Lab-GrownMay 20, 2026
Savannah Friedkin Jewelry Names New CEOFormer Stephanie Gottlieb Fine Jewelry executive Morgan P. Richardson is joining the lab-grown diamond jewelry brand.
IndependentsAug 27, 2019
Coach’s Corner: Calling All Managers
The Jewelry Coach Pat Henneberry shares a half-dozen tips for in-store sales training as the holiday season creeps closer.
Pat Henneberry is president of consulting and sales training company The Jewelry Coach. Reach her at 512-203-3414, via PatHenneberry.com or by emailing her.
It’s been awhile since I’ve focused on helping store managers in my column; sorry.
As we start to creep toward the holidays, you should start thinking about your store’s training sessions and getting your sales team warmed up for the selling season.
Here are some tips to help you do just that because, as with any talent, even naturally adept salespeople need to hone their skills through consistent sales training.
Here are a few tips for educating and developing your sales force.
1. Listen to Your Customers
My experience has been that the best salespeople aren’t the best talkers; they’re actually the most effective listeners.
An effective salesperson carefully listens to the customer’s needs to really identify with them. It’s important to remind your sales team it’s not always about telling the customer everything you know; it’s more about letting the customer tell you everything they know.
2. Use E-Learning to Educate
If your sales team doesn’t know your product front to back, even the best listeners will fall short in closing a sale.
Salespeople need to understand product details to boost their confidence when selling, especially new recruits. With sufficient product training, they can identify specific customer issues and understand product details well enough to position them as the perfect solution.
This is where e-learning comes in handy.
E-learning is available 24/7. It allows sales teams to brush up on their product knowledge on the go.
Through online videos and modules, you can also track progress to ensure that everyone has viewed the necessary materials. Ask your vendors that offer e-learning to give you training reports for your staff (it’s easy for them to do this.)
Make it a requirement for your team to refresh their product knowledge with different vendors. This is an easy way for you as a manager to keep your team fresh on knowledge and up-to-date on products. Have your sales team come to a meeting ready to give you a report on what they’ve learned.
In this day and age every vendor should, or be preparing to, offer e-learning. If not, have them call me … yes, this is a plug for me: PatHenneberry.com.
3. Keep Your Sales Meeting Short
Like many people, salespeople can’t retain a huge amount of information at one time. Keep training short and consistent with “sound bites” of information.
I love TED Talks, as they exhibit micro-learning at its finest. Various industry professionals
Editors' Picks
Sponsored by
and thought leaders discuss a variety of topics to teach and inspire in digestible 15-minute increments.
Incorporating this method into training your salespeople will keep them engaged and help you deliver new information they’ll actually retain.
Remember: Your vendors have a lot of content for training available for you. Just ask them for it.
4. Reward, Reward, Reward
Salespeople are driven by goals, probably more so than other employees. Rewarding them can be simple.
An effective sales training technique is to tell your team members they are doing a good job.
Always use specifics to make these successes tangible and more meaningful. When you see something simple someone has done that is helpful, let them know.
It doesn’t have to always be about the end goal or number. Letting a salesperson know you appreciate something they’ve done, or a simple “good job,” can make all the difference in the world to someone.
Many times, that’s when you see a shift in attitude.
5. Feedback
Don’t forget to give feedback to your sales team.
The most effective feedback is when it’s just happened. Listen in on a customer sale and give feedback right after the customer leaves the store. It’s the most effective real-world training and coaching.
Feedback needs to be fresh and the salesperson can reflect on the experience.
6. Share Success Stories
According to the National Business Research Institute, employee attitude affects 40-80 percent of customer satisfaction, and the study of one retail giant revealed that a 1-point increase in employee engagement led to a $200,000 increase in monthly sales per store.
High employee engagement and morale has a direct impact on the bottom line. Sharing mutual successes also instills a sense of unity in your salespeople and encourages them to work harder and smarter.
When I was strictly in diamond sales I would do “the diamond dance.”
Once I sealed the deal on a sale I would look at my business partner, Mike Mojica, and say, “I am doing the diamond dance!” I’d get up and dance around the office. It was my celebration.
Make sure you celebrate all your sales! I will be in a lot of your stores this fourth quarter and expect to see some diamond dances.
