Events & AwardsOct 17, 2025
An Edit of Italian Jewels Is Coming to NYCThe new showcase dedicated to Italian jewelry design is set for Oct. 29-30.
IndependentsJul 25, 2017
Squirrel Spotting: So, Foot Traffic is Down in Your Store …
Proactively driving more people through the doors is essential to improving conversion rates, Peter Smith says. Here’s how to do it.
Peter Smith has more than 30 years of experience building wholesale and retail sales teams. He currently is president of Vibhor Gems.
If you are a retailer who uses a door counter, you have likely witnessed a decline in foot traffic in recent months and years. If you do not have a door counter (please get one), you likely have sensed (never as good as actual data) that your traffic count has been in decline for some time.
I have long argued that the easiest way to grow your business is to convert more traffic into sales. If you currently convert one in three, you are walking seven of 10 people. Shifting just one of those seven into the sales column is a 33 percent increase in business.
If you have a two of 10 conversion rate at present and you shift one into the sale column, you will have grown your business by 50 percent.
While there are many factors involved in improving conversion rates--better hiring practices, more effective training, better measurement of current and developing metrics (there’s that door counter again), and clearer communication regarding expectations and progress--the following points address the need to cultivate a culture of proactively driving more people into your stores as an essential strategic initiative.
I will add as a proviso that if you are running a bad marketing program, spending more money on it will not give it the clarity or resonance that it might be lacking. Likewise, if you are not doing an effective job converting the traffic you do have, you are probably going to continue to struggle to convert even if you are successful in creating more foot traffic.
Structured outreach could well be a game-changer in your business. It is borderline criminal to have engaged in relationships with customers over the years only to let those customers stagnate. 
Note that there is no magic number for what constitutes an active customer list. Some might suggest that two to three years is the extent to how far they might go back. My own view on that is that there ought to be
different levels: perhaps zero to six months, six to 12 months, one to two years and a two-plus-year list.
Having multiple lists (and I’m not sure why you would not do so) requires an active management, as the goalposts continually move and as customers respond, positively, negatively or not at all.
Here are my thoughts on some of the questions you may want to discuss with your team if you don’t already have an active and well-managed customer outreach program.
1. Are you strategically working your customer list?
a. How old is the list?
b. At what purchase level are you engaging your past customers?
c. How is the list apportioned across the sales team?
--Do salespeople handle their own customers?
--Where do unassigned customers go?
2. Who manages/updates the customer lists?
a. Someone must own the job of cleaning the list. How often will they do this?
b. Are there different lists, such as current customers (last 12 months), mid-level (12 to 24 months), and older (24 months and above)?
3. Does your team have a daily goal of outgoing calls and/or emails?
a. How do you ensure the calls/emails are happening?
4. Is there a schedule to prepare for the week’s calls and to review results?
a. Is the manager sitting with the employees and discussing the plan?
b. Why are certain customers being targeted that week (special occasions)?
c. Are team members accountable for results?
5. What resources are made available to the salespeople to coach the calls/emails?
a. Is the manager providing good counsel and examples/role play?
b. Are you providing the time and space to get it done in an organized way?
6. What are the consequences for a salesperson who is non-responsive?
a. Is this a requirement of the job or not?
b. What happens to salespeople who don’t take it seriously?
7. Is that outreach interesting enough to entice a customer to visit?
a. Following up on a repair job
b. A reminder about getting prongs checked/cleaning
c. A reminder of an important occasion
d. An introduction to a special event
e. An introduction to a special sale
f. An introduction to a new brand or product launch
g. An invitation to a non-selling event in store (music, book signing, etc.)
8. What is the plan when a customer is non-responsive?
a. Do they get put on a different schedule? Mailings only? Removed?
9. Are successes shared with the team?
a. Success breeds success and it ought to be celebrated.
It is possible that the declining traffic in stores will reverse itself, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Strategically working your lists will improve your foot traffic, deliver a prequalified customer and improve sales conversion. It will also let your customers know that you value their past business and wish to continue to serve them ongoing.
The old adage that we don’t get to complain about our elected officials if we didn’t bother to vote works for customer outreach too. You can’t complain about declining traffic if you are passively waiting for people to walk through your door.
