The pieces in “Animali Tarallo” portray animals from stingrays to elephants through portraits and interpretations of their patterns.
How to Make Your Customer the Hero
The Jewelry Coach outlines 5 questions jewelers and their teams should contemplate to find out how to make a client, not the business or product, the focus of a sale.

Your customers no longer want just your product or service; being the best sales professional isn’t going to cut it.
They want to know who’s doing what, and why. In other words, they want your story--and you need a hero to tell it.
It’s tempting to make your business, or you (the sales associate), the hero of your story. We are the best jeweler in town, I have all my certifications and I can do a triathlon as I grade your diamond at the same time! Many businesses promote their owner or even the brands they carry more than focusing on their customer.
But what if your customer was the hero of your story? What if the benefits you provide took center stage?
Here are five questions to get your story started.
I recommend you sit down with your staff and walk through these questions together. Have someone take notes. It could be a very interesting exercise …
1. What is your hero’s (customer’s) power?
Something sets your hero apart from the supporting cast. They can do something unique that the others can’t. What do you help your customers do? What powers do you give that lifts them above their competition? Is it diamonds, watches, your services, what?
2. How did your hero (customer) become “super?”
Some superheroes are born; others get their powers from an extraordinary experience. In the story of your customer, there is a moment when they realized you were the answer they were looking for. Can you describe those moments? You have them everyday. Sit down with your store and find them.
3. What threatens your hero (customer)?
All heroes have a weakness. A flaw creates drama and anticipation: will it be our hero’s undoing? Your customers have weaknesses too; they’re only human. What’s stopping them reaching their full potential and how will you get them there?
4. What drives your hero (customer) to do good?
Superheroes gain their powers for a reason: to perform a greater good. They have an inner bell that chimes with your product or service. What is their driving force? Is it that you have been around for three generations? That you are locally owned? That you are on a local charity board that they donate to? What drives your customers to do good?
5. Who’s the bad guy?
A hero is only a hero if they have a villain with
There you have it--a hero in five simple steps.
If anything, I think this exsercise will generate some great conversation at your next store meeting.
Pat Henneberry is vice president of global learning and development at Hearts On Fire. She also is founder of The Jewelry Coach, a sales training community for jewelers. Reach her at pat@thejewelrycoach.com.
The Latest

Parent company Saks Global said the iconic location will be open through the holiday season as it decides what to do with the space.

Ronald Winston, son of Harry Winston, donated the diamonds to the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History in Washington, D.C.

Bench jewelers spend years honing their skills, Jewelers of America’s Certification validates their talents.

The virtual event will take place April 7 at 3 p.m.


The educational event will take place in Charlotte, North Carolina, this May.

The layoffs come amid the TV shopping channel’s efforts to restructure and focus on live shopping through social media.

Natural diamonds mean more than lab-grown, but when every cut is ideal, they all look the same. Customers want more—Facets of Fire delivers.

The debut event will take place in Miami’s Coconut Grove neighborhood this fall.

The roundtable will take place May 17 ahead of the trade show’s welcome dinner.

The “Peanuts x Monica Rich Kosann” collection features the comic strip’s classic vocabulary across 10 bracelet designs.

Three industry experts dive into the complexities of the material often marketed as an “ethical” alternative for metal in jewelry.

Diamonds are not only one of the most prominent gemstones, but the birthstone for those born in April.

The Utah-based company known for making wedding bands has acquired Doubloon Golf.

The longtime luxury executive led one of LVMH’s watch brands, TAG Heuer, for 12 years before taking over Bulgari in 2013.

Authorities said the robbers fled with jewelry and 70 Rolex watches, later taking pictures of themselves posing with big stacks of cash.

Lotus Gemology founder Richard W. Hughes has translated Heinrich Fischer’s 1880 book “Nephrit und Jadeit” from its original German.

The ring's design features contrasting lines influenced by work from architecture-inspired photographer Nikola Olic.

The Conference Board’s index fell as consumers continued to worry about the impact of tariffs, the labor market, and the price of eggs.

However, two medieval jewels surpassed estimates at Noonans Mayfair’s recent jewelry auction in London.

The Oscar-nominated actor debuted in the campaign for the new “Top Time B31” collection, which introduced Breitling’s Caliber B31.

The Congress is scheduled to take place May 19-22 in Brasilia, Brazil.

The “150 Art Deco” collection features a Miss America timepiece and a pocket watch from the brand’s Archive Series.

Alex Wellen, formerly CEO and president of MotorTrend Group, has taken on the role.

The Impact Initiative is part of the nonprofit association’s new three-year strategic plan.

The ruby and the sapphire, which Christie’s calls a “once-in-a-generation masterpiece,” are part of the upcoming Hong Kong jewelry auction.

The two pairs of earrings, snatched from a Tiffany & Co. store in Orlando, Florida, are valued at a combined $769,500.