Sales Strategy

Jimmy DeGroot: Are We Scrooges? December 05, 2024 (0 comments)

Green Bay, WI--Watch any presentation of "A Christmas Carol" and you’ll see in the beginning that Ebenezer Scrooge rarely, if ever, looked up from his work to engage with his employee, Bob Cratchit. Of course, as the story develops we learn that he can have his best life by investing in others.

If you’re a leader of any type in the jewelry store, the best ROI you can achieve is putting your efforts into your team. This may sound like a bit of a no-brainer, but a few months ago I wrote about scheduling “white space” in your calendar and folks have been writing to thank me for bringing this concept to their attention. One woman indicated that as a leader, she found themselves trapped at her desk putting out fires and problem solving, all in reactionary mode. “You’ve inspired me to schedule all of my to-do items first thing in the morning so that I can spend more time on the sales floor with my people.”

First, it sends a message to your customers that you truly care about them and your team. Next, it sends a message to your team that you’re there for them and adds to your store culture of family and caring.  

If you want to get back to really enjoying the holidays in retail, make a real effort to be as efficient as possible in getting your important tasks done so that you can spend more time where it really matters: On the sales floor with your team and customers.

One more thing. My partner Kyle Bullock gave a recent training tip to managers entitled, “Serve More by Selling Less.” As a leader, it’s not your job to be the star salesperson. It’s your job to develop star salespeople.

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 is an AGS titleholder and specializes in training relevant and timely methods for jewelry teams. He can do a full training on making Bridal Presentations the best they can be, among many other regular training options. Contact Jimmy at jimmy@trainretail.com or call 920-492-1191.