fall mja jeweler - Missouri Jewelers Association

MJA Jeweler
Volume 27, Number 4
Fall 2014
“An Expense? Or An Investment?”
Benjamin Franklin said, “An investment in knowledge pays the
best interest!” Your dues in the
Missouri Jewelers Association are
an investment for you and your entire staff. See article to the right for
more information on the interest
you'll receive from your membership.
MJA’s 2014 Annual Jewelry Design Contest was a show of beautiful jewelry designed by the many
talented jewelry designers in our
state. All of this beauty was on display at the annual convention in
September, and Marshfield, Missouri
jeweler Randy Clair’s striking necklace won the Best of Show Award.
His 14KT White & Yellow Gold
Necklace with Diamonds, Peridot,
Mandarin Citrine and Tourmalines
will represent Missouri in the national competition sponsored by Jewelers of America. Missouri has had
several winners in the national competition, and we wish Randy the best
of luck. See page 5 for more information on the competition.
Jewelers who have been down
this road know that being prepared
is half the battle for a successful
holiday season. See page 6 for a
few getting ready reminders that
may help you start thinking about
the little things that could make a
difference.
Every holiday season should be a
reminder that jewelers have behind
the scene partners that want our
season to be successful. See pages
4 & 5 in this issue of the MJA Jeweler to find a list of the sponsors,
advertisers, and sales reps (Mules)
who have gone the traditional extra
mile to support the independent
retail jewelers in our state.
Perhaps you might look at the question and say,
“Who cares. When it’s gone it’s gone!” But
as trivial as the variance might seem, the distinction between determining that an offered opportunity is an expense or an investment does make
a difference in how you initially perceive the
value of the opportunity and your decision to either go for it -- ignore it – or -- put it on the back
burner!
Business consultants frequently advise us that
running a business is similar to a bus ride. The
journey begins when you board the bus, and you
meet people along the way. Some are strangers,
some are friends, and some are strangers yet to
be friends. There are stops, and new people
come onboard. Some of the new passengers will
make their presence felt while others will remain
indifferent. Some passengers will leave because
they have reached their destination and some will
leave to take a different bus. Like the people on
the bus, a business owner can become preoccupied with the challenges of the trip and base decisions on day-to-day circumstances and miss
opportunities that affect their success in reaching
their destination.
When you made the decision to own a jewelry
store, you certainly recognized that you were
going to be faced with numerous expenses, and
you had to be optimistically confident that your
investment of time and resources would pay off.
But having made your initial decision and investment, you moved on to other decisions, including
the seemingly trivial pintsized decisions you
make almost daily. That is also when attitude
comes into the picture, and when you need to
recognize the difference between your investments and your expenses. And, it is not uncommon for entrepreneurs to overlook or undervalue
the seemingly less important opportunities or to
even consider that an investment is in the picture!
You will be, or should have already, received an
invoice via email (if we have an email address for
you or your store—please check your inbox) from
the Missouri Jewelers Association for your 2015
dues. Some might look at that as one of those
“expenses” rather than the investment that it is or
should be!
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Your most obvious benefits from membership
are the outstanding speakers, consultants and
trainers that MJA brings to your state each
year. As a business owner you may attend
large national shows and have the opportunity
to hear these speakers – BUT – because the
meetings in Missouri are smaller and more
intimate, you not only hear these nationally
known presenters, you get to meet them,
spend face-to-face time with them and even
discuss concerns and procedures with them.
Your membership investment is an asset that
supplements and reinforces your own inhouse training sessions. MJA registration
fees for members, AND THEIR STAFFS, are
remarkably affordable, and because the meetings are just a few hour’s drive from your
store, your MJA membership opens learning
opportunities to your employees (even those
that may not be full time,) which are inexpensive investments in both dollars and time
away from your store.
“Kick back and learn” might be the catchphrase for a membership benefit that is too
often discounted. As old fashion as some
believe it to be, there is no better opportunity
to hear and compare, or listen and learn, than
you and your team will have when you sit
around a table with jewelers from your part of
the country and just enjoy each other. You
may talk Missouri football or the weather, but
during your time together (just you Missouri
jewelers) you will almost certainly touch on the
challenges you have with security, buying
trends, old merchandise or dozens of other
issues relating to selling jewelry.
