Wheat Ridge, Colorado police took a 50-year-old man into custody Wednesday following a two-month search.
Marketing Minute: The Importance of Being Early
Jim Ackerman encourages jewelers to get to prospects very early in their buying journey, perhaps before they even realize that they want to buy jewelry.
Here’s the way it normally goes …
You advertise for people to come buy from you because you want sales and you want them now. Your ads are designed to get people who are in the market to come into your store and plunk down their hard-earned money, preferably TODAY!
For example, you hold a bridal show in hopes of attracting people who want to buy an engagement ring. You want these people to buy from you because it usually represents a sale substantially larger than your average ticket.
There’s only one problem with all this.
Every competing jeweler in town, not to mention online, is chasing that same business at the same time with advertising that, frankly, just isn’t appreciably different from yours.
Let me make the case for a different approach. Adopting it will take great insight and courage on your part because adopting it will mean taking a whole different approach to your marketing.
You see, the approach I’ve outlined above is like hunting. You go out and find that sale and knock it down. Have success and you eat tonight.
Below, I’m going to suggest a farming-like approach. You plant your seed in fertile ground, cultivate it, nourish it and, ultimately, harvest the fruits of your labor. Have success with this approach and you eat for a long, long time.
I’m suggesting that you get in early. I’m suggesting you shift to a lead-generation approach on your advertising, wherein you attempt to get to prospects very early in their buying journey, perhaps before they even realize they’re a prospect.
With this process, the goal of your advertising is to capture a name and contact information. And to do that, you’ll have to provide them with a safe incentive. Usually, that’s in the form of information-- guides, tools and materials that are cheap or free to deliver, but that the prospect would find valuable early in the process.
When you offer to educate a prospect early, you have a chance to render value in advance.
But you also get to do these 3 key things:
1. Establish a relationship;
2. Render up-front value; and
3. Help them set buying criteria that inevitably leads right back to you and only you.
Establishing relationship refers to getting that precious contact information. It may be as little as a first name and email address, but it comes with permission for you to market to them further and directly.
Rendering up-front
When you use your educational materials to help the prospect establish their own buying criteria, it’s fairly easy to “stack the deck” in your favor, virtually insuring that nobody else measures up to what you uniquely have to offer.
Your job is to program a multi-step process of contacting, leading, teaching, securing additional information, nurturing the relationship and making offers, until the prospect makes the logical decision to buy. Your program may consist of emails, direct mail, phone and text contacts, and more.
There may be many steps in the process between initial contact and the ultimate purchase. However, those steps will almost always lead to the prospect buying from you instead of the competition.
Once you have a system that works, you lock out the competition, and it is highly likely it will continue to work for a long, long time to come.
Jim Ackerman has addressed jewelry retailers at JA New York, JCK, the Atlanta Jewelry Show and others. He has teamed up with Shane Decker again this year for two Ultimate Jewelry Sales & Marketing Boot Camps. Ackerman also is providing National Jeweler readers with a free email marketing evaluation and consultation through April 30. Send an email request with your name and phone number to mail@ascendmarketing.com.
The Latest
PGI partnered with four new and seven returning designers for its annual platinum capsule collection.
Nicolosi, president and CEO of The Kingswood Company, previously sat on WJA’s board from 2011 to 2018.
Meet Ben Claus—grand prize winner of For the Love of Jewelers 2023 Fall Design Challenge.
Karina Brez’s race-ready piece is a sophisticated nod to the horse-rider relationship.
The men are allegedly responsible for stealing millions in jewelry and other valuables in 43 burglaries in 25 towns across Massachusetts.
“Horizon” invites individuals to explore the limitless possibilities that lie ahead, said the brand.
With Ho Brothers, you can unlock your brand's true potential and offer customers the personalized jewelry experiences they desire.
The jeweler credits its recent “Be Love” campaign and ongoing brand revamp for its 17 percent jump in sales.
Elvis Presley gifted this circa 1967 gold and diamond watch to Dodie Marshall, his co-star in “Easy Come, Easy Go.”
Concerns about rising prices, politics, and global conflicts continue to dampen consumer outlook.
May’s birthstone is beloved for its rich green hue and its versatility.
Jacqui Larsson joins Opsydia with nearly two decades of experience in the industry.
Last month in Dallas, David Walton pushed another jeweler, David Ettinger, who later died.
The “Tiffany Céleste” collection reimagines designer Jean Schlumberger’s interpretations of the universe.
The brand also created a 100-carat lab-grown diamond necklace in honor of its centennial.
Tim Schlick has been promoted from his previous position as COO.
It’s the second year for the event, slated to take place in October in Toronto.
Supplier Spotlight Sponsored by GIA
Sales will be paused while the relocation takes place over the next few months.
“SIS x MISA Denim and Diamonds” is a collaboration between the designer and celebrity stylist Misa Hylton.
The retailer is moving to a newly designed space in the same shopping center.
Gifts that are unique and thoughtful are top of mind this year, according to the annual survey.
The necklace is featured in the brand’s “Rebel Heart” campaign starring Adam Levine and Behati Prinsloo.
The two organizations will host a joint event, “Converge,” in September 2025.
Big changes appear to be on the horizon for the diamond miner and its parent company, Anglo American.
Padis succeeds Lisa Bridge, marking the first time the organization has had two women board presidents in a row.