Jewelers who go out of their way to not look like a repair shop are making a mistake in today’s experience-oriented retail environment, Jess Gendron writes.
Jess Gendron is a seventh-generation watchmaker and is the owner of Colorado Timeworks, a watch repair service center in Colorado Springs. He can be reached at cotimeworks@gmail.com.
The retail experience is a visual one. When people are in a buying frame of mind, they become very motivated visually. I know a watchmaker who is, at best, a mediocre repair person; his skills are just north of passable. But, he is the buzz of his town and has a steady stream of customers because he knows how to look the part.
His bench is right in line with the counters--yes, in the front of the store--and customers can watch him repairing watches, although not necessarily theirs. (Please note: Three sides of his bench are protected with Plexiglass so no shoppers get hurt.) People believe what they see.
I know that some of you might dismiss this out of hand, but the truth is that people regard repairmen they can see as more credible and highly skilled. Retailers who wear a loupe or visor will be quick to tell you that people who need something repaired naturally gravitate to the person who looks most qualified for the task, regardless of their actual skill level.
This is not to say that you should try to pull the wool over the eyes of your customers, so to speak. As a jewelry professional you should have the education to perform the tasks required by your customers. But you will give your customers that extra bit of confidence if they see that the person inspecting their watch or jewelry is doing so with magnification.
Sitting down at a well-outfitted bench in plain view to replace a battery or size a band makes a much better impression than letting your clerks turn their back on the customer to do the work on a disorganized countertop behind them. I’ve seen it, and I’ve cringed.
For too many years, retail jewelers have gone out of their way to not look like a repair shop. Some have even moved the most qualified person to the back room so they do not have any “unsightly” repairmen or the “shop look” messing up their retail space.
That might have been appropriate years ago but today online sellers (Amazon, et al.) have the ability to sell virtually everything that you have in your store--except SERVICE!!! And the demand for that service has never been greater.
So, in the immortal words of Max Bialystock, “Flaunt it, baby, flaunt
it.” Thirty inches of counter space (what a watch bench will take up) gets you miles of credibility in return.
If you have an old, ugly bench in your back room, a trip to the home improvement store will make it usable on your sales floor. Add some Formica and some spray glue, as well as some quarter-inch Plexiglass and decorative fastening corners, and you have a bench on the sales floor--next to the watch showcase, of course. This gives you increased credibility, even if no one ever works at it!
If you really can’t bear to give up 30 inches of showcase space, there are eBay sellers who stock small counter- or tabletop-sized watch repair benches, like the one pictured above. A few tools (e.g., case knife, Jaxa wrench, case press, battery cabinet) and a bit of education (you can begin that here) and you can look like the professional you are.
For those of you who simply cannot fathom the thought of having a repairperson/bench in the selling area, there is an excellent alternative.
Many of you have a diamond selling room; why not a repair selling room? This room can be as simple as a repair bench for simple jewelry and watch repairs, or expanded to include a computer-aided design area, David Geller’s price book, and mounting and findings books, as well as a waiting area for while-you-wait repairs with a monitor playing a commercial for all of your services.
Like the sales training masters say, “It’s always a good time to sell something!”
Jess Gendron is a seventh-generation watchmaker and is the owner of Colorado Timeworks, a watch repair service center in Colorado Springs. He can be reached at cotimeworks@gmail.com, and his website is Timeworks.biz.
Jess Gendronis a seventh-generation watchmaker and is the owner of Colorado Timeworks, a watch repair service center in Colorado Springs.
