Sales Strategy

Yes! You Can Money From Local Bridal ShowsBy Darci Aselage, Edge Retail Academy |  August 17, 2016 (0 comments)

Omaha, NE—Have you ever felt that attending local bridal shows in your area was a waste of time because the bride-to-be already has her engagement ring?

If you answered “yes” to the above question, have you thought about the other sales opportunities you may have missed?  What about the wedding band purchase, other attendees that come to the bridal shows who “aren’t” engaged yet, or how about the possibility of selling a “mother-of-the-bride ring” or “mother-of-the-groom ring”?

Am I piquing your interest now? Positioning your store to sell bridal involves the inventory, store policies, marketing and your staff.  Again, this takes a long term commitment and you can’t give up!  Here are some ways to get involved in participating in bridal shows and what to do after…

1. Check with your local and surrounding area businesses (hotels convention centers, etc.) on when the bridal trade shows are (some will have them twice a year).
2. Preview the floor layout for the optimum booth position. Also, ask where the best lighting is.
3. Find out what advertising opportunities are in the show program to best position your company.
4. Make sure a complete mailing list is available to you for all the registered brides so you may contact them after the show.
5. Have a nice banner with your logo on the backdrop or front table of the booth.
6. Have 2-3 great outgoing salespeople attend. This is very important because your salespeople need be enthusiastic about your company, your products, and the event!
7. Bring clean case displays with samples of men’s and ladies diamond and engraved wedding bands, anniversary rings, engagement rings, attendant gift ideas.  Don’t forget the Mother of the bride and groom!  They may want a new diamond or ring that’s bigger than their daughter or daughter-in-law has!  Important: you must check with your stores’ insurance policy on your “Off Premises” coverage.
8. Other ideas: DVD or video of some of your stores’ custom design pieces or unique point of difference. Also bring brochures about your stores policies, warranties and services, as well as business cards.

What to do After the Show:

1. Host your own “In-store Bridal Event”, 3-4 weeks after the last bridal trade show.
2. Pick a weekend (best suggested months are February & March for winter/spring, September & October for fall) where you can coordinate with your own bridal vendors, so they can attend.
3. Plan on doing a hand-out or flyer at the bridal trade shows to promote your In-store Bridal Event.  Your call to action should be on selection and price.
4. Work closely with your vendors on the margins you want to offer your clients.
5. Send invitations to your in-store event, to the bridal attendee’s list that you acquired from the show.  Again, your call to action should be on selection and price.
6. Make a point to call the people that you mailed to from the Bridal Show attendee’s list, as least 1 week prior to the event just to re-enforce your message.  Then, if possible, remind them the morning of your event, for maximum attendance.
7. If your store has sufficient showroom space, invite other non-competing area bridal vendors to compliment your event.  Choose one representative in the following areas: florist, cake, photographer, gown and tuxedo shop, travel, restaurants, beauty salons and make-up/hair, invitations, ice sculpture, entertainment, etc.  It is a good way to cross promote with other vendors who can bring in more traffic (make sure you give them invitations or flyers as well to hand out).
8. Ensure you are fully staffed for this event. This is the time to make the best first impression because you may be drawing many of these people from 30-50 miles away. If you do it right, they WILL be back!!!!!

Darci Aselage, client services manager and business mentor, has been serving the Jewelry industry since 1989. In the start of her career, she grew from part‐time sales associate to the vice president of a multi-million dollar retail store in Ohio, where she contributed 19 years of service. Through her retail experience, along with gemological education from the Gemological Institute of America (GIA) and the American Gem Society (AGS), Darci was instrumental in directing all day‐to‐day operations. including retail sales, staff development and training, purchasing and inventory management, marketing and advertising, human resources and future growth forecasting. Darci has served in numerous community and jewelry organizational boards and committees and in 2005 was honored with receiving the Women's Jewelry Association (WJA)'s Midwest Rising Star Award. In continuing to propel forward in the industry, Darci demonstrates a strong vision to inspire and grow others using her abilities and talents.If you need further help with training your staff on this topic or any other area, to ensure more sales success, please contact The Edge Retail Academy at inquiries@edgeretailacademy.com or 877-569-8657.