How Wedding Bands are Made

Warning:  While the Toddwaz Report tries to be about best-practices, news and industry issues, the following verges on specific product promotion.  Now that I've done this one, I look forward to giving you some behind the scenes tours of Customgold as well.  Through this you'll learn a lot about how jewellery is made and I hope it all makes you a better resource for your clients and a better salesperson.

Valentine’s Day

Imagine your astonishment.  “Skippy” comes in to buy something for his sweetheart on Valentines day.  Fliers, banners and counter-cards all over the mall are pushing beads and $149 price pointed items, but that’s not what Skippy buys.  Maybe he hadn’t been paying attention to everyone telling him to spend less than $200.  He sees something really spectacular, and decides to part with some his motorcycle fund in order to buy that $500 or $1,000 something.  What a wonderful Valentine’s Day it will be!

There are lots of Skippys out there.  They don’t know what to spend on her for Valentine’s day.  They just want to make a great impression.  They want to WOW her with a nice piece of jewellery.  Does he know that a precious metal piece of jewellery with any level of durability is nearly impossible for $199?  Not really.  It’s up to you to show Skippy some options with high-style, durability and quality.  If he doesn’t have a motorcycle fund to draw from and decides on the $199 diamond pendant with the microscopic chain, at least you’ve planted a seed for future purchases and also prepared him for the possibility that the chain will break.

That works with Mr. Jones too.  He might have seen your ads for the $499 specials, but unbeknownst to you, Mr. Jones just received his year-end bonus and it was HUGE.  He might just be interested in buying Mrs. Jones that 1 carat diamond that she’s always dreamed of.

As I always say, “when you start at the top, sometimes you end up there!”

**My video from the wedding band shop tour is pending approval from Lashbrook’s president.  I don’t want to give away any trade secrets.  You’ll see it soon!**

Utah Day 3

Today was mostly getting my sample bag all set-up, answering a few last minute questions and then off to the airport (with a quick stop at In-‘n-Out Burger - YUM.)  What I can tell you is that I’m a new man.  I used to be a bit of a snob for precious metals.  With the advent of new alloys of Cobalt Chrome and Zirconium Oxide, the high-style of forged Damascus Steel and traditional Mokume Gane, plus the increased complexity of multi-axial C&C machines, PERFORMANCE METALS DON’T HAVE TO BE BORING.  Simple machining allows only simple designs.  Complex machining is paving the way for performance metals to achieve some really unique styles and price-points not possible with all-gold product.

I’ve taken a few video clips of the amazing manufacturing processes.  I can show some of it publically but I have to keep others only for use with dealers for product knowledge presentations.  I’ll be working on completing those over the next few days, so that you can take that promised peek behind the scenes.

Here’s something that I’ve learned while meeting sales reps from all over the US.  I love my family of jewellers in Western Canada!!!  I’m not saying that my new friends were bad-mouthing the jewellers they’ll be calling on.  They just don’t know their markets the way I do.  Part of it is because I’ve got a relatively small population base, but the other part has to do with the number of you who network with each other and keep in contact with and include suppliers like me in your social circles.  I look forward to seeing you all soon!

Utah Day 2

Wow, I feel like a juggler with one hand tied behind her back!  I left my laptop charger at home, and so I can't even start processing the video clips I've been taking.  I'm learning so much about a whole different side of this industry and I look forward to sharing with you some pretty cool info.

It may be a few days, but I'll get there.  Although I'm writing this from a Starbucks, the mormon culture is still pretty strong here.  We dined at "The Roof" last night in what used to be the posh Hotel Utah where every US President had stayed from its' opening in 1911 until its' repurposing in 1987.  No wine list, no coffee, and a nice view of the Mormon temple.

Learning lots and enjoying the company from my ex-marine roommate to New York Mike to the couple who are living apart half of the year to cover two territories.  I've discovered that the Lashbrook name came from the owner's great great grandfather who came to Utah on foot with a wheel-barrow and family in tow.

I look forward to showing you the technology that goes into manufacturing these bands.  It's sooo cool!

