

My dad was a wise man. I’ve thought about these sayings throughout my life, and maybe some of these will help you as well. Happy selling!

The post These “Dad-Isms” Could Change Your Sales Trajectory If You’ll Let Them appeared first on INSTOREMAG.COM.

But what happens as the pandemic recedes and consumer spending returns to normal? Travel, vacations, airfare, house remodels, dining out and automobile sales will be on the rise. It could hit you very hard if you’re unprepared. So how do you prepare? Become awesome in two areas: clienteling and referrals.

Believe it or not, most stores do not do any clienteling. When is the last time you shopped somewhere and you got an awesome written thank-you card? Not from Walmart! Where’s the last place you shopped and you felt important? Too many places, you’re forgotten as soon as you leave. If you want to keep all the clients you acquired during the pandemic, now is the time to start professional follow-up.

It starts with believing that everyone who comes into your store is important: every battery client, every repair client, every sale client, no matter how small or big. When you and your team truly believe and act on this principle, you will see raving online reviews come rolling in and customers returning to buy more jewelry.

That starts before the client even leaves your store. When the sale is done, walk them to the door. Open the door for them if needed. Give them two cards and ask them to give one to a friend. Thank them for coming in. It seems simple, but this one action can result in fantastic online reviews and even get their friends coming in asking for you by name.

Next, send every client a thank-you card. (Who is “every client”? See my list above; every client means every client.)

They will all talk about it: “I got a thank-you card from XY Jewelers.” Don’t pick and choose who gets a card and who doesn’t, because your customers will figure out that one received a card while the other didn’t.
A thank you card should tell your client three things:

1. They’re important to you and your company.
2. You care about their purchase.
3. You’ll contact them again in six months for a clean-and-polish and to make sure their jewelry doesn’t need any other attention.

Do not write this and this only on your card: “Thank you for your purchase.” That has no meaning and stands a good chance of irritating your client.

If you want to keep your client, be loyal to them with professional follow-up. What you do after they leave is more important than what happened to them in your store. Keep your clients and keep your momentum up!

The post How Can You Maintain Sales Momentum as the Pandemic Recedes? Clienteling. appeared first on INSTOREMAG.COM.

You’ve been writing columns for INSTORE for almost 20 years. How does it feel to retire from regular duty?

I’m going to miss it. And I will still write an occasional column when INSTORE has something special they want me to write about. But we’re going to focus on putting together an online training program that jewelry store owners and their teams can use to improve their selling capabilities. I have a lot of material that I’ve never even written about, and I think it’ll be much more effective than just reading a magazine column every month. But I am going to miss it. I’ve made thousands of friends from the columns because people write and text and ask questions.

What has it meant to you to be an INSTORE columnist?

I was honored that they asked me to do it. I spoke at every SMART Show that INSTORE put on in Chicago at Navy Pier, which had audiences of hundreds. I also did their best attended webinar in 2020 when the pandemic hit, with more than 1,000 viewers attending. The magazine is an industry leader, and it’s for people who want to learn about improving their businesses. There are a lot of other great writers in there who are friends of mine — Kate [Peterson], David [Geller], people I’ve known 30-plus years. The information is endless, and everybody should read it cover to cover because you’re going to get a nugget out of it every time you read it. Some of my columns took hours and hours to research, and sometimes the researcher learns more than the reader, so I’ve enjoyed it very much.

What’s the mistake that people make in sales that drives you the craziest?

Lack of training. Stores hardly do any; very few have sales meetings or review their people at the end of each month. Salespeople don’t know how to close. Owners spend money on beautiful stores and inventory and marketing, and that’s great. But if you can’t train your people how to sell and deliver an experience, it’s all worthless. When I was a full-time salesperson, I wrote 10 closes every night for a year, 365 days. I’ve been in stores where people have been selling for 40 years and never written 10 closes once. It’s appalling to me. Most people are happy with status quo, and that’s my biggest irritation.

How did you get started in jewelry sales training?

