From The Desk Of:

Direct Response Marketing Consultant Alan Forrest Smith

The Wedding Ring and The Jewish Man

Today I went to pick up my new wedding ring for my new wedding. I am marrying my darling woman, the love of my life and a person of high tolerance (she has to be with me) in New York on September 17th 2015.

So today we went to pick up my wedding band and it’s a story worth sharing if you have a business – here’s why.

It began with a search for a quirky wedding ring and ended with a short Jewish Jeweler. The search began in Manchester.

In St Anne’s Square in Manchester on the corners there a bunch of high-end jewelers. All are good; all have a million rings on display and in stock. It isn't uncommon to see the famous locals or football players in any of these shops.

We were welcomed, sat in a clinical area almost like an opticians or Doctors and then introduced to the ‘sales team’. They sat down, fired some very fixed questions and asked some very uninterested questions. They then brought over some rings and tried very hard to get the sale – too hard.

It wasn’t that I didn’t like the people I just didn’t like that fact they clearly wanted desperately to get the sale. Interesting though that after the endless pitches not one of these Jewelers asked for the sale.

So eventually we drove home a little disheartened. Now where we live is a very Jewish area in a village called Hale In Cheshire. One day when I was on my own I thought about this search for the ring and took a walk down to one of the Jewelers. I chose the high-end looking one but unfortunately the service was the same again and I didn’t buy. I walked out alone this time thinking about this.

Now not too far from where we live and where we drink coffee everyday there is a small almost invisible Jeweler shop. His window looks like it hasn’t been changed for 20-years and I would truly say the same for the décor yet every time I walked past I kept thinking they might have something old and quirky.

A few days later Tamuna and myself went for our regular morning coffee and I suggested we go into this little shop. We knocked on the door, pressed the bell only to be greeted by a muscular, short, bald, handsome and very funny little Jewish guy. The shop look chaotic even more from the inside but his smile went from one side of his face to the other and he talked and asked and listened and pulled out a ton of magazines and books for us to looked at. He stood at one side of his counter while we stood on the other.

He asked about the wedding in New York and seemed genuinely interested. I told him I wanted something a little different, not a plain band but nothing over-the-top. In my own words, ‘a bit rock ‘n’ roll’ whatever that means. As we spoke he kept scribbling notes on an envelope, finger size, design ideas etc. Then all of a sudden he said OK leave it with me, I’ll call you, smiled and walked to his little table where he was turning gold in to happiness.

We left his shop feeling really confident. Around 3-weeks later I actually thought he had forgot but also thought because of how he was it was impossible for him to forget and then my phone rang. ‘Alan it’s Jonathon, how are you? Come over and see what I have for you’.

Of course as it is close we walked over right away. On entering he had the ring ready for us to look at and for me to try on. He said this. ‘Can you see the cut on the gold? The guys have carefully used the same technique to cut diamonds on this gold as they would on stones. It’s precise and absolutely stunning on. And the gold is fine, pure white gold if the best caliber. Feel the weight of that’.

He carefully put it in my hands and the excitedly grabbed some small digital scales to reassure himself and myself of the weight of this gold. Then he checked the fit on my finger and offered anything to be changed would be free at anytime. He then asked where in New York, how are we getting married, who will be there and exactly what date and a few more things.

Smiling endlessly and not once acting like a man looking for the sale. Finally after we were excited to see the ring and try the ring on and exchange in conversation he simply said, ‘Shall I write you an invoice for that?’. He grabbed a traditional invoice pad and scribbled an invoice.

No technology, computing or cash drawers. I loved that! We paid and bought and were very happy. He of course got his sale without selling. I would say it was a 10/10 experience.

Here’s why.

This is old school and of course this is what Jewish sellers are great at – selling without selling. It’s a people thing first, a sales thing second. It was personal, it was fun, it was informal, and it was everything it should be when you go to buy something special. He delivered and of course he asked for the sale without trying to sell me anything. I am sure if I had said no he would have said that’s fine.

Maybe this is a time for you with your business to ask yourself how personal is your business these days? How personal is your service? How desperate are you to get the sale?

You see there are times when your customer needs no convincing. The customer has already bought the product or service in his or her mind all you simply need to let them know that you are the best option to buy from.

I hope this helps, I hope it made you think.

In your service

Direct Response Marketing Consultant Alan Forrest Smith