Southern Jewelry News
  • Featured
    • All
    • Featured
    • Featured Retailers
    • Retailer Roundtable
    • Sponsored Content
    • Supplier Spotlight
    Jeweler brings Midwest to the Southwest
    Tara Fine Jewelry: Atlanta’s not-so-secret, best-kept secret
    Finding the Big Ones; Zambian Trophies for the Ages
    The Golden Girls of Gemstones
  • Latest News
    • All
    • COVID-19
    • Furry Friends
    • Industry Awards
    • Industry Events
    • NRF
    • On The Move
    • Other News
    • Tradeshow News
    • Video
    • What's New
    Hard Rock Summit event info
    Hardrock Summit to return to Denver in September 2023
    ASJRA brooch
    Iconic Jewelry Firms is theme of ASJRA’s 18th annual Conference
    DMIA members meet-and-greet and hear updates from GIA, NDC
    diamonds on plant
    How to drive more sales and referrals through social media
  • Podcast
  • Columnists
    The Story Behind the Stone: Diamonds on Pins and Needles
    Jewelry Marketing Survival Guide
    The Story Behind the Stone: Out of the Blue
    What’s Hot Now!: Latest Designer Trends 2023
    A Winning Strategy: How SEO and buying intent can skyrocket your sales
    business people shaking hands
    Networking for small business owners
    Is the customer always right?
    Successful Custom: A Clean Disaster
    Brad Huisken
    A quick note about technology
  • Classifieds
  • Subscriptions
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Print Subscription
No Result
View All Result
Southern Jewelry News
  • Featured
    • All
    • Featured
    • Featured Retailers
    • Retailer Roundtable
    • Sponsored Content
    • Supplier Spotlight
    Jeweler brings Midwest to the Southwest
    Tara Fine Jewelry: Atlanta’s not-so-secret, best-kept secret
    Finding the Big Ones; Zambian Trophies for the Ages
    The Golden Girls of Gemstones
  • Latest News
    • All
    • COVID-19
    • Furry Friends
    • Industry Awards
    • Industry Events
    • NRF
    • On The Move
    • Other News
    • Tradeshow News
    • Video
    • What's New
    Hard Rock Summit event info
    Hardrock Summit to return to Denver in September 2023
    ASJRA brooch
    Iconic Jewelry Firms is theme of ASJRA’s 18th annual Conference
    DMIA members meet-and-greet and hear updates from GIA, NDC
    diamonds on plant
    How to drive more sales and referrals through social media
  • Podcast
  • Columnists
    The Story Behind the Stone: Diamonds on Pins and Needles
    Jewelry Marketing Survival Guide
    The Story Behind the Stone: Out of the Blue
    What’s Hot Now!: Latest Designer Trends 2023
    A Winning Strategy: How SEO and buying intent can skyrocket your sales
    business people shaking hands
    Networking for small business owners
    Is the customer always right?
    Successful Custom: A Clean Disaster
    Brad Huisken
    A quick note about technology
  • Classifieds
  • Subscriptions
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Print Subscription
No Result
View All Result
Southern Jewelry News
No Result
View All Result
Home Columnists

Modern Day Selling: Article 6: Selling with vision and insight

Brian Barfield by Brian Barfield
May 6, 2014
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
Reading Time: 8 minutes

In our journey to discovering new avenues to success, I hope that you have found great satisfaction in connecting with your customers in a new way. At this point you have been given new skills on how to truly connect with your customer and see your sale in a whole new light. By putting your customers’ needs first, establishing a bond of trust and opening up the lines of communication, you are well on your way to new found greatness.

Last month I shared with you ways to manage your sales presentation to become more effective and efficient with your time and energy. Today we move forward by focusing on selling with vision and insight.

In the past you were trained on ways to take control of your sale and guide you customer in the direction that you wanted them to go. For a season this appeared to work well, but there was one major flaw with this concept in selling. It was often fueled by greed, selfishness and manipulation. Therefore it eventually led to a disconnection between sales associate and customer.

Let’s face it, your customer simply does not trust you these days, unless you give them reason to. The sales floor has become a grind and the time has come for change! That is why this series is setting a new standard in sales training, because it is based on finding success with the core principles of trust, honesty and integrity.

During your sales presentation there is a skill that can help you achieve greatness if it is properly utilized and understood. This special skill is the advantages of selling with vision and insight.

Now that you have changed your selling mind-set back to caring for your customer and giving them an amazing experience, a new avenue in selling success has opened up for you. No longer will you need to manipulate your customer or force them in a certain direction. Now that a bond of trust has been established and you understand what the modern day customer desires, selling will become easy and almost effortless. In the past you were actually playing a game of mental chess against your customer. You are now teaming up with your customer and helping them overcome their obstacles together. Take a moment and let this sink in. Did a light bulb just come on for you?

