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! 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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