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This is the first of a new series of articles focusing on store management and sales training issues for luxury jewelers. Consultants MaryBeth Kroh and Lauren Fiabane of Fiabane & Kroh have extensive experience in luxury jewelry store management, appraisals, and merchandising.

Burlington, NJ—Recently, I was speaking with an owner of a nice high-end retail store who was unhappy with the overall morale and sales performance of his staff. He was ready to let a bunch of employees go.

“Just hire new ones,” he figured. That got me thinking about how to save the employees—and make the owner realize that they are not carbon-based life forms, but people. I was going for a win-win. It also made me think that this gentleman wasn’t alone in his reality, and that many stores need to get their “give a dang” fixed.

Every once in a while it’s a good idea to take an in-store litmus test and see just how acidic the store’s environment is. Summertime is an ideal time to step back and see how your store’s morale is faring. The traffic is slower, the staffing is more difficult because of vacation scheduling, and the big sales just don’t seem to be happening. You can get a true sense of what is going on in the store. It’s also a good time to reevaluate how things are done.

After 30 years in this industry I’ve come up with a few things to take an honest look at, and see what changes need to be made. First, some questions to answer honestly:

1. If you were to walk into your store to interview for a job would you want to work there? What is the feel of the store? Are the employees happy? Are the clients having a good time? Are clients walking out with bags? What is the energy of the store?
2. Take a look at the culture of your company and see if it’s where you thought it would be when you started. By culture, I mean what does your company stand for? What does buying a piece from you mean? If you came up with Service Standards and a Mission Statement 10 years ago, does it still apply and does your current staff still buy into it?
3. Take an outside view of the policies in place as they apply to promotion and advancement, reward and recognition, and long-term goals for your associates, and see if there is anything there to be proud about or anything that needs to be fixed or updated. Do you have policies in place for your employees to brag about? The bottom line will change year to year but what keeps employees happy and profitable is the rest of the story. What about profit sharing, retirement funds, healthcare, employee discounts, reward programs, vacation plans? Are they at least competitive, or, better, a reason to attract and keep talented employees?
4. Take a look at the dates on your applications and see how many you get on a yearly basis. In this economy, you should be getting tons—if your company is a place people want to work.
5. When we lose a sale to a competitor, we want to know why we lost the sale. Was it the money? Was it the service? Was it how the other store made the client feel? The same questions should be asked when we lose a potential great new hire: Was it the money? The services? The people?
6. Take a look at employee retention see how many people have been there more than five years, more than 10, more than 15, and see how many employees have been internally recruited for you by current employees. Good people know good people, and that’s who you want working for you. If none of your employees are recruiting for their own company, that’s a serious problem.

The next time you walk into your store, check and see if your employees are smiling and look like they want to be there. The answer isn’t to fire the unhappy ones: it’s to make your company a place that great people want to be. But you must first realize that your environment isn’t inert, it can be affected by you and if you come in feeling negative and grumpy, guess what? That’s going to have a huge impact on your staff.

You affect your store environment. Own it—then decide how you want to change it to make it not only a place you want to be, but that everyone on your team wants to be.

Where do you go to get your “give a dang” fixed? Hint: Start with the mirror. 

Lauren Fiabane, left, and MaryBeth Kroh, right.

Born of the minds of two women with an educated passion for fine jewelry and the art of its design, Fiabane & Kroh specializes in fine jewelry appraisals, sales training and consulting. With a foundation built on time honored jewelry practices and knowledge of current economic climates, Fiabane & Kroh aims to inform and inspire with an innovative approach. Visit www.fiabaneandkroh.com or email info@fiabaneandkroh.com.

(Top image: Lindagalindo.com)