Now is the time to sell with your customer rather than against your customer. As their guide through the sales process, it is your knowledge, skill and professionalism that will help your customer achieve their goal of a satisfying experience. Once the bond of trust is established the customer will actually lead you through the sale at a much quicker pace. Since they know that you have their best interest in mind they will listen to your advice when obstacles arise. This is why it is important that you learn the skill of selling with vision and insight.

In order to help you better understand, take a moment and picture someone having to go through a haunted house when they really did not want to go. This is the way that most customers feel when they enter your store (especially men). They would rather not be there, but have to go in anyway to get to where they want to be. So if you hate haunted houses, wouldn’t it be nice to have someone you trust navigate you through the process? As a sales associate it is your job to know the horrors that lie ahead and warn your customer of what is to come. You job is to make the experience as painless as possible for them. In the end they will appreciate you for working with them through the unknown.

The important thing to remember is that customers are people just like us. They often believe what they are told by the media and other people. It is the same way in our sales trainings. We are told that you need to sell this way. Many sales associates never ask questions and do what they are told. However, when they are given new insight they begin to question their training and look more closely at what has been taught to them. They are often amazed to see that there is a different road that could be taken that is much easier and faster.

With my customers a common misunderstanding and horror is the value of a certification. Customers are told to ask for the certification and dissect it with their little knowledge and understanding. The customer believes that this will give them comfort and security when buying a diamond. As their guide who is working with them, I share new insight that certifications can be misleading and inaccurate. I tell the truth and effectively show them the difference.

Customers are blown away when they realize that most places were selling them a G color and it really is a J. Now they understand how the previous place was able to give them such a good price. By working with my customers I very rarely have to pull out a certification to sell them. At this point they know that I am being honest and looking out for their best interest. Often they quickly lead me where they want to go and I see them through to the end. I am selling with vision and insight.

At my seminars people are amazed that I only need to bring a cert out about 20% of the time. Most of the time I suggest that they should buy this diamond based on what they have shared with me and they often say OK without hesitation.

I hope that this article has given you a new direction on how to properly care for, and sell your customer with vision and insight. I encourage you to explore this knowledge in greater depth by using the self examination skills that I have taught you in the past. When you do, you will be amazed at how many new avenues to greatness will open up for you.

Next month we will finish out the series by understanding how to close a sale more effectively and efficiently. I can promise you that you will see closing in a totally new light.


For more insight you can find Brian’s book “Modern Day Selling” on most major websites (Amazon, Barnes and Noble and Books A Million). He is currently setting up his fall in-store training sessions to help your staff prepare for Christmas like never before. For more information e-mail brian@moderndayselling.com  or visit www.moderndayselling.com.

Brian Barfield

Brian Barfield

Brian Barfield is a two-time published author, worldwide, who specializes in offering fresh new insight in retail sales training. Modern Day Selling offers a unique perspective in teaching sales associates how to reconnect with their customers and how to achieve greater success in their sales career. Brian also offers in-store sales training and can be reached at brian@moderndayselling.com.

Related Posts

The Story Behind the Stone: Diamonds on Pins and Needles

March 20, 2023

Jewelry Marketing Survival Guide

March 15, 2023

The Story Behind the Stone: Out of the Blue

March 15, 2023

What’s Hot Now!: Latest Designer Trends 2023

March 13, 2023

Latest News

Industry Events

Hardrock Summit to return to Denver in September 2023

March 22, 2023
Industry Events

Iconic Jewelry Firms is theme of ASJRA’s 18th annual Conference

March 22, 2023
Industry Events

DMIA members meet-and-greet and hear updates from GIA, NDC

March 22, 2023

Other News

How to drive more sales and referrals through social media

The Story Behind the Stone: Diamonds on Pins and Needles

Mystery shopping results reveal opportunity for proactive consumer natural diamond education

Jewelers of America announces 2023 GEM Awards winners

ASA partners with BrankoGems Academy to offer testing loose and mounted diamonds and gems training

KIL N.Y.C. introduces the Cranium Ring

Southern Jewelry News

© 2022 Southern Jewelry News.

Additional Information

  • About
  • 2023 Jewelry Trade Shows & Events
  • Media Kit
  • Contact
  • Sitemap
  • Newsletter Signup

Get Social with Us

No Result
View All Result
  • Featured Articles
    • Featured
    • Featured Retailers
    • Retailer Roundtable
    • Supplier Spotlight
    • Sponsored Content
  • Latest News
    • What’s New
    • Industry Events
    • Tradeshow News
    • On The Move
    • Other News
    • Furry Friends
  • Podcast
  • Columnists
  • Classifieds
  • Subscriptions
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Print Subscription

© 2022 Southern Jewelry News.