Southern Jewelry News
  • Featured
    • All
    • Featured
    • Featured Retailers
    • Retailer Roundtable
    • Sponsored Content
    • Supplier Spotlight
    CG Creations – in a league of their own
    Hubbell Proctor Designs: The Experience Is Key
    C.D. Peacock to open luxury watch and jewelry store next spring
    Hubbell Proctor Designs: The Experience Is Key
    Shefi continues expansion of bridal lines, fashion
    Why do diamond mines close?
    Why do diamond mines close?
  • Latest News
    • All
    • COVID-19
    • Furry Friends
    • Industry Awards
    • Industry Events
    • NRF
    • On The Move
    • Other News
    • Tradeshow News
    • Video
    • What's New
    Gemvision introduces MatrixGold® 3
    Gem-A spotlights gemstone research with latest edition of The Journal of Gemmology
    Artistry, Ltd. celebrating 40th anniversary
    IGI launches new interactive eLearning
  • Podcast
  • Columnists
    Motivating your sales staff
    IAS Training’s Keys to Effective Communication – Part III
    Kate’s star-studded style. What will the next trend be?
    Motivating your sales staff
    IAS Training’s Keys to Effective Communication – Part II
    Retailing in a post-PC world
    Motivating your sales staff
    IAS Training’s Keys to Communication
    The Retailer’s Perspective: With great power comes great fails
    The Retailer’s Perspective: I don’t want to be an expert anymore
    Sales Tips by Aleah: Everything is Sales
    The Retailer’s Perspective: With great power comes great fails
    The Retailer’s Perspective: Doom & Gloom or Boom & Bloom
  • 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
    CG Creations – in a league of their own
    Hubbell Proctor Designs: The Experience Is Key
    C.D. Peacock to open luxury watch and jewelry store next spring
    Hubbell Proctor Designs: The Experience Is Key
    Shefi continues expansion of bridal lines, fashion
    Why do diamond mines close?
    Why do diamond mines close?
  • Latest News
    • All
    • COVID-19
    • Furry Friends
    • Industry Awards
    • Industry Events
    • NRF
    • On The Move
    • Other News
    • Tradeshow News
    • Video
    • What's New
    Gemvision introduces MatrixGold® 3
    Gem-A spotlights gemstone research with latest edition of The Journal of Gemmology
    Artistry, Ltd. celebrating 40th anniversary
    IGI launches new interactive eLearning
  • Podcast
  • Columnists
    Motivating your sales staff
    IAS Training’s Keys to Effective Communication – Part III
    Kate’s star-studded style. What will the next trend be?
    Motivating your sales staff
    IAS Training’s Keys to Effective Communication – Part II
    Retailing in a post-PC world
    Motivating your sales staff
    IAS Training’s Keys to Communication
    The Retailer’s Perspective: With great power comes great fails
    The Retailer’s Perspective: I don’t want to be an expert anymore
    Sales Tips by Aleah: Everything is Sales
    The Retailer’s Perspective: With great power comes great fails
    The Retailer’s Perspective: Doom & Gloom or Boom & Bloom
  • Classifieds
  • Subscriptions
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Print Subscription
No Result
View All Result
Southern Jewelry News
No Result
View All Result
Home Columnists

Thinking outside your store

Ivan Levi by Ivan Levi
April 1, 2009
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter

Do you want to bring new business into your store without increasing your advertising budget or standing outside your store with a huge sign? Of course you do.

When I talk to owners across the country about increasing sales I hear over and over the same techniques being used – often with nominal results. Now is the time to think outside your jewelry store and try something new.

 

I will present to you two ideas that can significantly increase traffic into your business – and best of all there is minimal – or no up front investment.

Let’s explore these two strategies:
First, have you ever encountered a superior sales person that amazed you with their professionalism and technique? You can encounter this person when buying a car, home, electronics, or even clothing. A superior salesperson stands out in a crowd.

But what if you could harness their professionalism for your own store without hiring them? Now you can.

Approach the owner of the store (along with the salesperson) to create a mutual referral network that offers a discount by mentioning your name or theirs. They send business to you and you send business to them. Not only does this create additional business for you and your partner store, but also goodwill within your local business market.

How does this work? Successful salespeople know how to effectively create a conversation with their customers while selling (I call this “information gathering”). During the course of communication with the customer, if it is brought up that they like the large screen TV in your store and they are going to be shopping for one, you can send them to your mutual referral contact at the electronics store.

At the same time, the electronic store salesperson is using the same information gathering technique (successful associates employ this gem regularly!) and you also receive business. What a fantastic set-up.

Briefly, there are two additional rules to ensure this strategy works. First, keep the lines of communication open between you and your mutual referral contacts through regular phone calls and handwritten notes – and second, remember to send business to them also! Be sure to create a two-way street.

For the second suggestion, why not go a step further and contact a large business or corporation in your area and offer a corporate discount for their employees – you could even print official looking discount cards with their company name. This is business you would not normally have, but because you took action and contacted the corporation, they win and you win. What a great combination!

The question I’m often asked is what type of discount (if any) should be offered? My suggested rule of thumb is always making it worthwhile for the new customer. There are two strategies you can incorporate: First, is a 10% discount on any purchase – very straightforward. Second, due to more and more ‘non-discount’ stores across the country, a coupon of $50 with a minimum purchase of $100 is a successful approach.

Whichever strategy is used, remember this is free business that normally would not have walked into your store – unless you had tried creative marketing. Having others work for you in your local market is a smart and profitable way to generate untapped business.

Thinking outside the predictable marketing dogma creates new opportunities and new clients. Use these low cost techniques to think outside your store in order to bring business inside your store.

Ivan Levi is a sales trainer and president of Ivan Alan SolutionsTM, a Chicago based company that understands the independent jeweler’s subtleties that puts them in a league of their own. Ivan can be reached at 800-235-1918.

 

Ivan Levi

Ivan Levi

Related Posts

Motivating your sales staff

IAS Training’s Keys to Effective Communication – Part III

June 22, 2022

Kate’s star-studded style. What will the next trend be?

June 20, 2022
Motivating your sales staff

IAS Training’s Keys to Effective Communication – Part II

June 15, 2022

Retailing in a post-PC world

June 6, 2022

Latest News

What's New

Gemvision introduces MatrixGold® 3

June 22, 2022
Columnists

IAS Training’s Keys to Effective Communication – Part III

June 22, 2022
Other News

Gem-A spotlights gemstone research with latest edition of The Journal of Gemmology

June 22, 2022

Other News

Artistry, Ltd. celebrating 40th anniversary

IGI launches new interactive eLearning

Jewelers Mutual Group names Mike Alexander COO

GN Diamond’s Free Marketing Tools Help Retailers All Year Long

Kate’s star-studded style. What will the next trend be?

JCK wraps 30th Anniversary Show in Las Vegas

Southern Jewelry News

© 2022 Southern Jewelry News.

Additional Information

  • About
  • 2022 Trade Shows
  • Media Kit
  • Contact

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
  • Columnists
  • Classifieds
  • Subscriptions
    • Newsletter Signup
    • Print Subscription

© 2022 Southern Jewelry News.