How to Instantly Increase Your Jewelry Sales
by up to 70%

by Gary Capps, guest author on Wire-Sculpture.com

Now I realize that this is a bold headline.

Can it really be true?

Is it really possible that you can increase the sales of your jewelry by up to 70% instantly?

Well the answer is yes, and I’m going to explain to you a head-slapping simple sales technique that can help you do just that.

Before I do that I just want to take a second to introduce myself to the readers of the Wire-Sculpture.com blog.

My name is Gary Capps and I am the owner and creator behind Bead Manager Pro Jewelry Software. Over the last 5 years we have been helping jewelry artisans just like you to create profitable jewelry businesses.

I’ve been lucky enough to work with hundreds of people during that time and get insight into the ins and outs of what works and what doesn’t work to help coach those people to make a success of their passion.

Last year we became good friends with some of the great team at Wire-Sculpture.com and Rose asked me if I would share some of the tips we’ve learnt over the last few years here on the blog.

Now I’m pretty sure most business owners would like to be able to increase their sales by 70% instantly, but it just doesn’t work in every business.

However, the great news is that this little gem of advice (excuse the pun) works perfectly in the home jewelry business.

This is so simple it’s brilliant; when I heard about it I was amazed by the simplicity yet full power of the way that a few little words could change a business.

That’s right: words.

You may be doing this already, selling one item for $30 and two for $50, but what do you SAY when someone asks you the price.

Here’s the conversation most people have:

Customer: “How much is that necklace?”
You: “They’re $30 each, or you can buy two for $50.”
Customer: “Thanks, I’ll take that one.”

Now check out a new way of saying things:

Customer: “How much is that necklace?”
You: “They’re two for $50.”
Customer: “Ok, those two are nice, I’ll have them.”

Obviously this is a very simplified version of any potential conversation, but do you see the subtle difference?

Before, they were given a choice.

Now we are only giving them one option.

Do not underestimate this very tiny change in language.

By giving the customer the option to purchase two items the majority of the time, if a customer is already serious about making a purchase, they will upsell to two items.

If you think this sounds to simple you should know that McDonalds have added millions to their bottom line every year with this same basic strategy.

Think about it, you go to McDonald’s, order a burger and what do they say?

“Would you like fries with that?”

Those 6 simple words are literally worth millions and millions of dollars every year to McDonalds.

It’s the same basic sales principle that you can add to your jewelry-selling arsenal.

This is why I said it only works for some business; obviously, if you’re selling houses, the two-for-one offer doesn’t fly much, but when we’re looking at smaller impulse buying, this can have tremendous effect on your bottom line.

And of course if the customer says they only want one, well, there’s no law says that you shouldn’t just sell them one, but try to sell two at first.

Now preparation and setup for a show can help increase how this strategy will work, so let’s review some of the basics there.

Preparing For A Show:

To increase your chances of success even more using this very simple strategy lets take a look at how you prepare for your next craft show or home jewelry party and what you might make to help improve your double sales technique.

Think about the preparation ahead of time and plan what you are going to make and how you are going to display it.

Research the show and the type of audience that are going to be there.

One of the most important things you can do is ask the organizers for sales figures from last year’s show and what the average spend was.

This can be vital information because if you know that the average spend last year at the show you’re just about to attend was $50, and you are planning on trying to sell $200 pieces, you are likely to have a hard time.

Knowing this ahead of time you can create the right pieces at the right price point for the audience you are about to encounter.

To make the two-for-one sale strategy work even better try making matching sets of necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and rings.

If you get a customer at your booth who falls in love with your beautiful necklace that you have made that you’re selling for $30, how hard do you think it would be to upsell them to a matching pair of earrings for another $20?

Certainly nowhere near as hard as trying to sell them a completely separate piece.

But what about if you specialize in creating One-Of-A-Kind (OOAK) jewelry pieces with no matching sets?