I got into the jewelry industry by accident. I was working in a furniture store and a jeweler came in. He said he was just looking, and I said I was just selling. (I never said that again, but that is a true story!) I sold him a ton of dining room furniture, like $45,000 worth, and he asked me if I wanted a job. I said no. But he later won me over. The most 1-carat diamonds I sold in one day while working in jewelry retail was 16. Later on, I was at the New York show after I had opened my company. I was talking to a diamond vendor, and a trade magazine editor walked up to him. The diamond vendor asked him, “Do you know this young man?” He said, “No. Why should I know him?” The diamond vendor said, “He sold more diamonds out of a little store in Kansas than all my other accounts put together.” They wrote an article, and all of a sudden, jewelers were calling me from all over the country asking me, “How do you sell all those diamonds?” Because that year, I had sold 137 1-carats, 40 2-carats and 33 of 3 carats or larger. All of a sudden, all these jewelers wanted me to come show their staff how I did it. So here’s me, a 28 year-old guy flying all over the U.S. showing 50-, 60- and 70-year-old store owners something totally new.

What are some of your most memorable moments as a jewelry sales trainer?

I’ve had owners say, “I wish I’d had you come here 20 years ago.” I’ve had salespeople who, as soon as they heard my first presentation, showed a battery client a diamond and sold it and they couldn’t believe it because they didn’t realize it was that easy. I’ve kept all the thank-you notes and cards I’ve received, and I have two big boxes full of how I’ve changed their lives and their income. What they wrote motivated me to keep doing it. I trained one guy who sold 22 diamonds over a carat in a day and broke my personal record. All records are meant to be broken, and he probably has more to say about how I’ve changed his life than anybody, and he’s become a dear friend.

Have you ever done anything you later wished you hadn’t?

You say stuff every day you wish you wouldn’t have. That’s part of being human. But as you age, you get more patience and wisdom and you’re not as reactive in your communication. One time, I was speaking at a national convention, and I wanted to let this young man know that I thought he had something on the end of his nose, and I said something and it was actually a wart. I hurt his feelings. I tried to speak to him afterward, but he was gone. I found out who he was and apologized to him later and sent him some of my training DVDs. But yes, I’ve said things and regretted them. I’ve trained in 4,500 stores, and if I trained 10 people per store, that’s about 45,000 people, so yeah, I’ve stuck my foot in my mouth before.

What’s ahead for Shane Decker?

I’m going to keep doing what I’m doing. More training than ever through INSTORE’s upcoming online series. Speaking at national conventions. I want to thank God and the Lord Jesus Christ for giving me this opportunity and having a career I love. I want to thank my wife for supporting me. I’m thankful that I have my health, which allows me to do this. I still have a ton of energy and passion. I don’t know anyone who’s had a greater career than I’ve had. I’m very, very thankful.

You’ve spoken at countless shows during your career. Do you enjoy that? What’s your favorite part?

The first JCK show was in 1991, and I’ve spoken at every one but two since then. I’ve done IJO, RJO, state conventions, overseas in Australia, England and Ireland. My favorite part is educating people in the audience. There have been people who have recorded them and taken notes, and they take it back and use it in their stores to train their staff. My second favorite is that I know thousands of people in this industry, and when I’m done, they’ll come up and speak to me or send me a text or we’ll go out and eat dinner. I love teaching and giving people information that they can use the rest of their life. This last October is 48 years in retail, and I’ve been in jewelry almost all my life. I’ve made a lot of friends who if I needed something would drop what they’re doing and come to my aid. I love the teaching and I love the friends I’ve gained from this.

You travel for sales training weekly. What is that life like?

In March, it will be 39 years of flying out 48 weeks a year each Monday. I fly Monday, work in the store Tuesday and Wednesday giving presentations. In the evenings, I meet with the owners to talk about their goals, their people, their margins and markup. I get home every Thursday morning. I have a very strict schedule that I’ve stuck with and it works extremely well. Obviously, I miss my family when I’m gone. I work in the office Thursday and Friday, so I have weekends off with my family. Like any job, you get used to a routine, and that’s just become mine. People ask me all the time, when are you gonna quit? And I say I don’t know, I’m not planning on doing that anytime soon. My routine is awesome because I love what I do.

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