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Forest, Meet Trees: Going Back To Basics Moves Diamonds For This Jeweler | July 24, 2019 (0 comments)
Little Rock, AR—Sometimes the answer we’re looking for is right there all along, but for some reason we just don’t see it. It makes for a good romance story, but the lead-up is not always so good for business.
Personal jeweler Laura Stanley, CGA, of Laura Stanley Personal Jeweler in Little Rock, AR, does a great job of staying in touch with her customers regularly. Many of her customers are also friends who drop by regularly and/or belong to her book club that meets a five times a year, plus she's active on social media as well. Her custom orders are humming along nicely, and she’s been quite busy—not a bad position for a jeweler to be in, and one that many of her peers would envy.
So how did she suddenly notice that her stock of diamonds was starting to pile up? Clearly it was time to do something to move those stones. Typically, Stanley keeps direct marketing to a minimum, feeling that if she doesn’t have something specific to talk about, it’s better not to waste customers’ time.
“Everyone’s inbox is full enough. I don’t send fluff,” she said. After all, a jeweler telling customers she has a nice selection of diamonds isn’t exactly breaking news.
But sometimes even your closest friends and family—not to mention your customers—can overlook the obvious. A gentle reminder is called for, and that was the case here. Stanley consciously focused on promoting her extensive stock and selection of diamonds and her personal diamond expertise (including a stint on the cutting wheel!) in her marketing, both email and phone. Back to basics it was.
“It was time for me to remind the universe that I had a nice inventory of diamonds and it was time to sell them. I hoped to reach all my clients, especially those whom I didn’t know well, and maybe some others that might be interested.”
Even good friends and book-club buddies need a gentle reminder of who you are and what you specialize in. Laura Stanley sent this notice out to her clients and immediately made several diamond sales.
There’s a reason the basics are the basics: they work. Instead of only finding new customers who loved diamonds, Stanley had almost instantaneous replies from two of her best customers. “These are people I see often! They attend my book club regularly, they are two of my best customers (in dollars) and I talk or text with each of them weekly! I was stunned. I connect with these ladies ALL THE TIME!”
But even though she saw them often, Stanley generally didn’t say, “Hey come look at my diamond inventory.” But shooting them an email or phone call was what was needed to start the sale.
The largest diamond on her list is now spoken for, as well as a nice round over two carats, and both were sold to Stanley’s regular customers. It’s also worth noting that most of Stanley’s clients are women self-purchasers. That demographic continues to grow, and when managed correctly can be a significant source of revenue.
Related: Year Of The Woman: Diamond Self-Purchase Campaign Set To Launch
The lesson learned? “I’m going to do a better job of reminding people of what I have in stock every day!” said Stanley. And in case you were wondering, she only gets a few seconds at the diamond cutting wheel every so often. The rest she leaves to the professionals. The picture in her promotion was taken at the AGS Conclave in San Diego with cutting equipment and expertise from Mike Botha of EMBEE Diamonds.