February 2004
Cowardly Lions
If your salespeople aren’t showing your best stuff to every customer, they’re letting you down, says Shane Decker.
Do you buy name brand shoes? Clothing? How about generic groceries…

March 2004
Higher Power
Don’t be shy ... bring out your best. Shane Decker offers four reasons you should show everyone a high-ticket item.
Have you ever pulled a member of your sales team aside to ask her why she didn’t try to sell a more expensive piece?…

May 2004
Back Hand
Shane Decker tells you how to make sure the ‘I’ll be back’ customer actually does.
WHEN ARNOLD SAID IT, we all knew he meant it. Unfortunately, most jewelers aren’t so lucky when they hear those three fateful words: “I’ll be back.”…

June 2004
Answer Man
This month, Shane Decker tackles questions from Instore’s retail readers. Fire away.
I HAVE AN EMPLOYEE who’s getting her gemologist degree from GIA.…

August 2004
Push Time
Shane Decker tells you how to close without being pushy, and answers other burning questions from Instore readers.
(This column is the last in a three-part series in which Mr. Decker received question from questions from Instore readers.)…

September 2004
Poor Excuse
It’s hard to sell high-end when you’re scared, says Shane Decker.
HOW DO you train salespeople to sell items over $10,000? Salespeople have to get over the “poverty-level mentality” and not assume the customer can’t afford your more expensive jewelry.…

October 2004
Missed Again
The holidays mean more lost opportunities than any other season, says Shane Decker.
YOU LOSE more sales during the holidays than any other time of the year. Yes, you read that correctly!…

November 2004
Like a Rock
When that inevitable stare-down over prices occurs, don’t blink, says Shane Decker.
“ALL MY CUSTOMERS care about is price.” Sound familiar?…

January 2005
Return Trip
The sale is closed. So your job’s finished, right? Wrong, says Shane Decker, it’s just beginning.
WHAT YOU DO for a customer after they leave is more important than what you do when they are standing in front of you.…

February 2005
All Alone
No man is an island on the sales floor, says Shane Decker. You need teamwork to seal the deal.
REMEMBER GILLIGAN, stranded on a deserted island after that “three-hour tour” went awry?…

March 2005
Be Unlike Mike
If you really want to be a superstar sales manager, stop trying to do everything. Shane Decker shows you how to share the load.
HAVE YOU EVER tried to be the “Michael Jordan” of your business?…

April 2005
Rare Earth
Shane Decker shows you how to prove diamonds are underpriced, in the first of a two-part series.
NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE, where your store is, or how closely you guard your margins, you should be making more money on diamonds. Why?…

May 2005
Rare Earth II
Shane Decker offers more ammunition to prove diamonds are underpriced, in the last of a series.
DIAMONDS ARE A BARGAIN at today’s prices. It’s a fact that you need to communicate to your customers.…

June 2005
Impulse Buy
The secret of becoming a sales superstar lies in turning browsers into buyers, says Shane Decker.
HAVE YOU EVER bought anything on a lark?…

July 2005
To The Moon
That guy in the t-shirt and ratty jeans might just be your next big sale, says Shane Decker. So don’t blow it!
I DON’T LIKE to dress up on the weekends.…

August 2005
This Is Cool
Expensive carpet and luxurious display cases do not make a cool store, says Shane Decker. Amazing people do.
IN MY CAREER, I’ve been fortunate enough to have visited over 3,000 jewelry stores, and I’ve seen lots of cool ones.…

September 2005
Men’s Way
It’s easy to find out what your male customers want, as long as you ask the right questions, says Shane Decker.
YOUR AVERAGE MALE customer wants to be in your store for 20 minutes.…

October 2005
Pay Right
How should you compensate your sales staff? Shane Decker tells you how in the first of a two-part series.
WHEN YOU GO to buy a pair of tennis shoes, you have to figure out what you want.…

November 2005
Power Plan
Straight commission plans are risky, but lucrative. Shane Decker explains how to make yours work.
GOING WITH a straight commission compensation plan can be like being a power hitter in baseball: either you hit a home run, or you strike out.…