Don’t worry, let’s look at setting up your displays and how you can help to increase your double sales odds by setting up the correct way.

How To Display Your Jewelry Pieces:

There’s normally a pretty typical way that that a lot of artisans will display their jewelry at shows and it’s not eye catching.

I’m sorry, but it’s true for so many.

How many shows have you been to where you lift things out of trays, dig underneath one bracelet to get to another, or everything’s just laying flat on a table so nothing catches your eye at all when you walk past?

Quite often I’d bet.

So take moment to set your stand up in a way that it catches your eye as you walk past.

If you have created matching sets, keep them together but elevate items off the table at different levels.

While a flat table looks beautiful, when you’re up close, because you can see everything at once, nothing catches your eye to start with to get customers there.

If you have OOAK pieces, keep them in groups, so your necklaces together, your earrings together, your bracelets together, etc.

That way when someone picks up one piece and asks how much it is, you’re ready to say “Those are two for $50″ straight away.

Set up at least one piece as a “Wow” centerpiece attention-grabber. You can use lights or mirrors to accentuate effects as well.

Make sure once you are done setting up that you walk away for at least 5 minutes to clear your brain, then come back and look at your stand from different angles.

• Does it catch your eye?
• Would you stop to look at that centerpiece there?
• How do the other stands look around you?
• Are they more eye catching?

You need to get people to your stand to be able to sell them anything, so having a centerpiece can just help to catch people’s eye and get the most basic transaction started: a smile.

Remember, a smile can lead to a conversation, which leads to questions and when they ask “How much?” now you know what to say: “Those are two for $50″!

So in final summary:

1. Most Important: Price two items into each sale transaction as a FIRST sale attempt. If you don’t get that, you can always come down to one item.
2. Know your market and price point, and be prepared for your next show.
3. Create the right pieces for your market.
4. Create a unique eye-catching display.
5. Take advantage of any interaction and SMILE.
6. Be genuine, honest, and helpful to your customers, they’ll appreciate it.

So give this a go at your next booth sale or jewelry party. Be confident in what you say and make sure you offer your customer assistance with their choice.

If you leave any comments or questions below I’ll do my best to answer them for you.

Happy Selling

Gary Capps
Bead Manager Pro Jewelry Software

Today’s the final day of our three-part investigation. Click on this short video clip to start reviewing the case

Click Here to Find Out About Today’s Huge Announcement!

P.S. – We hope that you’ve enjoyed this 3 part video series as much as we have! If you have some friends or family that also love making jewelry, be sure to pass along the video. They won’t want to miss out on this exclusive video series!

Love this video? Leave a comment below!

Is now a good time to buy gold?

It’s a question that many jewelry makers need answered, but it’s a hard question to consider.

As you know, the prices of precious metals fluctuate; many newspapers print the current prices of gold and silver by the ounce, and this is a great statistic to watch as a jewelry artist, especially an artist specializing in precious metal wire sculpting!

Gold and Silver Wire

The economy is one of the biggest factors affecting metal prices right now. With the cautious US economic recovery and the European economy, particularly Greece, affecting the value of the dollar and the euro, metal prices have been fluctuating for months. And that can get hard to keep track of!

Now, if watching Wall Street programs doesn’t sound as interesting as say, finding new patterns or photographing your finished work, don’t worry–we’re watching the prices of gold and silver for you!

You may remember that we’ve updated our wire pricing to reflect current market prices–so our wire prices on Sterling Silver wire and Gold Filled wire are consistently up-to-date to match the lowest available price per ounce! You can trust that Wire-Sculpture has the fairest price on gold filled wire for our wire wrapping artists, and today we have gold filled wire available as low as $0.54/foot! As you may know, all our gold filled wire is 14kt quality gold filled wire, and will never rub off like cheap plated wire. You and your customers deserve only the best!

And of course, if you’re a member of our Gold Club, you’ll always receive 25% off all your purchases, even gold filled and sterling silver wire–click here for more information!

