Buyers Promotion

The numbers for estate buying have been down recently due to gold prices, the perceived state of the economy, and other factors. Obviously, we all would like to make more money so we will proceed with a procedure that has worked very successfully for the retail store:

Promote (Promotion)

In my 30 years of experience, I’ve always found that the best way to reverse a downtrend is to promote with calls, emails, and letters. Promoting in these ways lets people know, on a personal level, who we are. Advertising on TV, radio, bulk mail, etc. is more general and is a broad action. Personal promotion via calls, letters and emails is specific and very personal. It lets customers know that we are there for them and that we are real people who want to help them. Of these three, calls, emails and letters, the first two are quite inexpensive so give us the best “return on investment.”

In an effort to bring in more business we have been experimenting with spending more on TV and the Internet but it has not brought us any noticeable increase in customer traffic. So if we want to do more business, and make more money, we need to use a tried and true method and that is personal phone calls.

I understand that it may seem uncomfortable to call people you don’t know but this is something that just needs to be overcome. What’s the worst that can happen? Let’s look at both the worst and best possibilities. If you call a potential customer and say, “Hi, This is Mary from Leo Hamel Jewelry Buyers. I just wanted to remind you that we are paying very good prices for jewelry, watches and coins. Can I help you change anything you may no longer need, want or wear into cash?”

Worst case response:

“Eat Sh*t and Die you commie jeweler!”

Or just maybe:

“I just don’t wear my disco ball necklace anymore and my husband does have those 600 Krugerrands taking up space in the safe. When can I come to see you?”

Yes, it sometimes is uncomfortable to make “cold calls” (A telephone call or visit made to someone who is not known or not expecting contact, often in order to sell something.) But it is also uncomfortable to not make as much money as you would like!

The least expensive way for us to increase business is to Promote. Personal Promotion is the best way to get our, and YOUR name out there.

I would like each of you to contact at least ten people per day to promote our business by calling or sending emails. Letters can be used but they take longer and cost more. If you believe that a letter is the best thing to use, then use it in special cases or as a FOLLOW UP to a phone call or letter, but mainly let’s use inexpensive calls and emails. It only needs to be a quick message along the lines of, “Hi, this is so-and-so at Leo Hamel Jewelry Buyers, just calling because we are paying high prices for gold, silver, jewelry and watches. If you have anything you are not using, we would be happy to look at it for you. Thanks.” Or it could be a call to one of your good customers. “Hi Jane, I was just curious if there’s anything else I can help you with, or if you know any friends that I could help. I’d be happy to contact them.”

In the early days (like the first 10 years) of my business, when I could not afford general advertising, I made calls and wrote letters all day, every day, when I was not with customers. I really did this every day and it brought me business. These actions established me as a real person in the eyes of the customers and made them feel special. It is the rare person that will get mad at getting a call. When you run across this rare person just let it go, and go on to the next person. I found that it was really only 1 in 25 people that were bothered and usually more like 1 in 100!

I assure you that if you promote yourself regularly, you will see a return. It might only be one person out of a hundred, but it only takes a hour or so out of your routine to find that customer and they may even refer several more people for you! Even if after making lots of calls you can’t identify an exact buy you made from it, it will be there regardless. People may come in, or send a friend/relative, and not mention the call or email but we know from experience that the stats WILL go up at some point after extra promotion.

This will make us all more money.

I am asking for 10 calls a day, minimum. Please feel free to do more. We can call people “cold” from our company retail mailing lists, or you can call past buy customers. I would mix it up.

Please keep a separate stat on this. Some of you will decide to really get into this and make 20, 30 or more calls a day. That would be brilliant and very much appreciated. I promise you it will bring in business. Let me know how it goes.

Wishing you well,