Unique Ways to Host Jewelry Parties for the Holidays
In NYC, the city is abuzz:: New York Fashion Week just ended, Instagram feeds are going off with the newest collections and stores are having their own version of sip & see parties.
It’s all the prep to build excitement and the momentum “lead up” to successful holiday sales. I remember when I had my wholesale jewelry business, my biggest months in sales were always the final 4 months of the year. One of the keys to my success for taking it above and beyond was hosting trunk shows or what I like to call “jewelry parties” in as many places as possible. I would travel to my hometown and my aunt would host a party for me. I hosted a sale in my corporate headquarters in San Francisco and then in NYC. I also partnered with other designers who didn’t compete to host sales in other cities. The key element for all of these sales was that I made it FUN and I offered a great incentive for clients to purchase from me then and there. I called them jewelry parties, but often times they were a great way to unload excess inventory and old jewelry samples (that were perfectly perfect). For those of you who have been following us for awhile, you know that in our Multiply Your Profits course we are big believers in inventory reduction to keep your jewelry biz super profitable. Your “jewelry parties” can act as a funnel for just this, unload your extra inventory for a profit. The most important part of this scenario is to prepare in advance so you can maximize your exposure and potentially have more than one
Today I wanted to give you some ideas on different ways to host or promote a jewelry party:
1. Host a party in your own home or in your studio.
Your jewelry party is really a no brainer. Your friends and family love to buy from you. Make sure you ask them to invite all of their friends and family, as well. Give them incentives for bringing guests with them.
2. Host a party in other cities where friends or relatives live.
Getting outside of your region is a great idea, especially since you are exposing your collections to a new market often times. Personally, this was a great technique and excuse to come back to visit my family in Southern California when I was living elsewhere.
3. Host a party in corporate offices around town where your friends or family work.
During the nascent stages of my jewelry business, I hustled like a mad woman and tried to get into the corporate offices of whoever I could. I remember doing trunk shows at places like Sharper Image, Publishing companies and Gap headquarters. When I moved to NYC, one of my closest friends worked for Goldman Sacks. She invited me to come in during during lunchtime for a show and within an hour I had sold about 30 pieces of jewelry. Not bad.
4. Have friends host for you (especially outside of your area).
Make a list of all of your friends that live in other cities. If you can’t travel to those cities, ask them to host a show for you. You can incentivize them with FREE jewelry for hosting and more jewelry for hitting sales goals. You would want to select outgoing friends who are go-getter and love to sell. The more they sell the more they receive. Make sure you have lots of promotional materials and make sure your friends collect email addresses for those who purchased.
5. Join group holiday sale events. Make sure you check out attendance and that it isn’t all jewelry. A nice mix of different products is better for sales.
Multi-designer trunk shows (if not flooded in your area) can also be a great way to have your own jewelry party and leverage the list of a production company and a great way to get new clients. You will need to weigh the expenses vs. the traffic to see if it’s worth it, but I often had great success with sales like this.
6. Partner with another designer that does not compete with your line and host a joint party.
When I lived in NYC, I would fly back to San Francisco every season and host trunk shows with my friend Brooke. She had a handbag line at the time and it was a great way for us to cross pollinate our fans. We would make it fun by having it on a busy shopping street, in a store, during cocktail hour.
7. Have your friends and family take your jewelry to their offices for private showings.
If the company allows it and your friends are trustworthy, this can be a low key way to host a private jewelry party. Similar to sending your rolls of jewelry to friends in other cities, hosting at offices can be a great way to land new clients and get more sales. My friend, Tiffany, really wanted this diamond necklace I designed. I sent her to her office with several bags of jewelry and I gave her a sales goal. In return, Tiffany earned a beautiful diamond horseshoe necklace that was very expensive and one of my top sellers. The most important key about hosting jewelry parties is to make it fun for all involved. Often simple appetizers, sweet treats and wine can help get people in the mood for shopping too. (Not that we endorse wine infused shopping, but it can be fun). The key is to maximize these last several months of the year to leverage and make the most sales possible in your business. On that note, Robin & I are hosting a completely “no-pitch” challenge starting September 30th, 2013. Enrollment is in full force and if you want to win some sweet prizes like FREE coaching and Rio Grande Gift cards (and other great biz resources), make sure you join us and share like crazy!!! GO HERE TO ENROLL
Do you have inventive ideas to host a jewelry party?
We want to hear from you:
- If you have hosted an unusual jewelry party, tell us what you did in the comments below?
- How are you inspiring others to be Ambassadors for your jewelry brand?
- What are some of the most successful tactics you have used to get more sales at a jewelry party?
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