Its been a long while since i updated my blog.
Life took over and days got busier.
My 2024 New Years resolution is to LOVE more and EXPRESS myself freely to anyone whom im grateful towards whether they are my family, my childhood friends, my classmates, my school mom friends, YPO forum mates, YPO spouses, husband, kids etc etc. Im not sure if its timing or this personal exercise is working, i find myself more confident, happy and have plenty of meaningful relationships.
I grew up in a somewhat volatile environment and DISTRUST and DEFENSE were the key components to surviving. If i had to express my true feelings and say whatever that comes to mind, i could expect the silent treatment which will follow and maybe even going hungry or locked out. There was a phase in my teenage life where precious belongings had to be guarded or maybe even strapped to my body at all times. Now that im a grown woman and a mom of 2 cuties, i realize that a safe environment is not only possible but its necessary and fulfilling.
As a business owner i take it very seriously and personally when i fail to create a safe and trusting environment for our clients. Its tricky enough we no longer operate in stores and most of the work is done over WhatsApp and Instagram, the way our biz model is run now also requires a certain amount of monies upfront - its called a deposit :) Why? Let me explain in detail .....
Unlike a store that requires inventory (variety and a decent amount of) our simplified biz model which is fuss free and little or none holding cost does not require us to carry too much stock which could become outdated not to mention not price competitive (diamond prices fluctuate and the industry is dynamic) which means its better to buy at certain times when the need or demand arises.
So it starts by us getting a brief from the client so we can source accordingly, we sometimes ask for a budget but we also know from experience for many first time customers they prefer not to reveal as they want to test our prices to see if we are competitive or not. Giving us a budget has a risk of us just telling them the diamond is that price when it could be lower. I am an end consumer too and its normal to feel that way.
After a few rounds of viewing the options we propose to you (on our end we go through many many, up to 50 diamonds or more at times to filter the best 2-3 based on your needs and budget) we then help and guide you to make an informed choice. Since these are not our own inventory, there is no pushy or pressured approach to make you buy. What we do remind is, when you see something you like at the price you want, its good to buy as these goodies get zapped up very quickly. Theres a reason why restaurants have a long queue and some dont. Diamonds are the same, an experienced jeweler in the trade will spot it and before you realise the diamond is sold.
Next comes the tricky part. Who will pay for the diamond first? As these diamonds are traded on a B2B level, it is free for all to view and buy, To the supplier (cutters in our case as we buy directly) cash is king so the first to pay up gets the diamond. No money no diamond. We dont expect our client to pay monies upfront but we do require a 50% deposit to ensure everyone is on the same boat and no one gets played out. We on the other hand will have to pay in full to the cutter to get the diamond shipped to us. Upon completion and satisfaction of the end product only do we ask our client to pay in full.
Here's the catch ... We dont have a store, we've only been chatting on WhatsApp and IG, you've never met me. Why should you hand money over without even seeing and touching the actual stone? The certs are in order, eveything has been checked for legitimacy and the price is right ... So what else is missing? The answer is - I have failed to build trust with the client and she feels uncomfortable handing money to me knowing my price is still cheaper than others.
I recently had a prospect who reached out and we got to Step 2 and even discussed prices. I tried my best to be transparent, honest and upfront without beating round the bush. All seemed well until i explained to her our deposit policy. Hours went by before i got a reply and since i told the supplier i might have a buyer, the natural thing to do was follow up to see how else i can help. She was kind enough to reply they are going ahead with a local jeweler as they were uncomfortable handing money to someone they've not met before. I thanked her as some would just 'blue tick' me and leave me wondering.
That night i thought about it deep and hard on how i could have done better. In actual fact, its no longer about closing a sale and making money. If we wanted to make money there were easier and faster ways and operating from home is certainly not a good way to begin with. Tracing back to our family biz values from my father-in-laws days are values such as TRUST and CONFIDENCE over profit and margins. "The success in our biz stems from TRUST, you are not just selling a product you are selling TRUST" was told to me from time to time since our store opening in Shanghai.
I kept replaying in my head the whole conversation and process and how i have failed. Once again i am taking things too personally and its affecting my judgement and intentions. This morning i woke up and i told my husband, i will do better and there's lots to learn from this case.
We decided to embark on this lifestyle together so we will stick to it and not let some adversities alter and affect our choices. We hashtag ourselves #lifestylejeweler for a reason and they appear as 2 little kiddos growing up with parents who WFH so we can watch them grow and always be together. This will never change. As how our concept of selling TRUST remains, with or without a store.
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