Orm Shultz will be missed!

Entrepreneur, gentleman and well-respected member of the jewellery industry Orm (Ormand) Shultz passed away on Monday night.  Warrington’s Jewellers closed its’ doors almost one year ago after 48 years in business and 39 years in Prairie Mall.  The family still owns and operates Jonathan’s Jewellers in Prairie Mall, and along with the long-serving staff will miss “Mr.’s” leadership and encyclopedic knowledge.  As a sales rep, I was often astounded at his ability to identify his fast-selling designs without the aid of a computer.  With two stores and dozens of suppliers I always received a fair dose of undivided attention from him; which is why he had won numerous “Gold Nugget” awards from the rep’s associations when there was such a thing.  My thoughts and prayers are with his family and staff during what will continue to be a very busy month no matter how heart-sick they feel.

Reflecting back on one of the darkest times in my life and career, I recall being able to put-on a “good front.”  It’s not easy to focus on celebrating happy moments with your clients when you feel little joy inside.  This is the difference between a professional and an amateur in jewellery sales.  I don’t know anyone whose lives have been sunshine and rainbows the whole way along; yet some have the ability to rise to the occasion whenever a client walks through the door.

I think the key is this: as soon as a client walks through the threshold, your focus is on their needs, their emotions and finding a winning solution to their current circumstance.  Whether you’re in the middle of a personal crisis, or just absorbed in busy-work as part of your responsibilities in the store, you need to be “other-centered, servant-hearted people” to your visitors the instant you spot them even thinking about coming in.  If you’re grieving or having some personal difficulties, share it with your owner or manager, and tell them you’re going to try to focus on clients in order to do your job the best you can while you’re on the clock.  Ask them to give you feedback if you’re not accomplishing that.

Look, it’s not about fake-enthusiasm in this business.  It’s about a solid conviction that your store and your product are the best possible solution to your client’s needs and desires.  When you put the person across the showcase from you first, and you know the amazing benefits of dealing with you and buying what you have to sell, you can push through any personal crisis and be effective.

New Manufacturer “Imanokov”

Okay, so it happens in our industry.  One manufacturer’s designs looks suspiciously like another’s.  There are certain designs, including the 17-stone cluster ring, the “stairway to heaven,”  the “Tiffany-style solitaire,” the current halo-settings, etc.  Who put-out the first 17-stone cluster?  Can anyone remember?  I recall being shocked in 1988 when Boas & Farro put out their little red catalog featuring all manor of diamond clusters, when I thought of them for original designs.  Who were the first to string various donut-shaped silver beads on a snake bracelet? Plagiarism is grounds for expulsion in Universities, but in the jewellery business seems to lead to significant financial rewards.  What’s wrong with our industry?!?

I guess like drug companies, the one who comes out with the product first, gets to enjoy the rewards of innovation before the copy-cats swoop-in and begin making generic versions.  In the pharmaceutical business, they get 10 years of patent protection before others can copy.  In the movie business, copyrights are good for 25 years, which is why Disney “remasters” their movies on each 25^th anniversary.  This makes the old edition less desirable and restarts the 25 year clock of protection on the new one.

When I visit the “designer section” of JCK Las Vegas, I expect to see new innovative concepts.  Which ones might become trends, and which will fizzle into oblivion is the question of the day.  Maybe one hot new designer will inspire other designers to take a motif and shape it in a new direction.  That’s how we continue to come-up with new design variations after you think thousands of designers over hundreds of years have exhausted all possible variations.  “Duplicators” can see a design at JCK, walk down the aisle making a sketch, digitally send it to their goldsmiths, and before returning to their home office, could have a “new design” to offer their clients.

As a representative of a design firm that seeks to innovate, I can tell you that not all innovations are profitable.  It takes trying a number of new things to prove one highly favorable.  The overall business model requires loyal supporters to try some new and continue to buy the tried and true in order for innovators to survive.  I would humbly ask that you show respect to the innovators and give them every opportunity to supply you.  If the innovators get pushed out of business by the duplicators, then the duplicators will all have only each other to copy; and our design world will become a very bland place indeed.

Fake it ‘til You Make it?

