A dark haired little boy was walking along a back road when something shiny caught his eye off to the side.
Intrigued, he picked up the object and realized it was an old pendant that someone had discarded. The piece was missing its center stone, but the boy knew he had found his mother a Mother’s Day present!
That evening he hid his newfound treasure under his pillow.
The next day he excitedly took the pendant to the local jeweler and asked how much it would cost to fix the piece and put an emerald or a birthstone in it for his mother.
The jeweler looked over his glasses at the youngster and seeing the passion in the young boy’s eyes asked him how much he thought it would cost.
The boy proudly said that he had saved exactly six dollars for Mother’s Day. The jeweler smiled his best smile and said, “That’s amazing! That’s exactly how much it costs!”
The little boy beamed! This was going to be the best Mother’s Day ever!
Throughout the years that young man always remembered the kindness – and the generosity – of the man behind the counter.
In a curious twist of this true story, the young boy eventually became a jeweler because of the incredible compassion he was shown.
And when a similar situation was presented to him years later, he also helped a young man with limited means purchase earrings for his girlfriend – and in full circle, that man came back years later to purchase his engagement ring!
We often forget the influence we have as jewelers. People look to you to help them with their most important life events. The little boy that became a jeweler realized this – and his passion and excitement to be in the jewelry industry was infectious.
What about you? Are you still excited to be a jeweler?
At times we get off track and wish we were in a completely different career, but when that occurs there is something you can do to bring the excitement back to your jewelry career.
First, write down (and I mean really write down!) your top three greatest stories of why you’re proud to be a jeweler. Dig back into the early days in your career if you need to, and then reread these stories regularly to motivate yourself when you are feeling disillusioned with your sales day.
Second, as a team building exercise, have your entire jewelry team write their own top three stories of why they’re proud to be in the jewelry industry.
Third, in your next store meeting have your staff relate their stories to the rest of the team in order to build camaraderie while also reminding each other of the gratifying side of being a jeweler. At first the team will roll their eyes at the exercise, but as I have seen in office meetings where the owner/managers have implemented this exercise, the results are overwhelmingly positive.
Let’s face it, in the jewelry business it is easy to become disenchanted with the day-to-day grind. Sales, staff, and economic stress often take our attention away from the reason we became jewelers in the first place.
For the next week, focus on the top three reasons you are proud to be a jeweler. Think about it throughout your day. Instantly you will find that your passion and excitement will return along with an improved attitude toward your business and customers.
And while your at it, maybe you will inspire someone to follow in you career footsteps!
Ivan Levi is celebrating his 27th year in the jewelry industry. He is president of Ivan Alan jewels® and Ivan Alan Solutions™. His dynamic sales training seminars are attended throughout the country at trade shows and in-store meetings. To contact Ivan for seminar information, call 800-235-1918.