Utah Day 1

**Haiti Helpers – Note: Wednesday January 23^rd is the final day to send gold-scraps into Customgold.  If you wished you had participated, but missed the boat you can still throw some gold in a baggie and ship it off to Vancouver in time for my trip.  So far, the leading gold collectors; who are in-line for a free half-day of sales coaching, is someone from Alberta.  For more info on why this is the best fund-raiser ever, click HERE. 

**Train the Trainer event coming to Edmonton – My friend Brad Huisken is bringing his famous sales training event to Edmonton, May 5-7^th.  They say the best way to learn something is to learn how to train someone else to do it.  If you are interested in attending, see the attached document.

Today I’m looking forward to a tour of Lashbrook Design’s manufacturing facility here in Sandy, Utah.  It’s been “interesting” so far; my luggage missed the connection in Los Angeles (I know it’s out of the way, but that’s air travel today) and then the shower knob broke-off in my hand this morning.  It’s not all bad because I’m meeting some great new people.

I’m going to try give my Toddwaz Report readers as much behind-the-scenes views as I am allowed to show.  I hope to give you all an idea of how semi-precious metal bands are fabricated.  Stand-by for more.

Beeeee Positive!

As some of you know, Mrs. Toddwaz is a realtor.  Jana hosted a “realtor open-house” for a new fourplex listing the other day.  Some of the realtors from her office spent time commenting about the hookers a few blocks away, the limited parking and all of the negative aspects of the property.  It’s actually in an area of rapid urban renewal, close to downtown and a perfect starter resident for an active young single or couple. In a B-to-B (business to business) situation, the onlooker might feel an inescapable obligation to tear-apart the product in front of them, fully believing that their expert criticism is helpful in some way.  It sometimes works that way with jewellery presentations. 

When I look at a line of 3-400 rings, I don’t see sellers and non-sellers.  I see each piece as the answer to someone’s quest.  There is a buyer out there for every design you’ve ever looked at in a travellers bag.  Maybe you haven’t conditioned your marketplace to respond to a certain styling.  Maybe the craziest looking design that you summarily dismissed would have sold to the tourist who came in the next day.  Maybe you’ve just overlooked a ring that would have sold 4 times in the coming year because in your opinion it was too high, too low, too wide, too narrow or too “froofie.”  (Don’t laugh, I’ve heard that before!)

This is a tough business and you can’t buy everything that comes along.  I appreciate a retailer telling me why they think a new design won’t sell quickly in their store.  I really do.  Maybe it will cause us to modify a design if few enough jewellers choose to stock it.  But, I’m invigorated by buyers who look at designs and identify what kind of client will love that piece.  Looking for the positive in jewellery designs makes for a more enjoyable supplier visit, and I believe a much more productive one for selecting profitable designs.  Looking for the positive in every customer that walks in has its’ own rewards.

Enjoy this video, featuring Sir Paul McCartney and Nanaimo’s very own Diana Krall…

Spinning or Winning?

Business or personal it’s all the same.  You can be positive by spinning or winning.

When I took my ARMS management training (where I first met Mr. Greg Bird,) the session leader asked us all how business was.  We mumbled various responses.  He corrected us and trained us to give the response, “UNBELIEVABLE!”  He was training us to put a positive “spin” on things.  He wanted us to allow our interlocutors to draw the conclusion that business was unbelievably GOOD when it just as easily could be unbelievably BAD.  Spinning is the art of deception.  Pick and choose truths and half-truths to build a conclusion for the sake of your own motives.

When someone asks, “How are you?” or “How’s business?” you can easily brush them off by saying “fine,” and get on with your day.  That’s fair because some people haven’t earned a close enough relationship with you to justify a deeper explanation.  If you want to present a perfectly positive and prosperous persona, you might proffer a passionate, “unbelievable!”

Here’s the thing.  If you have your eye on a far-off goal of a highly effective “you” or a highly successful business, and you’re doing things to make that happen, you’re on a winning path.  You’re either learning things that you’ll need to avoid as you approach your goal, or your doing things that work and get you closer to your goal.  Either way, you’re making genuine headway towards the positive future that surely awaits you.

As you keep your eyes on the prize (whatever that means to you) you can have a GENUINELY positive outlook.  You can honestly say, “fine,” “unbelievable,” or “super” in response to other people’s inquiries.  You can, not only say positive things, but you be honest about set-backs in light of their contribution to your journey.