Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Jewelry Sales through Redefining Ourselves

There was a time when the sales mantra was:

"The product will sell itself."

In todays economy with just about every company on Wall Street reporting lower sales and profits we must shift our own sales strategy back to the great depression mentality.  This can be done without having to result in heavy pressure intimidation or bombarding consumers with unsolicited advertisements.  

"I will find why I have the perfect piece for any person."

In the world of jewelry design we often hold our work in such high esteem that we feel it will often sell itself.  We prefer to think of ourselves as artists and designers rather than saleswomen or salesmen.  

A good salesperson is intuitive to their customer. They are perceptive to their customer's shopping habits , knowledgable about their in stock product, and attentive to their customers questions.  

For example, if a young male is looking from necklaces to earrings and asking about color variations we might assume that he is shopping for his sweetheart and inquire about the clothing preferences whether she likes vivid colors, earth tones, or perhaps if she wears formal dress on occasion.  If we have gems designs by birthstone we might ask the occasion for the gift, if the holidays aren't pending, and direct the conversation towards her birthstone month.  If he asks for something that isn't readily available, don't be afraid to suggest custom pieces and alterations for an affordable price.

If the customer is aprehensive about making an immediate purchase do not be afraid to perform some polite persistance and dig deep into any reasons that may be disuading them.  Ask what they don't like about it and insist that changes can be made to fit their needs.  Politely inform them of the nature of custom made pieces that they are unique and may not be sold if they return later.  Offering to hold items for a short period of time and presenting them with a business card as a last result will keep the item in their mind.

jasper leafInquire about any other occasions that may be coming up that they have forgotten.  Maybe it is his sister's birthday in two months, a lover of nature, and you just happen to have a perfect leaf of breciated jasper or abalone shell that you could fashion into a pendant.

Do not limit yourself by what is directly in front of you and what you have prepared.  A good jewelry designer has beads for all occasion and knows what she has and what she can make at any time.  At the Silver Rose, we just did a large sapphire repair sale, because even though it was not in our inventory, we remembered that we had the perfect shade and cut that the customer needed uncataloged in my private stores.

Good customer service through careful questioning

breeds referrals and return business.

Next blog I'll discuss some unique untapped jewelry locations that have worked quite well for us over the years.

 

Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Thriving Sales in a Frugal Economy

 

Part two of the Self Promotion Series

With the economic crisis in full swing it is becoming increasingly more difficult to make sales and we all must take decisive action to ensure that each of our businesses will survive.

The most important element to thriving sales is exposure.

With customers becoming increasingly more frugal and thoughtful with their spending we must all strive to increase our client base and increase the number of customers who see our jewelry product. The following are some ideas I have developed to maximize the exposure of your items.

 

Consignment

Never underestimate the value of consignment arrangements in selling your jewelry. Many shops, retail stores, craft booths, and mall outlets are more than happy to take a small percentage of your sales and drawing power of more diverse inventory in exchange for reserving a place for your jewelry and conducting the sales therein. You may take a small hit on the sale, but you can factor out the cost of the booth, the inventory space, or rent and the labor in staffing the sales location.

Some consignment locations require a payment for rental space and I caution you to investigate all factors of traffic, demographic, and costs in this case. The best arrangement is a percentage of sales which can range anywhere between 5-50% depending on the cost of the item, transport and stocking arrangements, labor costs and promotions. Whatever you have agreed upon, even if you are close friends be sure to get the percentages in writing and to keep careful two sets of records of inventory, prices, and sales; one for each of you.

You can only be one place at a time, but the more locations your jewelry is sold and viewed the greater your exposure and sales will be.

 

Faires, Events, and Markets

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Think about your jewelry and what your target demographic is. Research and think about your target marget's habits and hobbies and where best they can find you.

If you specialize in renaissance period chainmaille pieces than your research might indicate that your target market inhabit medieval organizations and fantasy faires. An Internet search would result in hundreds of shows throughout country, as well as several organizations such as the Society for Creative Anachronism and Renaissance Faire Society. Wherein thousands of merchants and venders sell their wares and can be contacted for consignment or cooperation. This is merely an example of a niche market research.

Perhaps you specialize in work with abalone, shell, and natural ecofarmed coral fingers. There are numerous beach shoppes looking for consignment pieces or events such as the annual Divers Alert Network conference and Koi clubs where you can set politely send a email asking to set up shop.

Perhaps you have quite the collection of holiday pieces that you have prepared. There are many specialized holiday faires in each area that you can arrange to participate in. In my local area of Pierce County, Washington, we have an annual Victorian Christmas celebration that is being help at our world reknown Puyallup Fairgrounds with hundreds of merchants of and 10s of thousands of customers.

Here is a resource for finding a market near you.

When setting up a booth be sure to follow the proper channels and file all taxes and paperwork preparations.

 

Visit Part 1 of the Self Promotion Series

Check back next work for more exposure tips and holiday talk.

 

Monday, December 8, 2008

Healing Energies, Crystals and Gemstones

Healing Energies

Do you know about the Chakra system? They are 7 spinning wheels on energy that run from the base of the spine up to the crown of the head. Each one resonates to a different color and musical note. As you are probably aware each color has a distinct vibration as do the different musical notes. On the web one can find out loads about the properties of each Chakra. After becoming aware of the Chakra system I realized that I was feeling a pulling or tugging sensation in the exact areas these mysterious vortexes of energy are suppose to reside. I would experience this when I was around various stones or people, also natural Phenomenon such as mountains, volcanoes . . .

 

At some point I became aware that different stones activate or stimulate different points on my body and somehow I can sense what they do to other people.

 

Everything emits electo-magnetic energies as well as gemstones. I believe because crystals' molecules are arranged in a very precise or regular pattern the energy they give off is intensified and can be easily directed. We are all affected by this energy but on a subtle level. With practice this energy can be detected. With training it can be directed. I use stone energies for healing like the healing use of copper bracelets and magnetic bracelets that has recently gained popularity.

See some of my thoughts on different stone energies.

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Pearl Luster

Pearl Luster

pearl in molluskWhat makes so pearls so beautiful to the eye with those lovely swirling colors of the rainbow?

Mollusks lay down minute layers of crystals to make the object implanted inthem by nature of man more comfortable. As the layers are put down the crystals are of various heights thus reflecting the light back to the eye of the beholder in assorted colors. The assorted levels of the crystals returns the viewed light as all the colors of the rainbow withthe added silky texture that makes pearls a treasure of nature without equal. Enjoy them, use them lavishly in your designs and lets them amaze you with the silky healing energy.

 See my favorite Pearls here.