December 2005
Sloppy Joe
It’s easy to fall into bad habits in the midst of the Christmas chaos. Resist, says Shane Decker.
THE ONLY THING BUSIER than a one-legged cat in a litter box is a jewelry salesperson during the holiday selling season.…

January 2006
Confidence, Man
Hey, all you salespeople who act like you don’t have the right to ask for the sale! Shane Decker has something to tell you.
WOULD YOU SHOP in a store that sells a product you have absolutely no interest in?…

February 2006
Know Return
Customers are getting real smart, real fast. To increase your sales, you’ve got to do the same, says Shane Decker.
DURING MY TRAVELS around the country, I find someone in every store challenging the sales team.…

March 2006
Measure Up
Are your salespeople making you money? Shane Decker tells you the different metrics that will make the answer clear.
STUDENTS MEASURE themselves by their grades. Throughout our lives, we’re taught to evaluate ourselves continuously in an effort to improve. Why, then, don’t more jewelers track their selling performance?…

April 2006
The Big Lie
Customers will always tell you they’re just looking. Don’t fall for it, says Shane Decker.
YOU PROBABLY HEAR IT every day - “I’m just looking.” The worst part is, many salespeople actually believe it when customers say it to them.…

May 2006
Happy Time
Grumpy salespeople put a frown on Shane Decker’s face, and can kill your store’s sales.
I DON’T SHOP very often. But when I do, I go with my wife, and we want to have fun. That’s why it really burns me up when I meet grumpy salespeople.…

June 2006
Traffic Jam
Sales are stable, but you’d like to see more customers coming in? Shane Decker can help.
LATELY IT SEEMS that everywhere I go, I hear the same thing from jewelry-store owners: “Traffic is down!” That may be true, but jewelry sales continue to rise. Why?…

July 2006
Escape the Net
Consider e-tailers worthy adversaries, with a weakness, says Shane Decker.
IS THERE A JEWELRY salesperson in the country who doesn’t cringe when they hear the words, “I’ve been looking on the Internet...”?…

August 2006
Genuine Cool
The best store design in the world won’t offset lame staff. Shane Decker lists the four things your sales associates must get right.
ROME WASN’T BUILT in a day. And neither are cool stores.…

September 2006
Yule Rules
Everyone makes money during the holidays. But by making the right preparations, you’ll earn so much more.
MY ADVICE for the upcoming holiday selling season can be summed up in two words: managers prepare.…

October 2006
Technical Foul
Smart salespeople know when to shut up, says Shane Decker.
KNOWLEDGE IS POWER. But as Spider-man says,“With great power comes great responsibility.” And that’s never more true than when you’re on a jewelry sales floor.…

November 2006
Holiday Best
With the holidays nearly here, Shane Decker provides you with the keys to a king-sized selling season.
DURING THE HOLIDAYS, opportunities abound. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t take advantage of each and every one. How can you stay on your toes and at the top of your game?…

January 2007
Find the Why
It’s great to romance the product, but, Shane Decker says, it’s more important to have an interest in their special event.
IN TODAY’S reality-TV world, jewelry is the feel-good sitcom of retail. Unlike insurance and auto sales, which depend more on cold, hard facts, jewelry sales are based on feelings and emotion.…

February 2007
Better Deal
Shane Decker helps you fight the discounter down the street with reasoning about prices your customers are sure to understand.
“I CAN GET IT for 40 percent off down the street.” Next time you hear this, I want you to do something for me — instead of being defensive, remember that you’re an independent jeweler.…

March 2007
Set the Stage
It’s up to owners and managers to get their sales teams to role-play and practice their sales skills, says Shane Decker.
MARCH MADNESS ‹ THAT’S what they call the playoffs in men’s college basketball. But as crazy as the games can be, the players and coaches involved aren’t nutty. They know that in order to achieve their goals, they have to practice against each other.…

April 2007
Buck Stops Here
Shane Decker sorts out the chain of personal accountability.
ACCOUNTABILITY: IT’S COME to be a dirty word that no one wants to hear. People don’t like to think about having to answer to anyone ‹ or having to hold anyone to his promises. But maintaining accountability could turn your store’s business around.…

