Convincing customers through jewellery storytelling online

It is always wise for a seller to check his/her decision with higher-ups for confirmation. However, the same habit when done in excess, reduces the confidence and self-reliance of the staff. Maliram Jewellery House, Amritsar, decided to sort this issue two years ago through training.

Decision-making was the first aspect to focus on when the brand hired professional trainers for its, staff, said Arjun Kapoor, Managing Director, Maliram Jewellery House. “The training module was designed to make each staff aware of role and responsibilities. Before this initiative, employees used to approach the management or the owners for final decisions. Situations worsened as decisions got delayed when the top management was not inside the showroom. This called for radical improvement in staff efficiency,” Kapoor said.

Trainers also enhanced the staff’s ability to make the most of a customer’s presence inside the showroom. The employees were told to showcase latest collections even during billing to increase chance of future purchase, Days-long in-store training sessions were conducted by professional trainers twice a year.

The Covid-19 pandemic threw that improvement into a tizzy as the lockdown forced showrooms to be vacated. Then the management realized the importance of online sales training.

 “The previous training programme focused on in-store sales. Post-Covid, it became necessary to engage with customers virtually,” said Kapoor. Virtual interactions became a new testing ground, for which the brand decided to change the trainingformat.”   

To start with, staff members were apprised about the need to reach out to customers through video calls and WhatsApp messages. Members were taught how to show jewellery collections online keeping the stock in mind and interact with customers over video calls.

Those staff members inactive on social media were encouraged to create profiles on various social networking platforms.

But how to judge whether the sales staff are performing satisfactorily online? The management had the

staff engage in regular role-play sessions where certain employees interacted with fellow staff as customers. While attending those customers, the team understood their strengths and weaknesses.

The most prominent success of this training session has been the improvement in staff behaviour. Their confidence increased such that they seek out the top brass only in case of very crucial customer conversion scenarios. Such mastery in storytelling about the brand’s jewellery has also improved the sales figure of the organization.

As told to Manoj Chakraborty