Peter Smith is president of Vibhor, a public speaker and author of “Sell Something” and “Hiring Squirrels.” He spent 30 years building sales teams in retail and wholesale and he can be contacted at dublinsmith@yahoo.com, peter@vibhorgems.com, or on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.
Having multiple lists (and I’m not sure why you would not do so) requires an active management, as the goalposts continually move and as customers respond, positively, negatively or not at all.
Here are my thoughts on some of the questions you may want to discuss with your team if you don’t already have an active and well-managed customer outreach program.
1. Are you strategically working your customer list?
a. How old is the list?
b. At what purchase level are you engaging your past customers?
c. How is the list apportioned across the sales team?
--Do salespeople handle their own customers?
--Where do unassigned customers go?
2. Who manages/updates the customer lists?
a. Someone must own the job of cleaning the list. How often will they do this?
b. Are there different lists, such as current customers (last 12 months), mid-level (12 to 24 months), and older (24 months and above)?
3. Does your team have a daily goal of outgoing calls and/or emails?
a. How do you ensure the calls/emails are happening?
4. Is there a schedule to prepare for the week’s calls and to review results?
a. Is the manager sitting with the employees and discussing the plan?
b. Why are certain customers being targeted that week (special occasions)?
c. Are team members accountable for results?
5. What resources are made available to the salespeople to coach the calls/emails?
a. Is the manager providing good counsel and examples/role play?
b. Are you providing the time and space to get it done in an organized way?
6. What are the consequences for a salesperson who is non-responsive?
a. Is this a requirement of the job or not?
b. What happens to salespeople who don’t take it seriously?
7. Is that outreach interesting enough to entice a customer to visit?
a. Following up on a repair job
b. A reminder about getting prongs checked/cleaning
c. A reminder of an important occasion
d. An introduction to a special event
e. An introduction to a special sale
f. An introduction to a new brand or product launch
g. An invitation to a non-selling event in store (music, book signing, etc.)
8. What is the plan when a customer is non-responsive?
a. Do they get put on a different schedule? Mailings only? Removed?
9. Are successes shared with the team?
a. Success breeds success and it ought to be celebrated.
It is possible that the declining traffic in stores will reverse itself, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Strategically working your lists will improve your foot traffic, deliver a prequalified customer and improve sales conversion. It will also let your customers know that you value their past business and wish to continue to serve them ongoing.
The old adage that we don’t get to complain about our elected officials if we didn’t bother to vote works for customer outreach too. You can’t complain about declining traffic if you are passively waiting for people to walk through your door.
Peter Smith is president of Vibhor, a public speaker and author of “Sell Something” and “Hiring Squirrels.” He spent 30 years building sales teams in retail and wholesale and he can be contacted at dublinsmith@yahoo.com, peter@vibhorgems.com, or on LinkedIn, Facebook or Twitter.
More on Independents
The Latest
TrendsOct 17, 2025
Piece of the Week: Judi Powers Jewelry’s ‘Stella’ EarringsTake a gaze at the sky with this pair of platinum diamond-set star earrings with blue lace agate drops.
AuctionsOct 16, 2025
Sotheby’s Introduces Custom Jewelry ServiceThe new high jewelry design and production process takes 30 days or less from concept to completion, the auction house said.
Brought to you by
Protect Your Customers and Your BusinessYou deserve to know what you are selling–to protect your customers as well as your business and your reputation.
MajorsOct 16, 2025
Oscar Heyman’s Holiday Catalog Is Out, and It’s SpectacularThe holiday catalog for 2025 features never-before-seen images of more than 100 one-of-a-kind masterpieces.
Weekly QuizOct 16, 2025
This Week’s QuizTest your jewelry news knowledge by answering these questions.
CollectionsOct 16, 2025
Foundrae Adds To ‘United in Love’ CollectionThe brand has released a second installment of its collection of traditional and non-traditional commitment heirlooms.
IndependentsOct 15, 2025
Retailer Hall of Fame 2025: Kathy CoreyCorey rescued New England chain Day’s Jewelers, preserving its legacy with strong people skills, pragmatism, and a “get-it-done” attitude.
