How To Persuade People That Selling You Their Jewelry Is One Of The Wisest Moves They Can Make.
By Hans Kracauer – Executive Creative Director (Copy) – The Idea Factory
Yes, the bad news is that the economy seems to have plunged straight into the cellar.
But the good news is that the economy seems to have plunged straight into the cellar.
Good news? Absolutely — if you happen to be a jewelry retailer. Because, very frankly, this can be a period of tremendous opportunity for you. People that possess jewelry are no different from anyone else. They’re very jittery about the future. And if they own gold or diamonds or precious heirlooms of any kind, they may be readier than ever to convert their treasure into cash. Let’s not mince words. Their state of mind could eventually turn into an extraordinary bonanza for you.
Getting down to — you should excuse the expression — brass tacks.
Okay then. Once you’ve hit on a “now’s the time to sell your jewelry” advertising strategy …how do you effectively persuade potential sellers to come to you?
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Actually, there are a number of ways. However, each is inextricably bound to a single critical element: branding yourself as one of your area’s finest, most trustworthy jewelers. Perhaps you’re already known as that. But in any event, it’s a point that needs to be stressed directly or indirectly in all your advertising.
Here then — very briefly — are some proven strategies to persuade jewelry sellers to beat a path to your door.
# An ad campaign that features personal testimonials from past clients. These clients will laud your jewelry expertise. They’ll express their profound satisfaction about every aspect in their dealings with you. From the very fair price you offered … to the courtesy with which they were treated ….to the speed with which they were paid.
# A series of ads that feature a picture of yourself. In fact, that picture of you is the dominant visual. The headline should be in the first person. Direct and simple. You want to buy jewelry. You’re prepared to pay the highest prices for silver, gold and diamonds. You’re particularly interested in estate jewelry. You sign your name to the statement. The fact that you’re featuring yourself testifies to the seriousness of your purpose. It will instill a strong sense of confidence in your prospects. They’ll get the feeling that dealing with you is going to be a rewarding, personal experience. This is also a smart form of branding.
# Care to think slightly outside the box? Here’s another strategy. First target a wealthy area. Then make an arrangement with a jeweler operating in that area. Inform the jeweler that you want to run a series of full page newspaper ads. These ads will announce that for a 3-day period the very highest prices will be paid for all jewelry that’s brought in. You’ll offer to (a) pay for the newspaper ads yourself and (b) give the jeweler a percentage of every business transaction. This is a tactic that has proven highly profitable. Naturally, it pre-supposes you have a strong grasp of the underlying economics and that you possess the resources to underwrite the venture.
# Of course, you can pretty much do the same thing without involving another jeweler. You simply rent a local hotel suite. That has obvious advantages and drawbacks. Overall, however, you can still rake in some very handsome earnings for yourself.
# This is an oldie but a goodie. Direct mail. It requires that you first get hold of a list. Specifically one that contains the names and addresses of upper income households in your area. ( Remember — almost no upper income household today is exempt from fears of what the economy may hold in store for them.) You then create a letter targeting these households. You’ll point out — in the strongest terms — how little sense it makes to let their old jewelry sit in a drawer and gather dust. How much more sense it makes for them to come to your store and convert that jewelry into cold cash. Direct mail may not exactly be revolutionary — but even today it can work like gangbusters.
# By now, using the Internet as a sales tool hardly qualifies as news. However, the manner in which your website highlights your services can be vital to your bottom line. Here’s your chance to make your pitch in persuasive detail. You can support
your claim that you offer the very highest prices for jewelry with facts, figures and other relevant data. There’s nothing like a cleverly designed and worded website to turn uncommitted prospects into actual clients.
Hans Kracauer is one of the two founders (Vincent Conti being the other) of The Idea Factory, a consumer and business to business advertising agency based in New York. The Idea Factory pioneered ad campaigns for such noted jewelers as MHR Jewelers (the forerunner of today’s Circa) and Andrew & Peter Fabrikant. You can see representative samples of the campaigns by logging on to: theideafactory.biz.