It all comes down to people: Making the most of a well-trained staff

by charlene_voisin | June 1, 2012 9:00 am

By Brad Huisken

Whether you manage a jewellery store or sell jewellery, having knowledge and knowing how to use it are critical. As an owner or manager, your first priority is to create an environment of personal growth and development, which can help your store succeed. In other words, surround yourself with people who constantly want to improve, and give them everything they need to be successful.

By that, I mean provide the necessary leadership, knowledge, training, incentives, and consequences to recruit, hire, develop, and maintain successful salespeople.

I could write a book just on that sentence, but look at each word and think about how it applies to you and your business. Possessing useful knowledge takes constant effort—no one will ever know everything there is to know. However, in order to make the most of your sales staff, training must be consistent and ongoing. I have often said that sales training doesn’t work when it is an event. Instead, it must be viewed as a continuing process. To instill change in any organization, I believe you have to make the change itself a policy. Train your staff on how to fulfil the policy, and be clear on what it means when they succeed in their efforts. In other words, change within an organization requires policy, training, and incentives.

The same is true with consequences. When an employee has received training on a particular policy (read change), has shown he or she can adhere to it, and yet doesn’t follow through or chooses not to, other changes need to be made, including replacing the salesperson.

Hitting the mark

As an owner or sales manager, you are in the business of hiring and training people. I don’t think people can ever be fully trained simply because the world and the jewellery industry are changing at a very rapid pace. However, that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try. A business owner works toward objectives (i.e. goals and statistics), which employees are held accountable to produce. They must maintain at least a minimum level of performance and be rewarded when they exceed expectations.

It is only through the consistent application of solid business principles that a company will grow and reach its maximum potential. The five silver bullets discussed further on in this article are what I see as solid business principles when it comes to personnel working within a store. Keep in mind, however, that implementing any of these business principles cannot be done from the inside of an office. Instead, great sales managers, owners, and coaches have to be where the action is: on the floor. Doing so allows you to listen in on sales presentations, observe people doing things both right and wrong, as well as offer positive praise and solid coaching when appropriate and required. When it comes to standards, these are things that will leave enduring first and last impressions on clients.

The five silver bullets for productivity improvement are:

• training and coaching (i.e. training checklists and reviews);
• non-negotiable sales and customer service standards;
• goals;
• accountability; and
• a training process.

There are four basic areas where jewellery salespeople need to be knowledgeable and therefore require training to perform their job responsibilities. Imagine an automobile with four tires. Should one of the tires be low on air or flat, the automobile will not run efficiently. The same is true in sales; when one of these four areas is weak, the sales associate is unable to reach his or her full potential.

No doubt, customers expect salespeople to be the experts, and I am quite sure most professional salespeople want that themselves. Therefore, staff must do everything within reason to constantly increase their skills, abilities, and thus knowledge.

For example, they can read trade publications, talk to various merchandise representatives, do research on the Internet, or talk to colleagues who may have expertise in a specific area. One of the biggest problems I see at the retail level is too many salespeople learn just what it takes to get by. Instead, be something different—be extraordinary, and go above and beyond. Knowledge is the key to success, not only in selling jewellery, but in all aspects of life as well. Let’s look at each area separately.

1) Sales techniques

Knowing how to make the initial contact with a client is critical. By this I mean, greeting a customer in a non-aggressive manner. The goal here is to learn how to determine the customer’s needs. The easiest way to accomplish this is through a series of open-ended questions designed to capture the maximum amount of information. Next, use product features, benefits, and agreement questions to present merchandise in a way that increases the customer’s perception of value. Other techniques include:

• Having a toolbox of questions that will help close more sales. Examples include, “Cash or charge?” or “Would you like that gift wrapped?”
• Learning how to sell add-on items by getting the customer to tell you what they are thinking about buying next.
• Understanding that when a customer says “I’ll be back,” they are not necessarily coming back. They have objections you need to learn how to handle.
• Practice different ways to give and receive turnovers in a way that doesn’t offend customers.

In today’s economic climate, one of three things has to happen with every customer you serve:

1. Sell them something;
2. Capture contact information with permission for follow-up; or
3. Turn the customer over to another salesperson or the manager.

2) Product knowledge

Learn to talk about jewellery as an emotional purchase, rather than just discussing its technical points. The ability to discuss product knowledge in an accurate and expert-like manner is critical to customer service. When a customer needs a technical presentation, be ready to give them one. When the purchase is more emotionally driven, technical product knowledge becomes secondary. In addition, be prepared with features and benefits like inventory levels, prices by memory, financial considerations, etc.

3) Operational knowledge

By this, I mean things like knowing how to fill in financing forms and repair job envelopes, the basics of repairing and maintaining jewellery, layaway plans, gift certificates, using the tools of the trade (e.g. a loupe), and all the company’s policies and procedures. Many a sale has fallen through on account of seemingly inconsequential mistakes where some of these operational points are concerned. I once saw an associate lose a sale because they couldn’t find the watchmaker’s schedule. Be prepared for anything and everything.

4) Customer service skills

Saying thank you is simple enough, but it should never be taken for granted, particularly in the jewellery industry. I cannot over-emphasize the importance of sincerely thanking a client, nor remembering to invite them back. Effective communication skills are the starting point for making an exceptional first impression, as is applying non-negotiable customer service standards. By this I mean, if you offer to do something, follow through.

No one area is any more or less important than another. A salesperson must be trained in all aspects of the job in order to reach their maximum potential and capitalize on opportunities within the company. A well-trained sales staff is essential to success in today’s jewellery marketplace. In the customer’s eyes, the only thing that separates one jewellery store from another is the people in it. And who wouldn’t want to stand out?

Brad Huisken is president of Colorado-based IAS Training. A trainer and consultant, he has authored “I’m a Salesman! Not a Ph.D.: Realistic Strategies To Increase Your Sales” and “Munchies for Salespeople—Sales Tips You Can Sink Your Teeth Into.” Huisken is a regular contributor to several trade publications. He has also presented sales seminars at various trade shows, such as JCK Toronto, the Western Canadian Jewellery Expo, and JCK Las Vegas. Huisken can be contacted via info@iastraining.com[1], www.iastraining.com[2], or by calling (800) 248-7703.

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