May 2007
Manage to Win
Strong leadership means making sacrifices, warns Shane Decker.
KNOW ANYONE who is a better salesperson than you? If you’re a sales manager, your answer should be: “Yes, and they’re working for me.”…

June 2007
On Your Time
Shane Decker shows you how to spend your own time wisely.
HOW OFTEN DO you go to your store with a list of things to get done, but at the end of the day, even though you were busy all day long, none of the things on your list were accomplished?…

July 2007
Sell Sweet
You have 30 seconds to make the right impression, says Shane Decker.
HAS ANYTHING LIKE this ever happened to you? You walk into a store and you’re greeted by someone in the back doing busy work. He doesn’t get up.…

August 2007
Low-cost Cool
Make yours a cool store with a few good ideas, says Shane Decker.
WITH ENOUGH MONEY, anyone can build a cool-looking store. But it takes ingenuity, innovation and good old-fashioned elbow grease to provide the type of services that will keep customers coming back again and again.…

September 2007
Rare Earth
Shane Decker tells you why diamonds are way under-priced. (Part 1 of 2 — back by popular demand from April 2005)
NO MATTER WHO YOU ARE, where your store is, or how closely you guard your margins, you should be making more money on diamonds. Why?…

October 2007
True Value
Shane Decker explains why diamonds are cheap. (Part 2 of 2 — back by popular demand from May 2005)
YOUR CUSTOMERS NEED to comprehend one unassailable fact: Diamonds are a bargain at today’s prices.…

November 2007
20 Questions
Answer “yes” to every one of these after each sale, says Shane Decker.
DURING THE HOLIDAY season, we tend to “clerk” sales and skip over those little things in our presentation that mean the difference between making a single sale (or worse, walking the customer) and making a customer for life.…

December 2007
NO DECEMBER ARTICLE

January 2008
Repair Rewards
Shane Decker offers ways to wow customers with super repair service.
IF IT’S MORE important to you to make a customer than a sale, you may be missing out on golden opportunities every day — your repair customers.…

February 2008
Walk Hard
Don’t let that 40-something leave, warns Shane Decker.
ONE OF THE BIGGEST myths in jewelry retailing is that we win customers for life when they purchase their engagement rings. Sure, they may buy a wedding set and some pearl earrings.…

March 2008
Get Schooled
Create your own store university for employees, says Shane Decker.
BENJAMIN FRANKLIN ONCE said, “Genius without education is like silver in the mine.” He could just as easily have been referring to dollars in customers’ pocketbooks that never make it into the cash register of your store.…

April 2008
Halfway Selling
Your job’s not done after a customer agrees to buy, says Shane Decker.
ANY COACH WILL tell you that you can’t run your fastest for only half the race and expect to win. Only the athletes who run all the way through the finish line reach the pinnacle of success. The same holds true for jewelry sales.…

May 2008
Go for it: Take the Initiative
Acting defensively will only hurt your chances of survival. Now is the time to start playing offense in your business mind-set.
I’VE READ THE reports. I know our nation’s economy is taking a beating. I know that competition from the Internet and chain stores means independent jewelry stores have to work harder for every dollar.…

June 2008
Make Your Lab a Sales Ally
Know when and how to use grading reports in your sales presentations. They can be a great partner, with the right kind of customer.
WHEN A CONSUMER calls an online diamond seller, chances are the person he’s talking to has never worked in a jewelry store. Chances are that phone operator has never taken a GIA course or even seen the diamonds he’s talking about.…

July 2008
Overrule Those Pesky Price Objections
When you show confidence in the price and knowledge about the product the customer will be more confident he’s getting what he’s paying for.
NOT ALL PRICE objections are created equal....Pay attention to the inflection. Then decide on the best way to handle the objection.…

August 2008
Cast Four Types Now
One person can’t do it all. Strive to achieve managerial harmony in your store by ensuring you have four distinct personalities on your staff.
WHEN IT COMES to your store, there are four roles that must be played, and you need to have the right personalities assigned.…