<Wondering where I’ve been?  Much of my writing-time has been directed toward editorial contributions to Canadian Jeweller Magazine.  I’ll continue to send articles as they don’t conflict with that effort.  Enjoy a new game like “Where’s Waldo?” – see if you can find my articles buried in the back of Canadian Jeweller Magazine (not in every issue.) >

My good friend Quentin was talking about his experience in retail.  He began working at The House of Knives a few years back and when he started, he felt the all-too-familiar temptation to “fake it ‘til you make it.”  After getting caught giving misinformation by knowledgeable shoppers, he was embarrassed and he recognized the need to get ahead of the game.  He committed himself to learning about the different metals used in knife-blades.  He built his own collection of kitchen and pocket-knives, so that he could personally attest to the advantages of one product or another.  He now feels a sense of confidence that he can approach clients and almost never get “stumped” by a product knowledge question.  He approaches new and repeat clients with genuine conviction that they are going to get the best possible advice when selecting product, and his sales are impressive. 

Has a client ever asked you a question you didn’t know the answer to?  When that happens there are a few ways to handle it:

Bad Choices:

·      Invent:  Fabricate an answer that you think will help make the sale

·      Interpolate:  You can make something up that sounds like it might be correct, based loosely on your knowledge of jewellery

·      Impart:  You can give them an answer that you’ve heard someone else give, even though you’ve never actually verified the accuracy of that answer

 Better Choices:

·      Ignorance: you can admit your ignorance, and ask if the answer affects their desire to purchase the item in question.  If not, sell-away!

·      Interrupt:  You can ask the client to wait while you look-up the answer or attempt to get it from the manager or another staff member

Here’s the thing.  There’s no replacement for a wealth of product knowledge.  I’ve written before about how important it is not to overwhelm customers with unwanted facts, but when they ask and you don’t have the answers, you stand a chance of losing the sale.

Call to action – “Stump-Log:” When a customer stumps any one in your store with a question, deal with it the best way you can.  Once finished with the client, log the question at the top of the page of a notebook.  Make sure you go-back when you have time, research and write-down the best answer you can find and then share it with your teammates at the next staff meeting.  Add comments to the answer as the team collaborates on the best possible responses, and as the manager gives direction.  This notebook will become great reading and a valuable resource for new hires.  Managers, when there are few or no new entries in the stump-log, write-down an every-day question and task a staff member with writing their best answer.  Something like, “I saw an ‘SI’ clarity diamond at another store, but it didn’t look clear to me.  Why’s that?”, or “are dark Sapphires the best quality?”

Knowledge leads to confidence.  Confidence leads to effective selling.

The Road Behind

Last week I visited some stores in the Vancouver area.  One of the malls I visited was Lougheed Mall in Burnaby, BC.  I expected a degree of nostalgia.  You see, for a few very important months of my life in 1988-89 I worked there for Mappins Jewellers.  It was during that time that a friend of mine told me about a cousin who worked at the same mall.  I ventured downstairs to the Cotton Ginny to introduce myself to her one day.  A few days later in front of Mappin’s Sandicast display on December 2^nd, 1988, I asked Jana out on our first date.  I couldn’t wait for my shift to end.  After Christmas, the hours from Mappins weren’t quite so abundant and a friend recruited me to come work for him.  I returned to Lougheed Mall frequently over the following months to visit Jana, and buy her treats from the Cookies by George kiosk.

Fast-forward 25 years.  Mappins is gone from the mall, and I couldn’t really tell which clothing shop is in it’s place.  O.B. Allen and Ben Moss are gone.  Cookies by George moved and Cotton Ginny is gone.  The parking lot has been reconfigured and built-up so I couldn’t even envision where I used to park.  Businesses come and go but the people and experiences live-on.  I met my life-partner in that mall.  I remember Dwight, Tom, Irena, Demetre & Kelly with whom I worked, and I’ve seen and heard-tell that some are still in the jewellery business.

No trace of that store remains, but the impact of the people I worked with is an inescapable part of me.  I witnessed some very effective sales-people, and caught invaluable sales techniques.  I learned that individual commissions can lead to conflict and resentment.  I came to understand that chain-stores would never suit me quite right.  Even though I was low-man on a pretty high totem pole, I resented the cutting of my hours and it drove me to prove to them that they overlooked a “diamond in the rough.”

It makes me pause to take stock of where I’m at today.  If my future-life unfolds in unexpected directions, what will I take away from working with Steve, Lilian, the amazing retailers (some of whom will remain friends forever,) and from my valued industry colleagues?  Take a moment to thank God, or fate or the universe for the people around you who contribute to your success, to your character and who you’ll take with you as the years march on.  Better yet, find a way to thank them for being part of your life today!

