Sales Strategy
Jimmy DeGroot: How Great Is Your Bridal Presentation? It’s Time to Make It a Team Sport | January 28, 2026 (0 comments)
Appleton, WI--One of the most dangerous habits in retail jewelry isn’t poor product knowledge or even lackluster closing skills. It’s complacency. Bridal presentations deserve regular self-examination. Not in a “beat yourself up” way, but in an honest, professional way: How effective am I? When I don’t make the sale, why? And how could I do this better next time?
This level of reflection matters more today than ever. The bridal customers walking into our stores now are not the same people who bought engagement rings in 2010. Today’s U.S. bridal buyer is typically between 25 and 35 years old and walks in armed with research, screenshots and strong opinions. As a result, something fundamental has changed: they don’t really care how much you know. What they care about is the experience.
And that’s where teamwork becomes the deciding factor.
Too often in this industry, we operate in silos: “That’s my sale, my customer, my credit.” I understand the instinct, but that mindset limits sales far more than it helps them. When a bridal experience is built entirely around one associate’s schedule, availability or mood, we create our own sales stoppers. If “Julie” isn’t there today and the customer walks, there’s a good chance they won’t be back tomorrow.
Modern bridal buyers want to feel energy, confidence, and cohesion when they walk into a store. They want to see a team that’s looking out for them, not a lone wolf guarding a commission. That doesn’t mean crowding the client. It means thoughtful collaboration: greeting warmly, handing off smoothly, supporting quietly.
Simple behaviors make a huge difference. Situational awareness on the sales floor is critical. Too many times I see one salesperson stranded at the bridal case while the rest of the team is thirty feet away in cubbies or offices. When help is needed, the result is yelling across the showroom—hardly a confidence-inspiring moment. Instead, teams should stay “in the radar.” Walk the cases. Bring a bottle of water. Be present without hovering. Available without interrupting.
Even senior salespeople—who often prefer to work alone—admit after the fact that a second opinion could have helped close the sale. The key is proximity, not pressure.
This training is the start of a broader bridal series because the topic is that important. The question every store should be discussing right now is simple but powerful: Do we truly believe we get the sale for the store? If the answer is anything less than a confident yes, it’s time to make teamwork part of your bridal presentation—on purpose.
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.