September 2008
Stick to Your Prices with Grace
Hold firm on those prices and still close more sales by offering customers options. You’ll earn respect and trust from your clientele.
“ALL MY CUSTOMERS care about is price.” Sound familiar? In all my years of working with jewelers, I don’t think I’ve heard a more commonly used excuse for low sales or low profitability, or both.…

October 2008
Don’t Give up on Second-Chance Sales
Reconnecting with your prospect helps make the initial sale, and it could create a customer for life.
MANY BASKETBALL GAMES are won or lost on second-chance points. A player shoots and misses, but instead of giving up, he follows his own shot and puts the ball back into the hoop.…

November 2008
Find the Truth Behind the “No”
“No” is often the first answer on the way to “yes.”
WHAT WOULD HAPPEN if police detectives gave up on a case just because their first lead didn’t pan out? We’d have a lot more criminals roaming our streets. The great detectives know that the solution is out there, and it just takes asking the right questions to uncover it.…

December 2008
NO DECEMBER ARTICLE

January 2009
Always Be Selling Yourself
You are a sales army of one. Never forget that.
WHEN ANY CUSTOMER comes into your store, you must sell three things: your product, your company and yourself. The hardest of these to sell is yourself, but it’s absolutely necessary to cultivate repeat business and referrals.…

February 2009
Spread Your Praise out Loud
Make yourself the all-time favorite manager of your employees.
WHOEVER CAME UP with the concept of jumbo shrimp? Or white chocolate? Sometimes, things just weren’t meant to go together. And the worst of these is constructive criticism.…

March 2009
Cultivate an Environment for Impulse Buys
Assume that every customer is a millionaire and that she can afford to buy whatever she wants.
THE ECONOMY IS going to do whatever it’s going to do. All you can control is the shopping experience you offer your customers. Salespeople everywhere are becoming jaded and demotivated by the news, and that’s resulting in lost sales.…

April 2009
Ramp Those Closing Ratios
Imagine if your salespeople could close three of every four sales.
CLOSING RATIO IS everything. How much money you make, how you pay your salespeople, the experience your customers receive and their loyalty to your store - all of these depend on your closing ratio. Want to know the crazy part?…

May 2009
Build the Perfect Team
Identify your staff's strengths and make sure everyone is reading from the same playbook.
THE GREATEST SPORTS teams are comprised of players who play their position with strength, and understand they are part of team.…

Jun 2009
Don't Ask about Price
Give the customer-and yourself-the freedom that comes with an undefined budget.
LOVE IS RECESSION-PROOF. And even in today's economy, buying decisions are not always about price.…

September 2009
Add on to Your Sales
Bring back the age-old paper receipt, and start making more add-on sales.
COMPUTERS - I LOVE 'em and I hate 'em. Unfortunately, computers can also be sale-killers. Let me explain.…

October 2009
Think Fast, Then React
Analyze your presentation while the customer is still in front of you and your closing ratio will go up.
YOU'VE REACHED THE end of your presentation. You think you've done everything right. But the customer must not agree, because you're not able to close the sale.…

November 2009
Feed Them By Hand
If everyone knows the right-hand rule, your closing ratio stands to increase 50 percent or more.
THE SITUATION: YOU'VE got a customer looking at two different items. He's undecided. "I love them both. I can only buy one of these, but I can't make up my mind," he says. What do you do?…

December 2009
Don't Sound Like a Car Dealer
Stop Negotiating. But if you have to, abide by these six rules.
YOU'RE NOT SELLING used cars, so don't sound like it. The words "we'll give you a discount" or "we'll make you a good deal" should never cross the lips of a jewelry professional.…

January 2010
The Power of the Loupe
Give your customers a loupe, and they may just give you the sale.
LET'S SAY YOU gave a stellar diamond presentation to a soon-to-be-engaged couple. You have the ring they want, the diamond they want, and the price is right, but they say they want to shop around for other diamonds. In other words, they're getting ready to walk. Tell them.…

February 2010
Go Ahead, Interrupt Me
Here's a sales technique that could sell you hundreds more diamonds.
THIS MONTH, I'M going to explain a technique I've used to sell hundreds of diamonds to customers who didn't come in looking for one. It's called the Interruption Technique.…