Edmonton Show Report

What an interesting three days in Edmonton!  As some of you are aware there are new owners in place for the Western Canadian Jewellery Expo.  For Phil and his crew, they wanted to make sure that their inaugural show was both exciting and secure.

For excitement, they moved the show opening reception to Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse.  The lower level was cleared of tables, and an open cocktail reception (sponsored by Jewellers Mutual and the Canadian Jewellery Buyers Group) welcomed those of us not out on the Marriott’s patio with Corona.  Although a bit warm down there, Ruth’s Chris put-on a great reception featuring rib-eye sliders that were to die for.  The show also featured a draw for a brand new Lexus; not just a one or two year lease, the whole car – sponsored by Gold Star and Canadian Jeweller Magazine.  The winner was De Vo, owner of Paris Jewellers (as if he needs it!)  This year, the sixth annual DiGem Evening of Decadence was moved to The Sutton Place Hotel, and the beneficiary was Little Warriors; a very worthy charity who not only work on prevention of child sexual abuse, but are building a camp to act as a treatment center for victims.  There are three treatment centers in Edmonton for rehabilitating sexual predators, but this will be the first in Canada to treat the victims.  Well-done Connie and her team!  Yours truly was among those who shut the place down after dancing-up a storm to the awesome Dr. Zeus and the Blue Whos.

On the safety side, I don’t think I’ve ever seen so much security at a jewellery show.  When a lightening strike set-off an alarm, the Convention center was locked-down for two hours on Saturday afternoon; traditionally the busiest day of the show.  Edmonton’s finest were strolling the show sporting automatic assault rifles during all show hours.  I witnessed a police dog sniffing around under the loading dock ramp, and three Suburban’s full of tactical squad members were present for the mobilizing of the armored cars at the end of the show.  When Steve was within a few blocks of the Convention Centre on Sunday afternoon with our rental truck, he was pulled-over by the police, searched and questioned to ensure that he didn’t have a van-full of bad-guys.

To my knowledge there were no security breaches, and that was likely because of the extraordinary effort of all security staff.  I heard second-hand that when the new owners launched their website for the all-new “Canadian Jewellery Expos” that 600 out of the first 1000 hits were from Columbia, a prime source of both emeralds and jewellery thieves.

While the extra security may sound intimidating, it made me feel safe and secure so that we could enjoy the most important networking event of our year.  Congratulations to Phil & Geoff Payne and to Lilie Ford for keeping us safe and providing the ideal meeting-place for our Canadian jewellery industry!

Between Shows...

Between Shows

I just returned from Toronto for the CJG buying show, and am repacking for the Edmonton show.  The definite highlight in Toronto was seeing Wayne, Joanne and Elyse Austen.  Hearing them share about the heart-breaking damage from flooding was equally haunting as it was heartwarming to hear the staggering amount of money that members had thrown into the hat for them.  As CJG President Wayne Fisher announced, “if that doesn’t bless your blesser, then you’re blesser must be broken!”

Looking forward to Edmonton, and more confident buying.  It’s been a few years since the 2008 economic meltdown in the US, and lesser degrees of slowing in parts of Canada.  Since that time the tone of buyers has been anywhere from fearful to cautious to slightly optimistic.  This year in Toronto I perceived a confidence that retailers are at a place where business is more predictible, and they’re choosing new product strategically.  The days of, “maybe this is the year that things will break loose,” or “hopefully we don’t have another crash,” or “we’re still overstocked from those boom years” seem to have faded into the past. 

When you look back on the ups and downs of the past 20 or 30 years, you recognize that highs and lows both come and go.  If you want to go for the gusto, you might over-extend your inventory during high-times.  If you want to protect yourself, you’ll pull-in your horns during every negative blip in the market.  If you think 20 or 30 years forward, your course will be dictated by the business you want to develop, rather than the numbers that rose or fell last year.  Buying is a tough job, but that’s where the shows give you a huge advantage.  You can see full selections of the latest product and compare in a timely manor to make the best possible buying decisions. 

If you’re still unsure about coming in for the Edmonton show, I encourage you to go for it.  You just might discover new designs, or new lines that will revolutionize your future.  You could also win a brand new Lexus, and that wouldn’t suck either!  See you there.

This message was brought to you by CANADIAN STAR DIAMONDS.  Click here to learn more!

Correction (oops!)

If you are sending contributions to CJG for helping out the Austens, please use the following address:

CJG

13 Minerva St. E.  

Huntsville ON.  

P1H 1P2

Thanks and have a great day!