And I bet National Jeweler Editor-in-Chief Michelle Graff would love for you to send her some quick videos of your diamond dance at your stores. Let’s see who has the best moves; I’m totally serious about this!
Last Word
Providing reassurance to your sales team through recognition instills confidence and fosters natural skills in the sales arena. Couple that with frequent, flexible and manageable product education and short sales meetings, and you’ll take your team from great listeners to selling superstars.
See you in your stores!
Pat Henneberry is president of consulting and sales training company The Jewelry Coach and an advocate for natural diamonds. Reach her at 512-203-3414, via her website, or on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.
Incorporating this method into training your salespeople will keep them engaged and help you deliver new information they’ll actually retain.
Remember: Your vendors have a lot of content for training available for you. Just ask them for it.
4. Reward, Reward, Reward
Salespeople are driven by goals, probably more so than other employees. Rewarding them can be simple.
An effective sales training technique is to tell your team members they are doing a good job.
Always use specifics to make these successes tangible and more meaningful. When you see something simple someone has done that is helpful, let them know.
It doesn’t have to always be about the end goal or number. Letting a salesperson know you appreciate something they’ve done, or a simple “good job,” can make all the difference in the world to someone.
Many times, that’s when you see a shift in attitude.
5. Feedback
Don’t forget to give feedback to your sales team.
The most effective feedback is when it’s just happened. Listen in on a customer sale and give feedback right after the customer leaves the store. It’s the most effective real-world training and coaching.
Feedback needs to be fresh and the salesperson can reflect on the experience.
6. Share Success Stories
According to the National Business Research Institute, employee attitude affects 40-80 percent of customer satisfaction, and the study of one retail giant revealed that a 1-point increase in employee engagement led to a $200,000 increase in monthly sales per store.
High employee engagement and morale has a direct impact on the bottom line. Sharing mutual successes also instills a sense of unity in your salespeople and encourages them to work harder and smarter.
When I was strictly in diamond sales I would do “the diamond dance.”
Once I sealed the deal on a sale I would look at my business partner, Mike Mojica, and say, “I am doing the diamond dance!” I’d get up and dance around the office. It was my celebration.
Make sure you celebrate all your sales! I will be in a lot of your stores this fourth quarter and expect to see some diamond dances.
And I bet National Jeweler Editor-in-Chief Michelle Graff would love for you to send her some quick videos of your diamond dance at your stores. Let’s see who has the best moves; I’m totally serious about this!
Last Word
Providing reassurance to your sales team through recognition instills confidence and fosters natural skills in the sales arena. Couple that with frequent, flexible and manageable product education and short sales meetings, and you’ll take your team from great listeners to selling superstars.
See you in your stores!
Pat Henneberry is president of consulting and sales training company The Jewelry Coach and an advocate for natural diamonds. Reach her at 512-203-3414, via her website, or on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn.
More on Independents
The Latest
Events & AwardsMay 20, 2026
Here Is Couture’s 2026 Education Lineup The sessions will run from Friday, May 29, to Sunday, May 31, with one being a live taping of an episode of Couture’s podcast.
CrimeMay 20, 2026
NYPD Warns of Jewelry Swap Scams Targeting SeniorsThe NYPD is warning elderly New Yorkers to keep their jewelry hidden when walking outside to avoid being a target.
Brought to you by
How Modern Training Is Becoming a Competitive Advantage for Jewelry RetailersWith the trade and customer trust in mind, GIA® developed NextGem™ – on-demand training designed specifically for retail.
WatchesMay 19, 2026
Here’s the AP x Swatch Pocket Watch That Caused PandemoniumThe $400 pocket watch is a blend of Audemars Piguet’s iconic eight-sided Royal Oak and Swatch’s unserious Pop watches from the ‘80s.
Weekly QuizMay 14, 2026
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
CollectionsMay 19, 2026
Chris Ploof’s New Collection Makes an Ancient Medal ModernWith gold prices on the rise, the “Modern Electrum” collection uses an alternative, non-tarnishing metal alloy composed of gold and silver.
ColumnistsMay 19, 2026
Peter Smith: The (Mostly) Immutable Sales TruthsIn a column for the 2026 State of the Majors issue, Smith lists 10 time-tested principles about sales that still ring true.