If you’ve yet to try MJA, consider the investment
and experience the benefits for yourself! If you
tried it in the past but let your investment slip
away, welcome back – the benefits of membership
grow with every connection you make. If you’ve
experienced MJA and its benefits and are looking
forward to 2015, tell a friend!
Regional Sales Manager
(913) 273-6947 Fax
From The Desk of The President
A
“Time For One More Thing”
s we all get geared up for a hectic holiday Christmas selling season our schedules and brain power always seems to get maxed out.
This goes for our personal and business life as well. Family, friends,
parties, church gatherings, kids’ activities, school events and more all
wedge into our lives leaving precious little space. It seems like we don’t
have time for anything else but getting up, getting to our stores, and
back home to sleep and repeat the cycle the following day.
Ask yourself if you have time for one more thing. Can you stay open one extra day per week?
Can you come in one hour early? Stay one hour late? Make one more phone call per day? Add
one more tray of jewels per case, or even a single extra piece, to give your stock more visibility?
Can you add one more mailing to your clients? Maybe put one more ad in your local paper, one
more radio spot; run one more commercial on TV?
In your store, can you serve one more customer a day? Show them one more pendant, one
more ring? Find one more buying occasion? Suppose a customer has an anniversary, birthday
or birth of a child in the first part of the year. You might be saving THEM one more trip to the
store by bundling gift giving events. Can you add one more item on a customer’s repair ticket?
Add one pendant to those earrings you just sold? Nobody says you have to stop selling at one
piece. Keep showing them baubles until they hit the parking lot.
It was great to see so many attendees in Branson for our convention. As always, I wish more
could have made the trip. The design contest was won by first time attendees from Marshfield. I
look forward to seeing them and many more of you at the spring seminar in Jefferson City on
March 7-8, 2015 at the Capitol Plaza Hotel. Mark your calendars early for the 2015 convention
October 2-4 at the Lake of the Ozarks at Camden on the Lake.
Saturday night’s murder mystery was a great interactive evening of fun. Everyone was a good
sport and a good time was had by all. Shane Decker put on an amazing presentation Sunday
and was able to arm us with the tools needed for a strong season and hopefully introduce some
new positive habits to help us close more sales; serving our clients even better.
Keep in mind this season that your client’s schedule is every bit as busy as yours. When you do
find them in your store, do them and yourselves a favor and find them something beautiful. It’s
one more thing to ring in your register, and one less stop they will have to make. It also keeps
them from saying, “Maybe I have time to stop at one more jewelry store.”
Charles Wallace
Charles Wallace
Missouri Jewelers Association
Missouri Jewelers
Association
2014 Officers & Directors
President
CHARLES WALLACE
Curt Parker Jewelers
(314) 989-9909
1st Vice President
JAMES DURBIN
James Durbin Jewelry Design
(314) 965-6508
2nd Vice President
ROZ GORDON
Gordon Jewelers
(660) 882-5512
Secretary/Treasurer
JAYME SHEELEY
J’Rae
(573) 378-5650
Past President
MELODY FARNEN
Melody’s Quality Jewelers
(573) 581-7725
Directors
LEO ANGLO
Vincent’s Jewelers
(314)989-9030
DAVID BETZ
Glen Betz & Assoc. Jewelers
(314) 984-0040
TOM BOATRIGHT
Diamonds & More
(573) 747-0088
ROBERT FLYNN
L.C. Betz Assoc., Jewelers
(573) 449-1070
LAURA POOL
Laura’s Jewelry Designs
(573) 336-0171
STEVE WHITWORTH
Whitworth’s Gift Chest Jewelers
(573) 785-2023
Associate Advisors
BRUCE CLIPPINGER
Jewelers Mutual Insurance Co.
(913) 383-9500
MANDANA HAKIMI
Mandana Hakimi Jewelry, Ltd.
