Jewelers, Keep Calm and Carry On

by Aleah Arundale, of Olympian Diamonds, Chicago, USA

People have worn, loved, and craved jewelry for thousands of years. Jewelers. You are not losing customers. They are just on stay-cation. Jewelers made it through Great Depression and two World Wars. We will make it through this too. When people can't travel, they buy jewelry. Feeling down? I get it, but what do you gain from being negative? Zero. Being optimistic is better for your mental health and your pocketbook. Let's spread some optimism, some creative ideas, and let's get happy together.

Here are some things retail jewelers can do.

*  Offer customers free shipping
*  People don't like being told what to do (ie stay indoors). They want retail therapy. Turn your store into an appointment-only showroom. Offer customers one-on-one appointments or even curb-side service at your store.
*  Studies show that being able to adapt is the greatest indicator of success. Been meaning to learn how to use that new camera or start an Instagram page? Now is a great time to learn something new.  
*  Updating customer appraisals can be done from home. If you charge $100 for appraisals, this is a quick money-maker you can do from home. Try messaging customers with a message like:  "There's a lot of uncertainty and this world, but gold and diamonds have always held their value. Make sure your valuables are properly insured. If you need assistance, have jewelry or gold questions, or just want to talk, message me. I'm am your jeweler and I am here for you."  
*  Remind your followers on social media that jewelry is timeless. Stay positive. Try humor with lines like: "Hey you are going to be QUARANTINED with this woman for a long time. You want her happy? Buy her jewelry!"
*  Buy gold and diamonds. This could be a great opportunity to make money on the buy.
*  You finally have time to create new case ideas. Make an estate case, a luxury case, last chance case, staff pick, or $500 and less case.
*  Sell jewelry on Facebook. I see women sell a ton of $5 jewelry just by doing live videos. People love Facebook live videos. They are easy, engaging, 'real', and fun. Why not go live and sell some jewelry? It's free so nothing to lose. Video can be scary, but the more you do it the better you become, so start today.
*  Sort break out stones. Do inventory.
*  Plan future Marketing strategies
*  Update your Website so you can sell from Home
*  Buff, remount old jewelry so it looks new
*  Take pictures and try selling on craigslist, eBay, Etsy, Facebook
*  Create future mailers or postcards to drive traffic
*  Drum up repair business over text messaging. Ask customers to text you pictures of jobs that need to be done or prongs that need to be re-tipped. Set up future appointments to do these repairs.  

It's not easy to keep positive, but for your own financial success and mental healthy you must try. Keep calm and carry on.