Sales Strategy
Jimmy DeGroot: Are You Memorable? February 03, 2026 (0 comments)
Appleton, WI--This week I sat in on a Podium-sponsored webinar with Will Guidara, author of Unreasonable Hospitality and former owner of Eleven Madison Park in New York City—once voted the finest restaurant in the world. And here’s what struck me: they weren’t recognized solely because the food was great. They were recognized because the voting committee started factoring in hospitality—the feeling guests took home with them.
That word—feeling—matters more right now than it has in a long time, because we’re watching a shift in jewelry buying. If you felt it last Christmas (Christmas 2025), you’re not crazy: many stores saw fewer overall transactions, more sales in the $500-and-below range, fewer sales in that $500–$1500 middle, and then strong strength again in $1500 and above. Translation? The top end will keep spending. The middle will be choosier. And in the short run, jewelers will react—tweaking inventory, pricing, promotions, marketing—driving themselves nuts.
But the jewelers who will be smiling a year from now won’t just be the ones who adjusted their mix. They’ll be the ones who made people feel wonderful.
Because here’s the truth: fancy showrooms, big selections, great locations, high-quality product, knowledgeable staff—those are all nice, but they’re also replicable. Anyone with a checkbook can copy them. What cannot be replicated is you—your ability to connect, listen, react, be present, and become memorable.
During the webinar I asked Will how jewelers can stay relevant to today’s buyer. He told a story about buying his wife’s engagement ring. He remembered the store. He remembered walking in. And he couldn’t remember a thing about the interaction. Think about that. Will Guidara—likely spending tens of thousands of dollars—had a completely forgettable experience. That should terrify all of us. Not because of the sale, but because someone came in during one of the most meaningful moments of their life… and ten years later, it’s a blur.
Will said, “Why didn’t I get a call once a year for a complimentary cleaning and checkup?” “Why didn’t they ask about my future wife—her style, her tastes, our proposal date, how we met?” Podium was the sponsor, so he went right to the point: if you don’t capture customer data, you can’t continue the relationship. And once customers like you, they trust you. With trust comes expectation: that you’ll take care of them.
I’ll go a step further: if I had a store today, I’d take a big portion of my marketing budget and invest it into wowing customers with unreasonable hospitality.
Will shared a story that nails it. His beloved dog passed away, and he called Chewy.com to cancel the subscription. They refunded his last order and asked him to donate the unopened food to a shelter. Then the family received flowers and a sympathy note. He didn’t get that because he’s famous. He got that because he was a loyal client. Did he go back to Chewy when they got a new dog? Of course. He said it would take a whole lot for him to take his business anywhere else.
James (Jimmy) DeGroot is a professional jewelry sales and operations trainer from the jeweler’s side of the counter. Having been in management and the jewelry business for over 20 years, Jimmy offers weekly training to jewelers nationwide via the Train Retail website. Jimmy and his partner Kyle Bullock help jewelry stores grow their profits and their people to fulfill their greater purpose! We do it through one-on-one business coaching, sales training, and leadership development. Contact Jimmy at jimmy@trainretail.com or call 920-492-1191.