(800) 542-7327
ROBERT SCHNEIDER
Kattan Diamond/Aladdin Gold
(636) 519-0424
JEC LIASON
STACEY STAUCH
Crews Jewelry, Inc.
(816) 763-9415
Executive Directors
SHARON & BILL BLAIR
P.O. Box 70027
Shawnee Mission, KS 66207-1327
(913) 661-0084 or (800) 786-7859
(913) 661-9939 FAX
email: [email protected]
www.missourijewelers.org
With Our Thanks and Appreciation!
This is the traditional season for “Thanksgiving,” and we would like to take this opportunity to express our
gratitude to all those who have so generously supported MJA during 2014. Our suppliers and sales reps are
the companies and individuals who make it all happen!
2014 MJA Advertisers
Allison-Kaufman Co.
KVS Designs
Arch Enterprises
L.A. Montell & Co.
Berco Jewelry Co.
Mainstream Merchant Services
Bertke Brothers LLC
Mandana Hakimi Jewelry, Ltd.
Camelot Bridal
NTR Metals
Diamond Studio, Inc.
Overnight Mountings
Federated Insurance
Robert Schneider
Gems One Corp.
Roseco
Jewelers For Children
St. Louis Diamond Exchange
Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company
Stuller, Inc.
Kabana Corp.
Swoosh Technologies
Kunzelman Bros.
United Precious Metals Refining, Inc.
2014 MJA “Mules” Sales Reps
Lynn Baldwin
Edge Retail Academy
Mandana Hakimi
Mandana Hakimi Jewelry Ltd.
Blaine Orr
Bertke Bros.
Adam Barrett
Stebgo Metals
Ken Harrison
Roseco
Jon Painter
Allison-Kaufman Company
Joe Bill
St. Louis Diamond Exchange
Christopher Kunzelman
Kunzelman Bros.
Frank Ramaesiri
Berco Jewelry
Frank Chew
Berco
Rick Kupfer
Camelot Bridal
Jill Ruggeri
Mainstream Merchant Services
Bruce Clippinger
Jewelers Mutual Insurance Company
Amy Lightsey
Arch Enterprises
Robert Schneider
Aladdin Gold/Kattan Diamond
Ed Coyle
Levy Creations
Angelo “Stick” Lorenzo
United Precious Metals, Inc.
Steve Schnelker
Swoosh Technologies
John Degraffenreid
NTR Metals
Marty Mease
Frederic Duclos/Charles Ligeti Co.
Marie Silva
Kabana, Inc.
Karen Engler
L.A. Montell & Co.
Dhaval Mehta
KVS Designs, LLC
Nate Stroup
Federated Insurance
Denise Feldkamp
Diamond Studio, Inc.
Vinny Mirabella
Benchmark Rings/Gemsone
Matt Whitworth
Overnight Mountings
Moshe Yona
Prime Diam Co.
2014 Sponsors
Preferred Sponsor
Federated Insurance
Saturday Evening Entertainment
Jon Painter & Allison-Kaufman Co.
2014 Discovery Room Sponsors
Allison-Kaufman Co., Inc.
Bertke Brothers LLC
Bob Schneider
Camelot Bridal
Jewelers Mutual Insurance Co.
Kabana Corp.
KVS Designs
L.A. Montell & Co.
Mandana Hakimi Jewelry Ltd.
Mainstream Merchant Services
Overnight Mountings
St. Louis Diamond Exchange
Swoosh Technologies
And The Winners Are. . .
The annual competition to recognize the finest and most creative jewelry designers in Missouri was held in Branson on September 20. Entries in the 2014 MJA jewelry design contest presented a major challenge to the judges as they determined the entries that were to receive
awards. Members attending selected the “People’s Choice” award by their vote. A panel of judges from throughout the industry, none of
whom had ties to the contest, selected the winners. They also selected the entry to receive the “Craftsmanship” and “Best of Show” awards.
The “Best of Show” will represent Missouri in national competition held in New York.
