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BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS BUILDS BUSINESS AT MJ CHRISTENSEN | April 10, 2013 (0 comments)
Las Vegas, NV--Cliff and Darlene Miller (left) of MJ Christensen, with two stores in Las Vegas and Henderson, NV, believe that creating connections is why their stores succeed. "It's how we separate ourselves from the clutter. We build relationships. We don't just have the talk, we have the walk," says Cliff Miller. Miller shared his journey to MJ Christensen, along with a lot of his relationship smarts, with The Centurion.
"We had just secured ownership of the business in 2006 when the economy in Vegas fell off the cliff. It's been an exciting time ever since," he says with a laugh.
From the MJ Christensen website: With over 40 years of experience in all facets of the jewelry industry, Cliff Miller and his wife and business partner Darlene uprooted their family and headed west. They saw a tremendous opportunity to join a company that had withstood all the challenges within the jewelry industry and had established an impeccable reputation, even among their competitors who often refer guests to MJ Christensen. Cliff is a past president of AA Friedman Company of Augusta, Georgia, then the 8th largest jeweler in America and past president of Four Points Corporation of Louisville, Kentucky. In May 2000, Cliff acquired the managing partnership and became President/CEO of MJ Christensen. In December 2006, Cliff and Darlene Miller purchased the partnership, becoming sole owners of MJ Christensen Diamonds.
Miller says initially he woke up every morning after the purchase rejoicing and thinking, "What did I ever do to deserve this?" Then after the economy fell, he woke up worried each day thinking, "What did I ever do to deserve this?" While both sentiments were certainly appropriate, the challenges didn't slow him down.
"I used lots of advice that I had learned from Mrs. Friedman, who I call my Jewish mother, that I didn't need before," said Miller. "She never tired of teaching me and that truly held us in good stead. Our industry vendors are good hearted in general. During the hard times we saw who stood up with us and who were genuine friends verses those who were just in it to make a buck. Now we feel very tightly wrapped and focused and ready to ride the wave of Vegas." Miller focuses on the future with a definite focus on the company's many relationships. (Note: MJ Christensen also is the partner retailer for the Las Vegas Hearts on Fire branded boutique, which opened last summer.)
The charity relationships. "At the end of the day, at MJ Christensen, Darlene and I want to have made a difference in the world and in the local community. We want our staff to be part of that. So we support a number of charities, perhaps too many. Two that are very important to us are BeadForLife and Best Buddies. The BeadforLife charity is with the women of Africa. In three years, we've generated $125,000 for them. It's heart-touching when we see film from Africa where the women are thanking us.
"Best Buddies deals with individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. The organization pairs him/her with a buddy that the world calls 'normal,' to create opportunities. In fact, the women we helped in Africa sent money back to help Best Buddies." Miller says these outreaches are his and Darlene's vision for the company. (More about the store's charity initiatives can be found here on the MJ Christensen website.) Miller also is starting a program that offers employees four paid hours a week to work in the charity of their choice.
"We're excited to get this program started," says Miller.
The ethics relationship. MJ Christensen is serious about the conflict diamonds issues. According to their website, "We believe we have a responsibility toward all people involved in our business, including communities in developing countries. Through our support of the Diamond Empowerment Fund the Diamond Development Intiative, and BeadForLife, we help make it easy for you to shop with conscience."
Miller feels that the consumption of diamonds is a beautiful thing. "It allows people to have education, healthcare and homes and to be protected." Miller and his staff share the 'consumption is beautiful' concept with their customers. "We've had some wonderful ladies make incredible purchases after hearing the truth about diamond consumption. lf we don't buy diamonds, what do these people do? We make a difference."
"We advertise that message more than our product," says Miller. "Everyone can beat a price, sell an image or make a claim. Ours is a different message. consumption is good. If it's an ethical charity, it changes lives. The image of a female consuming diamonds starts a conversation. Consumption is a beautiful thing." Consumption ad at right.
The vendor relationships. "We're American Gem Society stores and we establish trust through relationships. We also have two of the most beautiful stores in the country and feature diamond products we like that stand out. Hearts on Fire just dominates our diamond sales. We also see Forevermark coming on strong. And we carry Tycoon and Las Vegas Cut diamonds," says Miller of his company's diamond relationships. MJ Christensen also carries fashion lines such as John Hardy and Gurhan, among others.
MJ Christensen also offers custom design. When a customer came in wanting a Raiders of the Lost Ark engagement ring, their son Rusty designed it working with computer-aided design (CAD). "He was able to work with the guests and ensure they got the design they wanted," said Miller. "He's an artist."
The employee relationship. Along with the upcoming four hours of paid community work each week, MJ Christensen employees also do a lot of training. "Our vendors have a host of training," says Miller about the sales training offered to his staff. "We also bring in Shane Decker and other trainers from around the country. We bill ourselves as educated, so we live up to that. We train every Thursday, rotating sales associates in throughout the day. We do it offsite, so there's no phone, no distractions." There are 31 MJ Christensen employees in two stores. Average tenure is five years.
The MJ Christensen employee family.
Miller offers his own message to his sales associates. "I present our operation to our staff and tell them that we have no competitors, because no-one else is pursuing real relationships. We don't allow guests to be sold. If they want to buy, them come to us. Our credo is integrity first, then create a relationship."
The customer relationship. "I have a strong confidence that if we can get people in physically, they will like us and love our environment. We focus heavily on our guests," says Miller. The company reaches out to their customers through theater, radio and TV advertising, and special events. They are working on a cigar and scotch night right before Mother's Day and a wine and chocolate night. True to form, Miller says it's not about selling, it's about relationships. "We're not selling at these events. We want the guests to come back and not feel sold. Our customers know we are genuine."
Miller has an unusual approach to buying gold. His sales associates try not to buy it. "The first thing we ask our guests is 'What story is attached to your jewelry?'" says Miller. "We get them to think about it and then see if they want to keep it. Sometimes it's like a gift; we give them back something to wear that they had put away." Often Miller says they will change yellow gold mountings to white gold for the customer. Of course, if the customer wants to sell, MJ Christensen will buy. And they offer a gift certificate for twice the value of what they offer to pay for cash. "We didn't want to be viewed as parasitic by buying gold from someone in a hard place."
This relationship building approach to each and every MJ Christensen guest is how the business has prospered and grown.
Following, interiors and exteriors of the two MJ Christensen locations. Top two are the Las Vegas location; bottom two are the Henderson location.