Brought to you by
Discover Timeless Treasures: A Showcase of Antique Jewelry & Timepieces in Las VegasGain access to the most exclusive and coveted antique pieces from trusted dealers during Las Vegas Jewelry Week.
ColumnistsMay 18, 2026
Edahn Golan: What a K-Shaped Economy Means for Fine JewelryIn a column for the 2026 State of the Majors issue, Golan spells out how the growing economic divide in the U.S. is reshaping the market.
CollectionsMay 18, 2026
Foundrae’s New Collection Taps Into JoyThe “Limitless Expansion of Joy and Hope” collection evokes summer through colored gemstones and motifs of butterflies and florals.
CollectionsMay 18, 2026
Hancocks London Acquires Historic ‘Inchiquin’ EmeraldThe jewel, circa 1890, is from the late Victorian era and was owned by descendants of the last high king of Ireland.
Events & AwardsMay 18, 2026
Here Are the 2026 JCK Industry Fund Grant Recipients This is what the nine recipients plan to do with the funds.
AuctionsMay 15, 2026
American Collector Ponies Up Almost $17K for John Wayne’s RingThe Western star’s 14-karat gold signet ring sold for six times its low estimate following a bidding war at U.K. auction house Elmwood’s.
Events & AwardsMay 15, 2026
JA, MJSA To Sponsor Roundtable at TJSThe discussion, "Rebuilding the Jewelry Workforce," will take place on Saturday, May 16, in Troy, Michigan.
SourcingMay 15, 2026
State of Diamonds: The Way Forward for Natural DiamondsThe jewelry industry is reassessing its positioning as Gen Z reshapes the retail landscape and lab grown continues to gain market share.
AuctionsMay 14, 2026
White Diamonds Lead Sotheby’s Auction, Blue Diamond Does Not SellA matching pair of 18.38-carat, D-color diamonds from Botswana’s Jwaneng mine sold for $3.3 million, the top lot of the jewelry auction.
Supplier BulletinMay 14, 2026
A Diamond Is Forever Continues Desert Diamonds – Bridal ReinvigoratedSponsored by A Diamond Is Forever
SourcingMay 14, 2026
State of Colored Stones: The Spirit of Young American Gemstone CuttersThe next generation of lapidarists are entrepreneurial, engaged online, and see the craft as a means for artistic expression.
AuctionsMay 14, 2026
‘Ocean Dream’ Makes Waves at Christie’s, Fetching $17MIt was the second auction appearance for the fancy vivid blue-green diamond, which sold for $7.8 million at Christie’s Geneva 12 years ago.
CrimeMay 14, 2026
Second Man Arrested in Florida Pawn Shop Shooting Members of the U.S. Marshals Task Force took a 22-year-old man into custody. He was charged with tampering with evidence.
CrimeMay 13, 2026
JSA’s 2025 Crime Report Shows ‘Concerning’ Rise in ViolenceWhile the overall number of crimes was down, there were more incidences in which robbers pulled out guns, mace, or rammed cars into stores.
IndependentsMay 13, 2026
New Orleans Jeweler Closing Canal Place StoreJack Sutton Fine Jewelry is closing its store inside the downtown shopping center after 40 years in business.
SourcingMay 13, 2026
Smithsonian Acquires ‘Winston Red’ Diamond PaintingReena Ahluwalia’s painting of the rare red diamond is the first contemporary painting to join the National Gem Collection.
TrendsMay 13, 2026
State of Design: Only the Innovative Will SurviveThe price of gold has risen, affecting the number of pieces designers make, the materials they use, and how they position themselves.
ColumnistsMay 12, 2026
It’s Official: We’re Getting ‘Brain Rot’ From Watching Short-Form Videos Peter Smith gives tips on leading meetings, developing marketing, and making trade show appointments in the age of short attention spans.
CollectionsMay 12, 2026
Jessica McCormack Debuts Antique Coin-Inspired Medallions for SummerThe 11-piece “Medallions” capsule collection features five motifs: a crying eye, a heart on fire, a spiral, a flower, and a swallow.
IndependentsMay 12, 2026
State of Retail: 6 Things Retailers Should Know About Consumers TodayFrom Gen Z’s view of luxury to “doom spending,” these are the six consumer trends to note this year.