BEST OF SHOW AWARD &
PEOPLE’S CHOICE AWARD
Randy Clair
Clair’s Jewelers - Marshfield, MO
“14KT White & Yellow Gold Necklace with Diamonds, Peridot,
Mandarin Citrine & Tourmalines”
CRAFTSMANSHIP AWARD
Roger Rimel
James Durbin Jewelry Design - Kirkwood, MO
“Oxidized Sterling Silver Diamond Pendant with 14KT YG
Textured Bail & Bezel Set with Joh Dyer Rhodolite Garnet”
“Getting Ready!” Thoughts & Reminders For Our Season!
You’ve been down this road before so you know what you need to do
to get ready for “the season,” but like every home room teacher has
told us about 92 times, “It is always wise to review!”
You’ve undoubtedly already done the jeweler things, so let’s focus on
the manager side of your job. Training (or reviewing) sales practices
for the part-time sales staff that will be helping you out during the
longer hours (or days) that are a traditional part of your schedule for
your holiday season, is more than a good idea. And the review can
be constructive for you and your full time team.
Your Opening: As you know Cindy, your job is to make
our customers happy by helping them find a gift for a
loved one or for themselves. They have already made a
decision that jewelry is one item that they want to buy,
so you just need to help them confirm that decision,
and help them find that gift in our store.
There are a multitude of books that emphasize this, but think about a
few basics that you might consider your ‘Lucky 7’ lists:
1. Don’t make suggestions before you ask questions. There is no
way that you will know what the customer is looking for unless
they’re given the opportunity to talk.
2. Rather than open your conversation with a customer with a
closed end question that can be answered with a “Yes” or “No” - try something like, “Let me show you something we just
got in. I would like your opinion on it.” (Don’t ask permission, just let them see it!)
3. If the customer is looking for an engagement ring or an anniversary gift, don’t get technical and don’t preach. Do concentrate
on the romance.
4. Like boy scouts, be prepared! When you approach your customer have everything you need to complete a sale. Studies
by sales trainer Terry Sisco show that when you leave a customer, for any reason, your chance of closing the sale drop by
50%.
5. Never pre-judge a customer! Shane Decker believes that prejudging a potential customer is the most common sales killer
in the jewelry industry. He estimates that it can lose half of
your potential sales.
6. Look at the customer, not the merchandise. If you don’t establish eye contact with your customer, particularly when quoting
the price, they will think you don’t have their interest at heart.
7. Use the old “team work” plan. No matter how good or experienced a sales associate is, there will be an occasion when
there is a mismatch with a customer. Perhaps it’s a generational thing, or possibly a gender factor – but if for any reason
you ever feel that a sale is going bad, turn that customer over
to a teammate that might be a better match.
And a good reminder for everyone in your store involved in selling,
don’t be afraid to make a mistake! A veteran jeweler said that he
constantly reminds his staff that, “You learn from experience,
but you never graduate!” He reminded us that doctors and lawyers “practice” medicine and the law because no matter how good
you are, you can be better and making mistakes is part of that process.
Best wishes from all of us at MJA for a booming as well as happy
holiday season!
2014 MJA Convention
PRSRT STD
U.S. POSTAGE
PAID
Shawnee Mission, KS
PERMIT # 697
MJA
P.O. Box 70027
Shawnee Mission, KS 66207
2015 Midwest Calendar of Events
MISSOURI JEWELERS ASSOCIATION
Spring Seminar
March 7-8, 2015
Capitol Plaza Hotel - Jefferson City, MO
Leadership Conference & Convention
October 2-4, 2015
Camden On The Lake - Lake Ozark, MO
NEBRASKA/SOUTH DAKOTA
JEWELERS ASSOCIATION
Leadership Conference & Convention
August 14-16, 2015
Holiday Inn - Kearney, NE
OKLAHOMA JEWELERS
ASSOCIATION
Spring Seminar
April 18-19, 2015
Embassy Suites Hotel - Oklahoma City, OK
Leadership Conference & Convention
August 7-9, 2015
Skirvin Hotel - Oklahoma City, OK

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