Last week, market gold prices took a small dive, and we updated our prices accordingly–our gold filled wire was much lower than usual! That means this is a great time to buy gold wire for your jewelry making! However, with the volatile US economy, gold prices look like they’re on the way back up. Wall Street economists are expecting gold prices to come back up this week, so this looks like a great time to invest in some gold filled wire!

So check your wire stash and make sure you have enough gold filled wire to meet the demands of summer fairs and competitions, in addition to your own custom work or online store. Stock up now and beat the market on gold filled wire and sterling silver wire!

Stay Twisted-
Rose Marion
Wire-Sculpture.com

Dale here again– I receive many emails and questions through our Tip of the Day program asking questions about pricing, so I decided to address them in this article.

Please keep in mind that the following methods are not “set in stone,” as many people have their own formulas that work well for them. Rather, this is how both my personal students and I price our work. Note: none of us sell wholesale, as we are artists, not manufacturers.

Pricing is always the most difficult part of any art form, and jewelry is the hardest to determine, as there are so many ways to price. When you are making and selling jewelry in today’s economy, you may not be able to receive the compensation you fully deserve, but you should be able to survive if you price correctly for your area.

Most hobbyists (those who make pieces as a way to relax and to obtain a little extra cash) will take the price of their materials and multiply by 3. Weekend craft show warriors (who participate in shows close to home, so there is no added expense of hotels) often multiply the cost of their materials by 5. Many of my personal students will multiply their materials cost by 3 and then add a realistic hourly rate for their time, beginning at $10/hr. Please note, this time does not include any learning curve; rather, when you can make a piece without hesitation and no mistakes, that amount of time is what we charge for.

As you become more proficient with your skills, and the piece is made more quickly, then you are increasing your rate of pay per hour. Example: when beginning, an about-perfect bangle takes you 3 hours to create at $10/hr. Later, with experience, the same quality piece takes just an hour, and you have increased your rate of pay to $30/hr.

Of course, special pieces deserve special prices, such as a one-of-a-kind pendant or ring with the only stone “cut just like that,” for which you can ask whatever you like. If your one-of-a-kind piece sits in your case for a year and is well-behaved, it doesn’t eat anything, so it doesn’t matter if it sells immediately or not. If you set a special stone in a serious metal such as 14k or 18k, same scenario; I would just as soon not sell it than give it away.

To be able to sell your pieces in today’s “I want it for nothing” world, you need to get them out there. Here is the link to an article I wrote to give you ideas for sales venues: Where to Sell Your Wire Jewelry.

When displaying your work, no matter where, be sure divide your jewelry inventory into percentages of items priced according to the potential market.

For example, try having:

• 20% of your items priced from $20 and under (for example, headpin earrings or little bead rings, made with crystals or unusual gemstone beads like agates and jaspers)
• 30% priced from $48 to $25 (wrapped crystals, more elaborate earrings, regular cab pendants, etc)
• 30% priced from $85 to $48, and
• 20% priced specialty items from $90 and up.

It’s also smart to have a few designer pieces (priced wherever you want) to show just what you are capable of. Not only will these will attract higher-end customers, but also may catch the eye of gallery owners, etc.

Often, my specialty and designer pieces attract more sales because folks would really love to have one but can’t afford it at the time, so they purchase a lower priced item just so they can take a piece of my work home. I always have several of these customers return the following year, looking for me, because they are now ready for a special purchase or a custom order.

Unfortunately, there is no one, single pricing formula that will work for everyone. My advice is to test the waters to see what your potential customers are willing to pay, and go from there.

One last thing–don’t just give your pieces away! For example, someone attempts to convince you that the bracelet you have invested $30 worth of materials and 2 hours of your time in is not worth more than $35, and that you need to sell it to them! Don’t listen to that. Personally, I have had to remove items and put them in my pocket to end an occasional situation such as this.

Remember, Inspiration comes from every Where and every Thing!

-Dale/Cgr