Brought to you by
JA New York Fall Is Right Around the CornerThe upcoming show provides savvy retailers with the opportunity to stock their cases with best sellers in advance of the holiday season.
CrimeOct 15, 2025
Men Receive Lengthy Prison Sentences for 2023 Murder of Colorado JewelerCharles Robinson Shay was sentenced to life in prison plus 120 years while his accomplice, Michael James McCormack, got 75 years.
Events & AwardsOct 15, 2025
‘Douriean Fletcher: Jewelry of the Afrofuture’ Opens at MADThe Museum of Arts and Design's new exhibition features 75 pieces by the designer, best known for her work in the “Black Panther” films.
Events & AwardsOct 15, 2025
JCK, Luxury to Debut New Watch Section in Vegas Next YearTimepieces at Luxury will take place at The Venetian and, like Luxury, will be invitation-only for the first two days.
AuctionsOct 15, 2025
Christie's Announces New Jewelry Department LeadershipThe auction house named a new global head of jewelry, as well as a new head of the jewelry department for the Americas.
IndependentsOct 14, 2025
Retailer Hall of Fame 2025: Tom DixonAs chairman of Schwanke-Kasten Jewelers, Tom Dixon has been tasked with honoring the past and shaping the future of the family-run store.
Events & AwardsOct 14, 2025
Here Are the Winners of the BIJC, JA ‘Emerging Jewelers’ Grant Katty Villapando Lyte and Mica Rencher received a $10,000 grant for their business, Shimmer Culture LLC.
IndependentsOct 14, 2025
Day’s Jewelers Crafts Custom Jewelry for No.1 NBA Draft Pick Cooper FlaggThe parents of the Dallas Mavericks rookie bought their engagement ring at a Day’s store in Bangor, Maine, in 1997.
SourcingOct 14, 2025
Pragnell Debuts Kitulo Garnet Jewelry The UK-based brand sourced the gemstones, which are fully traceable, from an artisanal mining community in Tanzania.
CollectionsOct 10, 2025
Count Down to the Holidays With Astrid & Miyu’s Advent CalendarsThe trio of Advent calendars include a version with 18-karat gold and lab-grown diamond jewelry in a red lacquer jewelry box.
CollectionsOct 10, 2025
Piece of the Week: Marla Aaron’s ‘Nymphenburg Lock’Created in collaboration with Nymphenburg Porcelain, the lock is part of a four-piece collection that took two years to bring to fruition.
MajorsOct 10, 2025
Frederick Goldman Names New VP of SalesJewelry industry veteran Alisa Bunger has taken on the role.
SourcingOct 09, 2025
Feriel Zerouki Is Leaving De Beers The company and industry leader’s two-decade tenure with De Beers will come to a close at the end of the month.
AuctionsOct 09, 2025
This Fabergé Egg Could Crack $27M At Auction“The Winter Egg” set the world auction record for a Fabergé piece twice at previous Christie’s sales.
MajorsOct 09, 2025
Sy Kessler Buying Watch Batteries as Silver Hits Record High The company will pay 1.5x silver’s current spot price for each pound of silver oxide batteries submitted.
CollectionsOct 09, 2025
Katkim Launches First Men’s CollectionThe line includes a “Shadow” series crafted exclusively for the new men’s offering and reimagined styles from the brand’s core collections.
SourcingOct 09, 2025
Gemfields’ Mini Mixed-Quality Ruby Auction Garners $11MThe rough on offer was recovered from a newer area at the Montepuez mine.
SourcingOct 08, 2025
In ‘Storied Diamond,’ Jared Jewelers Is Emphasizing the Journey The retailer’s new collection of engagement rings and fashion jewelry is set with natural diamonds that are traceable via blockchain.
CollectionsOct 08, 2025
Emily P. Wheeler Shifts Into Neutral for Latest ‘Ombré’ CollectionThe champagne colorway in her newest “Ombré” collection combines white and trendy brown diamonds, a departure from her usual vibrant hues.
CollectionsOct 08, 2025
Tsuba Designs Inspire Monica Rich Kosann’s New CharmsKosann partnered with the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, to create a set of necklaces inspired by the artwork on samurai sword handguards.
